PM Modi releases 109 climate-resilient seeds, engages with farmers

With the aim to enhance farm productivity as well as farmers’ income, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday released 109 high-yielding, climate-resilient and bio-fortified crop varieties of 34 agricultural and 27 horticultural crops. Unlike other occasions, PM Modi also sought feedback and advice from the farmers who had gathered for the event at Pusa Institute, Delhi.

“The Prime Minister wanted to know results of the climate-resilient varieties and inquired whether other farmers were also interested in adopting these varieties,” said Kulwant Singh, a farmer from Jalalpur Karira in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh, who was invited by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to interact with Modi.

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Rice crops can be sown in coastal areas

The 109 crop varieties, developed by ICAR, comprised cereals, millets, forage crops, oilseeds, pulses, sugarcane and cotton whereas horticulture crops are of fruits, vegetables, plantation crops, tubers, spices, flowers and medicinal plants.Modi lauded the scientists for developing these.

Among the nine rice varieties released, the CR Dhan 416 variety, developed by Cuttack-based National Rice Research Institute, is moderately resistant to brown spot, neck blast, sheath rot, rice tungro disease and glume discoloration, as well as resistant to brown plant hopper, grasshopper and stem borer. It can be grown in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat. These can also thrive in coastal areas with yield potential of 4.9 tonnes/hectare and within 125-130 days.

Another cereal crop -- Pusa Gehun Sharbati -- is an open pollinated wheat variety developed by ICAR’s Regional Station in Indore, having an yield potential of 3.3 tonnes/hectare with 110 days maturity. It is tolerant to heat and drought, It has been bio-fortified with a higher content of zinc (40.0 ppm), is resistant to leaf and stem rust, and can be grown in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and plains of Tamil Nadu.

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PM underscores importance of natural farming

Subhash Deswal, a retired colonel of Indian Army who is a carrot farmer in Sikandrabad area in UP’s Bulandshahr district, suggested that the government set up pack houses at village levels. Such a step, he added, can raise farmers’ income.

Modi stressed on the significance of value addition in agriculture while discussing the importance of the new crop varieties with farmers, said an official statement. Farmers present said that the new varieties will benefit them as they come with lower input costs, the statement said.

The Prime Minister also discussed the importance of millets and underlined how people are transitioning to nutritious food. He also talked about the benefits of natural farming given its increasing demand.

Further, Modi suggested that the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) should proactively inform farmers about the benefits of new varieties being developed every month to create awareness.