Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE) at National Agricultural Science Centre (NASC) Complex, New Delhi today. The theme for this year’s conference is, “Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems.” It aims to tackle the pressing need for sustainable agriculture in the face of global challenges such as climate change, natural resource degradation, rising production costs and conflicts. Around 1,000 delegates from around 75 countries took part in the conference.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed delight that the International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE) is taking place in India after 65 years. He welcomed all the dignitaries on behalf of 120 million farmers, more than 30 million women farmers, 30 million fishermen and 80 million animal keepers from India. “You are in the land which is home to more than 500 million livestock. I welcome you to the agricultural and animal-loving country of India”, Shri Modi said.
The Prime Minister emphasized the longevity of ancient Indian beliefs and experiences about agriculture and food. He highlighted the priority given to science and logic in the Indian agriculture tradition. He mentioned the existence of whole science behind the medicinal properties of food.
The Prime Minister stressed that agriculture grew on the foundation of this thousands-year-old vision, mentioning ‘Krishi Parashar’, an almost 2000-year-old treatise on agriculture based on this rich heritage. The Prime Minister pointed to a robust system of agriculture research and education in India. “ICAR itself boasts of more than 100 research institutes”, he said. He further informed that there are more than 500 colleges for agriculture education and more than 700 Krishi Vigyan Kendras.
Highlighting the relevance of all six seasons in agricultural planning in India, the Prime Minister mentioned the distinct qualities of 15 agro-climatic zones. He noted that agricultural produce changes if one travels about a hundred kilometers in the country. “Be it farming on the land, the Himalayas, in the desert, water-scarce regions or coastal regions, this diversity is crucial for global food security and makes India a ray of hope in the world”, the Prime Minister remarked.
Recalling the last International Conference of Agricultural Economists that took place in India 65 years ago, the Prime Minister mentioned that India was a newly independent nation making it a challenging time for India’s food security and agriculture. Today, the Prime Minister said, India is a food surplus country, the largest producer of milk, pulses and spices, and the second largest producer of food grain, fruits, vegetables, cotton, sugar, tea and farmed fish. He recalled the time when India’s food security was a matter of concern for the world while today, India is providing solutions to global food and nutrition security. Therefore, the Prime Minister said that India’s experience is valuable for discussions on food system transformation and is sure to benefit the global south.
PM Modi reiterated India’s commitment to global welfare as a ‘Vishwa Bandhu’. He recalled India’s vision for global welfare and mentioned various mantras put forward by India on various fora including ‘One Earth, One Family and One Future’, ‘Mission LiFE’, and ‘One Earth One Health’. Shri Modi underlined India’s approach of not viewing the health of humans, plants and animals in silos. “Challenges before sustainable agriculture and food systems can only be tackled under the holistic approach of ‘One Earth, One Family and One Future’”, he said.
“Agriculture is at the center of India’s economic policies”, the Prime Minister underlined as he mentioned that the 90 percent of small farmers of India who own little land make for the biggest strength of India’s food security. He pointed out that a similar situation is prevalent in several developing countries in Asia making India’s model applicable. Giving the example of natural farming, the Prime Minister said that the positive results of promoting chemical-free natural farming on a large scale can be seen in the country. He also mentioned a big focus on sustainable and climate-resilient farming in this year’s budget as well as developing a complete ecosystem to support India’s farmers. Highlighting the government’s emphasis on research and development related to climate-resilient crops, the Prime Minister informed that nearly nineteen hundred new climate-resilient varieties have been handed to the farmers in the last 10 years. He gave examples of rice varieties in India that require 25 percent less water than traditional varieties and the emergence of black rice as a superfood. “Black rice from Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya is the preferred choice due to its medicinal value”, he said, adding that India is equally eager to share its related experiences with the world community.
The Prime Minister also acknowledged the seriousness of the nutrition challenge along with water scarcity and climate change. He presented Shri Anna, Millet as a solution given the superfood’s quality of ‘minimum water and maximum production’. PM Modi expressed India’s willingness to share India’s millet basket with the world and mentioned the last year being celebrated as the International Year of Millets.
Mentioning the initiatives to link agriculture with modern technology the Prime Minister talked about Soil Health Card, solar farming leading to farmers turning into energy providers, Digital agriculture market i.e. e-Nam, Kisan Credit Card and PM Fasal Bima Yojana. He also touched upon the formalization of agriculture and the allied sectors ranging from traditional farmers to agri startups, from natural farming to farmstay and farm-to-table. He informed that in the last 10 years, ninety lakh hectares were brought under micro irrigation. As India is fast moving towards the goal of 20 percent blending of ethanol, he said, both agriculture and the environment are benefiting.
Throwing light on leveraging digital technology in the agriculture sector in India, the Prime Minister mentioned PM Kisan Samman Nidhi where money is transferred to the bank accounts of 10 crore farmers with a single click, and a digital public infrastructure for digital crop survey that provides real-time information to farmers and enables them to take data-driven decisions. He emphasized that crores of farmers will benefit from this initiative and improve their economic condition. He also touched upon a huge campaign for the digitisation of land where farmers will be given a digital identification number for their land, and promotion of drones in farming where ‘drone didis’ are trained to operate drones. He further added that these steps will not only benefit the farmers of India but also strengthen global food security.
Concluding the address, the Prime Minister noted the presence of a large number of young people and expressed confidence that the next five days will witness ways to connect the world with Sustainable Agri-Food Systems. “We will learn from each other and also teach each other”, he concluded.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Member of NITI Aayog, Prof Ramesh Chand, Conference President, Prof Matin Qaim and Secretary of DARE and DG, ICAR, Dr Himanshu Pathak were present on the occasion.
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