NARC’s Role in Agricultural Research for

Development in Nepal

March 2013

Dil B. Gurung, PhD

Executive Director

Nepal Agricultural Research Council

(NARC)

Kathmandu, Nepal

www.narc.gov.np

Overview

• Agriculture in Nepal

• Major Institutions for Agricultural R&D

• NARC and its Mandate

– Major Achievements

– Challenges and Issues

– Priorities and Strategies

• Areas of Potential Collaboration

Agriculture in Nepal

• Backbone of Nepalese Economy

• Contributes 35% to GDP

• 65% of the population dependent on agriculture (Total

population: 27 million)

Cultivated land

21%

Cultiviable land 7%

Forest 39%

Pasture 12%

Water 3%

Others 18%

Total area: 147,181 sq.km

Total Population and Agriculture Produces over the Years

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

1961 1981 1991 2012

%

mt

and

nu

mb

er

Population ('000) @1.4 Principal agric. production ('000 mt) @5.9

Livestock products ('000 mt) @2 Population engaged in agriculture, %

Nepal’s Share in Total Biodiversity of the World

2.20%

1.40%

2.20%

8.50%

4.20% 4%

Floweringplants

Reptiles Fish Birds Butterflies Mammals

Land share of Nepal in earth: 0.1%

Agro-eco-zones in Nepal

• 3.6 M population (out of 27 million) suffer from

food insecurity (Mountain and Hill districts)

• Poverty level is at 25% based on Nepal Living

Standard Survey, 2011

Tarai

Mid Hill

High Hill

Asia

China

Major Institutions for Agriculture R&D

Research Institutions

• Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)

• Nepal Agriculture Research & Development Fund (NARDF)

• NGOs (LIBIRD, FORWARD, CEAPRED)

Academic Institutions

• Agriculture and Forestry University

• IAAS, Tribhuvan University

• Kathmandu University

• HICAST, Purvanchal University

• Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT)

Extension Institutions

• Department of Agriculture

• Department of Livestock Services

• INGO/NGOs

Mandate

• Generate technologies in agriculture

• Solve problems related to agriculture

• Advice policies to the Government of Nepal on

agriculture R&D 8

• An apex body for agricultural research in the

country with the goal of poverty alleviation

through the development of appropriate

technologies

• Established at 1991 as autonomous organization

Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)

Regional

Directorates

(5)

Commodity Research

Programs

(16)

Agricultural Research Stations

(13)

Council (16 members)

Chaired by Minister of Agriculture

Executive Board (8 members)

NARC Head Quarter

NARI & NASRI,

Disciplinary Divisions

(18)

Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)

Cross Cutting

Divisions

(5)

NARI: National Agriculture Research Institute

NASRI: National Animal Science Research Institute

10

Research Stations of NARC across the Country

Commodity Research Program: 15

Rice

Citrus

Jute

Fishery

Hill Crops Potato

Wheat

Ginger

Sheep & Goat

Commercial crop

Prioritized Areas for Agriculture Research

Major food crops: Rice, wheat, maize and

potato

Horticulture and specialized commodities:

Citrus, apple, off-season vegetables, vegetable

seeds, mushrooms

Commercial crops: Ginger, tea,

coffee,cardamom, sugarcane, jute

Agricultural policy, socio-economics,

gender, agriculture marketing

Livestock and fishery: Cattle, buffalo, sheep,

goat, swine, avian, pasture and fish

Natural resource management and climate change:

Biotechnology, soil, water, biodiversity,

climate

Research Projects and Manpower

13

243

322 365

61

286

1277

Scientists TechnicalOfficers

Technicians Finance Administrative Total

• Number of research projects: ca. 450 annually

• Number of collaborative projects: ca. 40

• Annual Budget: USD 12 million in 2011

• 0.3% of total national budget and less than 10%

of the total agricultural budget

Donors Funding Sources

Grants from

Government of

Nepal

Others (Private

Sectors)

Funding Sources (July, 2012 – June,2013)

74.5%

25.3%

0.2%

International Institutions

Development Banks

Norwegian, USAID,

JICA, etc

Institutional Partners

Department

of

Agriculture

Department

of Livestock

Services

University

(AFU, TU,

KU, Kyu Shu

NTU, PU,

MSU…)

