Emphasising the role of superior seeds in farming, Union Minister and Agrovision’s chief mentor Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said that the quality of seeds along with grafts, and soil determine the quality of yield. Expressing his views in a special workshop on “Sugarcane Cultivation” held on the second day of the ongoing Agrovision 2025, Gadkari remembered that Sant Tukaram Maharaj’s saying that good seeds yield rich and wholesome fruits and said that the government is also preparing a policy to further improve these parameters. Present on the dais were Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister;

 

Dr Sharad Gadakh, Vice-Chancellor of Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola; Dr Vivek Bhoite, researcher from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Baramati; farmer leader Pasha Patel; former MLA Sudhir Parwe; Agrovision Foundation member Sudhir Dive; Manas Industries Group Vice-President Jaykumar Verma; Anand Raut; and Bhojram Kapgate. Gadkari further appealed to farmers to get Soil Health Cards prepared after testing their soil for organic carbon and other nutrients.

 

“Using AI technology, we can increase per-acre yields of crops like tur daal, oranges, and cotton. Farmers can potentially earn an additional income of Rs 3 to 4 lakh per year,” he said. Dr Vivek Bhoite was felicitated on this occasion. A coffee-table book on oranges was also released by the dignitaries. Nitin Kulkarni conducted the proceedings while Jaykumar Verma proposed the vote of thanks.