September 19, 2023

The use of modern technology is essential in the agricultural sector: Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State at the Ministry of Agriculture

September 29, 2022, New Delhi: CropLife India held a two-day national conference on the occasion of its 42nd AGM, which saw the congregation of the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, four Ministers of agriculture from the key states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, senior officials, experts and industry leaders.

The theme of the national conference was “Sustainable Growth in Agriculture for a Self-Reliant India”. The theme of the inaugural session was “The transformation of agriculture during ‘Amrit Kaal’ – Role of crop protection”. A special plenary session, ‘State Government Perspectives’, focused on achievements in agriculture in the four key states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. A special Plenary Session II focused on “International Perspective: 100% India”; a special session focused on “Improving the effectiveness of crop protection” and Session – III was devoted to “Ease of doing business – The way forward”.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Kailash Choudhary, Honorable Minister of State for Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, said: “There is a great need to use the latest technologies for agriculture and to make farmers more aware of this. Drone technology can play an important role as it offers multiple benefits like spraying agrochemicals, determining the amount of fertilizers and nutrients to use, among others.

Mr. Choudhary added that “the crop protection industry has played a key role in improving the productivity of Indian agriculture in key crops and has invited the public-private partnership industry to take the lead. agriculture and Indian farmers on a steady growth path. ”

Mr. Surya Pratap Shahi, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh, said, “The crop protection industry should continue to develop greener chemicals for sustainable growth. Mr. Shahi called on the crop protection industry to invest in Uttar Pradesh which is on its way to becoming a food basket of the country as well as the world”.

Mr. S. Niranjan Reddy, Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Government of Telangana said, “Humanity’s greatest task is to keep the soil healthy for better health and human well-being. Water conservation is essential for agriculture and Telengana was the first state to implement the Watershed program in 1983-84. As part of the Kakatiya mission, 46,000 water reservoirs and water bodies in Telangana have been restored. Through concerted efforts, water has brought about the greatest revolution in Telangana.”

Mr. Kamal Patel, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Madhya Pradesh, said, “Madhya Pradesh has taken many key initiatives like insurance to protect the interests of smallholder farmers and empower farmers.” Mr Patel called on the industry to work with the state government on stewardship and other initiatives.

Mr. BC Patil, Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka said, “A helpline provides advice to farmers in Karnataka. The Karnataka government has increased the reservation of students from farming families in B.Sc. Agriculture admissions from 40% to 50%. The total number of places reserved for this category of students in agricultural universities is 1230 while the total admission is 2460; in the state.”

Dr KC Ravi, Chairman of CropLife India, said, “A predictable, stable and science-based policy and regulatory regime is imperative for the proper growth of the crop protection industry; that promotes innovation and the introduction of new products to meet current and future challenges facing farmers; while paving the way for the introduction of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and drones”

Mr. Anil Kakkar, Vice President of CropLife India and Vice President of Sumitomo Chemical India Ltd., said, “CropLife India and our members are committed to making India self-reliant and agriculture is an imminent part of that. The crop protection industry has made an immense contribution to Indian agriculture over the past 75 years and pledged to contribute during the “Amrit Kal”.

Mr. Srinivasa Karavadi, Vice President of CropLife India and Head of Market Development India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Bayer CropScience Limited said, “CropLife India and its member companies have always believed and demonstrated a constructive partnership approach with government and other stakeholders. . We want to continue contributing to the strengthening of the collaborative ecosystem”.

Members of the industry body bring the latest and safest innovations and are committed to educating farmers on their safe and responsible use. CropLife and its member companies wish to continue contributing to the creation of a scientific, pragmatic and stable regulatory environment.

Members continue to work closely with farmers, the scientific community and policy makers to address current and future challenges. However, the cost of research has increased and it is estimated that the cost of discovering and developing a new active ingredient is around INR 2000 crore. If Indian agriculture is to thrive, be more competitive, quality driven, reduce wastage as well as losses to enable our farmers to be more successful, it is absolutely essential that a progressive policy environment is in place to foster innovations .

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