India sharpens food security focus with climate-resilient crop varieties

14 Aug 2024 --- Researchers at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have developed 109 high-yielding, climate-resilient and biofortified varieties of 61 crops to target food security, agricultural diversity and pressing nutritional issues in the country.

This comes as climate change weighs heavily on crops worldwide, prompting fears of food insecurity. This has, in turn, led to increased focus on ways to mitigate its impact on crop production, quality and yield.

The crop varieties include 34 field crops and 27 horticultural crops, some of which include the seeds of cereals such as millets (barley, sorghum, pearl millet), forage crops (oats, maize), oilseeds (safflower, soybean), pulses (chickpea, fava bean) and sugarcane. Other innovations include horticultural crops like fruits, vegetable crops, potential crops (buckwheat, amaranth), plantation crops (coconut, cocoa), tuber crops, spices, flowers and medicinal crops.

“These new varieties are climate-resilient, nutritionally rich and adaptable to environmental changes. The launch of these varieties represents a significant advancement in the government’s effort to strengthen and future-proof Indian agriculture,” notes the ICAR.

PM Modi interacted with farmers and scientists at the launch of the new crop varieties.India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the crops in the research fields of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Pusa, New Delhi.

Value addition in agriculture

According to an official statement by the Prime Minister’s Office through the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Modi highlighted the significance of value addition in agriculture and acknowledged the scientists’ efforts in developing crop varieties at the launch.

He also discussed the benefits of natural farming and the increasing demand for organic food with farmers.

While the scientists said they have been working to bring “unutilized crops into the mainstream,” farmers expect the new varieties to be “highly beneficial” in helping reduce expenditure and positively impact the environment.

Spotlight on millets

At the launch, Modi placed special emphasis on millets, advocating for their significant potential in addressing malnutrition and enhancing the country’s food security, notes the ICAR.

The nutritional benefits of millets are also supported by studies that state the health and therapeutic importance of the crops due to the presence of minerals, vitamins, phenolics and flavonoids.

After the FAO announced the previous year as the International Year of Millets, India has witnessed a string of millet-based innovations. Companies like Conscious Food, 24 Mantra and Just Organik offer a range of organic millet products, including millet flour, millet flakes and millet semolina. Meanwhile, millet-based snacks are also gaining ground.

The team at ICAR has also developed a specific millet variety — “Pusa 2002,” — which matures in only 70 days compared to the 110 days required by most other varieties. Modi emphasized the need to adopt such climate-resilient crops to diversify agricultural practices and ensure food security amid unpredictable climatic conditions.

Amaranth and buckwheat are some of the potential crops the scientists focused on.“The rapid maturation of this crop variety is expected to be a game-changer for farmers, allowing them to adapt more quickly to changing weather patterns and agricultural cycles,” underscores the ICAR.

Modernizing agriculture

Another innovation, the groundnut variety ‘Girnar 6’, has a high oil content. The ICAR states that Modi calls for more ongoing efforts to boost the oil content in other crop varieties to improve their nutritional and economic value.

Additionally, a chickpea variety, “Nandyal 1267,” is suitable for mechanical harvesting. Modi stressed the importance of developing more such varieties in pulses, as “timely harvesting and secure storage” are vital for bolstering farmers’ productivity and profitability.

At the launch, the PM also interacted with farmers about climate resilience and endorsement of natural and organic farming, reflecting a “holistic strategy” for modernizing Indian agriculture while ensuring the well-being of the farmers.

By Insha Naureen