Allahabad, Nov 3 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Wednesday said that the ‘revolutionary’ target of land to the tillers should be pursued honestly to sustain the interests of farm labourers and increase the agricultural productivity of India.
‘Agricultural labourer is the real farmer. With their hard work, we are able to grow crops but they do not have lands. ‘Land to the tillers’ revolutionary target should not fade away. This should be achieved honestly. We should continue to make honest efforts to achieve it,’ Meira Kumar said.
She was addressing the centenary celebration and sixth convocation of Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences in Allahabad.
The speaker stressed said that if no steps are taken for the betterment of landless farmers and agricultural workers, ‘their interest in agriculture will decrease and our dream to double agricultural production will not be realised’.
Meira Kumar said India’s agricultural scientists and technologists need to work in the direction of doubling the productivity of arable land.
‘The type of technology needed for good productivity of food grain is plant biotechnology. This technology has tremendous potential to enhance agriculture yield by using seeds that are automatically resistant to pests and other abiotic stress such as drought and salinity,’ she emphasised.
Underlining the need for networking research, the speaker said that there has to be a link among different development partners, the users, the implementers and the experts of new agricultural technology for achieving effective and multi-dimensional success.
