ICAR Data Centre to provide accurate farm info, says minister

As doubts have been raised about the government's crop production estimates, newly launched ICAR Data Centre will work towards providing accurate farm information, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today said.
In the last few months, traders have said that the government's wheat production estimate of 93.55 million tonnes for 2015-16 crop year is on higher side and the actual output is around 86 million tonnes.
"Many have expressed doubts about our production data. The new ICAR Data Centre will provide transparent and accurate data," Singh said after inaugurating the centre and a KVK mobile App here.
The centre will do analysis of all kinds of data related to production and consumption of agri-crops, he said.

"The ICAR Data Centre in Pusa campus will play a pivotal role to take 'Digital India' campaign related to agriculture sector ahead," he said.
On wheat sowing, the minister said that farmers have covered wheat crop in more area so far, and there has been no impact of demonetization.

Wheat sowing will continue another 15 days in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, he told reporters on the sidelines of the event.
Till last week of the ongoing rabi season, wheat acreage was higher by 9 per cent at 256.19 lakh hectare as against 239.45 lakh hectare in the year ago period, as per the official data.

Stressing the need to develop crop productivity, the minister said it is necessary to promote hybrid seeds of improved varieties for varied agro-climatic zones to cope with climate change challenges.
He also said that the government has re-constituted the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority so as to implement national IPR policy related to plant species.
The authority will work towards improving parameters relating intellectual property profile, management and utilisation of IP for plant species, he added.
The government has decided to open three such regional authorities in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
The minister gave away Plant Genome Savior Farmer award to around a dozen farmers.