Speed Post News Network
New Delhi: Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh on October 25 outlined the thrust of the Agriculture Ministry on increasing the productivity of oilseeds and pulses to achieve self sufficiency. Addressing the members of the Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday morning, Singh said that Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare will jointly work on a two-pronged approach of productivity enhancement and increasing production through area expansion for meeting the shortage of pulses.
As regards oilseeds, Singh said that the ICAR was carrying research programmes for nine annual oilseeds crops at four commodity based research institutes. He pointed out that there has been a technological breakthrough in oilseeds and a number of climate resilient high yielding varieties/hybrids of oilseeds has been notified for cultivation and increasing the productivity.
Singh informed the members that India has a number of oil yielding species of plant origin which include the nine annuals, two perennials (oil palm and coconut) and some minor oil bearing species of forest and tree origin. Among the nine annual oilseed crops, groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, soybean, sunflower, sesame, Niger and safflower are used for edible purpose and castor and linseed are the non-edible vegetable oil, according to a PIB release.
Soybean contributes largest (36%) to the total oilseed production followed by groundnut, rapeseed- mustard, castor, sesame, sunflower, linseed, safflower and Niger. India is the largest producer of castor and dominates in global castor oil trade. The minister said that to make country self sufficient in vegetable oil, the productivity enhancement programme for oilseeds may also require institutional and policy support in a campaign mode besides technological support from ICAR.
As regards pulses, Singh said the ICAR is engaged in development of high yielding varieties/hybrids and associated crop production and protection technologies of various pulse crops through coordination with Indian Institute of Pulse Research, Kanpur, and participation of the State Agricultural Universities, State Departments of Agriculture and other Institutes. Technological breakthrough in pulses in terms of notification of high yielding and pest/disease tolerant crop varieties/hybrids has been achieved. Members cutting across party lines complimented the minister for the new thrust on farmers’ welfare and the steps being taken by the NDA government to increase agricultural production especially in pulses and oilseeds.