Plug disparities in yield, output with tech: ICAR DG
The Hindu
5-day International Agronomy Congress starts
There is the need to overcome disparities in production and productivity of crops in different States and areas in the country by making available modern technologies to the farming community, Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Prof. Trilochan Mohapatra said.
Speaking virtually from Delhi at the inaugural event of the five-day 5th International Agronomy Congress, jointly organised by PJTSAU and the Indian Society of Agronomy (ISA) here on Tuesday, he said the country was lagging behind in the production of oilseeds and there was need to focus on it to achieve self reliance and to save huge foreign exchange being spent on the import of edible oils.
Effective and efficient use of water and land resources, reducing use of chemical fertilizers, bringing down costs of cultivation were the major challenges being faced by the agriculture sector now, Prof. Mohapatra said.
As speculation over the continuation of Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare B. Nagendra in the Cabinet persisted, with the demand for his resignation raised by the BJP in connection with the ₹94 crore scam at the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, his Cabinet colleagues came to his defence on Thursday.