Gandhinagar, Sep 23 — Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday launched seven new pesticides and herbicides developed by Gujarat State Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (GSFC), aimed at strengthening crop protection and providing farmers with additional options to tackle pests and weeds.
The products, launched under GSFC’s established ‘Sardar’ brand, are Sardar Sathi, Sardar Raftaar, Sardar Tufani Fipro, Sardar Jandaar, Sardar Aadhar, Sardar G-Gold and Sardar Senapati.
They will be made available to farmers through Kisan Suvidha Kendras and GSFC’s authorised distribution network.
Patel said the seven crop protection solutions reflected Gujarat’s journey from ‘Viksit Krushi’ to ‘Viksit Gujarat’ and highlighted GSFC’s technology-driven approach towards efficient and sustainable agriculture.
"The initiatives would help farmers improve the quality of their produce, add value, support processing and gain access to global markets," he said.
GSFC is also developing a range of agricultural products, including balanced nutrients, bio-fertilisers and other agricultural inputs, to ensure that farmers receive quality crop protection solutions in a timely and reliable manner.
The Chief Minister said the initiatives would contribute to strengthening the rural economy and the wider economy through farmers’ prosperity and agricultural growth.
Referring to the statewide 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' marking 25 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public service, Patel said: "The Prime Minister had identified Garib, Annadata, Yuva and Nari Shakti as the four key pillars for building Viksit Bharat."
Patel also congratulated GSFC’s scientists and researchers for developing the new products and said innovation, technology and effective crop protection were important for increasing farmers’ incomes and advancing development through prosperous agriculture.
Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani said the products represented another step in GSFC’s development journey, which began in 1962, and would help protect crops and improve returns for farmers.
“These seven products, including Sardar Aadhar, Sardar G-Guard and Sardar Tufani, have been introduced in the market to protect crops from pests and weeds,” Vaghani said.
He said high-quality research had gone into developing the products and that care had been taken to make them available to farmers at reasonable prices while maintaining crop and soil quality.
"GSFC had remained at the forefront of research and technology and had continued to provide farmers with new technologies and products," he added.
Vaghani said a modern method had been adopted under which the pesticides protect crops from pests for a certain period and subsequently break down in the soil without causing harm.
He urged farmers to use chemical pesticides only when necessary and in the prescribed quantity.
The event was attended by Energy Minister Rushikesh Patel and Ministers of State Kaushik Vekariya and Ramesh Katara.
The Chief Minister and other officials also unveiled ‘Krushijivan’, a special agricultural magazine based on research by agricultural scientists and intended to provide farmers with guidance on crop-related matters.
State Chief Secretary and GSFC Chairman M.K. Das, Managing Director Rajender Kumar and Director Ashwini Kumar, besides senior officials and employees of the organisation, were present at the event.