Dr Jitendra inaugurates ‘National Speed Crop Facility’ for farmers, Agri StartUps
STATE TIMES NEWS
MOHALI: Union Minister of Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh on Monday inaugurated “National Speed Breeding Crop Facility” at the premier National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) here.
Speaking as chief guest, Dr. Jitendra said, “This initiative is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s priority of doubling the farmer`s Income, ensuring their economic empowerment and promoting Agri-StartUps”.
He said, farmers will now have the opportunity to improve their crop qualitatively as well as quantitatively.
Dr. Jitendra said, “Biotechnology speedy seeds facility will cater to all the States of India but it will especially be useful for the North Indian States like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and the UT of J&K.
Adding further he said, “This facility will augment transformational changes in crop improvement programmes by accelerating the development of advanced crop varieties that could sustain climate change and contribute to the food and nutritional demand of the population with implementation of speed breeding cropping methods”.
The Minister said. “DBT institute of NABI has developed technology of ‘Climate- resistant crops’ by harnessing these technologies the farmers will not be restrained to cultivate a crop in a particular season rather they will have the liberty to practise farming irrespective of climate conduciveness”.
According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, institutes like NABI will have an important role to enable the transformational progress and value addition in farming sector productivity.
The facility will directly help a) Scientists and Researchers from government institutions, private institutions and leading industries in India engaged in agricultural and biotechnology research and development of improved crop varieties and products, b) Plant Breeders working for crop development and c) Progressive farmers who are contributing to adoption of new varieties with superior yield and nutritional traits.
The NABI institute has significantly contributed to ‘Atal Jai Anusandhan Biotech (UNaTI) Mission (Poshan Abhiyan), and Biotech Kisan Hubs for Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana etc.
