Giriraj Singh calls for increase of food production

Umïam (Meghalaya): Noting that India has challenges on food security due to population pressure, Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh on Wednesday called for the needs more food grain with better yield. “The Green Revolution was of immense benefit for the country, but at the same time there is an urgent need to increase the food production because of the exhaustive population pressure of the country,” Singh said during his visit to ICAR-Research Complex for North Eastern Region at Umïam in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district. He said a holistic integrated approach is the need of the hour for bringing about any development in an aspirational district like Ri Bhoi. Urging the agro scientist, students at ICAR and College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences to continue their research, Singh said, “it is important that the research outputs from the labs are translated on the field. Focus should be on taking the research outputs from lab to field.” “The country and its villages will be prosperous only when the farmers will prosper and that is if they fetch more economic returns from their harvest and again use their income for more agricultural activities,” he said. The Union Minister also underscored the need to popularise Moringa (Drum stick) plantation as it has carbon absorption potential. The scientist of the institute also held an exhaustive interaction with the Union Minister at the Central Agriculture University- CPGS AS along with the staffs of the concerned Institute regarding various issues pertaining to agriculture and allied sectors particularly livestock and fishery. Director in-charge ICAR-Research Complex for North Eastern Region, Dr. S. K. Das gave a brief highlight of the Institute achievements and its mandates. (UNI)