Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Bhopal: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release 109 seed varieties developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for different climatic zones on Sunday at 11 am. Chauhan said on Saturday that these include 23 varieties of cereals, 9 of rice, 2 of wheat, 1 of barley, 6 of maize, 1 of sorghum, 1 of millet, 1 of ragi, 1 of china, 1 of samba, 2 of arhar, 2 of gram, 3 of lentil, 1 of peas, 2 of green gram, 7 of oilseeds, 7 each of fodder and sugarcane, 5 of cotton, 1 of jute and 40 varieties of horticulture.
‘The Prime Minister will talk to the farmers in the field’
Giving information about this, Shivraj Singh Chauhan said, ‘There will be no big function for releasing the seeds. The Prime Minister has decided that he will go to the field itself and release the crops, and will discuss with the farmers. The Prime Minister will visit ICAR’s fields, and will go to three different places and release horticulture seeds at one place and crop seeds at two places and dedicate them to the farmers.’ Chauhan said that this year a special package of Rs 2,625 crore has been given, because due to international conditions, ships carrying fertilizers have to take a longer and more time-consuming route.
‘The budget in UPA government was 27 thousand crores’
The Agriculture Minister further said, ‘The country’s scientists have done research and discovered a variety of rice that gives more production and requires 20 percent less water. Efforts have also been made to reduce the infestation of pests. Science should reach the farmer directly from the laboratory to the field. In the UPA government, the agriculture budget used to be Rs 27,000 crore, which has now become Rs 1.52 lakh crore including allied sectors. Last year, a subsidy of Rs 1.95 lakh crore was given on fertilizers. This year there is a provision of a subsidy of Rs 1.70 lakh crore, which will increase further as consumption increases.’
‘Farmer is the biggest producer and consumer’
Chauhan said that the special package has been announced to ensure that the farmers are not burdened. He said, ‘Agriculture is about 17 percent of the economy, while it employs about 50 percent of the population. The farmer is not only the biggest producer but also the biggest consumer. Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and the farmer is its soul. When the farmer buys something, it increases the GDP. Farmers are the top priority for the PM. The central government is working to increase production and reduce costs as well as get the right price for the produce.’
Latest India News
