The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), a global cotton research and advisory body, recently promoted Keshav R Kranthi, former director of Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) in Nagpur, as its chief scientist. Kranthi had moved to Washington, DC, after ICAC appointed him as the head of its technical services division in March 2017.
His elevation reflects recent changes both in his work and in the direction of the organisation, an ICAC statement said.
“The ICAC’s emphasis has changed in recent years from just providing technical information to taking a more active role in implementing the most cutting-edge science and best practices in cotton production and sustainability,” an Indian newspaper report quoted ICAC executive director Kai Hughes as saying.
ICAC has placed an increasingly greater emphasis on projects, innovation and technology.
“Implementing projects on the ground and developing international project-teams of cotton scientists are indicative of the fact that Dr Kranthi has taken on a more robust role as Chief Scientist,” he added.
The 58-year-old cotton scientist, during his term at CICR, had travelled extensively across India educating farmers and cotton stakeholders about the pink-bollworm infestations.
In the capacity of Chief Scientist at ICAC, Kranthi will now be providing technical leadership for collaborative projects across the globe. This is to shape the future research agenda for enhancement of soil health, sustainable yield improvement, efficient crop protection and development of digital tools for technology transfer.
However, Kranthi will continue to develop and lead international project-teams of cotton scientists.