Private

sectors I/NGOs

CG Centers

(CIMMYT, IRRI,

CIP, ICRISAT,

ICARDA,

Bioversity)

NARC Linkage with Universities

• NARC has visualized a critical role of Research-

Education linkage in agriculture technology

development and transfer •

• NARC has some form of linkage with Universities (AFU,

TU, KU, NTU, PUs) for higher academic trainings (MSc,

PhD) •

• NARC is in the process for developing formal

program level linkage with Agriculture and Forestry

University (AFU) and other Universities •

• NARC has already envisioned and made initiative to

establish Deemed to be University under NARI/NASRI

•

Contribution of Agricultural Research in Nepal

• NARC has made significant contributions in developing

and delivering new technologies for enhancing food

security, income generation, climate change

adaptation and reducing cost of production •

• Investment in wheat research in Nepal in the past

(1960-1990) has generated an internal rate of

return (IRR) ranging from 75% to 84%. The internal

rate of return from research investment in rice, maize

and wheat from 1995-2004 ranged from 84-105%

in Nepal

Contribution of Agricultural Research in Nepal

• NARC developed and promoted varieties in major

crops (rice, wheat, maize) are being adopted in more

than 80% of the crop area

• Apart from these, several crops, livestock, fisheries

and horticultural technologies are developed,

promoted and adopted by the farmers (viz. stress

tolerant and disease resistant (eg Ug99) varieties,

trout fish, plastic house for off season vegetable

cultivation, Srijana hybrid, Pakhribas pig, QPM, RCTs,

coffee & millet processing machines, etc)

8.6 56.5 69.8

3.9

178.6

64.6

152.1

227.1

28.9

496.1

51.4 33.2

92.6

24

114

Rice Maize Wheat Barley Potato

Area Production Productivity

Percent Increase in Area, Production and Productivity of

Major Food Crops over 25 Years (1984-2010)

1. Food Security

Growth Rate (%) per Year for Key Crops (1984/85-2009/10)

0.5

1.32 1.27

3.94

1.85

1.31

2.85

1.99

3.11

3.86

7.22

3.68

2.39

5.33

1.49 1.78

2.58

3.28

1.84

1.08

2.51

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Rice Maize Wheat Potato Lentil Oilseeds Vegetable

Area Prod Yield

% Y

ear

Total Varieties of 46 Crops with Complete PoP

69

24 34

6 3

36

18 9

47

4

250

Recent Achievements: Maize

• Rampur Hybrid-2 for Tarai and KYM33 × KYM35 for Hills • QPM varieties S99TLYQ-AB, S01SIWQ-3, S99TLYQ-B are

developed and ready for release

Finger Millet

Release of GE-5016 (bold grain and

quality straw), GE 5176, Acc. 2827,

533 / 2311 (for high hills)

Buckwheat

Release of first buckwheat variety

of Nepal IR13 (for mid hills)

Rapeseed

Release of Morang local and ICJ

9704

Bageswori 2

(Sadabahar)

ICP 7035

Pigeon Pea

Potato: Late Blight Resistant Varieties Ready for Release

Ready for Release TPS Variety

Cowpea

Malepatan-1

Tomato

Sirjana Hybrid

• Seed production through

public private partnership

• 3.8 kg of hybrid seed

produced in 2011

2. Income Generation

Potato Variety for Chips

PRP 25861.1

Cucumber Hybrid: K1F1

Seed production through

private farms

Top Red

Spur type

Kiwi: A new high-

demanded fruit in

Nepal

Introduced from New

Zealand

Yield 40-50 kg/tree

Washington Navel Fruit • Suitable for low altitude

• Seedless

• Matures in Nov-December

Sweet Orange

Valencia Late • Seedless

• Matures in April

• Leading variety of the world

Large Cardamom

Chhirke & Phurkey ( Viral )

Disease

Tolerant Seedlings

production through Tissue

Culture

Seedlings from seeds

Biscuits from Proso Millet

Composition ratio: 30% millet + 70% wheat flour

Biscuits from Foxtail Millet

Biscuit prepared from Underutilized Crops

Hybrid Boer Kids

Dual purpose popular back yard poultry breed

Boer Goat

Black Pig: Hurrah, Nagpuri and Saddle Back (2nd Generation)

