Odisha Experts Inspect Water Hyacinth Issue in Kuttanad

Fast Summary

• An expert team from Odisha visited Kuttanad and other parts of Alappuzha to study water hyacinth infestation.
• The team included Agriculture department officials and was led by Aviraj Dutta, a scientist at ICRISAT.
• the visit was part of a program funded by the Odisha Department of Agriculture under an innovation grant aimed at creating value-added products from water hyacinth in Puri district.
• Organic fertilizer made using water hyacinth with ICRISAT technology from Odisha farmers was showcased to Kerala officials, including Agriculture Minister P.Prasad and District Collector Alex Varghese.
• Discussions on controlling water hyacinth and rejuvenating Vembanad Lake were held with Alappuzha District Management representatives.
• Visits included stops at the International Research & Training Centre for Below Sea Level farming (IRTCBSF) in Kuttanad and M.S. swaminathan Rice Research Station in Mankombu for discussions with local farmers and officials.
• Experts, including K.G. Padmakumar, M. Surendran, G. Nagendra Prabhu, alongside State Agriculture department officials participated.

Indian Opinion Analysis

Water hyacinth poses critically important ecological challenges due to it’s rapid proliferation in aquatic systems like Vembanad Lake. Efforts between states such as Odisha and Kerala reflect promising inter-state collaboration focused on addressing environmental issues through innovative solutions like value-added products derived from these invasive species. The involvement of institutions like ICRISAT demonstrates the importance of scientific backing in tackling agricultural and ecological concerns.

This exchange could advance both knowledge-sharing practices between states while fostering sustainable approaches to weed management that benefit local economies-notably if techniques such as organic fertilizer production can be scaled effectively across India’s agriculture sector.

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