PTI New Delhi

India needs to accelerate adoption of hybrid technology in pulses and oilseeds to address production deficits, while acknowledging the challenges faced by farmers in implementing these advanced farm practices, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister PK Mishra said on Wednesday.

Mishra highlighted that despite showing promising results, hybrid varieties, particularly in crops like pigeon pea('toor dal'), have not achieved widespread adoption among farmers.

"These two crops need our attention much more than what we did so far," he said while inaugurating the national symposium organised by Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) here.

While some hybrid mustard seeds are available in the market, their performance compared to open-pollinated varieties requires further investigation, he said.

Addressing the limitation of annual seed purchases - a requirement for hybrid crops - Mishra mentioned ongoing global research efforts to develop technologies allowing farmers to save and reuse hybrid seeds. "This will help saving on the cost of seeds."