IIT Roorkee's Prof. Ashwani Kumar Sharma Awarded Prestigious Honorary Fellowship at Asian Citrus Congress-2023

Roorkee, November 4, 2023:The Asian Citrus Congress-2023, held in Nagpur, India from October 28th to 30th, celebrated a historic moment where over 300 delegates from 16 countries united to advance the field of citriculture. Organized by the ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute (CCRI) in collaboration with the Indian Society of Citriculture (ISC), APAARI (Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions) from Thailand, and the Korean Society for Citrus and Subtropical Climate Fruits, South Korea, this groundbreaking congress revolved around the theme, "Advancing Citriculture for Agro-economic Prosperity."
 

The event opened with Shri Nitin Gadkari, Honourable Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, serving as the Chief Guest. In his inaugural address, Shri Nitin Gadkari praised the pivotal role played by ICAR-CCRI in producing disease-free citrus planting material, emphasizing the necessity for policy-level initiatives to ensure clean planting material availability, and underlining the significance of research benefiting farmers.
 

The “Asian Citrus Congress-2023” received an overwhelming response and was attended by over 300 delegates from 16 countries across the world. Prof. Ashwani Kumar Sharma and Prof. Harsh Chauhan from Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering attended the meeting along with their students. Prof. Sharma delivered the Plenary lecture on ‘Potential management strategies to combat HLB disease of citrus plants while, Prof Harsh Chauhan gave a key note lecture about “Towards developing multi stress tolerant citrus”.
 

During the inaugural programme Fellowship of ISC and Honorary Fellowship of ISC were conferred to citrus experts by recognizing their outstanding contribution in the advancement of citriculture. Notably, the esteemed Prof. Ashwani Kumar Sharma, representing the renowned Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, received the prestigious Honorary Fellowship during the inaugural program. Shri Nitin Gadkari ji presented this esteemed accolade in recognition of Prof. Sharma's remarkable and exceptional contributions to the field of citriculture.
 

Prof. KK Pant, Director of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, expressed his thoughts on this groundbreaking event, congratulating Prof. Ashwani Kumar Sharma and appreciating IIT Roorkee's role. He stated, " "The Asian Citrus Congress-2023 highlights the power of collaboration in advancing agriculture and sustainability. It's heartening to see global experts unite to address citriculture challenges. Prof. Sharma's outstanding contributions underscore IIT Roorkee's commitment to excellence. This congress exemplifies how research and innovation, alongside esteemed institutions like ours, positively impact farmers' livelihoods."
 

The Asian Citrus Congress-2023 served as a platform for sharing innovative research and expertise in the field of citriculture, fostering global collaboration, and showcasing the commitment of the citrus research community to address critical challenges and promote agro-economic prosperity.