The Hindu : National : Increase farm productivity: Kalam

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Wednesday, Mar 16, 2005

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National

Increase farm productivity: Kalam

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 15 . The President, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, today called upon farm scientists to focus on enhancing productivity over the next two decades. This was needed to meet the manifold increase in demand against the backdrop of depleting natural resources,including land, water and manpower.

He was speaking after conferring the first M.S. Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture on Norman E. Borlaug, Nobel Laureate and one of the chief architects of the Green Revolution, at the Vigyan Bhavan here.

Mr. Kalam drew the attention of the scientists to the fact that the availability of arable land and water would go down and that the number of people involved in agriculture would also drastically reduce by 2020. "About 65 per cent of our population was involved in agriculture in 1995. By 2012, it could come down to 60 per cent and by 2020 only 50 per cent may be directly associated with agriculture," he said.

Upgrade soil

To make the "second Green Revolution" a reality, the scientists would have to find ways to upgrade the soil — which had lost its fertility due to the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides — besides improving seed quality and efficient water management.

Research should be integrated with marketing and management aspects of agriculture. "We have to expand the role of farmers from producers to entrepreneurs," he said, adding that agro-based and food processing industries were going to be significant components of agriculture in future.

Earlier, lauding Dr. Borlaug for his contribution in solving the foodgrain crisis in India and also in other parts of the world, Mr. Kalam said the scientist was a leader in agricultural research. "He also identifies, creates and nurtures leaders. And that is his greatness," Mr. Kalam said.

Team work

Dr. Borlaug said it was a great honour to receive an award instituted by the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences in the name of Dr. Swaminathan. He recounted how Dr. Swaminathan saw a ray of hope in the small variety of wheat seeds, which he came across in a conference many years ago, in solving the foodgrain crisis in the country. "And, now look what the little seed has done all over the world."

"It (the Green Revolution) was not an individual's effort alone but teamwork involving the scientists and the leaders at that point. In future, scientists need to cut across all the disciplines and the leaders must also understand the scientists," Dr. Borlaug said.

Dr. Swaminathan recounted his long association with Dr. Borlaug and credited him with solving the foodgrain problem in India battling against all odds and at a time when the West had dismissed the crisis as insurmountable.

The Union Minister for Food and Agriculture, Sharad Pawar, said Dr. Borlaug was a true friend of India.

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