Journalism of Courage
Calling genetic modification technology a game-changer, Chief Minister Kamal Nath has urged the Centre to take a policy decision on GM seeds to ensure India does not lag behind in adopting a technology whose rejection may prove disadvantageous for the country and the farming community.
Nath said this while addressing a meeting of the High-Powered Committee of Chief Ministers of NITI Aayog on overhauling of India’s farm sector at Mumbai on Friday.
He said agriculture is not only an economic issue but also a social one. He said agriculture imports are not in the interest of farmers though they are bound to be there due to WTO agreements.
He said clusters of organic food should be identified and marketed in the interest of farmers.
The Chief Minister said farmers should have the freedom to select brands of agriculture inputs after comparing prices. He advocated reforms in the procurement model and emphasised on increasing use of machines in farming. He said the use of modern technology like GIS/GPS in agriculture sector will benefit farmers immensely.
