Environment-benign nutritional security from vegetables, roots and tubers

摘要

Development of high-yielding varieties, standardization of improved production technologies of major food crops and their adoption ushered India in achieving food security in the late sixties. After achieving self-sufficiency in foodgrain production, policy-makers in the country began to lay emphasis on diversification to sustain agricultural development. In the recent years, horticulture has been recognized as an important area for crop diversification in the agri-business system. Efforts are being made to bring a revolution by doubling the production of horticultural crops. Among horticultural crops, vegetables, root and tuber crops are an important component in the diversification of agriculture to provide food and nutritional security for ever-growing population of the country. Nutritional security is more important for women and children who are most at risk. Most of the women folk suffer from poor nutrition during adolescence and anaemia during pregnancy and the children from retarded physical and mental developments. About 36 percent of malnourished children of the world live in india. Hence, a diet which is nutritionally adequate in quantity and quality and is biologically utilized is essential for producing healthy societies says Dr Dhankhar.