A AKHTER / NEW DELHI
Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha last Friday said that government was committed to providing security to farmers.
He said that Government has conducted several studies to measure and quantify the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture.
Extensive field and simulation studies were carried out in agriculture and allied sectors by several network centres consisting of ICAR Institutes located in different parts of the country.
He said, two major crop insurance schemes are being implemented by the government to provide claims against the crop yield losses due to natural risks and calamities, adverse weather conditions, pests and diseases.
These schemes are Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme.
The Minister said, clear indications of change in climate are being noticed in the country.
He added that the last three decades saw a sharp rise in all India mean annual temperature.
The major crops classified as risk-prone under the impacts of climate change with reduced productivity are rice and wheat, especially in the Indo Gangetic plains, maize in mid-Indo-Gangetic plains and Southern Plateau, sorghum and potato in West Bengal and Southern Plateau.
