Farm ministry will promote all notified crops; GM or not: Radha Mohan Singh

Centre to operationalise Rs 5,000 crore fund for micro irrigation in NABARD

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today said that his ministry will promote all notified crops irrespective of the fact whether it is genetically modified or not as that is its mandate and it has no reservations on the same.

Addressing a press conference on three-years of Narendra Modi government, Singh said that whatever crops are notified, be it GM or non-GM, if scientists approve it, then our ministry's mandate is to increase production, productivity, bring down cost of production and ensure right price to farmers.

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the ministry of environment had on May 11 recommended commercial cultivation of a GM mustard variety, developed by Delhi University's Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, in a submission to the Environment Ministry, which is yet to give the final approval.

"GEAC has given approval to GM mustard but we will see after the crop is notified. The process takes time and definitely it will not be available for cultivation this year. This is a crop grown in association with government research body ICAR," PTI reported quoting agriculture secretary Shobhan Pattanaik also from the same event.

Meanwhile, the agriculture ministry plans to roll out a modern model law on contract farming from October 2017. It also plans to operationalise a dedicated Rs 5,000 crore corpus fund in NABARD to bring 4.8 million hectares under micro irrigation.

According to official documents, in the remaining years of the government among other things it plans to amend the Multi-State Credit Cooperative Society Act of 2002 to make multi-state societies more accountable and also set-up an independent office of Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies and four regional offices by 2017-18.

The ministry also plans to release new high yielding varieties of long staple cotton and jute. It also plans to extensively use the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) and Gram Sabhas for ascertaining the eligibility of farmers for various schemes.

For livestock, the ministry plans to declare five states as animal disease free by March 2019 and tap the export markets in Russia, West Asia and Asia.

In agriculture research, the ministry plans to continue research in genomics and gene editing to multiple tolerance in crops and also to deal with the problem of residue burning, it plans to focus on conversion for organic manure.

On fertilisers, after 100 per cent neem coated urea, the ministry plans to launch customised micro-nutrient quoted fertilisers in 70 selected districts.

Radha Mohan Singh, meanwhile hoped that foodgrains output is likely to touch a new record in the 2017-18 crop year to begin from July due to good monsoon for the second straight year. 

IN NEXT THREE YEARS

a) Agriculture Ministry Plans to roll out a model contract farming law by October 2017.

b) Set up 500,000 tonnes of cold storage capacity, 1,000 pack houses and 150 ripening chambers.

c) Increase the cultivated area under oil palm from 300,000 hectares to 375,000 hectares mainly in wastelands and increase domestic production of palm oils from 200,000 tonnes to 300,000 tonnes in four years.

d) A dedicated Rs 5,000 crore corpus fund would be created in NABARD to bring 4.8 million hectares under micro irrigation.

e) Attain self-sufficiency in pulses programme