Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh urges SAARC nations to join hands for the sake of farmers

NEW DELHI: Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh has called on SAARC nations to work together for the betterment of agriculture and farmers.

Addressing the third meeting of SAARC agriculture ministers in Bangladesh capital Dhaka on Thursday, Singh said the governments of SAARC countries are keen on improving the economic and social statures of their agricultural sectors.

"In this region, the farmers are fighting against economic disparity and instability," he said, adding that countries can help each other to strengthen farmers, their livelihood and environmental balance.

He said for this, it will be appropriate to initiate stable research and development work in the agricultural sector through mutual cooperation.

Singh said agriculture in India is facing innumerable challenges since the Green Revolution of 1960s that led to an increase in productivity.

"These challenges are the loss of bio elements in soil, deficiency of nutrients in soil, weeds, enhancement of diseases and pests, soil absorbed with sodium, degradation of groundwater level etc," he said.

The minister said these not only affect agricultural productivity but also have an adverse impact on climate. "Climate change is a real episode and most likely it can inflict tremendous losses in a number of cases. South Asia is one of the most sensitive regions in the world regarding natural calamities in the perspective of climate change," he said.

Singh said a better communication network must be formulated to provide information to farmers on sophisticated agricultural techniques, products, methods and related services. "It is must to invest in agricultural research for security of foodgrains in future," he added.