Need to make India self-reliant in pulses and oilseeds: Union minister Chouhan

By Priyanka Kakodkar

Union minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan participated today as a chief guest in the alumni meet of Indian Agricultural Research Institute at Pusa, New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, he appealed to the scientific community to work in the interest of small and marginal farmers and bring a revolution in Indian agriculture. Shri Chouhan said that about 86% of the farmers here are small-marginal farmers. We have to make the model of farming such that farmers can earn their livelihood properly even in farming up to one hectare.
Chouhan stressed on the need to make India self-reliant in pulses and oilseeds. He said, “Adoption of technological advancement is absolutely necessary to increase the income of our farmers and to meet the changing scenario,” “We have to ensure that our agricultural policy and research bring a positive change in the lives of small and marginal farmers,” he added.Chouhan said that it is my insistence to completely change the scenario of agriculture. I want to connect farmers and science. We have to connect farmers with science and for this the Krishi Vigyan Kendra is very useful.
In this important meeting, Dr. R.S. Paroda, former Director General ICAR, Dr. Ramesh Chand, Member NITI Aayog and Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary DARE and Director General ICAR also presented their views. IARI Director Dr. A.K. Singh, DDG Dr. R.S. Aggarwal were also present. These experts had an in-depth discussion on the challenges and prospects of Indian agriculture and stressed the need for scientific approach and policy reforms to address the problems of farmers.

Dr Ramesh Chand emphasized that it is imperative to understand the real problems of farmers and find solutions in policy making. “Our priority should be to make agricultural policies friendly to small and marginal farmers. We have to ensure that they can use the latest technologies and resources,” he added.
Dr. R. S. Paroda said that the need of the hour is to upgrade Indian agriculture with the help of innovation and scientific research. We have to test and implement new technologies in collaboration with farmers, which will increase their yield and income.

Dr. Himanshu Pathak stressed the need for collective efforts for advancement in the agriculture sector. He said that it is only through collaboration between the government, scientific community and farmers that we can take Indian agriculture to new heights.

During the conference, it was concluded that collective efforts are necessary to enhance the income of farmers and promote technological advancement in the agriculture sector. The participants assured their support to promote innovation and research in Indian agriculture.

The scientists and experts present in the conference also shared their views and resolved to take concrete steps to make Indian agriculture self-reliant and prosperous. They stressed on the need to increase investment in agricultural research and development and talked about the introduction of new schemes and programmes to help farmers.

This article has been republished from The Times of India