Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 4 : A media delegation is visiting the ICAR–Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CTCRI) at Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, to gain insights into research and development initiatives related to tuber crops.

The ICAR-CTCRI was established during the Third Five Year Plan to intensify research on tuber crops other than potato and began functioning on July 1, 1963, with its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. The institute also has a Regional Station at Bhubaneswar, Odisha, set up in 1976.

Officials said the All India Coordinated Research Project on Tuber Crops (AICRP-TC) was launched at ICAR-CTCRI in 1968 to test and promote location-specific tuber crop technologies across the country. At present, the project operates through 21 centres, including the headquarters and the regional station.

The institute is also a key centre under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Pre and Post-Harvest Technology and is engaged in basic, strategic and applied research on various edible tropical tuber crops, contributing to food security and agricultural sustainability, officials added. (JKNS)