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GM CROPS PLANTED ON TWO BILLION HECTARES FROM 1996 TO 2015
Farmers across the globe reaped more than US $ 150 billion from advances in biotech crops over 20 years , revealed the annual report from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri- Biotech Applications ( ISAAA ). There has been global increase in biotech crops hectarage from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 179.7 million hectares in 2015 . This 100-fold increase in just 20 years makes biotechnology the fastest adopted crop technology in recent times , reflecting farmer satisfaction with biotech crops . These facts have been mentioned in the report , “ 20th Anniversary of the Global Commercialization of Biotech Crops ( 1996- 2015 ) and Biotech Crop Highlights in 2015 ” released by the ISAAA detailing the adoption of biotech crops .
NOW FARMERS TO GO ONLINE VIA VIRTUAL AGRICULTURE MARKETS
In a move that is going to have long term positive implications , the Prime Minister , Mr Narendra Modi , launched the pilot of e-NAM - the e-trading platform for the National Agriculture Market on April 14th at New Delhi . On the occasion he stated that the initiative will usher in transparency which will greatly benefit the farmers . Mr Modi said this is a turning point for the agriculture community and the agriculture sector has to be looked at holistically , and it is only then that maximum benefit of the farmer can be ensured . Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister , Mr Radha Mohan Singh mentioned that the government is working hard for the welfare of the farmers and launch of National Agriculture Market is a step in this direction . Mr Singh said that 21 mandis in 8 states have been linked to National Agriculture Market today . By September , 2016 two hundred mandis will be included and by March , 2018 five hundred eighty five mandis . The Minister asserted that the Center is very keen to accomplish the work as early as possible and if States cooperate it will be done one year ahead that is by March , 2017 .
CABINET OKAYS LAND FOR VETERINARY UNIVERSITY TRAINING AND RESEARCH CENTRE IN RAJASTHAN
As a first step towards establishment of Veterinary University Training and Research Centre by the Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences , Bikaner , the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister , Mr Narendra Modi has given its approval for transfer of 50 acre of land from Central Sheep & Wool Research Institute ( CSWRI ) in Tonk , Rajasthan to the Government of Rajasthan on free of cost basis .
The approval given in the Cabinet meet held on March 23 , 2016 , however , is on the conditional basis . The transfer of land shall be subject to an undertaking by the Government of Rajasthan that the transferred land will be used exclusively for the stated purpose and CSWRI and Indian Council for Agriculture Research ( ICAR ) will extend the needed technical support ( without any financial involvement ) for carrying out research in the area of Veterinary and Animal Science in Rajasthan . If the Training centre is discontinued in future , the said 50 acres of land will be returned back to CSWRI along with the available infrastructure free of cost for Veterinary and Animal Science research purpose .
MORE THAN A LAKH FARMERS FROM 16 STATES PETITION GOVT IN SUPPORT OF GM MUSTARD
1,38,313 farmers from 16 states through their representative associations submitted petition to Environment and Agriculture Ministries demanding commercialization of genetically modified Mustard . A consortium of six leading national farmer organization named Rashtriya Progressive Kisan Samiti which includes Sir Choudhary Choturam Bhartiya Kisan Samiti ( BKS ), Consortium of Indian Farmers Association , Kisan Coordination Committee , Shetkari Sanghatana Trust , United Farmers Empowerment Initiative ( UFEI ) and Confederation of NGOs of Rural India ( CNRI ) collectively fanned out across some of India ’ s key agrarian states including Rajasthan , Punjab , Haryana , Bihar , Gujarat , West Bengal , Tamil Nadu , Jammu & Kashmir , Jharkhand , Chhattisgarh , Madhya Pradesh , Maharashtra , Telangana , Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh .
NITI AAYOG DEVELOPING INDIA ' S OWN MULTI- DIMENSIONAL FOOD SECURITY INDEX
In his address at the roundtable conference on ‘ Addressing Challenges of Food Security ,’ organised by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India ( ASSOCHAM ), Prof Ramesh Chand , member , Niti Aayog informed that the top government policy think tank is in process of developing a multi-dimensional indigenous food security index . He termed the methodology used by the Food and Agriculture Organisation ( FAO ) of the United Nations to measure the extent of food security in India as wrong .
He said that in order to show the achievements , the UN and FAO , rather than expanding the norm of food security , they have been narrowing the norm of food security from 2,400 kilo calories and 2,100 kilo calories as minimum dietary energy norm for urban and rural areas to 1,800 calories and they have not included many other factors like - what is happening to proteins , minerals and micro-nutrients .
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BioVoiceNews | May 2016