Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday asked Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists to carry out research on natural farming keeping in mind the importance of production of crops as the country cannot afford to lower the output amid increasing demand. However, he also emphasised that the soil health cannot be allowed to be damaged for the future generations.

In his address at the ICAR Foundation Day, he said it is important to increase production, but it is also important to pay attention to what effect the damaged soils will have on the human body.

He said the lower productivity of soyabean in India compared with other countries and suggested scientists to develop high-yielding varieties of pulses and oilseeds to boost domestic production and reduce import dependency. There has been a gradual decline in acreage under soyabean and sunflower, he said.

Farmers reluctance

“We are growing enough rice and wheat but are importing pulses and edible oils. How do we address this issue? There is a need to develop short-duration and high-yielding new varieties,” Chouhan said. He also informed the gathering that farmers are now reluctant to grow crops with low productivity.

He further said there is a need to create model farms for small-holding farmers. “Though there are such model farms exist, there is a need to popularise those for mass adoption,” he said. The minister suggested ICAR to depute team of two scientists to each of the 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and ask them to spend three days to guide the staff and the farmers in nearby villages.

“If agriculture is diversified, it is possible to increase the income of farmers in farming. Today we are working with this resolution,” he said and urged ICAR to set targets for next four years. Work has to be done to increase production in animal husbandry, fish farming, wheat production, pulses and oilseeds, he said.

Livestock, fisheries contribution

Highlighting that ICAR has released over 6,000 varieties, Chouhan wondered how many of those have reached the land from the lab. “We have to work on how much the farmer and the scientist are connected. Unless science is used practically, the farmer will not benefit. It has to be analysed how much the farmer and the KVKs is connected,” he said and asked scientists to go to the fields for one month in a year and teach the farmers.

Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh said livestock and fisheries are contributing 35 per cent to the gross domestic production and if required attention is not paid, the share will drop. “If we pay attention to it, it can contribute more than 50 per cent,” he said.

Singh asked ICAR to work on classified semen and IVF technology to bring IVF vaccine at a cheaper rate as current imported dose costs to farmers Rs 15,000 after government subsidy of ₹5,000 per dose. Though the indigenously developed IVF vaccine dose, currently under trial, costs lower, there is a need to further bring down the rate for its mass acceptability. “This will have two benefits — one, there will be freedom from stray animals on the roads and milk production will also increase,” he said.

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