The government is promoting adoption of new farm technologies as it will help reduce the cost of production, enhance output and ensure better rates to farmers, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Tuesday.
Tomar, while speaking at a Ficci event, said the use of various farm technologies will help achieve the production level required to meet the food demand in 2025. While the farm sector faces many challenges like falling acreage and impact of natural calamities, the government is overcoming these issues by focusing on drip irrigation, organic and natural farming, among others, he said.
Tomar further said the government is making efforts to take new technologies to the farmers. The use of technologies for weather forecast and new seeds and fertilisers will help reduce the cost of production, increase the output and ensure better rates to the growers, he added. Sharing his thoughts on a session titled ‘Food for all: From farm to fork’, New Zealand Agriculture and Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said the challenge before every country is to produce more amid pressure on arable land, besides disruptions seen through floods and droughts due to climate change.
Another challenge is greenhouse gas emissions of the farm sector. Agriculture, livestock and food systems around the world contribute 35 per cent of the global emissions and it is 48 per cent in New Zealand, he said. New Zealand is focusing on new technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions besides conducting research so that agriculture remains sustainable, he added. Talking about decarbonising businesses, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd Managing Director and CEO Anish Shah stressed on partnerships to reduce carbon footprint and improve farm productivity.
The time is ripe to take actions to transform the food systems to become truly sustainable and meet the rising food demand, he added. Hindustan Unilever Ltd CEO and Managing Director Sinjiv Mehta said food systems are complex. About 17 per cent food gets wasted even as the world produces sufficient food. There is a need to address the gaps between farm to fork, he noted. Olam International Ltd Co-Founder and Group CEO Sunny Verghese asserted that technology can play a huge role in addressing the challenges faced in the food supply chain in the country.
