From Farm to Market: An Insightful Educational Visit to ICAR–DOGR :
Total Views |
From Farm to Market: An Insightful Educational Visit to ICAR–DOGR :
An educational visit becomes truly meaningful when students get an opportunity to move beyond textbooks and witness research, technology, entrepreneurship, management and real-world challenges coming together.
Our visit to the ICAR–Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research (ICAR-DOGR), Rajgurunagar, Pune was one such enriching and memorable experience.
The visit began with an insightful farm visit guided by Shri Vishal Sir, who introduced our students to several important research and technology initiatives at DOGR, including:
🔹 Conservation of Allium Species Centre
🔹 Modified top- and bottom-ventilated onion storage structures
🔹 Rain-out shelter
🔹 Different drying and processing machineries
🔹 Drone technology and its applications in agriculture
🔹 Consumer Centre and product/value-addition initiatives
One of the most powerful learning experiences was seeing not only successful projects but also projects that did not succeed. The message was profound: failure is not the opposite of innovation; it is an essential part of innovation and learning. For management students, this was a valuable lesson in experimentation, risk-taking, resilience and continuous improvement.
Understanding Onion Economics:
Before the interaction with the scientists, students were also shown awareness videos on prevention of cyber frauds, reinforcing the importance of digital awareness and responsible technology use.
We then had an extremely enriching interaction with:
Dr. Ram Dutta, Acting Director, ICAR-DOGR
Dr. Rajiv Kale, Principal Investigator & Senior Scientist, ICAR-DOGR
Dr. Sanket More, Scientist, ICAR-DOGR
All three experts were exceptionally knowledgeable, approachable and highly interactive with the students.
Dr. Ram Dutta explained the Kharif and Rabi onion seasons and their importance from both agricultural and economic perspectives.
For Maharashtra, Kharif onion is harvested broadly from October–December, while Rabi onion is harvested around April–May. Rabi onions generally have much better storability, making them particularly important for managing post-harvest supply. ICAR-DOGR recommends appropriate curing and ventilated storage practices, and several Rabi varieties developed by DOGR can be stored for around 5–6 months under suitable conditions.
Dr. Dutta also challenged our management students with an important question:
“Why does the price of onion fluctuate so much?”
This opened the door to understanding the onion market through a management lens—demand and supply, seasonal production, monsoon variability, crop losses, storage capacity, post-harvest losses, transportation, market arrivals and timing of release of stored produce all influence prices.
Kharif onion is particularly important because it helps bridge the supply gap during the November–February period. A delayed or damaged Kharif crop can contribute to sharp price increases.
It was an excellent demonstration of how agriculture, economics, supply-chain management and consumer behaviour are interconnected.
From Research to Start-ups:
Dr. Rajiv Kale provided students with an inspiring perspective on start-ups, innovation and agri-entrepreneurship.
The Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Centre at ICAR-DOGR, sanctioned in 2019 under the ICAR National Agricultural Innovation Fund, supports prospective entrepreneurs through technical assistance, consultancy, infrastructure, guidance and training for sustainable agri-business development.
Students were introduced to the possibilities of transforming agricultural produce into innovative businesses through:
➡️ Onion and garlic processing and value addition
➡️ Dehydrated products
➡️ Onion and garlic pastes
➡️ Black garlic
➡️ Onion-based value-added products
➡️ Seed production and processing
➡️ Farmer Producer Companies
➡️ Honeybee rearing for onion seed production
➡️ Innovative storage solutions
The ABI Centre has supported ventures involving products such as black garlic, dehydrated onion products, onion processing, value addition and FPC development, demonstrating how research can be converted into viable entrepreneurial opportunities.
This was a powerful message for our students:
“An agricultural problem can become a management opportunity, and an innovative idea can become an enterprise.”
AI, Technology & Smart Agriculture:
Dr. Sanket More introduced students to the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence and technology in agriculture and how modern farmers can use technology for better decision-making.
Students learned how scientific advisories, crop monitoring, weather-related information, pest and disease management and appropriate input recommendations can help farmers make more informed decisions. ICAR-DOGR regularly provides crop advisories and seasonal recommendations related to nutrient and input management.
The discussion highlighted an important reality:
The future of agriculture is not just about farming more—it is about farming smarter.
A Day Full of Learning, Innovation & Inspiration:
The visit to ICAR-DOGR gave our students an extraordinary exposure to the entire agricultural value chain—from research and the farm to storage, processing, technology, entrepreneurship and the market.
More importantly, they returned with:
✨ New knowledge
✨ New ideas
✨ A better understanding of agricultural economics
✨ Inspiration for start-ups and innovation
✨ Appreciation for scientific research
✨ Awareness of cyber safety
✨ And, most importantly, memories of an intellectually enriching day
For management students, the visit reinforced a fundamental lesson:
Management is not confined to boardrooms. It is everywhere—on the farm, in the laboratory, in the supply chain, in technology, in entrepreneurship and in the marketplace.
A heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Ram Dutta, Dr. Rajiv Kale, Dr. Sanket More, Shri Vishal Sir and the entire ICAR-DOGR team for their valuable time, guidance, interaction and warm hospitality.
This was truly a memorable educational experience—one that informed, inspired and ignited new ideas among our students.
