Agriculture Powers 15–20% of India’s Economy, Says Scientific Advisor Ajay Kumar Sood.
New Delhi – Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister, Ajay Kumar Sood, has highlighted that agriculture continues to play a crucial role in India’s growth, contributing 15–20% to the national economic output. Speaking at the Dialogue NEXT event, organised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in the capital, Sood underlined that the sector also supports nearly 60% of the country’s workforce and sustains millions of livelihoods.
He further announced that ICAR is set to launch a National Plant Health Mission in the coming months. The initiative will focus on tackling crop losses by strengthening plant disease and pest surveillance, along with promoting integrated plant health management practices.
Held under the theme “Take it to the Farmer”, the two-day Dialogue NEXT has brought together leading agricultural scientists, policymakers, and global experts at the ICAR Convention Centre. Organised in partnership with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), the event calls for urgent, transformative solutions to address challenges facing farmers, particularly across the Global South.
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