Need to increase soybean productivity for self-sufficiency in edible oil, say experts
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Sanjeev Gupta, additional director general (Oilseed & Pulses), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, stressed the importance of raising soybean yield for the country to achieve edible oil self-sufficiency.
He also discussed the expansion of soy cultivation into new locations.
According to Gupta, soybean farming methods in nations like Brazil and Argentina are relevant in India, and scientific data from such countries should be collected.
Gupta was speaking during the opening ceremony of the city-based Indian Institute of Soybean Research’s two-day 52nd annual group session of the All-India Coordinated Research Project on Soybean, which began on Tuesday at the SOPA auditorium.
Tilak Raj Sharma, deputy director-general (Crop Science), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, opened the meeting, which was attended by over 150 soybean experts from various centres affiliated with the AICRPS (All India Coordinated Soybean Research Project on Soybean). The dignitaries present included Sanjeev Gupta, DK Yadav, assistant director-general (Seed), SC Dubey, ADG (Plant Protection), ICAR, and Nachiket Kotwaliwale, director, ICAR-CIPHET, Ludhiana were among the dignitaries.
Sanjeev Gupta emphasised the current state of the soybean seed replacement rate, which is low in comparison to other crops, as well as the necessity to popularise location-specific new varieties.
Tilak Raj Sharma, deputy director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, stressed the importance of promoting soybean variety diversity as well as climate-resilient, high-yielding soybean varieties among farmers in various soybean-growing states.
Following the opening remarks, a technical session on the crop improvement programme was held, during which plant breeders presented the findings of preliminary and advanced varietal experiments undertaken around the country. Sanjay Gupta, Laxmansingh Rajput, and Lokesh Kumar Meena gave presentations on AICRP plant breeding, plant pathology, and entomology trials, and the technical schedule for the future year was finalised.
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