Page 13 - Mann ki Baat English Feb 2026

over his farm's pond. He grew Producing over 150 million tons
creeper vegetables on it, of rice is no small achievement.
planted bananas, guavas and We are meeting our own needs
coconuts around the pond, and and contributing to the global
also started fish farming in the food basket. Friends, agricultural
pond. In other words, traditional products are now reaching
farming, vegetables, fruits, and foreign countries more easily by
fish are all being undertaken air. Nanjangud bananas from
in one place. This has led to Karnataka, Mysuru betel leaves,
better land use, water savings, and Indi lemons were exported to
and additional income. Today, the Maldives. These products are
farmers from far and wide come known for their taste and quality
over to see his model. and have even received the GI
Friends, in Kerala's Thrissur tag. Today's farmer seeks quality,
district, there's a village where is also increasing quantity and is
570 varieties of rice are grown making his mark as well.
in a single field. This includes My dear countrymen, you
local varieties, herbal varieties, surely remember the amazing
and even varieties imported images of the Maha Kumbh
from other states. This isn't just around this time last year. The

farming, it's a massive campaign sea of humanity surging on
to preserve seed heritage. The the banks of the Sangam, the
results of our farmers' hard work immense flow of faith, and in
are reflected in the statistics that sacred moment of bathing,
also. Today, India has become it seemed as if India was ‘in
the world's largest rice producer. communion’ with its ‘Sanatan

13 13