Develop high yielding varieties of oilseeds and pulses: Pawar

New Delhi, June 27 (UNI) Union Minister for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Sharad Pawar today stressed the need for developing High Yielding Varieties of Oilseeds and Pulses.

Convening a meeting of the Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry Mr Pawar said, ''The development of appropriate plant types, exploitation of heterosis in selected crops for development of commercial hybrids and application of biotechnological tools for gene transfer and transgenic development was necessary in achieving globally competitive yields''.

He said that strategies of improving production of oilseeds and pulses include the successive development of high yielding varieties in these crops. The national agricultural research system under the guidance of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has brought out more than 200 high yielding varieties of oilseeds and pulses crops.

In the past 5 years, the system has produced 102000 quintals of breeder seed of oilseeds and pulses crops as against the target of only 79400 quintals seed. The efficient conversion of breeder seed into foundation and certified seed could indeed increase the seed replacement rate, which is so important to achieve gains in production.

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