Vinod.Bhat
The one-week Advanced Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme (A-ESDP) on “New Techniques for Commercialization of Bio-Control Agents (Trichoderma) to Promote Organic Agriculture” was inaugurated today by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir & Director Research, SKUAST-Kashmir, in the presence of the Dean of the Faculty of Horticulture, the Registrar, and Heads of Departments from various faculties of SKUAST-Kashmir. During this advanced skill programme, scholars, unemployed educated rural youth, entrepreneurs, and start-ups from across the Kashmir valley are participating to gain knowledge about different innovative approaches for organic input, particularly biocontrol agents, their development, production for entrepreneurship, and the identification of business models.
The focus of the training programme is to educate participants about new techniques for the commercialization of bio-control agents (Trichoderma) to promote organic agriculture. The programme commenced with a welcome address by Prof. Ishfaq Abidi, Chief Scientist & Head of KVK Ganderbal, who outlined the use of new techniques for the production and identification of organic inputs. He urged the trainees to acquire new skills during this programme on potent biocontrol agents and their utility for sustainable agricultural systems to reduce the use of chemical pesticides. He emphasized the need for participants to take advantage of expert advice from leading scientists from various institutions, industry professionals, and entrepreneurs who have been invited to this programme. He informed the attendees about the business opportunities in this sector and how MSME programmes are shaping the startup and entrepreneurship culture among the youth.
Prof. (Dr.) Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-K, encouraged the trainees to concentrate on innovative approaches for the low-cost development of biopesticides as an alternative to chemical pesticides for improved outputs and sustainability. He highlighted the benefits of integrated farming systems and the utilization of bio-control agents as alternatives to chemical control to optimize the use of available resources while maintaining environmental sustainability. Prof. Haroon A. Naik, Director of Research at SKUAST-K, discussed the MSME programmes undertaken in various fields and the role of SKUAST-K faculty in shaping new entrepreneurs. He urged the trainees to acquire new skills during the programme and to develop new business models for further scaling.
Prof. T. H. Masoodi, the Registrar, along with Dr. M. Y. Zargar, Ex-Director Research, Dr. Satnam Singh, Dr. Malik Mukhtar, Dr. Z.A. Baba, and Mr. Ayoub Qadri, provided their insights and congratulated KVK Ganderbal for taking the lead in conducting this programme.
The programme aims to expand knowledge about bio-control agents, improve skills for their production, and promote entrepreneurship and start-ups. There are approximately 27 sessions in this programme, focusing on both theoretical knowledge and practical demonstrations. More than 15 leading scientists and industry professionals from different institutes across the country are contributing their valuable insights. During interactions with the participants, various queries regarding the safe use and handling of pesticides, plant extracts as alternatives to chemical pesticides, the development of low-cost biopesticide units, organic farm management, and vermicomposting were discussed by the team of experts.
The proceedings of the programme were conducted by Dr. Suja Nabi Qureshi and Dr. Amir Bashir, who apprised the gathering about different aspects of this training. The scientists and technical staff of the Kendra were also present during the sessions. The session concluded with a formal vote of thanks by Dr. Shaheen Farooq, Animal Scientist of KVK Ganderbal.
