Hailing the role of agriculture scientists of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in making the country self-sufficient in food, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday asked them to overcome the challenges during the Amrit Kaal to bring the country in the comity of developed nation by 2047.

Addressing the Annual General Meeting of ICAR Society, Tomar said: “The progress made by the institute so far is commendable. Be it achieving production targets, increasing productivity or meeting the challenge of producing climate-resilient crops, our agricultural scientists have played a vital role in every field. So far this journey has been satisfactory, but it is our aim to overcome the challenges during the Amrit Kaal to bring the country in the comity of developed nation by 2047.”

The minister said that the government has been taking forward the overall and balanced development of the country. “When it comes to overall development, the farm sector is like the backbone of the country. It is our responsibility to develop it. Various challenges like Climate Change are before us today. We are also facing the challenge of damage to the standing crops due to natural disasters.”

He reminded scientists that it is their duty to reach out to all farmers with new technology and research. The income of the farmers has to be raised, prosperity has to be brought to their homes and the villages and the agriculture sector has to be made prosperous, all of which has to be accomplished jointly, Tomar said.

Tomar announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would formally launch the International Year of Millets (Shree Anna) on March 18. The International Year of Millets is not just an event but a big project to increase the production, productivity and market of Shree Anna, he clarified.

“The consumption and popularity of Shree Anna is also increasing through the programs being organized across the country. With the popularity gaining across the world, when the consumption will increase, the responsibility of supplying it will also rest with India since we are the largest producer of Shree Anna. Scientists need to pay attention to this aspect, too,” he said.

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