Udaipur: A two-day meeting of the Regional Research and Extension Advisory Committee (RREAC), Division IV-A, for the Rabi 2026 season was organised at the Directorate of Research, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (MPUAT), Udaipur, on September 28 and 29. The meeting was chaired by Director Research Dr. Manoj Kumar Mahla and focused on identifying farmer-oriented, need-based research and extension programmes for the coming season.

The programme commenced with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp, followed by a welcome address by Dr. Manoj Kumar Mahla, who welcomed Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Pratap Singh, deans, directors and departmental officials. He also welcomed Dr. Narayan Lal Gurjar, founder of Crop Amrit (EF Polymer).

Addressing the meeting, Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Pratap Singh said the RREAC meeting should review the achievements and challenges of the previous year and identify need-based technical programmes for the coming year. He stressed the importance of developing a comprehensive database of farmers’ problems, including field-level feedback, affected areas, photographs and available solutions.

He said contingency planning and crop diversification were important tools for helping farmers manage risks and improve their incomes. The Vice Chancellor also emphasised the need to regularly update the Package of Practices (PoP) by removing outdated varieties and banned chemicals and incorporating the latest recommendations.

Prof. Singh called for advance seed production planning for newly released varieties and stressed increasing the production of quality seeds at the university in line with farmers’ requirements. He also directed that impact assessments of research projects and skill-oriented programmes be undertaken and that research trials be regularly monitored in the field.

Director Research Dr. Manoj Mahla said the university’s Farm Machinery Testing Centre was testing and certifying small agricultural implements and farm machinery. Information about products that successfully complete the testing process would be made available on the university website to facilitate access for farmers and concerned institutions.

Dr. Mahla emphasised the need to promote cluster-based production of agricultural commodities, processing, value addition and secondary agriculture. He said innovation and value-addition-based enterprises should be encouraged in the region so that farmers could secure better prices and improved market access for their produce.

Referring to initiatives related to organic and medicinal crops in and around Udaipur, Dr. Mahla said efforts were being made by various organisations to connect farmers with such activities and stressed the need to encourage similar initiatives.

He also highlighted newly sanctioned projects and ongoing research at the university, stating that these initiatives were aimed at addressing farmers’ problems and accelerating agricultural development. He expressed hope that the two-day deliberations would lead to practical, need-based research and extension programmes benefiting farmers across the division.

Additional Director Agriculture, Bhilwara, Dr. Kailash Chand Meena, urged scientists and officials to ensure that advanced agricultural technologies developed by the university reach a larger number of farmers through agricultural extension workers. He stressed stronger coordination between agricultural scientists and officials of the Agriculture Department for timely resolution of problems related to Rabi crops.

Joint Director Agriculture, Bhilwara, Dr. Vinod Kumar Jain, shared details of various problems being faced by farmers in Division IV-A during the Rabi season. He said field-level issues and feedback received from farmers should be incorporated into research and extension programmes, with scientific and need-based solutions developed and taken to farmers.

Regional Director Research Dr. S.S. Lakhawat welcomed the guests and briefed the participants about various research projects being undertaken at the university. He also highlighted the agro-climatic conditions of Division IV-A and new research technologies being developed for the region.

Dr. Lakhawat presented a report on the problems being faced by farmers in various crops across the division and discussed possible interventions. The meeting also held detailed discussions on challenges associated with the cultivation of summer mung bean and black gram in Division IV-A and possible solutions.

Several university officials and faculty members presented their views and suggestions aimed at strengthening farmer-oriented research and extension activities. These included Dr. R.L. Soni, Director, Extension Education; Dr. Lokesh Gupta, Rajasthan College of Agriculture; Dr. K.K. Yadav, College of Agriculture, Bhilwara; Dr. Siddharth Mishra, College of Dairy and Food Technology; Dr. R.P. Meena, College of Agriculture, Dungarpur; Dr. Rajshree Upadhyay, Director, DPM & HRD; Dr. L.N. Mahawar, College of Fisheries; and Dr. Sarla Lakhawat, Dean, College of Community and Applied Sciences, Udaipur.

Dr. Sudhir Verma, Joint Director Agriculture, Udaipur; Dr. Vinod Kumar Jain, Joint Director Agriculture, Bhilwara; Dr. Santosh, Joint Director Extension, Rajsamand; other officials of the Agriculture Department; and scientists from the university also participated in the meeting.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Ravikant Sharma, Associate Director Research, Directorate of Research, Udaipur, who expressed gratitude to all the guests, officials and scientists for their participation and valuable contributions.