Shri Sharad Pawar Ji, Union Minister of Agriculture, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution, Dr. Mangala Rai, Secretary, DARE and Director-General, ICAR, Shri Rajiv Mehrishi, Additional Secretary, DARE and Secretary, ICAR, esteemed members of the ICAR Society, special invitees, friends from media, ladies and gentlemen.
I wish to place the following thoughts with you in the 81st AGM of the ICAR Society.
In the past, the ICAR’s efforts stood between famine, civil unrest and instability in India. Guiding the Country’s agricultural research led production, later popularly called Green revolution, the ICAR, turned scarcity and external food support into a surplus system. In leading this effort, ICAR’s bold innovations and collaborations with scientists of the league of Borlaug was the main stay of Indian self-reliance in staples. I compliment the eminent scientists and technologists associated with this initial vital surge.
Having said that, I wish to outline some core areas which we will need to work with, if our efforts need to sustain into 2050 when we have to nourish the largest national population in the world. This has to be done without amplifying the negative fall outs, which are often attributed to the interventions in Green revolution and by remaining vigilant to emerging challenges in global agriculture.
As India enters the phase of a stabilized population by 2050, with a huge young and sizable moderately affluent population, the demand for protein foods is going to grow exponentially. Already production pressure and urban affluence is pushing prices up. If production of vegetables, pulses, milk, meat and staples do not catch up with the needs of a young and successful population, prices will hurt the poor and the low income groups. With increasing numbers of rural population leaving sustenance agriculture, more has to be provided with less. Therefore, high degree of economy has to be ushered in the input regime and higher yields have to be sourced from static or decreasing catchments.
While demand spurts for proteins from a selective young population the lesser economically endowed will face further pressure from higher prices and if the public distribution system fails to take the extra pressure, it is very possible that the access to grains would become an issue and therefore malnutrition would go up. Already the malnutrition rates in India are at unacceptable levels, essentially amongst the generation which has to lead us in the 2050’s.
It is clear that our efforts at increased and efficient yields has to cater to protein and carbohydrate nutrition security at the lowest possible costs.
Key challenges ICAR has to tackle while attempting to do so is to indigenize and evolve crop specific strategies by using GM technology, input optimizing technologies like micro irrigation and investing in agriculture higher education heavily.
Strengthening the research and dissemination network is key in achieving most goals a globalized research scenario offers. I reviewed the Indian higher education and research sector in Agriculture and found the ICAR’s laudable efforts requiring a substantial increase of investment in the next plan. I have shared the specifics of such thoughts with the Hon’ble AM also and requested the ICAR to come forth with serious plans at attaining at least a three fold increase in higher education and research support.
The ongoing efforts of ICAR in crop genetics with 131 successful varieties already released and two varities of potatoes, Kufri Nilima and Kufri Frysona which have been released for Tamil Nadu and Gangetic Plains, Swarna Sub-I for water logged areas of UP and Orissa and drought resistant Sahbhagi Dhan for Jharkhand and Orissa are recent achievements. This is apart from new developments in animal breeding. The dissemination networks with ICAR’s and SAU/ State Government department need a quantum jump in terms of programming and monitoring. The projects under various Human Resources Ministry initiatives like community colleges could be used for this.
Overall, ICAR’s mandate and potential is up for a tough challenge. I wish the ICAR all the very best in its endeavors and hope that it will take all efforts to deliver in the magnitude and speed we expect from it. I wish the AGM a good meeting and hope to learn from the discussions to take place later today.
I note that Dr. Mangala Rai is demitting office as Secretary to Government and Director General after a successful stint. I join the AGM in thanking him for his leadership in a crucial phase and hope that his services will be available in some capacity to Government in future also. I wish him all the very best.
Thank you.
JAI HIND
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