Agriculture policy

As smart farming technologies continue to mature, frameworks like this will be key to ensuring that agriculture not only meets the demands of a growing global population but does so in a way that is sustainable, efficient, and secure.

Farhad Vania, Portfolio Management Advisor, GIZ India emphasized GIZ’s commitment to agroforestry, agriculture, and goat-related projects in India through Indo-German partnerships.

India faces a significant challenge in foodgrain storage, with a substantial gap between production and storage capacity, leading to potential losses and impacting food security.

The minister said that the Farmers Distress Inde is designed to develop a forewarning system to take preventive measures to identify farmer distress, providing alerts three months in advance.

Choudhary said that to assist states in regulating groundwater resources, the ministry of Jal Shakti drafted a Model ‘Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Bill.’ This bill provides a regulatory framework to curb indiscriminate groundwater extraction while promoting rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge.

A gene bank serves as a biorepository for preserving genetic material, such as seeds, pollen, and tissue samples, collected from various plant species. The primary objective is to protect these valuable resources from extinction and support research, conservation, and breeding efforts.

Omar Abdullah, the head of the Kashmir government, stated that Kashmir is facing a severe threat from climate change, particularly in the form of a water crisis. He stressed the need for greater awareness and action.

Minister of state for agriculture Ashish Jaiswal, who also attended the Nagpur event, emphasised the critical role of these assured funds in providing relief to farmers facing persistent financial challenges.