Basmati rice and humble makhana on global platter for G20 chiefs' spouses

To savour India's agricultural evolution since 1947

Not only millets but a complete gourmet showcase of India’s technological prowess in agriculture and its captivating journey since Independence awaits the spouses of Group of Twenty (G20) leaders during their visit to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Pusa, on Saturday.

Sources reveal that India’s success in bringing basmati rice and the humble makhana (foxnut) from Bihar on to the world stage, along with its diverse genetic variability in various fields and horticultural crops, will be exhibited for the spouses in the form of seeds and fruits.

Prominently featured will be details about the national gene bank at ICAR- National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, which currently holds 465,272 germplasm accessions from 2,119 species, making it the second-largest gene bank globally, surpassed only by the US Department of Agriculture’s gene bank.

The exhibition will also showcase different climate-resistant crop varieties crucial for food and nutritional security.

It will illustrate how India has developed over 7,000 field and horticulture crops since Independence, with nearly 2,279 new varieties released for farmers in the past nine years, including 1,888 climate-resistant varieties.

“The exhibition will prominently display landmark crop varieties and modern molecular tools for precision breeding,” stated an official.

A dedicated section of the exhibition will focus on India’s ongoing progress in the pulses and oilseeds revolution, highlighting the development of 343 varieties of pulses in the past nine years, including 87 chickpea varieties, 55 pigeon pea varieties, 46 mung bean varieties, 45 urad bean varieties, and others.

Additionally, the exhibition will feature biofortification of crops and demonstrate how ICAR has improved the nutritional quality of high-yielding varieties of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, and fruits through breeding methods.

ICAR’s contributions, which include the development of more than 40 improved spice varieties and 160 varieties resistant to pests and pathogens, will also be showcased in the exhibition.

The latest technology in mushroom cultivation will be highlighted, emphasising that shiitake, one of the world’s most popular mushroom varieties, is extensively cultivated in India by small farmers.

Moreover, India’s science-driven efforts in developing indigenous fruits and vegetables, floriculture, securing health through medicinal plants, and implementing an information and communication technology-based banana value chain traceability system will be on display for G20 spouses.

Government programmes such as the Soil Health Card initiative and the remarkable success in jute production, dairy and fisheries, technology dissemination, and precision agriculture will also be presented for the spouses.