‘Mojan’ or Wave in Arabic, an improved variety of sorghum (ICSR 14001) developed by the ICrisat, is literally making waves in Saudi Arabia.
A collaboration effort between the International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Saudi Arabia is causing a transformative change in rainfall agriculture.
The ICrisat mandate is to develop seed varieties for dry land areas worldwide. Interestingly, it was linked to the University of Science and Technology of the University of Agriculture Sher-E-Kashmir recently to develop a varieties of cold tolerant in Jammu and Kashmir. These varieties are expected to be published in 2025 and adapt to ecologies to great altitude, benefit small farmers and livestock production.
For Saudi Arabia, the collaboration initiative identified nine improved fodder and dual tip sorghum varieties, improving productivity and resistance in dry land agriculture, said an ICrisat official.
On the basis of this impulse and the impact of such innovations, a two -week study tour was organized in the third week or April to boost the production of rain cereals.
A delegation of researchers, extension agents and farmers from Saudi Arabia visited the ICrisat campus in Hyderabad to strengthen knowledge exchange, explore vanguard agricultural technologies, private culture.
The Saudi Arabia delegation reported that Mojan (ICSR 14001) had shown exceptional performance in field trials in the Jazan area.
“The variety eclipsed consistently to local cultivars, which offers higher grain yields, higher grain quality and improved biomass. With its impressive nutrition citing the delegates of the delegates.
Stanford Blade, deputy director general (ICrisat Research and Innovation) said the harvest has a double Purph value.
“Beyond the grain, its fodder value supports the livelihoods in remote communities. Mojan’s success is a plan to transform dry land agriculture, especially for Gulf and North Africa countries,” Blade said.
He pointed out that some 90 farmers have already received training in essential areas such as crop production and protection, soil health, irrigation management and seed systems to facilitate larger scale.
Posted on May 1, 2025