Hyderabad: The curtain raiser program for 32nd ISTA Congress-2019 was held at Radisson Blu, Atria on Palace Road, Bengaluru today by the Karnataka government in collaboration with Telangana government and Indo-American Hybrids Seeds Company, to promote big participation from Karnataka State
The curtain raiser program was held as a promotional activity for 32nd ISTA Congress, which was going to be held in Hyderabad for the first time in Asian continent in the ISTA’s 94 years of history. The Telangana government is hosting the Congress in collaboration with International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) and with support Union Govt from June 26 to July 3, 2019.
The ISTA Congress comprises of Seed Symposium, Technical and Annual meetings of ISTA with a theme “Seed Technology and Quality in a Changing World”. The event is expected to bring together more than 800 global seed experts from around 80 countries including policy makers, scientists, seed analysts, technologists, researchers from international organizations, universities, research institutes, public and private seed industry to discuss all the aspects of seed quality and testing.
N. H. Shivashankar Reddy, Agriculture Minister of Karnataka inaugurated the program and appreciated the Telangana Government for bringing 32nd ISTA Congress to India, which will help strengthen the seed research, education, seed industry and quality regulation system in the country which would also help in exploring seed export potential of the country, especially in potential States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
Representatives from Telangana government C. Parthasarathi, APC & Principal Secretary of Agriculture and Co-operation and Dr Keshavulu, Director and Managing Director, Telangana State Seed & Organic Certification Authority and Telangana State Seeds Development Corporation and the Nodal officer for ISTA Congress 2019 highlighted the ISTA, Indian seed sector, Karnataka and Telangana seed sector and also detailed on plan of action for ISTA Congress. They also invited all the stakeholders who have attended the program to participate in large numbers and make the congress a grand success.
Maheshwar Rao, IAS, Secretary to Govt. (Agriculture), Govt. of Karnataka, Jagadeesh, Commissioner, Agriculture &; Horticulture Department, Government of Karnataka, Dr. S. Rajendra Prasad, Vice Chancellor, UAS Bangalore and Mr. Arthur Santosh Attavar, CMD, Indo-American Hybrids Seeds (India) Pvt. Ltd were present in the program. Besides, Y.S.Patil, Director of Horticulture, B.Y. Srinivas, Director of Agriculture, Dr. M.B.Chetti,Vice Chancellor, UAS, Dharwad, Dr Kattimani, Vice Chancellor, UAS, Raichur, Dr Indiresh, Vice Chancellor, UHS, Bagalkot, Dr Manjunath Naik, Vice Chancellor, UAS, Shimoga were also present. Some 150 participants from both public and private seed organizations of Karnataka State took part in the program. (NSS)
