Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Arjun Munda today said that the agriculture sector in the country is making an important contribution to the economy and livelihood of crores of people. He said this at the launch of framework for Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) in Agriculture Sector and Accreditation Protocol of Agroforestry Nurseries.
Addressing the event in New delhi, Mr Munda said that the ministry has prepared this framework to promote VCM in the agricultural sector. It also aims to encourage small and medium farmers to avail benefits of carbon credit. He added, introducing farmers to the carbon market will not only benefit them but also accelerate the adoption of environment-friendly agricultural practices. He further added, farmers are not the exploiter of natural resources rather they are biggest contributor in managing them.
The Minister termed this framework as the first step in the field of carbon emission control and he said the government looks to ensure everyone’s participation. Addressing the global challenges, he said that global warming is an alarming situation and hence the nation needs to move ahead with caution.
Mr Munda said that the Accreditation Protocol of Agroforestry Nurseries will strengthen the institutional arrangements for production and certification of planting material on a large scale. The Minister also said that the country is doing a remarkable work in ethanol blending and it is being recognised on the international level.