Prime Minister Narendra Modi today released 109 high-yielding, climate-resilient, and biofortified seed varieties of agricultural and horticultural crops, including Bt cotton suitable for rainfed areas and moong that can offer higher productivity. The release aims to enhance farm productivity and farmers’ income, a statement said.
Developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the seed varieties span 61 crops, including 34 field crops and 27 horticultural crops.
In horticulture, the PM released new varieties of fruits, vegetables, plantation crops, tubers, spices, flowers, and medicinal plants, while in field crops, the Prime Minister released new varieties of cereals, millets, forage crops, oilseeds, pulses, sugarcane, cotton, and fibre crops.
Modi unveiled the seeds at three experimental agriculture plots at Delhi’s Pusa Campus, where he also interacted with farmers and scientists.
According to an official statement, Modi stressed the significance of value addition in agriculture while discussing the importance of these new varieties with farmers.
Farmers present on the occasion said that these new varieties would be highly beneficial to them because of lower input costs.
The Prime Minister discussed the importance of millets and underlined how people are moving towards nutritious food. He also talked about the benefits of natural farming and the increasing faith of common people in organic farming. Modi noted that people have started consuming and demanding organic foods.
Farmers appreciated the government’s efforts in promoting natural farming. They also lauded the role played by Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in creating awareness, an official statement said.
Later, talking to newsmen, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the new seed varieties released today can yield good crops even in adverse weather conditions.
Modi, meanwhile, suggested that the KVKs should proactively inform farmers about the benefits of the new varieties being developed every month to create awareness about their advantages, the statement said.
The Prime Minister also lauded the scientists for developing these new crop varieties.
The scientists informed that they have been working in line with the suggestions given by the Prime Minister to bring unutilised crops into the mainstream, the statement said.
First Published: Aug 11 2024 | 5:25 PM IS