India’s foodgrain production is expected to touch a record high and cross 260 million tonne this year, President Pranab Mukherjee said today, during his visit to Baramati, the constituency of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.
He also called for greater awareness about genetically modified (GM) crops to address public concerns.
He was speaking at a conference of vice chancellors of agricultural universities, directors of ICARs and farmers in Baramati.
Improve awareness and biotech education to allay public concerns on GM crops, said the President.
The President referred to the benefits that India has got through cultivation of Bt cotton and the wide adoption of GM crops, though he said there was a need to pursue “these new technologies for the benefits they provide.”
“The development of transgenic crop varieties having the novel trait of insect resistance, herbicide tolerance and hybrid production has led to significant cultivation of GM crops. These crops currently occupy 170 million hectares in 28 developed and developing countries. In India, Bt cotton has boosted production and enhanced export earnings,” Mukherjee said.
India is targeting record foodgrain production in the current fiscal.
Pointing out that the agriculture sector was a part of a dynamic and increasingly globalised world economy, he called for “the development and institutionalisation of user friendly knowledge systems to support decision making by various client groups.”
“A greater understanding of market intelligence mechanisms, good trade practices and legal aspects of the multilateral trade regime and intellectual property rights is necessary,” the President added.
The current record is 259 million tonne production achieved in 2011-12, after which the production had slipped to 255 million tonne in 2012-13.