New Delhi, Feb 13 Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar has dedicated six varieties of fruits and vegetables to the nation.
The six varieties of fruits and vegetables include two varieties of mango 'Pusa Lalima' and 'Pusa Shresth', brinjal variety 'Pusa Vaibhav', palak (spinach) variety 'Pusavilayati palak', cucumber variety 'Pusa Gynoecious Cucumber Hybrid-18' and 'Pusa Alpana' variety of rose.
Tomar dedicated the six varieties of fruits and vegetables to the nation at the function organised to hand over awards and degrees to the 284 students, which includes eight foreign students, of the Postgraduate School of ICAR-Indian Agriculture Research Institute.
The bio-fertilizer 'PUSA Sampoorn' developed by the division of microbiology was also released.
Addressing the gathering, Tomar appealed to all agriculture institutes to focus on producing good farmers. "Institutes are producing very talented teachers and scientists which is commendable. Because of this knowledge and technology remain limited to the institutes only. If institutes produce farmers then they can bring this knowledge to the grassroots level," he said.
He also exhorted the students for entrepreneurship development and appealed for taking up farming as a profession.
Highlighting the government priorities in the field of agricultural research, Tomar said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is placed among the top 10 Agri products exporting countries.
"We aim to put India among the top five countries and I am sure that with the efforts and research of our agriculture institutes, India will achieve it very soon", the minister said.
Speaking about implementing the use of drone technology for the benefit of farmers and employment generation for various stakeholders, Tomar said that the government is giving 100 per cent as a grant for the purchase of drones to agriculture institutes so that the technology can be taught in the institutes.
He also said that agriculture graduates are also eligible to receive grant support for drone purchases. The Minister advised the new graduates to see this as a huge opportunity in the field of drone technology.
He appreciated the significant contributions made by the institute for ensuring food and nutritional security through the development of superior varieties and technologies in the field of agriculture. Tomar congratulated all the awardees and appealed to them to contribute to the growth story of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' by making 'Atmanirbhar Krishi'.
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