New Delhi : Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Sunday exuded confidence that India will become self- sufficient in pulses and oilseeds production in the coming years with the government taking steps to boost yields through use of better quality seeds and technologies.
The country imports over 5 million tonnes of pulses and about 14.5 million tonnes of vegetable oils (comprising edible and non-edible oils) every year to meet domestic demand.
Addressing the 89th foundation day of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Singh said the government is not only focusing on increasing production but taking steps to make agriculture “income-centric” as part of its target to double farmers’ income by 2022.
The minister asked ICAR scientists to work in a mission mode to achieve this target as well as the overall development of agriculture and allied sectors, which contribute 18 per cent to GDP.
He emphasised on skill development in agri sector to boost crop yield and farm income. Singh said the green revolution helped India in becoming self-sufficient in wheat and rice, but the country is still importing pulses and oilseeds to meet domestic demand and spending huge amount of foreign currency.
“We achieved a record production of pulses in the 2016-17 crop year. The sowing area is also higher this year. We are progressing towards self-sufficiency. In next 2-3 years, we will become self-sufficient in pulses,” he said.
