Centre to focus on research to raise farm yield based on farmers needs: Chouhan
Indore: Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said his ministry has decided to focus on research to increase farm yield in consultation with the farmers by keeping their needs a priority.
Suggestions in this regard emerged during discussions held during the fortnight-long Developed Agriculture Sankalp Abhiyan, which was conducted nationwide from May 29, Chouhan told reporters in Indore after holding discussions with different stakeholders.
Chouhan said food grain production in the country increased by 44% over the last 11 years. "We have 16,000 agricultural scientists who conduct research and develop high-quality seeds, but there was a gap as scientists in the lab and farmers working on the land never met.
Therefore, it was decided that by merging 'lab-to-land', achievements in farming could be accelerated."
This sentiment led to the Developed Agriculture Sankalp Abhiyan, where various issues emerged. A total of 2,170 teams visited villages and met with over 1.35 crore farmers.
"During this time, it was found that several topics require research. Sugarcane farmers reported red rot disease, while soybean productivity remains stagnant.
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We do not use GM seeds, so there is a need to increase productivity, reduce costs, and add value," Chouhan said.
"Earlier, research was conducted by scientists, but now research topics will be decided by talking to farmers in the fields, not in Delhi. No one can provide better information than the farmers. Farmers have made several innovations, and scientists will work on how to improve them," the minister said.
Chouhan said that further research will be conducted on how to increase per hectare productivity.
"We will develop advanced seeds through genome editing, plant soybeans with new techniques to prevent root rot, and explore many such things."
Chouhan was in Indore to attend a dialogue on ways to increase soybean production and productivity. He said, "We need to explore better utilisation and export of soybean meal. Value addition, like tofu and soy milk, can also be pursued. Progressive farmers have reported producing 20 quintals of soybeans per acre and shared their methods, which we will learn from."
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