Protecting health of Earth is our duty: Shivraj
2 min read . Updated: 13 Feb 2023, 11:02 PM IST
Premium- Madhya Pradesh chief minister said that the reckless use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase production has badly affected the health of the Earth and the quality of the soil
NEW DELHI : Protecting the health of the Earth is our highest duty, said Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Addressing the inaugural session of the 1st Agriculture Deputies Meeting (ADM) of Agriculture Working Group (AWG) under India’s G20 presidency, the minister said that the reckless use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase production has badly affected the health of the Earth and the quality of the soil. “This has also had a bad effect on human health."
Chouhan added that it is necessary to adopt the campaign of Natural Farming started by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“India has believed for centuries that nature should not be exploited, we should only harness natural resources. For the natural balance, it is necessary for humans as well as animals and birds to exist," he said.
The minister added that due to the ever-increasing population, food security is an important issue facing the world today.
“Only 12 percent of the world’s land is suitable for agriculture. By the year 2030, the demand for food grains will be 345 million tonnes, while in the year 2000 this demand was 192 million tonnes. It is evident that neither the agricultural land is going to increase nor our natural resources are going to increase," Chouhan said.
He added that we should also make appropriate efforts to increase the productivity of agricultural land. “For this, the use of mechanization, digitalization, new technology and new seeds will have to be encouraged continuously."
The minister said that under PM Modi’s leadership, there has been continuous improvement in agriculture growth rate in Madhya Pradesh for a decade.
“The state has made significant contribution in meeting the country’s food grains needs. The state has been at the first position in the production of oilseeds in the country. Madhya Pradesh has 60 percent participation in the production of soy in the country," Chouhan added.
He said that the state of MP is the largest producer of wheat in the country. “We have made every possible effort to increase production in the state. In this, the work of increasing the irrigation area is noteworthy. In the year 2003, only 7.5 lakh hectare area was irrigated in the state. By increasing this, now we are irrigating 45 lakh hectare area. Our target is to provide irrigation facility in 65 lakh hectares. The use of new technology and good seeds is being encouraged in the state to increase production."
The minister added that besides increasing production, it is also necessary to reduce the cost of production.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, continuous efforts are going on to provide necessary support to the farmers, to reduce the cost of production and to make farming a profitable business," Chouhan said.
He added that it is also necessary to provide fair price to the farmers for their produce. “The concept of Minimum Support Price is applicable in India. Along with this, the State and Central Government are also active in helping the farmers in case of natural calamity."
