Associate Director – Zahura Facility & Agro R&D Head

Responsibilities

Accountabilities –

• Develop and manage a team of strong professionals for Agro R&D & Zahura mini-tuber seed facility.
• Developing protocols for maintaining germplasm of existing and new clones follow up agronomy of AHT production and storage of minitubers produced, pathological testing lab to produce disease / virus free clean mini tubers.
• Drive TPM culture to ensure effective planning and achievement of production targets from Zahura facility (including export requirement from Zahura) as per AOP (Annual Operating Plan) and enable PSP (strategic plan) delivery.
• Ensure mini-tuber / product quality, purity, hygiene and people safety as per FL standards, harmonious industrial relations for uninterrupted operations.
• Build the AOP for Zahura plant efficiencies optimization.
• Expand the facility to increase the production capacity to meet the future / PSP needs.
• Maintain the germplasm bank and the facility as per international standards.
• Lead people capability agenda for Zahura facility and India Agro R&D team members.
• Analyze production and report progress against a clearly identified plan
• Maintain and understanding of technical developments that may impact on productivity
• Establish key performance indicators on cost and production efficiencies
• Comply all the Statutory requirements
• Creating region and variety wise POPs and conduct trials and demonstration in the fields to prove new varieties with a view to get higher yield.
• Develop training manuals and provide technical support and training to the field staff in providing extension services.
• Lead SUPER SITE variety evaluation program for AMENA region.
• Drive New Variety Registration under PPV & FRA to protect new varieties imported from USA.
• Conducting long term storage trials to evaluate storage potential of new varieties and identifying best varieties for long storage and ideal storage conditions to meet potato requirement from stored potato during the most critical supply window of PAN India.
• Drive farm mechanization agenda by bringing in new technologies, develop farmers friendly farm equipment like planter, harvester, soil movers for proper earthing-up operations to increase the yield, improve the quality of potato by reducing defect level and bring down cost of cultivation.
• Identify new geographies for Potato Seed & Chipgarde production in the country suitable for potato production during offseason and conduct demonstration to prove success.

People Accountabilities

Qualifications

Key Skills / Experience Required –

Main interactions within & outside organization –

The selected person will have primary interaction with agro region managers, sector agro R&D, India agro head, and, sector leadership. He will spend significant amount of time interacting with R&D, minitubers facility, seed Manager and Regional teams situated in key growing areas. He will also be interacting extensively with both National (CPRI, ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture, PPV & FR) and State Agricultural Research establishments for support and approvals

Comments –

Skills Required

plant pathology , Plant Breeding, Capacity Management, Agriculture, Research And Development