Union Minister of Agriculture Visits IIVR, Varanasi

Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture visited ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi today. He appreciated the basic, strategic and farmer-oriented research activities of the institute and emphasized to develop farmer and environment friendly organic technologies. Shri Singh interacted with the representatives of KVKs of the region and reviewed the manpower and infrastructural support. Agriculture Minister also interacted with the scientists and called upon to strengthen the research to develop climate-resilient vegetable technologies to minimize the risk of crop failure. To promote organic agriculture, the Ministry is in the process of initiating “Bhartiya Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna, he added. In this programme, one lakh villages of eastern India will also be selected as organic villages.

Agriculture Minister also interacted with vegetable growers of the tribal regions of District Sonebhadra and distributed the seeds and planting materials to selected farmers under Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) programme. He advised them to adopt improved cultivars and agro-techniques developed by IIVR to increase the vegetable productivity and profit. The Agriculture minister recognised the importance of horticulture as life line of agriculture and urged the farmers to adopt Integrated Agriculture System in which 33% area should be utilized for food grain production, 33% for horticulture, 33% for animal husbandry and remaining 1% for forestry.