Chouhan calls for invention of device to check quality of pesticides, fertilisers

Bhopal, Aug 25 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said a device should be invented to check the quality of pesticides and fertilisers for farmers.

Speaking at the 12th convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) here, Chouhan said a testing facility at the farmers' end is needed to check pesticides and fertilisers.

"I am on the job of catching fake pesticides and manure that are in use," he said while addressing the graduates.

He urged them to invent a device that can test the quality of pesticides and fertilisers and identify fake ones.

Chouhan said after becoming the agriculture minister, he discovered that 30,000 bio-stimulants were being sold with the claim of boosting farm produce.

"I thought of getting their claim tested on scientific evidence. I went for a set protocol for their sale. The firms sought a year, saying that if all medicines were stopped, what would happen to farmers? After that, they sought another year but were given just three months. I wanted the claim to be tested by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute or scientists of reputed agriculture universities," he said.

He pointed out that 22,000 firms did not give their products for testing.

Tests later proved that only 642 products boosted farm produce, he added.

He called upon the students to stay back in India and help the country become a developed nation by 2047.

Chouhan stressed the need to make farming profitable, citing that land holdings in the country were small compared to the West, where farmlands were vast.

"Our small farmers have, on average, one to two acres of land holding. We have to promote integrated farming like fisheries and poultries to boost their income," he added. PTI LAL ARU