Indigenous strand of Sikkim Paheli Dal “SKM PD-3” accorded varietal release

IF APPROVED BY THE CONCERNED CENTRAL AGENCY, WILL OPEN NEW AVENUES OF EARNING FOR LOCAL FARMERS 
GANGTOK, 17 Jan: Sikkim Paheli Dal, branded as “SKM PD-3”, an indigenous strand of the pulses, was accorded an official “varietal release” by the Agriculture Department today and with its hardy nature and nutritional content attested, has been forwarded to central agencies for consideration and onwards promotion in other parts of the country. If SKM PD-3 receives the approval of the concerned central agency and gets adopted in other states, it will open a new avenue for earning for farmers here since this variety is grown only in Sikkim and all seeds will hence have to be sourced from here.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Secretary, Vishal Chauhan, convening a meeting of the State Seed Sub-Committee here at Krishi Bhawan conference hall today, also informed that this varietal release comes after a long gap in the state. The last time such a release was done was of the Sikkim Selection 1 [Mustard], NLD White [Maize] and Soyabean Gyallop in the 1980’s.
It may be mentioned here that the Central Sub-Committee releases varieties of regional or national importance, and the State Seed Sub-Committees release varieties deemed to be beneficial for individual states. Release is intended to make a newly developed variety available to the public for general cultivation in the regions for which it is adapted.
About the process, the Secretary informed that various varieties of local Paheli Dal were collected from different parts of Sikkim and trials were undertaken from the farm level to KVK level. This variety was found the best and after approval from the State Seed Sub-Committee and ICAR, it was officially released today.
Addressing the function, the Secretary, who is also the Chairman of the State Seed Sub-Committee, mentioned that the release of a variety of pulse seed is a big day for the state. He informed that after trial and observation for around 3 years at different parts of the state, this particular variety was found to be successful.
The Secretary informed that it will now be sent to the national level and if found successful in trials at different places in the country and approved, demand for the variety will automatically surge which will benefit local farmers.
He informed that this pulse is being produced 100% locally and is also being used by the Department in its area expansion programme. This year the Department has placed a demand of 860 quintals of Paheli Dal to SIMFED for different schemes of the Department, which will be procured locally, the Secretary added.
He mentioned that Paheli Dal is a popular crop in the state and can be cultivated even in dry areas as it is very resistant. The crop is the main source of livelihood in South and West Sikkim, it is very suitable for organic farming, gives a good return to farmers even in the local market and also shows high productivity in small areas of land, the Secretary further mentioned.
The Secretary also congratulated the whole team involved in the release of SKM PD-3.
Agriculture Department Principal Director, SK Sinha expressed that the release of a crop after a gap of many years was an auspicious occasion. The meeting was also addressed by ICAR Senior Scientist, Dr Saroj Toppo.
In his welcome address, Agriculture Department Director, Khorlo Bhutia, stated that this release of a Sikkim crop is the result of the joint efforts of the department, KVK, ICAR and other concerned agencies. The meeting concluded with the vote of thanks by Agriculture Department Additional Director [Seeds], PK Dewan.