Lucknow, Nov 3 Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday recalled that India used to import PL-480 red wheat from countries such as the US during the tenures of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, claiming it was perhaps the kind of wheat that animals there consumed.
“Once, we could not produce enough wheat to meet our requirements and the Indian government used to import PL-480 red wheat from countries like America during the time of Nehru ji and Indira ji. It was perhaps the kind of wheat that animals there used to eat,” Chouhan said at a programme at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research in Lucknow.
Contrasting the situation with India’s present foodgrain production, he said the country has become self-sufficient and is now the world’s largest rice producer, having overtaken China.
He also said India had achieved the highest productivity in sugarcane.
Chouhan said more than 60 crore people were being provided free wheat and rice under the government’s food security initiative.
During the programme, also attended by UP Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Chouhan announced that the Centre has approved the procurement of 43,250 metric tonnes of sesame, valued at Rs 447 crore, and 86,500 metric tonnes of groundnut, worth Rs 650 crore, from Uttar Pradesh under the PM-AASHA scheme at the minimum support price.
He also said approval was granted for 374 roads in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, at a cost of Rs 544.65 crore.
Chouhan also referred to the red rot disease affecting the Co 0238 sugarcane variety and stressed the need to develop an effective replacement for it.
(PTI News)
