The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Media urged to help spread information on farm technology

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 21, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Media urged to help spread information on farm technology

Staff Reporter

Minister calls for more research in agricultural biotechnology Ramachandra Gowda calls for more research in agricultural biotechnology

ON THE ROAD AHEAD: C.D. Mayee, Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, New Delhi; Ramachandra Gowda, Minister for Science and Technology; V.N. Subba Rao, Chairman, Karnataka Media Academy, Bangalore; Anup K. Pujari, Principal Secretary, IT and Biotechnology; and Bhagirath Choudhary, National Coordinator, South Asia Office, ISAAA, New Delhi; at the media workshop on agricultural biotechnology in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bangalore: "It is a matter of great pride that the country has excelled so much in the field of agriculture. In 1948, we were not in a position to feed the 33 crore population. Today, we not only have buffer stock, but we also export our food products," said Minister for Science and Technology Ramachandra Gowda.

He was speaking after inaugurating a media workshop on agricultural biotechnology here on Wednesday. The workshop was organised by the Karnataka Media Academy (KMA) and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), New Delhi.

The Minister said knowledge and know-how about the latest in agriculture should percolate to farmers. "The media plays a vital role here. It should spread the message in such a way that the farmers understand the latest technologies," he said.

He also said that more research and development was required in the field of agricultural biotechnology. With the knowledge base it had, Bangalore was sure to become the international destination for biotechnology.

The State Government, he said, gave away M. Visvesvaraya and C.V. Raman awards to scientists every year. "Probably next year, we can even award journalists who specialise in science and technology," the Minister said.

Anup K. Pujari, principal secretary, Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, said that if the country had to achieve the targeted growth rate, the agricultural sector too had to grow. The media had the responsibility of disseminating correct information about biotechnology to farmers and the general public, he added.

C.D. Mayee, chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, Indian Council for Agricultural Research, said that different people interpreted `biotechnology' differently. "The moment biotechnology became commerce after commercialisation, public outcry began not only about risks and hazards, but also about its social, economic utility and ethics," he said. He also said that to address the concerns, bio-safety regulations had been introduced by all countries, including India.

`Bt cotton yield up'

Speaking on the sidelines of the workshop, Dr. Mayee said that contrary to a few reports, the yield of Bt cotton had increased. "Earlier, there were a few glitches. However, the problems have been rectified. The fact that several institutions are coming up with their own technologies stands testimony to that," he said.

The University of Agriculture Sciences, Dharwad, had developed indigenous Bt cotton. "The technology is in phase three stage. The field trials are going on," he added. T.M. Manjunath, workshop coordinator and consultant of AgriBiotech, presented an overview of the workshop. V.N. Subba Rao, KMA chairman, welcomed the gathering.

Bhagirath Choudhary, national coordinator, South Asia office, ISAAA, proposed a vote of thanks.

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