In India, sporadic research work on grasses
and fodder crops was initiated as early as the close of the nineteenth
Century. Preliminary studies on the
subject started in the then Bombay State, Madras, Central Provinces, Bengal,
Punjab and at the Imperial Agricultural Research Institute. The Imperial Council of Agricultural
Research, established on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on
Agriculture in India in 1928, stimulated wider interest in the subject by
financing research schemes on fodder and grasses to the Indian Agricultural
Research Institute (New Delhi), Rajendranagar (Andhra Pradesh), Dumraon
(Bihar), Coimbatore (Madras), Poona (Maharashtra), Mandya and Dharwar (Mysore)
and Haringhata (West Bengal), Palampur (Punjab), Anand (Gujarat), Bangalore
(Mysore). Animal nutrition studies were
also conducted at Indian Veterinary Research Institute (Izatnagar), Veterinary
College (Mathura) and National Dairy Research Institute (Karnal), as a
departmental activity.
Although useful results emerged from these studies
and some promising grasses and fodder crops were selected and introduced in
cultivators’ fields, these studies generally remained restricted in scope and
un-coordinated. Recognition of the importance of grasses and fodder crops in
the agricultural economy of the country, the widening gap between supply and
demand of forage necessary for animal production, the limitations of the
previous studies, the diversity and the complexity of the problems, and the
inadequacy of any national organisation for undertaking such studies as a
subsidiary activity, led to the realisation of the need for establishment of an
Institution fully devoted to these crops.
The scheme for the establishment of the Indian
Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, with its net work of regional stations
and sub-centres, was approved by the Planning Commission in July, 1961. It was envisaged that the Institute with its
regional stations and sub-centres should carry out research both of fundamental
and applied nature on all aspects grasses, grasslands and fodder crops
production and co-ordinate studies and initiate training programme on the
subject.
Shri P.M. Dabadghao was appointed
Officer on Special Duty on November 1, 1962 for taking necessary advance action
for the establishment of the Institute.
An area of 575 ha belonging to Livestock-cum Agricultural Farm, Bharari
(Jhansi) was acquired from the U.P. Government in 1962. The initial activities
related to land acquisition, taking possession and establishment of office in
temporarily hired buildings continued with nucleus staff and a farm office.
The first Director of the Institute Dr Mukhtar Singh
joined on November 11, 1965. The original scheme accorded a low priority on
research at Jhansi but later on, it was decided to restrict the activities of its Regional Stations to the
development and demonstration on forages
under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture,
Govt. of India, and the
pace of research was accelerated
at Jhansi. The administrative control of the IGFRI was transferred from the
Government of India to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research with effect
from April 1, 1966.
The Institute started its functioning in 1966 with
five divisions, viz., Plant
Improvement, Grassland
Management, Soil Science and Agronomy, Plant Animal Relationship, and Weed Ecology and Control. The Division of Extension and Economics was
created in 1970.
During the Vth Five Year Plan, the IGFRI Regional
Station at Manasbal (J&K) was established in 1972 for conducting research
in the higher altitudes, temperate, alpine and hilly regions of Himalya.
Two more divisions, viz., Seed
Technology and Agricultural Engineering
were added to the existing six divisions.
During the VIth Five Year Plan, three divisions, viz.,
Grassland Management, Soil Science and Agronomy and Extension and Economics
were bifurcated into six divisions, viz., Grassland Management,
Agro-Silvipasture, Agronomy, Soil Science, Extension and Training, and Rural
Economics and Biometrics. Thus, raising the total number of divisions to
eleven.
In VIIth Five Year Plan, mission oriented and
need-based research programmes were launched with special reference to various
situations. These demand driven programmes were based on the feed back. Two
more scientific divisions, viz., Plant Physiology & Biochemistry,
and Plant Protection were added.
The existing division of Weed
Ecology and Control was merged with the Division of Agronomy. The total number
of divisions in the Institute became twelve.
Two new regional stations, one at Avikanagar
(Rajasthan) and another at Dharwad
(Karnataka) were established in the Seventh Five Year Plan for
conducting forage research in different agro-climatic conditions.
Towards end of VIIIth FiveYear Plan period, the
emphasis was shifted to multidisciplinary and farming systems approach. The
divisions were reorganized into seven multi-disciplinary research divisions.
These were: Crop Improvement, Crop Production,
Grassland & Silvopasture Management, Plant-Animal Relationship, Seed
Technology, Farm Machinery & Post Harvest Technology, and Social Science.
In view to strengthen the forage/pasture research in
temperate and sub-temperate regions of the country one Station was established
at Palampur (HP) in addition to Regional Station at Srinagar.
Dr. P.S. Pathak took over as the
Director of the Institute on July 26, 2000 to continue this journey of forage
research leading it to new heights in the coming years and fulfill its dreams.