Convocation Address at the Chaudary Charan Singh Harayana Agricultural University

TECHNOLOGIES FOR TRANSFORMATION

I am indeed delighted to visit Haryana and participate in the twenty second Convocation of Chaudary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University. . My greetings to all the graduating students and also the professors and teachers who have shaped the students to be the most useful citizens of the country. When I was browsing the information about Haryana and particularly about this University, three aspects impressed me :

a. I am happy to note that this university has played a vital role in the overall agricultural development of the state. The state of Haryana has not only become self-sufficient in food grains but also emerged as the second largest contributor to the central food reserve.

b. The profile of the university apart from thrust given for research, the university has a large area for farming, what are done in computers and what are done in laboratories are finally proven in the farms.

c. What is more impressed is farmers are becoming the partners to the researche3rs and students in development and production of seeds and farming methodologies. The serious component of the University is indeed the farmer hostel. It means the university and the state means the business in real sense in agriculture.

May I congradualte the University and Haryana State for these three aspects. What can I say in my convocation address in such an enlightened food producing self-reliant state and the university is the lifeline for agricultural science, technology and production. I would like to take you to a statement made by our Prime Minister : India will become a developed nation by the year 2020. What does it mean? It means nation has to lift the 260 million people who are below poverty line and establish the well being of the people. Finance experts say, economic growth potential is possible by doubling GDP growth rate to about 9% and sustaining it for a few years. Is it not a difficult proposition? Recently, it was announced in the Conference of Governors by Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission that National Development Council has decided in the 10th Plan period to have a target of 8% GDP growth-rate and creation of 10 million jobs annually. In this connection I would like to recall one incident which I experienced about four years back

Technology for Second Green Revolution

India's first green revolution was a result of the partnership of farmers, agricultural scientists and the political visionaries. Here, I would like to narrate an incident while I was having a meeting with Shri C. Subramaniam. He was the main architect of the first green revolution. During the meeting, I remember, at the age of 90 years, he was unfurling his vision for second green revolution. The first green revolution was the process of seed to grain. The second green revolution that he envisaged is soil to seed to grain to food to marketing. He visualised a change of chain, starting from soil to food processing and marketing, but not grain alone. Developing hybrid seed backed by scientific research for increased agriculture production and value addition was the mission of his National Agro Foundation. Foundation aims at bringing a million farmers under the scheme. For this he has enlisted a top agriculture consultancies and managers and technologists for promoting this foundation. Concepts of his Second Green Revolution are soil characterization, right type of seed selection, suitable fertilizers, water management, farmers training, crop management, food processing and marketing .

The role of Agricultural Research Institutions

Agricultural Universities and research institutions have to play a very important role by contributing to the second green revolution which will enable India to become a developed nation in the agricultural sector. The production of cereals needs to increase from the present 200 million tonnes to 400 million tonnes. Similarly, in the case of fruits and vegetables the production needs to increase. But the requirement of land for the increasing population as well as for much greater forestation and environmental preservation activities would demand that the present 170 million hectares of arable land will have to be brought down to 100 million hectares by 2020. All our agricultural scientists and technologists have to work in this direction of doubling the productivity of the available land with lesser area available for cultivation. The type of technologies needed would be in biotechnology, proper training to the farmers, additional modern equipments for preservation and storage etc.

Integrated nutrient management continues to be a focal issue in drylands, as the fertilizer use is not like to pick up significantly unless water supply is assured. One of the reasons ascribed to low response of bio-fertilizers in drylands is their low status of soil organic matter. Soil fertility in drylands can be sustained only through maintenance of organic matter and achieving better fertilizer-use efficiency through integration of moisture-conservation practices along with soil-fertility management. Strategies for on-farm generation of organic matter in non-competitive way need to be evolved. Another question I wanted to share with you, wherever there are people below poverty line there is also problem for the availability of water. It costs energy and money to bring water for specialised agriculture to such dry areas. What are the agricultural technologies, water conservation methodologies that can help lift the people who are below the poverty line. I feel, these are the aspects that our research and academic institutions should address. Solutions may be just beyond agriculture alone spanning to animal husbandry, poultry, agro processing and other related activities like medicinal plants - "kathalai".

