Webinar on Assessing R&D Needs & Development of Import Substitute in Farm Machineries for MSMEs
New Delhi: Prof.(Dr.) Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur, Shri R.K. Parmar, Deputy Director, MSME-DI, Ludhiana and Shri Baldev Singh, Chairman, Punjab State Agriculture Implements conversed upon redirecting R&D course for bolstering Import Substitution in Farm Machineries at an engaging Webinar held on 25th August 2020.
Prof.(Dr.) Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur, gave a thorough and analytical presentation on the array of CSIR-CMERI developed Farm Mechanization, Agricultural and Post-Harvest technologies. Dr. Hirani stated that an amalgamation of Science, Economics and Society can work wonders for transforming the Economic Landscape of the Nation. He charted the technology development journey from the Swaraj Tractor developed by CSIR-CMERI during the Green Revolution to the compact Krishi Shakti Tractor developed as a specimen of the changing trends in Agricultural practices. In his presentation, Dr. Hirani showcased innovative agricultural technology interventions ranging from Precision Planter for Vegetables, Offset Rotavator for Orchards to Controlled Atmosphere Renewable Energy Based Stand-Alone Cold Storage Unit, Leaf Collector System and Automatic Bio-Mass Briquetting Plant.
To enhance the income of farmers and to get proper value for their produce, CSIR-CMERI has developed post-harvest technologies and have been installed in various states of North East India including Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. The Post-Harvest processing technologies having a tremendous socio-economic impact in the North-Eastern states and is helping thousands of locals, especially women, to join the mainstream economic activities.
Dr. Harish Hirani, stated that as a revolutionary step in the history of tractor technologies, CSIR-CMERI will be launching the First Generation E-Tractors in the month of September, 2020, which has the potential to overhaul the current Diesel-intensive Tractor usage practices prevalent across the nation. Dr. Hirani urged all the MSEs to come forward with their ideas, visions and existing technologies so that CSIR-CMERI can collaborate and add further value to those potential visionary technology through intensively analyzed Techno-Economics. The future trend in Agriculture would be driven by Artificial Intelligence and Efficient Electronic Architecture, and the R&D course of CSIR-CMERI is already aligned in this direction. The CSIR-CMERI technologies after being deployed in the fields, if requires further improvisation/modifications as per newly evolved challenges/obstacles, will be remodeled/value-added by the team of scientists exclusively deputed for the purpose.
Shri Baldev Singh and Shri R.K. Parmar were highly enthused by the technology prospects of CSIR-CMERI. Shri Baldev Singh urged Dr. Hirani to further intensify the efforts of CSIR-CMERI towards development of bespoke solutions for the farming community across the nation as per the geographical, soil and socio-economic parameters of the region.