New Delhi, 11 Aug (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (August 11, 2024) released 109 high-yielding, climate-resilient, and biofortified seed varieties of agricultural and horticultural crops, aiming to enhance farm productivity and farmers’ income.
Developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), these varieties span 61 crops, including 34 field crops and 27 horticultural crops.
Mr. Modi unveiled the seeds at three experimental agriculture plots at Delhi’s Pusa Campus, where he also interacted with farmers and scientists.
The field crop varieties include cereals, millets, forage crops, oilseeds, pulses, sugarcane, cotton, and fiber crops. For horticulture, the Prime Minister released new varieties of fruits, vegetables, plantation crops, tubers, spices, flowers, and medicinal plants.
Since 2014, Mr. Modi has advocated for sustainable farming practices and climate-resilient methodologies to bolster farmers’ income.
He has consistently emphasized the promotion of biofortified crop varieties, linking them to government initiatives like the Mid-Day Meal scheme and Anganwadi services to combat malnutrition in India.