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Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India participated in the 3rd Global Potato Conclave at Gandhinagar, Gujarat via Video Conferencing on January 29, 2020.
The Conference, which had previously been organised during 1999 and 2008, is being organised by the Indian Potato Association (IPA) in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, and ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla and International Potato Center (CIP), Lima, Peru.
Scientists from across the globe, potato farmers and other stakeholders have come together for the Global Potato Conclave to share their viewpoints on the important aspects related to food and nutrition demand in the next few days.
Addressing the Conclave, PM said that the highlight of the 3rd conclave is that Potato Conference, AgriExpo and Potato Field Day are all occurring at the same time. He also said that it is an appreciable effort that 6 thousand farmers are going on field visits on the Field Day.
“It is significant that the 3rd Global Potato Conclave is being organised in Gujarat, the leading state in Potato production and productivity in the country,” he shared.
“Today Gujarat has major Potato processing companies in the state and that most of the potato exporters are also based in Gujarat. These have led to the emergence of the state as a major potato hub in the country,” he proudly informed.
The Prime Minister said that his Government is taking fast actions to double the salaries of farmers by 2022. He added that as a result of the efforts of farmers and the combination of government policy, India is among the top 3 countries in the world in the production of many kinds of cereal and other food items.
A new record has also been made by transferring an amount of Rs. 12,000 crores to the bank accounts of 6 crore farmers through a direct transfer, he stated.
While concluding his speech, Modi requested the scientists to offer solutions to different problems in Agriculture through modern biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Drone Technology. He said that the greatest responsibility of the scientific community and policymakers is to see that no one is left hungry or malnourished.
The Conference is being held for 3 days till 30 January 2020. It will have 10 themes out of which 8 themes are based on basic and applied research. The remaining two themes will have a special emphasis on potato trade, value chain management, and policy issues.
Besides, AgriExpo is also being organised during these three days, to showcase the status of potato-based industries and trade, processing, seed potato production, biotechnology, a public-private partnership in technology transfer and farmers related products etc.
Potato Field Day will be organized on January 31, 2020. This will include a demonstration of advancements in potato mechanization, potato varieties, and the latest technologies.
