Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh convened a consultation meeting on 'Cactus Plantation and its Economic Usage' in New Delhi on December 8, according to a release by the Ministry of Rural Development.
About 30% of India's land area falls under the category of degraded land. Through the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY), Department of Land Resources (DoLR) is responsible for restoring degraded lands.
One of the actions that aid in the rehabilitation of degraded areas is the planting of various kinds of plants. Singh urged that alternative options for establishing cactus plantations on degraded land be investigated in order to realise the advantages of their use for the production of biofuel, food, fodder, and bio-fertilizer for the greater good of the nation.
In addition to helping provide jobs and revenue for the underprivileged farmers in these areas, the Minister believes that biofuel production will help the nation's fuel import load.
With the help of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Land Areas (ICARDA) a pilot project is being set up in Amlaha Farm of ICARDA in Madhya Pradesh, the release said. Ministry of Petroleum has been requested to offer the necessary technical support for this project.
The Department is of the view that cactus plantation will be picked up by the farmers of degraded land areas, if the benefits outweigh their existing level of profits. The experiences of countries like Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Morocco, and many others are being taken into account which would be very helpful for achieving the goal.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador of Chile, Juan Angulo M; Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Morocco, Errachid Alaoui Mrani; Head of Energy Division, Embassy of Brazil, Carolina Saito; Agricultural Attache, Embassy of Brazil, Angelo Mauricio.
Indian Ambassadors of these countries also attended the meeting through video call.
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