PM Narendra Modi released 109 high yielding, climate resilient and biofortified varieties of 61 crops, including 34 field crops and 27 horticultural crops, and suggested that Krishi Vigyan Kendras should proactively inform farmers about benefits of new varieties. Farmers will receive seeds of all new varieties within three years.
Lauding scientists for development of these varieties, he said they would lead to value addition, thus boosting farmers’ income. PM proposed that experts from KVKs, ICAR and state agricultural universities engage with farmers one day each month and the goal of this should be to tackle a current issue related to agriculture and attempt to identify answers through mutual learning.
Such an exchange will be helpful in handling simmering tensions among farmers at a time when a section of them has been on protest demanding better price for their produce either through MSP or other interventions.
These crop varieties have been developed for different agro-climatic zones of the country, focusing on short duration, resistance to floods and droughts/heat, and adaptability to various biotic and abiotic conditions.
Interacting with farmers at the farms of ICAR-IARI, Modi said these climate resilient varieties of different crops will increase yield as well as farmers’ income in addition to encouraging them towards environment-friendly sustainable farming practices.
The PM also discussed importance of millets. On benefits of natural farming, he said people have started consuming and demanding organic food and adoption of organic farming will be quite beneficial for farmers.
Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accompanied Modi to ICAR-IARI farms.
