New Delhi, As the newly formed government prepares its 100-day agenda, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) President Himanshu Pathak on Wednesday stressed the need for major changes in India's agricultural research and education system.
His call comes amid challenges such as high farming costs, low productivity and the effects of climate change.
"As we move forward, there is a need to address these challenges. There is a need to change the way agricultural research and education is conducted in the country," Pathak said at the NAAS Foundation Day event.
He emphasized that the vision of Indian agriculture should be "globally competitive and sustainable farming".Highlighting the substantial returns on agricultural research investments, Pathak said, "The return on every Re 1 invested is Rs 13. Investment in R&D is profitable. The returns in the livestock sector are even higher."
The NAAS president, who also serves as the Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), underlined several constraints in the agriculture sector. These include limited diversification, low value addition, soil erosion, depletion of natural resources, and increasing pest and disease issues, all exacerbated by volatile markets and climate change.As a result, the share of agriculture in GDP has declined to 19.2 percent, and fewer people are dependent on this sector. “We need to conduct research in high-impact areas, diversify agriculture, focus on climate resilient varieties, lower carbon, nitrogen and energy footprints and integration of alternative technologies to tackle climate change,” Pathak said.
He also advocated promoting value addition and tackling post-harvest losses. To achieve these goals, he suggested leveraging new tools such as ICT, AI, GIS and genome editing.
He said, “There is a need to increase demand for quality and nature-friendly food along with increasing income, facilitating collaboration among partners, increasing funding and quality manpower.,
Pathak said the government has already set a target of 2047 for the agriculture sector and prepared action points, which shows its commitment to transform the sector.
His call comes amid challenges such as high farming costs, low productivity and the effects of climate change.
"As we move forward, there is a need to address these challenges. There is a need to change the way agricultural research and education is conducted in the country," Pathak said at the NAAS Foundation Day event.
He emphasized that the vision of Indian agriculture should be "globally competitive and sustainable farming".Highlighting the substantial returns on agricultural research investments, Pathak said, "The return on every Re 1 invested is Rs 13. Investment in R&D is profitable. The returns in the livestock sector are even higher."
The NAAS president, who also serves as the Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), underlined several constraints in the agriculture sector. These include limited diversification, low value addition, soil erosion, depletion of natural resources, and increasing pest and disease issues, all exacerbated by volatile markets and climate change.As a result, the share of agriculture in GDP has declined to 19.2 percent, and fewer people are dependent on this sector. “We need to conduct research in high-impact areas, diversify agriculture, focus on climate resilient varieties, lower carbon, nitrogen and energy footprints and integration of alternative technologies to tackle climate change,” Pathak said.
He also advocated promoting value addition and tackling post-harvest losses. To achieve these goals, he suggested leveraging new tools such as ICT, AI, GIS and genome editing.
He said, “There is a need to increase demand for quality and nature-friendly food along with increasing income, facilitating collaboration among partners, increasing funding and quality manpower.,
Pathak said the government has already set a target of 2047 for the agriculture sector and prepared action points, which shows its commitment to transform the sector.
