CIFT, Cochin bags the Sardar Patel Outstanding ICAR Institution Award 2006 instituted by ICAR, New Delhi. The award is instituted by ICAR to recognize the agricultural research institutions which make outstanding contributions for the growth and development of agricultural sciences and technology and to promote excellence in broad fields of agricultural research, education and training.

CIFT, Cochin is the only Institute in the entire ICAR system comprising of more than 70 Institutes, which was awarded this honour for the second time. Earlier in 2000 the Institute received the Sardar Patel Award and as per rules the same institution can be considered for award only after a gap of five years. Exactly after this period CIFT is getting the award. The award for 2006 carries a Citation and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs. The award was received by Dr. K. Devadasan, Director, CIFT in the function held on 16th July, ie. the Foundation day of ICAR. Shri Sharad Pawar, Honourable Union Minister for Agriculture gave away the award.

During the X Plan period, CIFT executed Institute-based, sponsored and consultancy
projects in harvest, post-harvest and product and process development. Special projects were implemented for the backward regions and weaker sections, especially women. Seven villages were adopted under the village adoption scheme. The Institute conducted two workshops and 14 FLDs, in which 800 participants were benefited. There were three major breakthroughs and eight technologies transferred/commercialized during the period. CIFT generated revenue to the extent of Rs. 457.92 lakh. It undertook 30 consultancy assignments, conducted 408 training programmes for 1,632 beneficiaries, published 174 books/folders, answered 1,715 technical queries, analyzed 10,165 products, conducted 74 exhibitions and participated in 16 media campaigns. The X plan achievements include:

Harvest

• Low cost and durable susbstitutes for conventional craft
  
• Energy saving concepts in trawling
  
• Ecofriendly trawls for semi pelagic resources
  
• Low energy ecofriendly harvest technologies
  
• Popularisation of large mesh gill nets in Lakshadweep islands
  

Products

• Ready-to-consume fried mussel in flexible retortable pouch
  
• Battered and breaded products
  
• Processed jelly fish and squalene
  
• Fish powder incorporated cookies
  
• Good quality cattle/piggery/poultry feed from ensiled fish wastes
  
• Model effluent treatment plants
  
• Eco-friendly fish drier
  
• Meat bone separator
  
• Multiple blade machine for cutting mollusk shells
  
• Kit for rapid detection of WSSV in shrimp
  
• Packing
  
• Extruded products in thermoformed containers
  
• Sausages in edible casings
  
• Curries in retort pouch
  
•  XI plan priorities of CIFT include