Use of bio-fertilizers
and green manure should be encouraged among the farming community
so as to retain the nutrient quality of the soil, said Dr. Murli
Manohar Joshi, the Minister for Human Resource Development and
Science and Technology, here today while addressing the valedictory
session of a National Conference of the Seed Industry. He said,
wide spread use of chemical fertilizers will continue to diminish
the nutrient quality of the soil and will affect the yield in
the long run. Though the yield may be higher in the short run,
the quality of seed would suffer with excessive use of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides.
Referring to
the need to enhance seed production, which has been flat without
any variations over the past years, Dr. Joshi said the Department
of Bio-Technology has undertaken a programme to evolve better
varieties of seeds through genetic modification. He pointed out
that the GM mustard evolved by the Department has recorded a 20
per cent higher yield than the local varieties, during limited
field trials. Application of genetic engineering in agriculture
would not only help in enhancing our crop yield but also seed
production. This would be much better than the use of chemicals
and pesticides for enhancing seed produce, Dr. Joshi said. He
expressed the opinion that changing cropping pattern succumbing
business motives would be harmful to the society, as agriculture
is a way of life for the massive Indian farming community. A large
number of grassroot innovators from the farming community have
proved that the yield can be increased significantly by resorting
to the use of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides, the Minister
added.
