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Assam Agri-business and Rural Transformation Project (APART)

Assam Agri-business and Rural Transformation Project (APART) is a third-generation project managed by Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Society (ARIAS society). Assam Agricultural University being one of the implementing agencies of the project has been working closely with its technical partners International Rice Research Institute, International Potato Centre (CIP), World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in different value chains.

Rice value chain

In rice value chain, AAU and IRRI emphasized increasing the productivity and the profitability of small and marginal farmers of Assam in rice-based cropping systems. In its Phase I, AAU and IRRI worked extensively around four main objectives to meet the deliverables. These objectives were based on promotion and enhancing the adoption of Stress Tolerant Rice Varieties (STRVs), strengthening the seed supply in Assam. Objective II of the project laid stress on raising profitability, and productivity through improved crop and natural resource management and scale appropriate mechanization and supporting the service economy. Likewise, objective III emphasized strengthening post-harvest management by introducing improved post-harvest mechanizations and rice value chain. Lastly, objective IV worked exclusively in developing extrapolation domains of cropping systems for efficient targeting of technologies in low productivity rice-fallows and stress-prone areas.

After the successful interventions of Phase I of IRRI-supported activities, APART Phase II commenced on September 16, 2022, bringing with it, new objectives and vision. The activities of the new phase revolved around the following objectives:

• Develop and strengthen technology-flow including ICT and GIS-enabled advisory systems for knowledge dissemination and catalyzing adoption
• Disseminate and scale out sustainable, resource-efficient and climate-smart technologies suited to rice-based systems of Assam
• Upgrading the rice value-chain by supporting FPCs through business models
• Analyze and document the impact of interventions, collect feedback and develop exit strategy

Potato value chain

Under APART, activities for developing potato value chain have also been undertaken with technical consultancy from International Potato Centre (CIP). The overall objective of the International Potato Center’s (CIP) engagement in the APART project is to provide technical backstopping, innovations, and capacity building along the entire potato value chain to increase productivity and competitiveness.

Under this initiative quality planting material (breeder seed and mini tubers) from institutes of national repute were procured and seed production was taken up in selected KVKs and AAU Jorhat campus under insect-proof net houses. Along with these, trials were done on climate-resilient production technology (zero tillage) in selected locations under AAU. Selection of suitable improved varieties was also done through participatory varietal selection (PVS) in selected locations where potato farmers and scientists participated.

Vegetable value chain activities:

Within the Assam Agribusiness & Rural Transformation Project (APART), World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) headquartered in Taiwan, also provides technical advisory assistance for the vegetable value chains. This assistance is mainly organized in the following components:

Part A: Improving the Quality and Availability of Planting Inputs

• Part A1: Varietal Assessment, Trials and Selection of Optimum Varieties (black gram, cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, pumpkin, and brinjal).
• Part A2: Enterprise Development through Vegetable Seedling Nurseries (Training of selected nursery growers).

Part B: Promoting the Adoption of Climate-Resilient Good Agricultural Practices

• Part B1: Climate-resilient production demonstrations (Tomato under rain-shelter and minimum tillage after harvesting of rice, and grafting of tomato with brinjal).
• Part B2: Application of integrated pest management (IPM) systems for reduced pesticide usage for all legume and non-legume crops.

Millet value chain

The state government of Assam has launched the Assam Millet Mission (AMM), which is supported by the World Bank-financed Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) of Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services (ARIAS) Society. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has been appointed to provide “Technical consultancy services to support the Assam Millets Mission (AMM) under APART” from 2023-24 for a period of about 18 months or up to September 2024.

ICRISAT contributes to the following deliverables of the consultancy assignment, out of which Deliverable 1 and 4 are budgeted with AAU, Jorhat:

Deliverables

• Deliverable 1: Introduction of suitable, high-potential germplasm of finger millet, foxtail millet, and proso millet to Assam through Assam Agricultural University (AAU). Crop cafeteria for the varieties and elite lines of the three selected millets were raised in three locations under Assam Agricultural University.
• Deliverable 2: Trainings (at ICRISAT HQ Hyderabad), exposure visits, and participation in global events focusing on key millet crops of Assam.
• Deliverable 3: Export of millets and millet-based products.
• Deliverable 4: New recipe development in collaboration with College of Community Science, AAU, Jorhat.