Low Cost Pig Fattening

• 50% Brewer's residue with

local byproducts to fattening

pigs for economic production •

• On farm result: Net profit of

1977 Rs/pig in 36 weeks of

fattening period

Promising effect of Pentasulfates in Khari disease in buffaloes

Buffaloes after Medication

Before medication After medication

Indigenous Buffaloes

for milk and meat in

mid hills

Cross breeding

program is under way

to improve the

productivity

Improved breed of a

Buffalo (Murrah) for

meat, milk and draft in

Tarai

Grass Varieties in Process for Release

White clover (Laxmi): 30-40 t/ha

Jai Grass (Parbati)

Jai Grass (Ganesh): 60-70 t/ha

38

39

Year round

forage

production

in some

parts of

Nepal

Rewa (Chagunius chaguni) Hade (Labeo pangusia)

Fish Seed Production Technology Developed

Gardi (Labeo dero)

Biodiversity conservation by maintaining several

indigenous fish species in Kaligandaki

Rainbow Trout Technology for Mid and High Hills

• Fish production technology package developed

• Frys production at farmers level and

commercialized the technology

• Technology exported to Thailand and Pakistan

Tilapia Pond Culture

Harvesting size

Max: 200-300 g

Masculined 400-500 g

Production

Max: 3.5 m ton/ha

Masculined: 6.5m ton/ha

Survival: 85%

Sex change technology in Tilapia developed (92% Male)

Breeding technique for cold water

local fishes (Sahar, Asala, Gardhi,

Hade, Phaketa, Katle) developed

Gardi

Sahar

Breeding technology for

ornamental fish developed

3. Climate Resilient Varieties/Technologies

44

A. Drought Tolerant Rice Varieties

1. Sukhha dhan-1

2. Sukhha dhan-2

3. Sukhha dhan-3

4. Tarahara-1

5. Hardinath-2 Sukhha Dhan-1

Sukhha Dhan 2 Sukhha Dhan 3

B. Submergence Tolerance Rice Varieties

1. Swarna sub-1

2. Samba Masuli sub-1 • Improved through Marker Assisted Backcrossing

• Submergence tolerance (up to 15 days)

Swarna sub-1 Samba Masuli Sub-1

• Nearly 50 MT seeds of these varieties produced and distributed to

the farmers of eastern to mid and far-western Tarai during 2011

Climate Resilient Maize Varieties

Released Varieties

1. Deuti ( Drought tolerant)

2. Poshilo Makai-1 (QPM)

Promising Genotypes

1. 05SADVI (GLS tolerant)

2. 07SADVI (GLS tolerant)

3. ZM 401 (GLS tolerant)

4. ZM 627 (GLS tolerant)

5. TLBR S07F16 (Drought, heat tolerant)

6. BLSBR S07F12 (Drought, heat tolerant)

7. RML-4 X NML-2 (Released Hybrid)

Gray Leaf Spot Tolerant Maize Varieties

1. Manakamana-3

2. Ganesh-1

3. Shitala

4. Deuti

5. ZM627

6. TL03AS2

7. CLA87/C Local vs Manakamana-3

Ug99 Resistant Wheat Variety (Vijay)

48

BL 3063

NL 1064

Spot Blotch tolerant: Vijay, Gautam, NL1073

Heat tolerant (terminal heat stress): Gautam

49

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zdf{, lbks e08f/L, w'|aaxfb'/ yfkf / g'tg/fh uf}tdn] klxnf] Borlaug

Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) Gene Stewardship Award k|fKt ug{

;kmn ePsf 5g\ . of] cGt/fli6«o:t/sf] Award ux'FafnLdf nfUg]

sfnf] l;Gb'/] -Ug99 _ nufot l;Gb'/] /f]ux? cj/f]ws hftx? -ljho /

cGo kfOknfOgdf ePsf_ sf] ljsf; / ltgsf] lj:tf/ u/L g]kfnsf] vfB

;'/Iffdf 7"nf] 6]jf k'¥ofPjfkt lbOPsf] xf] .

