ICAR has initiated two specific programmes for upscaling biofortified varieties of crops through Krishi Vigyan Kendras to ensure nutritional security, said Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has created two programmes: Nutri-sensitive Agricultural Resources and Innovations (NARI) and Value Addition and Technology Incubation Centres in Agriculture (VATICA).
Under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Women in Agriculture, the ICAR is also executing programmes like "Sustainable Approaches for Nutritional Security" and "Nutritional Security and Health Promotion of Farm Families," according to the minister.
During Question Hour, he added that nutri-gardens were constructed in schools and communities as part of the initiatives, and that nutrition education awareness programmes were held there.
According to the minister, the ICAR has developed 79 nutritionally rich biofortified varieties of rice, wheat, maize, millets, lentil, groundnut, linseed, mustard, and soybean.
Cauliflower, potato, sweet potato, greater yam, and pomegranate, in addition to eight biofortified horticultural crop types, are being popularised among farmers through trainings and demonstrations incorporating various mass communication mediums.
Essential minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium, protein, vitamin C, provitamin A, and oleic acid, among others, have been enhanced in these cultivars, according to him.
About ICAR
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is a self-governing organisation in India that coordinates agricultural education and research. It reports to the Ministry of Agriculture's Department of Agricultural Research and Education. Its president is the Union Minister of Agriculture. It is the world's most extensive network of agricultural research and teaching institutes. NARI programme focuses on promoting family farming linking agriculture to nutrition, nutri-smart villages for enhancing nutritional security.
