Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni, in Himachal Pradesh has been ranked 11th in the ranking of agricultural universities and research institutes conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for the year 2019. The rankings were released last week by the ICAR.

A varsity release here said that despite increased competition and a new system of online ranking, the university has improved one position in this year’s rankings. Last year the university was ranked at 12th position in this list.

The release said UHF has been making steady progress in these rankings which started in the year 2016 when the university was placed at 51st position, which it improved to 38 in 2017.

Last year, UHF stood at 12th position in this ranking which it has further improved to 11th position in the latest ranking.

The ICAR ranking was initiated to improve the standard of higher agricultural education in the country.

In all, 67 agricultural universities and ICAR institutes of the country featured in the ranking this year. The universities were judged on parameters like student and faculty profile, publications and citations, research, technologies commercialized, etc.

The UHF has performed well on various parameters including the performance of students in ICAR NET, JRF, SRF, other state and national level competitive examinations. The excellent placement of students in public and private enterprises, high-quality publications and projects, several technology transfer initiatives and product successes, and tie-ups have contributed to its success.

Vice Chancellor of UHF, Dr Parvinder Kaushal said the efforts of the university scientists and staff have enabled it to bag 22 research projects worth around Rs 8 crore from various funding agencies in the past year.

A mega Rs 25 crore World Bank-funded project has also been bagged by the university which will help it improve its graduate education and provide global opportunities to our students.

He said on the technology front, the challenges brought to the fore due to the COVID 19 pandemic have also been converted into opportunities. The University has been successful in the transfer of technology to its end users and entrepreneurs and has even devised online mediums for the dissemination of information to farmers and students. Apart from online teaching and extension, online examination and admission to UG & PG programmes, the university has also started online booking of planting material for the farmers.

Dr Kaushal said that to compete with global universities, UHF is strengthening its career and placement cell and improving collaborations with world-class institutions and industries. He added that the university will continue to strive in the areas of academic, research and extension education.