The Indian Society for Spices (ISS), located at the ICAR- Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) here, will present the Sugandha Bharathi and Sugandhasree awards during SYMSAC-2021, International Symposium on Spices and Aromatic Crops.
Dr. P.N. Ravindran, plant breeder, author and writer, best known for his contributions in the field of spices research, development and documentation, has been selected for the Sugandha Bharathi Award. He was former director and project coordinator of the ICAR-IISR and a distinguished scientist who has authored spices-related books for many international publishers, according to a press release here on Tuesday.
The ISS has been honouring outstanding achievements in the field of spices research and development with the Sugandha Bharathi Award once in four years. The awardees are selected for their lifetime contribution for the development and improvement of spices, aromatic crops and medicinal plants. The award consists of a gold medal and a citation.
The ISS has selected T. Joseph, a nutmeg farmer from Kottayam, for the Sugandhasree award in recognition of his innovations in spice crops for enhanced income with sustainability. Mr. Joseph, a retired employee of FACT, has been engaged in intercrop cultivation while focusing on nutmeg. ISS presents the award once in two years to promote farmers’ innovations. The awards will be presented during the four-day international symposium at the ICAR-IISR to be held from February 9 to 12.
Nine life members of the ISS will be conferred fellowship at the event, taking into account their significant contributions to the field of spices. The fellows of the year are Dr. R. Suseela Bhai, Dr. N.K. Hegde, Dr. T. Pradeep Kumar, Dr. Suchand Datta, Dr. S.N. Saxena, Dr. Rashid Pervez, Dr. C.N. Biju, Dr. Gargi Deepak Shirke and Dr. Amar Chand Shivran.
Other awards including the Dr. J.S. Pruthi Award for best research article, Dr. V.S. Korikanthimath Award for the Best Ph.D thesis on spices, medicinal and aromatic crops and Vijaya V. Korikanthimath Best M.Sc. Thesis Award on spices, medicinal and aromatic crops will also be distributed at the event.