A team of Nepali wheat scientists have received Borlaug Rust Initiative

Gene Stewardship First Global Award in 2 September 2012 in Beijing

for developing and out scaling of Rust resistant varieties including Ug99,

killer disease of wheat

Climate Resilient Technology

Urea Molasses Mineral

Block (UMMB) reduces

methane gas in the

rumen by more than

two times (7 Vs 17%)

National Agriculture Genetic Resource Centre (Genebank)

Established in 2010

Area: 2.5 hectare

Total collection: >9000 accessions

of 70 different crops

Facilities

• Short -term storage (Seed

Bank)

• Field Gene bank

• Tissue Bank

• DNA Bank

• Molecular Research Lab

4. Mechanization

Corn Sheller:

Capacity 15 kg maize

shelling per hour where as

manually a women can shell

5-8 kg per hour

Roller type coffee pulper:

Capacity is 60 kg/ hr.

Technology transferred to private sector

More than 120 pulpers commercialized

Millet Thresher cum Pearler

• Capacity of threshing and pearling

is 40-50 kg/hr

• Threshing efficiency is 97% and

pearling efficiency 98 %

Low cost Solar Dryer

• Appropriate to dry apple,

vegetables, fish ,meat

• Temperature ranges between 35-55

degree Celsius

• Capacity 12 kg/ batch (24-48 hr)

Challenges and Issues

• Yield gap between experimental plots and farmers' fields

• Increasing youth migration from rural area resulting in labor

scarcity and feminization of agriculture

• Food Safety and Pesticide Hazards Issues

• Production uncertainty brought by climate changes

• High cost of labor and key inputs (fertilizer, fuel) resulting in

less profitability of farming

• Lack of interest in agricultural profession among young and

educated professionals

• Poor incentives in public research to attract, motivate and

retain high caliber dedicated scientists

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Experimental Yield

National Average

Attainable Yield

6.7

2.2

5.7

Yie

ld in

to

nYield Gap of Maize in Nepal

3.5 4.5

1.0

Hybrid

9

(OPVs)

Priorities and Strategies of NARC

A. Food and Nutrition Security at National and

Regional Level

Development of improved varieties and breeds employing

modern tools

• Thrust on hybrid development

• Conservation of Genetic Resources

• Niche Specific Technology Development

B. Income and Employment Generation

Technology development and transfer (offseason vegetable,

seed production, livestock for milk and eat, fisheries, ginger,

tea, cardamom, honey, mandarin orange, etc)

Strategy of NARC…

C. Commercialization and Import Substitution

Development/identification of appropriate agricultural

mechanization technology

Focus of crops for import substitution viz. sugarcane,

vegetables, seed, fruits, meat, fish, vegetables, flower etc.

Linkage with private entrepreneurs and industries

D. Climate SMART Agriculture and NRM

• Technology development for stress condition

• Technology Development for Integrated Pest Management and

Resource Conservation

• Conservation, utilization and maintenance of soil, water and

biodiversity

• Development and promotion of Resource Conservation

Technologies

Current status of Collaborative Research on Livestock

Climate Change

• Project initiation workshop

• Work plan developed

• Site visits: Site selection

• Farmers selected

• Farmer’s field selected

• Baseline data collected

• Training of farmers in forage production

• Forage crops and– supply chain established

• Forage crop research

• Reproduction studies

• Breeding and AI continued Fodder Demonstration AI and Animal Breeding

Training

Inception workshop Training

Research Location

A. Collaboration in Agriculture and NRM Research

• Collaborative research in developing modern

technologies for food security:

– Integrated Pest Management and Organic Agriculture

– Biotechnology and food safety

– Climate change research in crops, horticulture, livestock, fishery

– Conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources

– Conservation agriculture

– Agricultural mechanization

• Socioeconomic, foresight and policy research

Areas for Strengthening Collaboration with Michigan

State University & Other Universities & Research Institutes

B. Collaboration in Capacity Building

• Exchange of researchers between NARC and MSU

• Research Fellowships (Two-Way)

• Post-graduate and on-job training of NARC scientists

• Technical supervisory guidance and facilities for PhD

and MS field research of MSU students in Nepal

• Research Internships for MSU students

• Partnerships in R&D at different levels

Potential Areas of Collaboration

• Developing policy guidelines to establishing/enable

linkages with teaching, extension/outreach, and

research

• Guidance in basic and applied research—crops,

livestock, forests and people

• Collaboration in further development of research

laboratories, training of laboratory scientists and

technicians

• Further development of NARC’s capacity through in-

country training in collaboration with AFU, DOA and

DLSand international partners

Think for future generation