Steps taken to integrate major genes to raise crop yield: Government

NEW DELHI: Government has launched long- term measures including those to target integration of economically important genes for crop yield improvement.

Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said in the Lok Sabha that the government has initiated long term measures through sequencing of genomes of important plants and microbes, targeted integration of economically important genes for crop yield improvement genomics and bio-fortification for qualitative and quantitative improvement in food crops.

Responding to a supplementary during Question Hour, he said the recent 12th Agriculture Science Congress had discussed several important issues threadbare, including linking of small farmers with the market and creating markets and cold storage for them.

The Congress, held in Haryana last month, also discussed issues concerning the knowledge status of small holder farmers for quality of produce, peri-urban markets, transport and cold chain for agriculture produce among others.

"Mechanisation and post-harvest technologies for small farmers, saving post-harvest losses, agri-processing, intensification of live stock production for small holder and landless farmers, increasing artificial insemination coverage and nutritional access to animals, extending veterinary services to farmers and backyard poultry production system were discussed in the Congress," Balyan said.