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INDIA ' S LEADING EXPERTS SEEK REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO AGRIBIOTECH INNOVATION
Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences ( TAAS ), a trust which aims to harness agricultural science for the welfare of people , on August 04 , 2016 organized a half day seminar around the promotion of biotech innovations in agriculture and intellectual property rights for scaling biotech innovations in agriculture .
The key discussion of the seminar was that agriculture in India has to match up with the growth in other sectors , new innovations will have to be developed and up scaled . In this context , adoption of biotechnology is considered to help increase agricultural production and also enhance farmer ’ s income .
Speaking on the issue , Dr R S Paroda , Chairman , Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences ( TAAS ) mentioned , “ The national challenge of meeting India ’ s food security needs while also addressing the challenges of the Indian agriculture is staring us in the face . Will technology-led agriculture succeed in producing more from the less ? The emergence of new science like biotechnology , information technology , nanotechnology , bioinformatics etc . provides new hope . In addition to climate smart agriculture and precision agriculture , India needs a conducive policy ecosystem that fosters agri-innovation including GM and non-GM technologies that are supported by the right policies and development related activities .”
FEED THE FUTURE : LAUNCH OF INDIA-US INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE PROGRAMME
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the U . S Agency for International Development ( USAID ) has launched the second phase of the Feed the Future India Triangular Training Programme , bringing specialized agriculture training to 1,500 agricultural professional across Africa and Asia . The Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare , Mr S K Pattanayak and U S Ambassador to India Mr Richard R . Verma launched the programme together at the National Agriculture Science Complex in New Delhi .
Speaking on the occasion , Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said that in order to continue our successful partnership programme covering more countries in Africa and Asia , MANAGE as lead institution representing Govt . of India and USAID representing US Government signed a Limited Scope Cooperation Agreement ( LSCA ) on 7th November , 2005 . The new programme will be called as “ Feed The Future : India Triangular Training Programme ”, in which 32 Training programme of 15 days duration will be conducted in India and 12 Training programs of 10 days duration will be conducted in selected African and Asian Countries during 2016-20 i . e ., for 4 years .
The U S Ambassador Mr Richard R . Verma said that by harnessing the expertise and innovation of out two great countries , we are unlocking new opportunities to address global development challenges , bringing us closure to our shared objective of eliminating global poverty and hunger .
NEW 93 SEED HUBS TO COME UP WITH OUTLAY OF RS 14 CRORE
The lesser production of pulses in the country has led to a situation where we have to import from African nations to meet the domestic requirements . While there are many factors responsible for lack of enough production of pulses , the availability of quality seeds to farmers would figure prominently in any such discussion . Therefore , with an aim to set the basics right , 93 seed hubs against a target of 150 at Indian Council of Agriculture Research Institutes ( ICAR ), State Agriculture Universities ( SAUs ), Krishi Vigyan Kendras ( KVKs ) have been approved under National Food Security Mission ( NFSM ) with an outlay of Rs 13 crore and 981.08 lakh .
For enhancing the production of breeder seed of pulses , an amount of Rs 2039 lakh has been approved for 12 ICAR institutes and SAUs . Cluster frontline demonstrations of pulses in 31000 hectares have been allocated to 534 KVKs for the year 2016-17 . The strengthening of production units of bio-fertilizers and biocontrol agents has been planned as per the agriculture ministry .
71 % OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN INDIA ENGAGED IN DAIRYING ACTIVITIES
In order to complement and supplement the efforts made by the various state governments to enhance milk production and productivity of bovines and thereby doubling farmers income , the government of India has been implementing various programmes . These include the National Programme for Bovine Breeding & Dairy Development ( NPBBDD ), Rashtriya Gokul Mission ( RGM ), National Dairy Plan-I , National Livestock Mission and Livestock Health and Disease Control ( LHDC ).
As per the information given by the minister of state for agriculture and farmer welfare , Mr Sudarshan Bhagat in the Indian Parliament , more than 71 percent of farm households are engaged in l ivestock rearing and dairying activities . Minister also said that by increasing milk production and productivity of bovines , targets for doubling income of the farmers engaged in livestock rearing can be achieved .
20,934 AGRI-BUSINESS VENTURES SET UP IN LAST 14 YEARS
A Central Sector Scheme , “ Establishment of Agri- Clinics and Agri-Business Centre ( ACABC )” has been under implementation since April , 2002 to supplement the efforts of public extension , support agricultural development and create gainful self – employment opportunities to unemployed youths with
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BioVoiceNews | August 2016