Govt to table bills on spurious seeds, pesticides in next Parliament session: Parshottam Rupala


The Hindu Business Line
September 19, 2019

The government may table bills that deal with spurious seeds and pesticides management in the coming session of Parliament, Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, has said.

“We are pursuing the Bills — one on pesticides management and on seeds. I am hopeful that these would be finalised in the next session (of Parliament),” Rupala said, while addressing a conference organised by Assocham here on Thursday.

The government is seriously pursuing these issues as in the absence of proper policies and regulations, the country has to face the menace of spurious seeds and pesticides. In fact, India has a great potential to emerge as a major exporter of seeds, he said.

Referring to the new global opportunities in the food and agriculture sector, Rupala further said the demand for organic food is witnessing an exponential increase.

“In overseas restaurants, every table is not only segregated in terms of vegetarian or non-vegetarian, but also organic or non-organic. Moreover, a system of proper tagging is catching up, whereby it must be clearly mentioned as to where from, and which farm the food items have been sourced,” the Minister said.

Another focus area for the government is increasing the production of edible oilseeds, Rupala said. ‘Harness capacities’  PK Chakrabarty, Member of Agricultural Scientists’ Recruitment Board, who participated in the conference, said with 11 per cent of total global agriculture, India ranks second in the world agricultural production list.

Even India’s trade in agriculture sector fetches more revenue than services and manufacturing sector. India’s Agri-GDP increased at a remarkably higher growth rate of 350 per cent during the last 16 years, said Chakrabarty.

Jaidev Shroff, Chairman of Assocham’s Council on Agri-Inputs and Farming Practices, and CEO of UPL Global, said, “There is a need to increase awareness about technology adoption in efficient water management, and reducing food wastage across the value chain. India must also harness its production capacities to generate more export-oriented produce.”

Reference:- https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/policy/govt-to-table-bills-on-spurious-seeds-pesticides-in-next-parliament-session-parshottam-rupala/article29458920.ece


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