New crop varieties to be developed by ICAR will have at least a climate-resilient trait in them, says ICAR DG

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has requested its scientists to ensure that new crop varieties were at least climate resilient.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has requested its scientists to ensure that new crop varieties were at least climate resilient.

“Climate change is a very big issue. So we have requested our scientists that whatever variety or technology they develop there must be at least one component of climate resilience. The variety should be abiotic stress tolerant and also biotic stress tolerant,” Director-General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Himanshu Pathak, said on Friday.

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a three-day farm sector exhibition and seminar on ‘harnessing plantation sector for sustainable development goals’ organised by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) at Kasaragod, Mr. Pathak said that every variety cannot be tolerant to all kinds of biotic stresses.

“We have requested them (scientists) that new varieties must have at least one trait which will address climate change issues,” he said.

“More than 85% of our (ICAR) varieties released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year were climate-resilient varieties,” he said.

He said that notwithstanding climate change issues affecting the farm sector, the foodgrain and horticulture production had not gone down in the country for the past eight to 10 years.

“We are still producing a record. It is not that climate has become friendly. Climate is no more friendly and it will never be friendly. But total production is still increasing,” he said.