INDIA BECOMES WORLD'S LARGEST RICE PRODUCER, SURPASSES CHINA: AGRI MINISTER

India has become the world's largest rice producer, beating China, with a total output of 150.18 million tonnes, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday, as he released 184 new varieties of 25 crops.

- TBG NETWORK

These new high-yielding seed varieties would boost crop production and enhance farmers’ income, he said, while directing the ministry officials to ensure that these new varieties reach farmers quickly.

The minister unveiled 184 improved varieties of 25 field crops developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research at an event held in the national capital, according to an official statement.

Addressing the event, Chouhan said the country has achieved great success in the development of high-yielding seeds.

Since the gazette notification process began in 1969, a total of 7,205 crop varieties have been notified, including rice, wheat, sorghum, maize, pulses, oilseeds, fiber crops, among others.

Chouhan informed that 3,236 high-yielding varieties have been approved by the Narendra Modi-led government, as compared to 3,969 varieties notified between 1969 and 2014.