The Global Okra Round Table (GORT) was organized by Advanced Training in Plant Breeding & Research (ATPBR), in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), at AP Sinde Auditorium, at NASC Complex on October 10.

The main aim of GORT ‘22 session was to bring together all okra crop improvement scientists and other stakeholders so they can work towards its development.

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ICAR is known to have introduced the path-breaking virus-resistant okra varieties bred at institutes like the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore and IARI, New Delhi, Agricultural Universities like Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana and Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar.

This time, a field day was also included at the IARI campus during the conference.

Dr. Surendar Tikku, Independent Director, ATBPR, was present at the GORT inaugural session at the JP Pal Auditorium, Pusa Campus, New Delhi.

On this occasion Dr. Aparna Tiwari, co-founder, and CEO, ATPBR said, “Okra isn’t a crop that originated in India, but we are doing very well globally. Africa, USA, and some counties in Europe have a good market for okra and the climate is also very suitable for its cultivation, but India is exporting to these continents.”

She further added, India has a very high potential to become a leading exporter of okra and beat the rest of the world. The crop is not very expensive and is accessible to the majority of the population.

Furthermore, India has a very suitable conditions from the geological and technological point of view to grow any crop. Here, farming is being done with the latest technology, along with the conventional one, using different types of breeding tools to produce the best crop in the market, with lesser turnaround time, Dr Aparna Tiwari said.

Talking about the breeding and production of Okra, she said, “One of its types is through Speed-Breeding, where through continuous light, we try to speed up the whole breeding process. It’s a new technology, a lot of investment is done in this and we are the first and only ones to use the updated technique in Okra production.”

She further added, “India has the best combination in terms of policymakers, executors, farmers, students, scientists, and breeders who are working on one crop, in terms of production, marketing, value chain, or processing. Instead of duplication, here we can collaborate and make proper synchronization of the research and service which can be beneficial for both; the producer and the consumer.”

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