The ICAR (Agricultural Education Division)-sponsored 21-day Winter School on "Harnessing Untapped Floriculture Potential for Farmers Empowerment and Entrepreneurial Development" was inaugurated on January 28, 2025, at the ICAR - Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR), Bengaluru. The event was graced by Dr. T Janakiram, Former Vice Chancellor, Dr. YSRHU, Andhra Pradesh as the Chief Guest, Dr. C Aswath, Former Head, Division of Flower and Medicinal Crops, ICAR-IIHR as the Guest of Honour and Dr. S. Sriram, Director (In-Charge), ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru.
This Winter School aims to upgrade the knowledge of Scientists and Faculty members who in turn would enable farmers and entrepreneurs in the floriculture sector to face future challenges in Floriculture which will greatly depend on developing improved varieties, appropriate technologies for precise production, maximizing input use efficiency, and to impart knowledge on various aspects of floriculture and its diversification including their diversity, conservation, production, crop protection, post-harvest handling, value addition and technology assessment.
There were about 20 trainee participants including 10 women participants representing 13 States will be undergoing this comprehensive training program that covers various aspects of floriculture, including production, processing, and marketing. The Heads of Divisions, Resource Persons and scientists from the Division of Flower and Medicinal Crops have attended the inaugural programme.
During the inauguration, Dr. T Janakiram emphasized the importance of floriculture in India's agricultural economy and the need for innovative approaches to harness its untapped potential. He also briefly narrated the history of R & D in floriculture in India in general and the work done at ICAR-IIHR in particular; and flagged of the research priorities in floriculture. Dr. C Aswath highlighted the role of entrepreneurship in promoting sustainable floriculture practices and improving the livelihoods of farmers. He stressed upon the importance of adopting new technologies (related to crop production & protection); importance of flower regulation; development of HRD in floriculture (especially at lower levels); and use of latest techniques like AI.
Dr. S. Sriram briefed about the contributions of ICAR-IIHR to floriculture sector in terms of varieties and technologies and emphasized on the need for exploring the potential of floriculture. In the beginning, Dr. P. Naveen Kumar, Course Director & Head, Division of Flower and Medicinal Crops welcomed all the guests and gave an overview of the winter school (its objectives, participants, resource persons, program schedule, etc). Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Principal Scientist proposed formal vote of thanks.This Winter School is being coordinated by Dr. P. Naveen Kumar & Dr Safeena, S. A. (Course Directors) and Dr. Rajiv Kumar and Dr V. Baskaran (Course Coordinators).
