The availability of sufficient foodgrains will be a major challenge in the near future

New delhi date. 18 December 2020, Friday

Due to the limited availability of natural resources in the country, providing food (food grains) to all will be a major challenge in the near future in view of the growing population of the country. In these circumstances, maintaining soil-soil and water quality is essential for maintaining food security, said the Indian Council of Agriculture Research.

Due to increasing urbanization, industrialization, development of road and railway system, the cultivable land in the country is continuously declining. On the other side of the increase in population, farmland and production are declining.

On the other hand, the ground water level is constantly declining due to various adversities. Especially in the northwestern states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, more than 60 per cent of the land is irrigated. But the capacity of the soil is also declining as water is constantly being drawn from the ground here. Thus, the decline in water and soil capacity is having a serious impact on the agricultural sector. Under these circumstances, achieving the target of more than 30 million tonnes of foodgrains by the year 2020 will prove to be a challenge.

Thus, if precautionary measures are taken in this regard from now on, an increase in agricultural yield of 20 to 30 per cent is possible. Emphasis has to be placed on modern technology to increase the usefulness of fertilizers and water.

Soil quality is constantly deteriorating due to haphazard farming ignoring climate change. The salinity of the soil is constantly increasing due to saline water. The quality of various crops is deteriorating due to lack of other nutrients including carbon in the soil. Which is having a direct impact on people's health.

With all these issues in mind, the forthcoming India International Science Festival 2020 will focus on conservation of natural resources as well as their quality and will focus on increasing agricultural production in the country.