New Delhi:
Indian agriculture performed well during the COVID-19 pandemic as it registered an all-time high production of foodgrains at 305 million tonne as well as in exports during 2020-21, contributing to the global food security, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Tuesday.
Stating that the COVID-19 pandemic has further put the spotlight on the sector, Tomar said India with its tremendous growth trajectory in agriculture will continue to share best practices and build capacities of other developing countries.
Addressing UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) 42nd session virtually, Tomar said, ''Agriculture has always been a high priority for India, and the Government of India is always committed to the welfare of farmers.''
He also said India is conscious of its commitments under the climate change pacts and is taking effective steps in various sectors to combat the climate change and to ameliorate the adverse impacts of climate change.
India has launched various projects under the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture to develop, demonstrate and disseminate the techniques to make agriculture resilient to adverse impacts of climate change, he said adding that India is promoting organic farming at a large scale.
''I am sure that unflinching efforts of FAO with all the member countries to improve agriculture productivity, end hunger and malnutrition would go a long way to make the world a safer and healthier place to live in,'' Tomar added.
Sharing about steps taken to help famers during the debilitating pandemic in early-2020, Tomar said India took swift actions on various fronts to ensure that the farming calendar is not affected by the restrictions imposed during the lockdowns, he said.
These government initiatives ensured timely sowing of the crops, availability of agricultural inputs and proper harvesting and procurement of the crops, he said.
''The agriculture sector in India performed well during the severe COVID-19 pandemic and registered an all-time high production of 305 million tonne of foodgrains as well as their exports (in 2020-21), contributing to the global food security,'' he added.
Highlighting policy measures taken during the pandemic, Tomar said significant policy and legislative decisions were taken during this period to liberalise agri-marketing to transform Indian agriculture for the benefit of farmers and consumers.
Special parcel trains with refrigeration facilities 'Kisan Rail' were introduced by Indian Railways to transport the essential commodities, including perishable, from the production centers to the large urban markets across India, he said.
It created a win-win situation for the producers and consumers, Tomar also said.
That apart, free foodgrains were distributed under the 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)' during the COVID-19 pandemic last year to 81 crore poor beneficiaries under the National Food Security Law. And this year, PMGKAY in May was reintroduced and extended till November this year.
More than Rs 1,37,000 crore has been transferred into the bank accounts of 10 crore farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme to provide income support, he added.
The minister mentioned that agriculture has been one of the major success stories after independence in India.
The Green Revolution, White Revolution, Blue Revolution along with the public distribution system and price support system for farmers are unparalleled in the world.
''It is the result of the vision of policy makers, ingenuity of our agricultural scientists and the labour of our farmers that India is self-sufficient in food grains,'' he said.
Tomar added that India is a leading producer or second highest producer of several agricultural commodities.
Tomar also acknowledged the support of FAO in endorsing the Indian proposal for declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets.