• ¨ Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) and ICAR-Indian Sugarcane Research Institute (ICAR-ISRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an Advanced Centre for Quality Sugarcane Seed Production.

    ¨     The centre will be established at the ICAR-ISRI campus in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

    ¨     The centre will cater mainly to the sugar mills in the subtropical region.

    ¨     The project has a total estimated investment of ₹80 crore.

    ¨     The project cost will be shared equally by ISMA and ICAR-ISRI.

    ¨     Both organisations will contribute ₹40 crore each towards the project.

    ¨  The centre will focus on producing disease-free, genetically pure, and high-yielding sugarcane seed material.

    ¨  It will have facilities for nursery raising, disease indexing, hardening, multiplication, storage, and seed distribution.

    ¨   The project will also introduce digital traceability and quality monitoring systems to verify seed quality and authenticity.

    ¨    ISMA is an industry association representing sugar and bio-energy manufacturers in India.

    ¨ ICAR-ISRI is a research institute under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and works in the fields of sugarcane science, breeding, and crop improvement.