India’s agriculture minister has called for plant breeding to become a major focus in both the public and private sectors to deal with climate change in the next few decades.
Rising temperatures in the next 15 years are expected to lead to a drop in global farm production of between 20 and 40 per cent, reported India’s FnB News.
While opening the National Seed Congress in New Delhi this week, Indian agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said new plant varieties and high-quality seeds will play a critical role in keeping the agriculture sector dynamic and sustainable.
Mr Pawar said seed security was a big factor to success; having the right seeds at the right time and in sufficient quantity.
“Governments need to develop and maintain an enabling environment to encourage plant breeding and the production and distribution of high quality seed,” stated Mr Pawar.
“Increased public and private investment in the seed sector is required for the long-term if agriculture is to meet the challenges of food security.”
He said capacity building in breeding technologies and facilities would continue to be a priority for the government, and also highlighted the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors.
“We need to recognise the benefits in developing complementarities and synergy between the two sectors,” said the minister.
“The Indian subcontinent and South East Asia are considered to have experienced a higher growth rate in agriculture mainly because of the good cooperation between the public and private sectors.
“The government is interested to develop appropriate policies and `an` investment-friendly legal and regulatory framework to facilitate private sector investment in the seed and agro-industries.”
Mr Pawar also said he hoped India would be able to grow its share of the international seed market, currently estimated to be worth around US$37bn, from its current 2 per cent share to at least 10 per cent.
