The ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region (ICAR-RCER) has its origin in erstwhile Directorate of Water Management Research (DWMR). It came into existence in 2001 after the merger of DWMR, Patna; Central Horticultural Experiment Station, Ranchi and Central Tobacco Research Station, Pusa, Samastipur. The National Research Centre on Makhana, Darbhanga was also brought under the administrative and financial control of ICAR-RCER during December 2003 as its Centre. After the amalgamation of above-mentioned units and creation of new programmes, the institute had five research programmes, viz. Land, Water, Environment and Engineering Research Programme (LWEERP), Patna; Crop Research Programme (CRP), Pusa; Horticulture and Agro-forestry Research Programme (HARP), Ranchi; Livestock and Fishery Improvement and Management Programme (LFIMP), Patna; and Socio-Economic and Extension Research Programme (SEERP), Patna.
Presently, ICAR-RCER has four divisions viz. Division of Land and Water Management (DLWM), Division of Crop Research (DCR); Division of Livestock and Fishery Management (DLFM) and Division of Socio-Economics & Extension (DSEE) at headquarter, Patna besides Research Centre on Horticulture & Agroforestry at Ranchi and Research Center on Makhana at Darbhanga. The institute is having two KVKs, one at Buxar (Bihar) and other at Ramgarh (Jharkhand).
Mandate
- Strategic and adaptive research for efficient integrated management of natural resources to enhance the productivity of agricultural production systems in the eastern region.
- Transform low productivity-high potential eastern region into high productivity region for food, nutritional and livelihood security.
- Utilization of seasonally waterlogged and perennial water bodies for multiple uses of water.
- Promote network and consortia research in the eastern region.
Misson
- Transforming Low productivity-High potential. eastern region into high productivity region for food, nutritional and livelihood security in a manner that is environmentally sustainable, socially acceptable and monetarily profitable.
- Utilization of vast seasonally waterlogged and perennial water bodies for multiple uses of water and aquatic crops besides, poverty alleviation and women empowerment through employment generating activities.
- Promote network and consortia research in the eastern region.
Focus
The institute is dedicated to innovate and develop low cost, efficient and sustainable technologies to suit the specific requirements of agriculture development in eastern region. The jurisdiction of the various research programmes of institute will spread over all the 7 states of eastern India. Hence, appropriate and affordable technologies will be developed to make this vast high potential and low productive area, comprising of six distinct Agri-ecological Economic Zones (AEZ), into high productive zone. In the nutshell, the complex would concentrate on the following keys areas :
- To facilitate and promote coordination and dissemination of appropriate agricultural technologies through network/consortia approach involving ICAR institutes, state agricultural universities, and other agencies for generating location-specific agricultural production technologies through sustainable use of natural resources.
- To provide scientific leadership and act as a centre for vocational as well as advanced training to promote agricultural production technologies.
- To act as repository of available information and its dissemination on all the aspects of agricultural production systems.
- To collaborate with relevant national and international agencies in liaison with state and central government departments for technology dissemination.
- To provide need based consultancy and advisory support in promoting agriculture, horticulture, livestock and aquaculture.
- Socio-economic evaluation and impact assessment of agricultural technologies.