Vice President calls for development of climate change-tolerant farming systems
Coimbatore: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu calls for development of climate change-tolerant farming systems. Addressing the 41st Graduation Ceremony of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, he stressed the need to develop crop varieties that can withstand climate change. He urged that they must be able to withstand drought, flood, heat, salinity, pests and diseases. He said that only by adapting crops to climate change can Indian agriculture's resilience and sustainable growth be enhanced.
He warned of the dangers posed by climate change in the coming decades in the agriculture and food sectors, calling for the development of technologies and mechanisms that would reduce the impact on small and marginal farmers. Concerned about the problems caused by declining groundwater levels and increasing pollution in water bodies, he stressed the need for genetically modified crops, drought tolerant genetically modified crops and water saving technologies.
Vice president said the agriculture sector is not only important but also sacred. He said that agriculture is the backbone of the rural economy and agriculture is an integral part of our culture and civilization. "More than 50 percent of our population still depends on agriculture for their livelihood," he said.
He said, "To increase farmers' incomes, we must make efforts to increase productivity, better use of resources, increase the number of crops and cultivate higher value crops." Similarly, he asked the concerned departments to ensure that farmers get lucrative prices. He said this was possible only if the focus was on making good storage and processing facilities, by providing credit facilities and making good arrangements for marketing.
The Vice President called on the graduates of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to create technologically sustainable and viable agricultural development and make good income available to farmers. He noted the need to ensure adequate food and nutrition for millions of people in the country. He said, “Your research should be relevant to the needs of the community. It should address the issues that people are facing, such as climate change and health issues”.
Minister of State for Higher Education Anbalagan, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Vice Chancellor Prof. N. Kumar, TN Governor Banwarilal Purohit and others were present.
He warned of the dangers posed by climate change in the coming decades in the agriculture and food sectors, calling for the development of technologies and mechanisms that would reduce the impact on small and marginal farmers. Concerned about the problems caused by declining groundwater levels and increasing pollution in water bodies, he stressed the need for genetically modified crops, drought tolerant genetically modified crops and water saving technologies.
Vice president said the agriculture sector is not only important but also sacred. He said that agriculture is the backbone of the rural economy and agriculture is an integral part of our culture and civilization. "More than 50 percent of our population still depends on agriculture for their livelihood," he said.
He said, "To increase farmers' incomes, we must make efforts to increase productivity, better use of resources, increase the number of crops and cultivate higher value crops." Similarly, he asked the concerned departments to ensure that farmers get lucrative prices. He said this was possible only if the focus was on making good storage and processing facilities, by providing credit facilities and making good arrangements for marketing.
The Vice President called on the graduates of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to create technologically sustainable and viable agricultural development and make good income available to farmers. He noted the need to ensure adequate food and nutrition for millions of people in the country. He said, “Your research should be relevant to the needs of the community. It should address the issues that people are facing, such as climate change and health issues”.
Minister of State for Higher Education Anbalagan, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Vice Chancellor Prof. N. Kumar, TN Governor Banwarilal Purohit and others were present.