New Delhi: To mitigate the adverse effects of an increase in the earth’s surface temperature due to climate change, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed 109 varieties of seeds, the Minister of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said today.
At a press conference on the day the new seed varieties were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chouhan said, ‘To increase production and to reduce cost, we need exceptionally good seeds. From laboratory to land, science should pass through farmers’ lives and the benefits of research should reach farmers.”
He said scientists at the ICAR have successfully developed a variety of rice that requires 20 percent less water, gives higher yields and reduces pest infestation.
The Prime Minister’s Office here said the109 varieties of seeds to be released by Modi are high yielding, climate resilient and bio-fortified.
‘By linking them with welfare programmes like free midday school meals, the hope is to ma
ke India free from malnutrition,’ the Office explained.
The ICAR is an autonomous body set up to coordinate agricultural education and research in India under the umbrella of the Minister of Agriculture.
Source: Emirates News Agency
