Strengthening Rice Farmers’ Skills in Quality Seed Production of Climate-Resilient Varieties 
A farmers’ training programme titled “Strengthening Rice Farmers’ Skills for Quality Seed Production of Climate-Resilient Varieties” was organized on 29 December 2025 by ICAR–Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack, with financial support from RKVY, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Government of Odisha. The programme was held at Kantapada village under Kanakpur panchayat, Tirtol block, Jagatsinghpur district, in collaboration with Niali 4S4R Farmer Producer Company Ltd. The interaction-cum-training programme successfully reached around 136 local farmers and farm women providing them with valuable expert guidance on scientific seed production of climate-resilient rice varieties. The programme was presided over by Dr. S. K. Dash, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CRRI, Cuttack, while Mrs. Manaswini Lenka, Block Agriculture Officer (BAO), attended the event as the Chief Guest. In his address, Dr. Dash elaborated on the growing challenges posed by climate change to rice cultivation and highlighted the development and importance of climate-resilient rice varieties suitable for stress conditions such as submergence, drought, and high coastal salinity. Mrs. Lenka emphasized the need for farmers to adopt climate-resilient varieties and encouraged them to avail benefits from various agricultural schemes of the Government of Odisha. The technical sessions featured Dr. Jitendriya Meher as the lead speaker, who provided detailed insights into quality seed production techniques. Dr. Raghavendra Goud, Agronomist, ICAR-CRRI, discussed essential scientific rice crop management practices for achieving superior seed quality. Additionally, Dr. Raghuram focused on sustainable plant protection strategies, stressing the importance of minimizing the use of chemical pesticides and fungicides for environmentally safe rice cultivation.
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