Centre taking steps to boost production of oilseeds: Goyal
PremiumPiyush Goyal on Thursday said that nearly 4 lakh hectare area of rice fallow will be used for oilseeds cultivation in 100 districts of 10 states.
With an aim to reduce imports of oilseeds, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that nearly 4 lakh hectare area of rice fallow will be used for oilseeds cultivation in 100 districts of 10 states.
While speaking at a webinar on 'Smart Agriculture: Bringing Back Glory of Millets; Moving Towards Aatmanirbharta in Edible Oil' Goyal added that 230 high-yielding districts of oilseeds have been identified and nearly 20 lakh hectares area will also be brought under intercropping of oilseeds in the next 5 years.
Goyal also stressed the need to promote the production and export of millets. “Bringing back the glory of millets will make the country Aatmanirbhar in 3 areas-Food, Nutrition and Economy," Shri Goyal added.
“States can duplicate the success of Karnataka’s Fruits Model for crop diversification with a focus on millets. Also, collaboration with Agri startups to provide the latest tech to ensure quality & aid in biofortification of millets would help boost millet exports," Goyal said.
Minister pointed out that India is the 2nd-largest producer and 2nd-largest exporter of millets in the world. He added that the government has taken reformative steps which have led to the highest procurement of food grains from farmers at MSP-KMS 2021-22 benefitted 64 lakh farmers while RMS 2021-22 benefitted nearly 48 lakh farmers.
“Today, India is set on a path to become Aatmanirbhar. In this mission, the government is working towards realizing the image of a self-reliant farmer with the best crops," Goyal said, adding that smart agriculture is about using technology to leapfrog into a new era to build a resilient infrastructure for farmers.
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