Pawar urges scientists to remove all misgivings regarding GM crops

New Delhi, Feb 17 (ANI): Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has urged agricultural scientists to double their efforts to remove all misgivings regarding GM crops from the minds of both policy makers and the public.

Inaugurating the two-day conference of Vice Chancellors of Agricultural Universities and a meeting of Directors of ICAR here today, Pawar said, 'The recent decision on Bt. brinjal should not be seen as a setback to our efforts, but a challenge which we need to surmount.'

"Conventional technologies of agriculture are inadequate to meet the formidable challenges," he added.

"The most compelling case for bio-technology and more specifically transgenic crops is their capability to increase crop productivity, lower production costs, conserving bio-diversity, efficient use of external inputs, and improvement of economic and social benefits and alleviation of abject poverty in poor and developing countries," he said.

Referring to animal husbandry, Pawar said the threat from trans-boundary animal diseases and epizoonotics has increased.

He stressed on the research on developing crop-live stock farming system based on integrated food-fodder, breed-health and bio-security management.

Pawar also underlined the need for alliance of ICAR-University and line departments of State governments for creating an atmosphere of academic excellence.

He said: "We must strive to be models of all-round excellence in creating institutions of global standards." (ANI)