In a bid to promote sustainable agro-based livelihood activities in the North East, the College of Community Science in Tura, in collaboration with the Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, and All India Coordinated Research Project on Women in Agriculture (AICRP-WIA), successfully organised a one day workshop on ‘Comilla Cotton and other agro-based Livelihood Activities for NER’.
Cotton grown in Garo Hills is known as Comilla Cotton. Comilla is a district in Bangladesh and this cotton from Garo Hills in the pre-independence period was an important crop for trade. This cotton was once grown in a large area of Garo Hills but has now been reduced to only a few hectares.
The workshop today aimed to bring experts together to a single platform to discuss various cotton and agro-based livelihoods to empower farmers with various avenues and technologies.
One hundred farmers from across Garo Hills took part. Seeds of Comilla Cotton were distributed to selected farmers during the event.
Aditya Verma, Assistant Commissioner of West Garo Hills, highlighted the significance of such workshops in fostering agricultural advancements in the region. He later had an interaction with the undergraduate students of the college.
The post-inaugural session featured an exhibition and two technical sessions. The first session covered topics such as the status of Comilla Cotton in Meghalaya, exploration and conservation of landraces and the scope of Comilla Cotton for surgical products, among others.
The second technical session delved into self-employment schemes, funding opportunities for youth, agro-based fibre and livelihood opportunities suitable for the North East and eco-friendly finishing of cotton, including a demonstration on cotton dyeing with arecanut slurry.
