The challenge of food security in the coming years is inevitable, Union Minister of Rural Development Giriraj Singh said today, and therefore the work of ICAR is crucial.
Singh paid a visit to the ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Region at Umiam today as part of his wider visit to Meghalaya.
As part of the visit, the Union minister took in the piggery, poultry and dairy farms of the institute and had a look at the ‘Lumsniang’ breed of pig that has been developed by the institute.
He was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner of Ri-Bhoi Arpit Upadhyaya and Superintendent of Police Giri Prasad.
In his speech, Singh highlighted the inevitable challenge of food security in the coming years because of the exhaustive population pressure of the country. He reminded the gathering about the contribution of the Green Revolution, though the country is still in dire need of producing more food grains with better yields.
A holistic integrated approach is the need of the hour for bringing about any development in an aspirational district like Ri-Bhoi, he added while calling upon ICAR and the College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGSAS), Umiam, to work in collaboration keeping in mind the farmers’ needs first.
He also stressed upon the need to popularize ‘moringa’ (drum stick) plantations as the crop has carbon absorption potential if carbon neutral villages are to be developed in the country.
Singh concluded his address by saying that the country and its villages will be prosperous only when the farmers prosper and that is if they fetch more economic returns from their harvest and again use their income for more agricultural activities.
The scientist of the institute also had an exhaustive interaction with the minister yesterday evening at the CPGSAS along with the staff of the concerned institute regarding various issues pertaining to agriculture and allied sectors, particularly livestock and fishery.
