The 94th Annual General Meeting of the ICAR Society held under the chairmanship of the Union Agriculture Minister

11 March 2023, New Delhi: Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar addressing the 94th Annual General Meeting of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Society said that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is the largest and most comprehensive research institute in the world. The progress made by the institute so far is commendable. Be it achieving production targets, increasing productivity, or meeting the challenge of producing climate-resilient crops, our agricultural scientists have played a vital role in every field.

Consolidating traditional farming since ancient times, along with the hard work of farmers, the research of scientists has proved to be a milestone in the progress witnessed in the agriculture sector. So far this journey has been satisfactory, but we aim to overcome the challenges during the Amrit Kaal to bring the country into the comity of a developed nation by the year 2047.

He further said that India’s supremacy in the Agriculture sector is increasing all over the world, and along with this, the expectations from us are also rising. The target is to build a New India by 2047. New India needs new science, research, new skills, and innovation because tomorrow belongs to New India.

The Union Agriculture Minister said that Rs. 4 lakh crore worth of agricultural exports has been achieved, which is the highest ever. In the coming times, our products of Natural and Organic Farming are going to become more popular in the world. There is a need to work with the belief that our exports will increase further in the future. Along with this, our concern has to be to ensure the quality of the production meets the global benchmark. The government’s emphasis is on Natural Farming. Prime Minister Shri Modi urges that we should promote Natural Farming i.e. cow-based farming. Let the focus be on ‘waste to wealth’. We should strive to improve the quality and hygiene of our products.

The Agriculture Minister said that the year 2023 has been declared as the International Year of Millets (Shree Anna). The Prime Minister is going to formally launch the program on 18th March. The International Year of Millets is not just an event but a big project to increase the production, productivity, and market of Shree Anna. The consumption and popularity of Shree Anna is also increasing through the programs being organized across the country. With the popularity of Shree Anna gaining across the world, when the consumption will increase, then the responsibility of supplying it will also rest with India since we are the largest producer of Shree Anna. Scientists need to pay attention to this aspect too.

In his address, the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy, Shri Parshottam Rupala praised the commendable effort put forth by ICAR in developing an indigenous vaccine Lumpi-ProVac for defence against the Lumpy Skin Disease afflicting a large cattle population in the country.

Presenting a detailed report on the achievements of ICAR during the FY 2022-23, Director General of ICAR and Secretary, DARE Dr. Himanshu Pathak said the ICAR released 323 varieties of field crops, including 266 climate resistant variants. Several vaccines were developed by the ICAR Institutes including the H9N2 Influenza Vaccine for Chickens and the vaccine for prevention of SARS-CoV2 infection in animals, he said.

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