#ICARDOGR #OnionAndGarlicResearch #EducationalVisit #ExperientialLearning #ManagementEducation #AgriBusiness #Agripreneurship #Startups #Innovation #ArtificialIntelligence #SmartAgriculture #SupplyChainManagement #AgriculturalEconomics #ValueAddition #StudentLearning #Entrepreneurship #CyberAwareness #ResearchAndInnovation #ICAR #LearningBeyondClassroom
Our visit to the ICAR–Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research (ICAR-DOGR), Rajgurunagar, Pune was one such enriching and memorable experience.
The visit began with an insightful farm visit guided by Shri Vishal Sir, who introduced our students to several important research and technology initiatives at DOGR, including:
🔹 Conservation of Allium Species Centre
🔹 Modified top- and bottom-ventilated onion storage structures
🔹 Rain-out shelter
🔹 Different drying and processing machineries
🔹 Drone technology and its applications in agriculture
🔹 Consumer Centre and product/value-addition initiatives
One of the most powerful learning experiences was seeing not only successful projects but also projects that did not succeed. The message was profound: failure is not the opposite of innovation; it is an essential part of innovation and learning. For management students, this was a valuable lesson in experimentation, risk-taking, resilience and continuous improvement.
Understanding Onion Economics:
Before the interaction with the scientists, students were also shown awareness videos on prevention of cyber frauds, reinforcing the importance of digital awareness and responsible technology use.
We then had an extremely enriching interaction with:
Dr. Ram Dutta, Acting Director, ICAR-DOGR
Dr. Rajiv Kale, Principal Investigator & Senior Scientist, ICAR-DOGR
Dr. Sanket More, Scientist, ICAR-DOGR
All three experts were exceptionally knowledgeable, approachable and highly interactive with the students.
Dr. Ram Dutta explained the Kharif and Rabi onion seasons and their importance from both agricultural and economic perspectives.
For Maharashtra, Kharif onion is harvested broadly from October–December, while Rabi onion is harvested around April–May. Rabi onions generally have much better storability, making them particularly important for managing post-harvest supply. ICAR-DOGR recommends appropriate curing and ventilated storage practices, and several Rabi varieties developed by DOGR can be stored for around 5–6 months under suitable conditions.
Dr. Dutta also challenged our management students with an important question:
“Why does the price of onion fluctuate so much?”
This opened the door to understanding the onion market through a management lens—demand and supply, seasonal production, monsoon variability, crop losses, storage capacity, post-harvest losses, transportation, market arrivals and timing of release of stored produce all influence prices.
Kharif onion is particularly important because it helps bridge the supply gap during the November–February period. A delayed or damaged Kharif crop can contribute to sharp price increases.
It was an excellent demonstration of how agriculture, economics, supply-chain management and consumer behaviour are interconnected.
From Research to Start-ups:
Dr. Rajiv Kale provided students with an inspiring perspective on start-ups, innovation and agri-entrepreneurship.
The Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Centre at ICAR-DOGR, sanctioned in 2019 under the ICAR National Agricultural Innovation Fund, supports prospective entrepreneurs through technical assistance, consultancy, infrastructure, guidance and training for sustainable agri-business development.
Students were introduced to the possibilities of transforming agricultural produce into innovative businesses through:
➡️ Onion and garlic processing and value addition
➡️ Dehydrated products
➡️ Onion and garlic pastes
➡️ Black garlic
➡️ Onion-based value-added products
➡️ Seed production and processing
➡️ Farmer Producer Companies
➡️ Honeybee rearing for onion seed production
➡️ Innovative storage solutions
The ABI Centre has supported ventures involving products such as black garlic, dehydrated onion products, onion processing, value addition and FPC development, demonstrating how research can be converted into viable entrepreneurial opportunities.
This was a powerful message for our students:
“An agricultural problem can become a management opportunity, and an innovative idea can become an enterprise.”
AI, Technology & Smart Agriculture:
Dr. Sanket More introduced students to the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence and technology in agriculture and how modern farmers can use technology for better decision-making.
Students learned how scientific advisories, crop monitoring, weather-related information, pest and disease management and appropriate input recommendations can help farmers make more informed decisions. ICAR-DOGR regularly provides crop advisories and seasonal recommendations related to nutrient and input management.
The discussion highlighted an important reality:
The future of agriculture is not just about farming more—it is about farming smarter.
A Day Full of Learning, Innovation & Inspiration:
The visit to ICAR-DOGR gave our students an extraordinary exposure to the entire agricultural value chain—from research and the farm to storage, processing, technology, entrepreneurship and the market.
More importantly, they returned with:
✨ New knowledge
✨ New ideas
✨ A better understanding of agricultural economics
✨ Inspiration for start-ups and innovation
✨ Appreciation for scientific research
✨ Awareness of cyber safety
✨ And, most importantly, memories of an intellectually enriching day
For management students, the visit reinforced a fundamental lesson:
Management is not confined to boardrooms. It is everywhere—on the farm, in the laboratory, in the supply chain, in technology, in entrepreneurship and in the marketplace.
A heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Ram Dutta, Dr. Rajiv Kale, Dr. Sanket More, Shri Vishal Sir and the entire ICAR-DOGR team for their valuable time, guidance, interaction and warm hospitality.
This was truly a memorable educational experience—one that informed, inspired and ignited new ideas among our students.
#ICARDOGR #OnionAndGarlicResearch #EducationalVisit #ExperientialLearning #ManagementEducation #AgriBusiness #Agripreneurship #Startups #Innovation #ArtificialIntelligence #SmartAgriculture #SupplyChainManagement #AgriculturalEconomics #ValueAddition #StudentLearning #Entrepreneurship #CyberAwareness #ResearchAndInnovation #ICAR #LearningBeyondClassroom
