The 97th Foundation Day event of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research will be held tomorrow

2025-07-15 Information

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research will organise 97th Foundation Day, Awards Ceremony, and Viksit Krishi Exhibition Tomorrow at the C. Subramaniam Hall, NASC Complex, New Delhi. The event will be inaugurated by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Bhagirath Choudhary and Dr Ramesh Chand, Member NITI Ayog will also grace the occasion along with senior officials from ICAR including Dr M.L. Jat, Secretary (DARE) and Director General (ICAR), Shri Sanjay Garg, Additional Secretary (DARE) & Secretary (ICAR) and Shri Puneet Agarwal, Additional Secretary (DARE) & Financial Advisor (ICAR).

The ICAR Foundation Day marks the establishment of India’s premier institution for agricultural research and education, acknowledging its transformative role in strengthening Indian agriculture and ensuring food and nutritional security. Over the decades, ICAR has spearheaded innovations across crop improvement, livestock and fisheries development, agri-biotechnology, natural resource management, and digital agriculture.

In 2024–25, the country achieved ever highest food grain production of 353.95 Million tonnes. Country also remained the world’s largest producer of rice, with an estimated 149.1 million tonnes, and continued as the largest exporter, contributing 40% of global rice trade.

India also ranked first in milk production, reaching 239.30 million tonnes, and was the second-largest producer of wheat at 117.3 million tonnes. In horticulture, India is projected to achieve a record 367.72 million tonnes, reaffirming its position as the second-largest producer globally. Additionally, India retained the second spot in global fish production, with 18.42 million tonnes in 2024.

These achievements underscore ICAR’s critical role in enhancing India’s agricultural resilience, productivity, and global competitiveness, thereby contributing significantly to global food and nutritional security.

Flagship Initiatives

Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, released 109 high yielding, climate resilient and bio-fortified varieties of crops on 11 August 2025.

ICAR rolled out several flagship initiatives to accelerate agricultural innovation and outreach. Key among them are ‘One Scientist One Product’, ‘100 Days 100 Varieties’, ‘100 Days 100 Technologies’, and the ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’, which has directly benefited 1.35 crore farmers across 1.40 lakh villages. Additionally, the ‘100 Days Social Media Campaign – #OneICAR’ highlighted ICAR’s unified efforts in transforming Indian agriculture.

Crop Science

In a major stride toward strengthening India’s crop sector, ICAR developed and released 679 field crop varieties in the past year, including 27 bio-fortified varieties aimed at improving nutritional security. Notably, Basmati rice exports reached ₹50,000 crore, with 90% attributed to just four ICAR-developed varieties.

Wheat production hit a record 115.3 million tonnes, with 85% of the area under five climate-resilient ICAR varieties. The varietal replacement rate has significantly improved in oilseeds and pulses: chickpea (84%), lentil (99%), pea (89%), soybean (56%), and mustard (77%). The ongoing pulse revolution has boosted production from 16.3 Mt in 2015–16 to 24.49 Mt in 2023–24.

ICAR also introduced the world’s first 2 genome-edited rice varieties, marking a breakthrough in precision breeding.

Horticultural Science

In the horticulture sector, ICAR developed 83 new varieties across fruits (14), vegetables (30), flowers (12), plantation crops (11), spices (11), and medicinal plants (5). ICAR also collected and evaluated 1,860 new germplasm, and produced over 750 quintals of breeder seed, 2,200+ tonnes of breeder seed of tuber and root crops, and 75+ tonnes of mushroom spawn. More than 22 lakh quality planting materials were supplied to farmers.

Nearly, 15 patents were granted, and nine Clean Plant Centres were established to ensure disease-free planting materials. Additionally, 1,363 trainings and 1,350 demonstrations were conducted to transfer technologies to the field.

Fisheries Science

In the fisheries sector, ICAR developed a super-intensive, precision, and natural shrimp farming system, achieving 30–40 tonnes/ha/crop in just four months with high resource efficiency. Breeding protocols were standardized for seven fish species, and five specialized fish feeds were developed to support scalable aquaculture. The Council also created 13 value-added and nutraceutical fish products. Notably, carbon footprints of India’s marine fisheries were assessed and found to be 31% lower than the global average, underscoring sustainability. ICAR successfully hosted the 14th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum in New Delhi and celebrated National Fish Farmers’ Day 2025 at CIFRI, Barrackpore.

Natural Resource Management

ICAR has made notable progress in natural resource management, including the development of the National Soil Spectral Library with 40,000 soil spectra in the vis-NIR range. It formulated 35 Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) on soil, water, crop, and farming system management tailored to various states. Six integrated farming system prototypes and packages of practices for organic cultivation of 8 cropping systems and natural farming of 2 cropping systems were developed. Crop diversification demonstration units, each covering 100 hectares, were established in 17 districts across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Arunachal Pradesh.

