Maize research institute to come up at Ladhowal

Union minister for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, will lay the foundation stone of the administrative building-cum-laboratory

Union minister for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, will lay the foundation stone of the administrative building-cum-laboratory of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) – Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR) at Ladhowal on November 15.

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IIMR director Sujay Rakshit said the ICAR- IIMR is the nodal centre for research on maize in India.

“Since 2015, the institute is working from Panjab Agricultural University (PAU). For the establishment of IIMR headquarters in Ludhiana, the Punjab government has allotted 185 acres, five kanals and three marlas of land at Ladhowal.”

“This institute covers all aspects of maize research starting from seed science, breeding, agronomy, and pathology to quality testing and value addition of maize products. All types of maize – sweet corn, baby corn, forage corn, and quality protein maize are grown and studied here for varietal improvement,” he added.

Cabinet minister for food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, Bharat Bhushan Ashu; MP Ravneet Singh Bittu; ICAR director general Trilochan Mohapatra; deputy director general (crop science) AK Singh; Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) vice-chancellor Baldev Singh Dhillon; and deputy commissioner Pardeep Kumar Agrawal will also be present.

“Besides, a Kisan Mela will also be organised at PAU where ICAR-IIMR, ICAR- Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), ICAR- Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering & Technology (CIPHET), PAU and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) will showcase technologies developed by them for the benefit of farmers,” Rakshit
said.

He added that improved maize cultivators for both public and private sectors will also be demonstrated.