Arunachal: CHF organizes awareness programme on Scientific Production Technology of Job’s Tear (Tanyak) cum seed distribution
It was attended by 35 trainee farmers of nearby villages of Pasighat, East Siang District.
PASIGHAT- The College of Horticulture and Forestry, (CHF), Pasighat organized One Day Awareness Program on 16th November, 2021 at ATIC- KVK (East Siang). The program was on scientific production technology of Job’s tear (Coix lacryma-jobi) which was sponsored by All India Co-ordinated Research Network on Potential Crop (AICRN-PC) under Tribal Sub Plan (TSP).
It was attended by 35 trainee farmers of nearby villages of Pasighat, East Siang District. Besides distributing seeds, leaflets were released on the two potential crops viz. Job’s Tear and Buckwheat, which are nutrient rich crop for hill farmers. Job’s Tear is a pseudo-cereal known as Tanyak by the locals in the Siang belt.
Prof. P. Debnath PI and Co-Chairman, AICRN-PC stressed up on the superiority of Tanyak to major cereal crops such as rice, wheat, maize etc. in terms of nutrients and nutraceutical properties. The crop is known to have ability to withstand biotic stress and drought.
Prof. B.N. Hazarika, Dean CHF, Pasighat reminded that the crop is found growing in wilderness near the water source and was once consumed by many communities as a source of food but has been abandoned after the popularization of other field crops, rendering it to an underutilized crop.
However, the crop is now categorized as potential crop by the researches owing to its nutritive value and health benefits. In recent time continuous attempts have been made to popularize it among the mass for its extensive cultivation.
Dr. Hanumanlal Raigar, Network Co-ordinator AICRN-Potential Crop, National Board of Plant Genetic Resource (NBPGR), New Delhi highlighted the research achievements in releasing improved varieties of buckwheat.
Mr. Ojing Mengu, a progressive farmer of Mirsam village is cultivating buckwheat in more than 10 hectares. He encouraged the fellow trainee farmers to take up scientific cultivation of both the crops to fetch higher return with little initial investment.
After the field visit to the trial farm of the project, Dr. S. K. Pattanaiak during his concluding remarks expressed gratitude to the sponsors as well the farmers for the fruitful program.
