The ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA), Chennai, organised a Brainstorming Workshop on ‘Scope of Precision Farming in Indian Brackishwater Aquaculture’ on 28 September 2026, bringing together scientists and experts to deliberate on emerging approaches, technologies and research priorities for advancing precision brackishwater aquaculture in India.
The workshop focused on exploring the scope of precision farming approaches in brackishwater aquaculture, with emphasis on the application of data-driven technologies, digital tools, automation, sensing, artificial intelligence and decision-support systems for improving production efficiency, resource-use efficiency, sustainability and farm management.
Dr. P. K. Patil, Principal scientist welcomed the gathering and highlighted the relevance of bringing together expertise from precision agriculture and aquaculture to identify opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration. Dr. M. Jayanthi, , Principal scientist provided an overview of the workshop and briefed the participants on its objectives, scope and expected outcomes.
The programme was attended by Dr. M. Kailasam, Director, ICAR-CIBA, who emphasised the importance of strengthening research and innovation in precision aquaculture to address emerging challenges in brackishwater aquaculture and support sustainable and efficient production systems.
Dr. R. N. Sahoo, Principal Scientist and Programme Leader, ICAR-Network Programme on Precision Agriculture (NePPA), ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI), New Delhi, was the Chief Guest of the programme. Dr. Sahoo highlighted the developments and activities undertaken under the Network Programme on Precision Agriculture (NePPA) and shared perspectives on the application of precision agriculture approaches and technologies that could be adapted and further developed for aquaculture systems.
The technical sessions provided a platform for scientists to present ongoing research and exchange ideas on the development and application of precision technologies in aquaculture. The sessions were chaired by Dr. A. G. Ponniah, Former Director, ICAR-CIBA, Chennai, who guided the technical deliberations and facilitated discussions on the opportunities and challenges associated with precision approaches in Indian brackishwater aquaculture.
Presentations were made by Dr. M. Jayanthi, Dr. M. Muralidhar, Dr. Kumaraguru Vasagam, Dr. Akshaya Panigrahi and Dr. Ashok Kumar Jangam, covering ongoing research projects and initiatives related to precision aquaculture.
The presentations and subsequent discussions focused on the potential integration of modern technologies and data-driven approaches into different components of aquaculture production. Discussions highlighted the importance of integrating real-time farm information, data analytics, artificial intelligence, automation and decision-support approaches to enable more precise management of production systems.
The workshop concluded with remarks from Dr. A. G. Ponniah, Chairman of the technical sessions, and Dr. R. N. Sahoo, Chief Guest, who shared their observations and perspectives on advancing precision approaches in aquaculture.
Following the technical sessions, the participants visited the experimental facilities at the Muttukadu Experimental Station (MES) of ICAR-CIBA.
The programme marked an important step towards strengthening dialogue between precision agriculture and aquaculture research, with scope for developing collaborative research initiatives and next-generation precision aquaculture technologies suited to Indian farming conditions.
