Vice-President Stresses Indigenous Seed Development For Agricultural Self-Reliance

Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Monday stressed the need for technology, innovation and indigenous seed development to reduce India’s dependence on agricultural imports and improve farmers’ incomes. He launched the country’s first non-GMO, high-expansion popcorn maize hybrid seed developed by Gourmet Popcornica in Musunuru.

Radhakrishnan described the launch as an important step towards strengthening Aatmanirbhar Bharat in agriculture. He said greater use of technology and innovation could help India move from dependence on imports towards producing and exporting agricultural products. He also emphasised that self-reliance in agriculture would be built through the efforts of farmers, scientists and entrepreneurs.

During his visit, the Vice President toured the Gourmet Popcornica factory and cold storage facility and was briefed on the company’s end-to-end maize processing operations. The visit covered areas including quality control, packaging and storage. Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also participated in the programme.

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Naidu said the indigenous non-GMO hybrid maize seeds were being produced domestically in collaboration with farmers. According to the Chief Minister, the hybrid maize is currently cultivated across 40,000 acres involving 17,500 farmers, while the country’s largest popcorn processing plant has been established at Musunuru near Nuzvid.

The Chief Minister also said popcorn grown in the Nuzvid region is supplied to markets across India and exported to other countries. He noted that Gourmet Popcornica has emerged as a major popcorn producer and holds a 70 per cent share of the country’s popcorn production, according to the information provided at the event.

Naidu also pointed to India’s earlier dependence on imports for a significant portion of its popcorn consumption and emphasised the potential to expand exports. He announced plans to establish counters at railway stations for products such as Andhra popcorn and Araku coffee, while stressing the need to add value to farm produce and take crops including turmeric, maize and chillies, along with aquaculture products, to international markets.

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