To support agroforestry, 285 nurseries across 7 states were accredited, and Odisha’s state agroforestry policy was successfully enabled. ICAR also established 43 climate-resilient villages, compiled relevant technologies for 5 states, and invented a new microbial consortium capable of reducing methane emissions in rice cultivation by 18%, contributing significantly to climate-smart agriculture.

Livestock Development

In the livestock sector, ICAR made significant advancements with the registration of 10 indigenous animal breeds, development of 5 vaccines and 7 diagnostic tools to strengthen animal health. A total of 6.11 lakh semen doses were produced to support breed improvement, while 14.09 lakh poultry germplasm were distributed to farmers.

ICAR also released two new chicken varieties and introduced smart sensors for real-time quality assessment of dairy products, enhancing food safety and value addition.

Agricultural Engineering

In the field of agricultural engineering, ICAR developed 45 new technologies, machines, and instruments, alongside 8 process protocols and 3 value-added products aimed at enhancing on-farm efficiency and value addition. To ensure effective adoption, a total of 301 training programmes were organized for farmers, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders across the country.

Agricultural Education

ICAR strengthened agricultural education by organizing virtual meetings with 76 Agricultural Universities, enabling vice-chancellors to showcase research, extension, and academic initiatives. It implemented the 6th Deans Committee Report, introduced “Academic Guidelines for Award of Certificate and Diploma”, and rolled out the PM-One Nation One Subscription (PM-ONOS) scheme.

The ASEAN Fellowship programme was launched for M.Sc. students in agriculture and allied sciences. ICAR supported 50 Experiential Learning Units across 22 universities and conducted 166 training programmes, including a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Additionally, the Rashtriya Karmayogi Jan Seva Program trained 466 ICAR/DARE/ASRB staff across 14 batches during May–June 2025.

Agricultural Extension

ICAR significantly expanded its extension footprint by conducting 0.42 lakh On-Farm Trials (OFTs) and 2.66 lakh Frontline Demonstrations (FLDs), including 1.41 lakh FLDs on oilseeds and pulses. Training programmes benefited 18.57 lakh farmers and 1.77 lakh extension personnel. Through 3.8 lakh sample analyses of soil, water, and plant inputs, and 4.19 crore customized mobile advisories, farmers received timely, location-specific guidance. Crop Residue Management (CRM) in 65 districts across 4 states led to an 80% reduction in stubble burning compared to 2020. ICAR also developed 299 Custom Hiring Centres, 82 Seed Banks of climate-resilient varieties, and 34 Fodder Banks.

The Nutri-sensitive Agri Resources Innovations (NARI) initiative, integrated with 18,000 Anganwadi centres, promoted nutritional security through nutri-gardens. A total of 16,952 rural youth were trained through 694 skill development programmes, resulting in 3,398 entrepreneurial units involving 5,472 youth. Moreover, ICAR provided technical support to 3,093 FPOs, organizing 3,002 training programmes for 1.22 lakh FPO members across the country.

Intellectual Property Rights

ICAR has made remarkable progress in protecting and commercializing agricultural innovations. During the year, 125 patents were granted, 307 copyrights registered, and 120 design and 111 trademark applications were filed. In terms of technology dissemination, ICAR signed 1,012 technology licensing agreements and 72 consultancy/contract research agreements, reinforcing its role in fostering innovation-led agricultural transformation.

Global Reach

ICAR continued to strengthen its global footprint through strategic partnerships with international forums including ASEAN, SAARC, BIMSTEC, QUAD, BRICS, G20, and SCO. It actively participated as a member of global research bodies like the CGIAR System Council, ICARDA, and BI-CIAT. During the year, ICAR held five bilateral and multilateral cooperation meetings and signed nine MoUs and work plans. As part of its commitment to knowledge exchange, 50 ASEAN-India fellowships were awarded for higher education in agriculture and allied sciences.

Major Programmes Initiated/Implemented

To drive future-ready and sustainable agriculture, ICAR launched several landmark programmes during the year. These include the establishment of the Global Centre of Excellence on Millets (Shree Anna) and genome editing in 40 crops to boost climate resilience and food security. The Clean Plant Programme was operationalized through 9 centres, alongside national-level initiatives such as the Mission on Edible Oils, Mission on High-Yielding Seeds, and the Mission on Cotton Productivity. ICAR also initiated the Second National Gene Bank, the MAHARISHI (Millets and other Ancient Grains International Research Initiative), and the All India Network Project on Biotech Crops and Emerging Pests, while advancing innovations to empower next-generation agriculture.

The ICAR Foundation Day is not just a celebration of achievements but also a reaffirmation of the commitment to serve the farming community through cutting-edge research, innovations, and capacity building.

(Source: ICAR-Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture, New Delhi)