PM Modi launches 109 new crop varieties, suggests agri experts collaborate with farmers | India News

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi published Sunday 109 high-yielding, climate-resistant and biofortified varieties of 61 crops, including 34 major crops and 27 horticultural crops, and suggested that Krishi Vigyan Kendras Agricultural extension centres (KVKs) should proactively inform farmers about the benefits of new varieties as this will help them produce more, spend less and earn more. Farmers will be provided with seeds of all these new varieties within three years.
The Prime Minister also proposed that experts from KVK, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (CICA), and state agricultural universities engage with farmers one day a month and the goal of this exchange should be to address a current problem related to agriculture and try to identify answers through mutual learning.
It is hoped that these regular exchanges will not only help farmers learn about best farming practices and efficacy of new varieties but also help resolve their issues in getting the best price for their produce. Such an exchange can also be helpful in defusing the simmering tensions among farmers at a time when a section of them are constantly in protest mode demanding better price for their produce either through minimum support price (MSP) or other interventions.
The new crop varieties, developed by ICAR scientists, include nine varieties of rice, six varieties of maize, two varieties of wheat, one variety each of jawar, bajra and ragi, seven varieties of oilseeds, 11 varieties of pulses, five varieties of cotton and four varieties of sugarcane. Among horticultural crops, the new varieties include three varieties of mango, two varieties of guava, one variety of pomegranate and two varieties of tomatoes, among other fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants. These crop varieties are being developed for different agro-climatic zones of the country, with emphasis on short duration, resistance to flood and drought/heat, and adaptability to various biotic and abiotic conditions.
While interacting with farmers at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) farms, Prime Minister Modi highlighted how these climate resilient varieties of different crops would increase the yield as well as income of farmers besides encouraging them towards sustainable and environment-friendly farming practices.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the importance of millet and highlighted how people are shifting towards nutritious food. Speaking about the benefits of natural farming and the growing trust of citizens towards organic farming, he noted that people have started consuming and demanding organic food and hence adopting organic farming. by farmers would be very beneficial to them.
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also accompanied Prime Minister Modi to the ICAR-IARI farms. Calling it a historic day for farmers, he said the release of new crop varieties is the best example of a “lab to land” program.
The decision to launch these 109 new varieties was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget presentation on July 23. The release of new and improved varieties of seeds is a regular process of ICAR that drives innovation and technological development to maintain agricultural productivity, taking into account climate change and evolving biotic and abiotic stresses.
ICAR, the premier agricultural research agency, has released as many as 323 varieties of 56 crops, including cereals, oilseeds, fodder crops and sugarcane, during 2023-24. These varieties include 27 biofortified varieties and 289 climate-resilient varieties for various biotic and abiotic stresses.
ICAR records show that a total of 2,593 high-yielding varieties were released between 2014-15 and 2023-24. These include 2,177 climate-resilient varieties (83% of the total) with resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, and 150 biofortified varieties. The high-yielding fine-grained aromatic Basmati rice varieties (Pusa Basmati 1121, Pusa Basmati 1509, Pusa Basmati 1401 and Pusa Basmati 17180, which contribute to annual exports of over Rs. 42,000 crore, are among the most successful varieties developed by the institution.