I have come across a document: 'How are the states doing - 2002?', a study made for Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Haryana with its high development intensity in agriculture, its economic development status is yet to enter into the top five position. High value agriculture has to be established in a big way to gain the economic advantage over the agricultural products. Also yet another important issue is that environmental factors pulling the composite ranking of the state down. That means it is observed that there is an excessive usage pesticide and fertilizers. For both, high value agriculture and environmental protection, technology has got solutions.

Only technology and efficient management can help doubling the food production by improving the existing agricultural practices and above all efficient management of water and fertiliser both inorganic and organic and also bio-technology will assist in getting pest resistant seeds that would lead to increase in the productivity by about 10%. In my opinion, plant biotechnology has tremendous potentials to enhance agricultural yield by using the seeds that are transgenic resistant to pests and other abiotic stress such as drought and salinity.

Genetic Engineering

Several major crops plants, including corn, oilseed canola, soyabean, and cotton, have been engineered with genes that make them resistant to insects, pests or to herbicides, so that farmers can apply the weed killer without fear of wiping out their budding crop. The benefits derived from these varieties include the reduced use of insecticides and herbicides, thus reducing soil and groundwater pollution, and reduced tillage that results in topsoil loss. Also, scientists recently developed a technology to bioengineer salt-tolerant plants by over-expressing a single gene. This development could be applied for sugar cultivation in certain parts of our country where salt content is more in soil.

PURA ( Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas)

Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) is another example for creating rural wealth and prosperity. The model envisages a habitat designed to improve the quality of life in rural places and makes special suggestions to remove urban congestion also. Naturally our most demanding urban problem is that of congestion removal and efficient supply of water and effective waste disposal in every locality are the paramount civic needs. There is a minimum size below which a habitat is not viable and not competitive with the existing congested city. At the same time, the existing congested city is not economical compared to a new town once a minimum size of expansion is crossed. As against a conventional city say, rectangular in shape and measuring 10 km by 6 km, the model considers an annular ring-shaped town integrating minimum 8 to 10 villages of the same 60 km2 area, and the same access distance of 1 km to transport arteries. It needs one and only one transportation route of distance half that needed for the rectangular shaped city; so frequency of transportation will be doubled halving waiting times. It has zero number of junctions and will need only a single level layout. Also it needs only one route as against 8 needed for the rectangular plan, so people will no longer need to change from one line to another to move from any one point to any other. That saves transport time. Further, as all traffic is concentrated into one single route, high efficiency mass transportation systems become economical even for a comparatively small population. This cuts costs substantially and is more convenient for general public. Knowledge powered rural development is an essential need for transforming India into a knowledge power and high bandwidth rural connectivity is the minimum requirement to take education, health care and economic dynamism to the rural areas. Knowledge society leading to knowledge super power can prosper and survive only in the environment of economic security and internal security. Nation has to work for transformation into 'developed India'. Road maps on certain areas have been generated where we have to work for. Can we do it?

Concluding remarks

Our agricultural scientists and engineers and our farmers have given us food security. We have to make them feel great in their professions. That need, a system evolution from grain to food products to marketing has to take place. Since many of you are young scientists, before taking up the subject of my discussion, I would like to quote a visionary statement proclaimed in 1911, the "Song of Humanity" by Sri Aurobindo: "A time will come when the Indian mind will shake off the darkness that has fallen upon it, cease to think or hold opinions at second and third hand and reassert its right to judge and enquire in a perfect freedom into the meaning of its own culture and tradition". With this saintly saying, India has to build its nation with its unique traditions, culture and core competencies.

I would like to once again congratulate the young graduates and greet the faculty and staff of this University. I wish these graduates will grow from strength to strength in order to serve the society at large, particularly the weaker sections. Best wishes to you all. May God bless you!