Raipur, Sep 28 (FN Agency) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dedicated to the nation 35 new varieties of seeds to the nation, and said the new variants were resistant to climate change and had higher nutrition value. The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the newly constructed campus of the National Institute of Biotic Stress Management Raipur. In an address, that came a day after farmer groups protesting against the new Farm Laws called for a Bharat Bandh, which was supported by several Opposition parties, the Prime Minister highlighted the steps taken by the government over recent years to increase the income of farmers. Addressing the event through video conferencing, the Prime Minister said, ”Our focus is very high on more nutritious seeds, adapted to new conditions, especially in changing climates”.
The Prime Minister listed the farmer-friendly initiatives of the Government over the last few years, and said new varieties of seeds were provided to farmers to protect crops from diseases and for getting higher yield. “Along with increasing the MSP, the procurement process was also improved so that more and more farmers can get the benefit. More than 430 lakh metric tonnes of wheat has been procured in the Rabi season and farmers have been paid more than 85 thousand crore rupees. Wheat procurement centres were increased more than three times during the pandemic,” the Prime Minister said. A law to guarantee Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been among the major demands agitating farmer groups.
Prime Minister Modi said efforts are being made to take the farmers out of the crop-based income system and encourage them for value-addition and other farming options. He also recalled the massive locust attack in various states last year, in the midst of the Corona pandemic. “India had tackled this attack by making a lot of efforts, saving farmers from incurring too much damage,” he said. He stressed on the need to further develop farming of millets and other similar grains and asked people to be prepared to use the opportunities provided by the UN declaring the coming year as the ‘Year of the Millet’. The Prime Minister also distributed the Green Campus Award to Agricultural Universities and interacted with farmers who use innovative methods and address the gathering.