Prime Minister Modi releases 109 new varieties of crops
As part of the government’s plan to revitalise agriculture and boost food security, prime minister Narendra Modi will release 109 high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties of seeds on Sunday, two people aware of the matter told Mint.
While developing high-yielding and climate-resilient seed varieties is a continuous process, their release by Modi highlights the government’s focus on advancing research in the seed sector for improved productivity.
These 109 varieties of 61 crops include 34 field crops and 27 horticultural crops, they said. These crop seeds will be for wheat, rice, vegetables, oilseeds, and cotton among others, they added.
Field crops are grown on a large scale in extensive fields for commercial purposes and include grains, legumes, oilseeds, and forages such as wheat, maize, rice, soybeans and sugarcane. They are crucial for food supply, livestock feed, and raw materials for industries, playing a key role in global food security.
Horticulture crops encompass fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, and flowers, and are grown in gardens and orchards. They are important for nutrition, aesthetic value, and industries like food and pharmaceuticals.
“The seeds scheduled for launch are drought-tolerant, climate-resilient, and pest-resistant, with additional traits including disease tolerance, salinity tolerance, flood tolerance, heat tolerance, cold tolerance, and the ability to grow in nutrient-deficient soils,” the first of the two persons cited earlier said.
According to Hyderabad-based market research and consulting firm Mordor Intelligence, the seed market in India is estimated to be worth $3.61 billion in 2024, and is projected to swell to $5.01 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 5.58% during the period.