Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu bats for use of innovative technology in agriculture

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday called for multi-pronged efforts to make the country's agriculture sustainable and profitable.

He said the country will be able to produce more in less area by changing its approach and practices.

Inaugurating the 120th birth anniversary celebrations of Acharya N G Ranga, Naidu described him as a great freedom fighter, a farmers' leader, a social reformer and an outstanding parliamentarian.

"A true son of the soil, he is considered as the father of the Indian Kisan Movement along with Swami Sahajanand Saraswati," the vice president said.

Talking about the high standards of debates and parliamentary conduct shown by Acharya Ranga, Naidu recalled that there used to be rapt attention whenever he spoke in Parliament.

As the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Naidu said, it pains him to see the standards of debates going down.

He appealed to all lawmakers to study the life and teachings of Ranga and learn from his conduct as a parliamentarian.

Debates should be constructive and not disruptive, he said.

Referring to the new wave of technology in agriculture, he said it was more than just the shift to mechanisation like the use of tractors.

While basic mechanisation should further expand to all corners of the country, people should not lose sight of the cutting-edge technologies that are changing the way agriculture is practised the world over, the vice president said.

Calling for developing more climate-resilient seed varieties, Naidu stressed the need to adopt precision-agriculture practices, which have become the order of the day now with the use of drip irrigation, drones and sensors that cater to the needs of each individual plant. 

(Image: PTI)