Speech By Her Excellency The President Of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil At The 45th Annual Convocation Of The University Of Agricultural Sciences

Ladies And Gentlemen,

I Am Very Happy To Be In The Campus Of The University Of Agricultural Sciences For Its 45th Convocation. This Is A University Which Has Grown From A Small Research Station Established In 1899, To Become A University In 1964, And An Institution Of Importance In Many Areas Of Agricultural Education And Research. Today, Is An Opportunity Not Only To Congratulate The Graduating Students, But Also To Urge Them As They Move Out Into The World, To Look Upon Themselves As Collaborators Working With The Farming Community, To Bring About A Transformation In The Agricultural Landscape Of Our Country. Your Work In This Regard Will Have Enormous Implications For The Future Prospects Of Our Country.

India Has Made Rapid Strides, Emerging As A Major Global Economy, With Which Other Countries Seek To Intensify Their Engagement With It, In Many Spheres. Today, We Are A Leading It Nation, But It Should Not Be Forgotten That We Also Are One Of The Largest Agrarian Economies Of The World. Agriculture Provides Employment To About 60 Percent Of The Country's Work Force, And Close To 69 Percent Of Our Population Continues To Reside In Rural Areas. Agricultural Development, Therefore, Is Important, Relevant And Significant For The Overall Development Of Our People, As Well As For Their Food Security And Livelihood Opportunities. It Is A Sector Whose Full Potential Is Yet To Be Realized. Hence, Its Multi-dimensional Development Is A Priority Task, And Work Related To Agriculture Production, Productivity And Sustainability Needs To Be Undertaken With A Sense Of Mission And Without Any Delay.

After Independence, The First Green Revolution Made India Largely Self-sufficient In Foodgrains. It Met The Needs Of That Time And We Benefited Immensely From It. Though, We Are Self Reliant In Cereal Production, We Have Still To Depend On The Import Of Pulses And Edible Oils. We Are Also Confronted With Malnutrition And Under-nutrition. Ensuring Food Security And Elimination Of Hunger Is A National Responsibility. For This, There Is A Realization That We Now Need A Second Green Revolution That Is Evergreen In The Country. What Does This Entail And How To Proceed, Are Questions For Which We Need Responses In The Nature Of Concrete Work Plans With Strict Implementation Schedules. I Would Broadly Group These Issues Into Four Categories. One, We Need To Strengthen Existing Institutional Support And Bridge Existing Gaps In Support Systems. Secondly, Focus On Dryland Farming. Thirdly, Adopt An Integrated Approach Towards Agriculture And Fourthly, Use Technology As An Effective Tool In A Wide Array Of Agriculture Operations. I Will Dwell Briefly On These Four Points.

Institutions Linked To Making Available Agricultural Inputs Like Credit, Seeds, Fertilizers And Pesticides Must Be Re-energized To Deliver Desired Outcomes. Also, A System To Monitor Weather Parameters And Making Available Forecasts To The Farmers, By Using Modern Communication Tools, Will Be Of Great Help To Them In Their Decision Making. Water Management And Improving Irrigation Efficiency Is Necessary, Given That Water Is A Precious Commodity, And Its Utilization Must Be Done In An Optimum Manner. A Comprehensive Programme To Maintain Canals As Well As Village Water Bodies Like Ponds, Tanks And Wells Should Be Undertaken. Introduction Of Modern Irrigation Technologies Particularly Drip And Sprinkle Irrigation, Can Be Effective And These Also Have The Advantage Of Rationalized Use Of Water. Similarly, Food Storage Limitations Have To Be Addressed Squarely By Augmenting Existing Warehouse And Cold Storage Facilities. Decentralized Warehousing Will Make Distribution Not Only Easier And Quicker, But At The Same Time It Would Be A Low Cost Option That Also Cuts On Wastage During Transportation. There Are New User Friendly Technologies Available Now For Building Silos In A Short Time At Low Cost. In A Country Where Food Security Is Yet To Be Achieved, A Situation Where Food Stocks Are Inappropriately Stored Is Intolerable. Food Distribution Systems Need To Be Strengthened, So That Food Supplies Reach The People In A Smooth Manner, As And When They Need It. All This Work Requires Coordinated Action. Universities Can Help By Actively Evolving New Scientific Methods Of Crop Planning, Warehousing And Food Processing Technologies, As Well As Their Dissemination.

Even As We Address These Issues, It Is Important To Understand That Dryland Areas, Faced With A Host Of Problems, Are Also Where There Is Extensive Possibility Of Increasing Agricultural Productivity. Dryland Farming Is A Source Of About 45 Percent Of The Total Food Production In The Country, With 80 Percent Of The Pulses And Seeds Grown Here. The Green Revolution Took Place In Irrigated Areas And Many Farming Areas Of The Country Were Outside Its Ambit. Dryland Areas Can Be The Cradle For A Second Green Revolution. The Biggest Challenge In These Areas Is That Within A Limited Period, When There Is Soil Moisture, Cultivation Processes Have To Be Completed. Crops Suitable For The Low Moisture Season Can Be Grown As An Additional Harvest. I Am Informed That The National Rainfed Area Authority Is Working On A Mission For The Systematic Development Of Dryland Farming. This Should Be Useful In Bringing About The Desired Results In Rainfed Areas. I Am Aware That This University Has Been Doing Some Pioneering Research On Dry Lands. The Agricultural Universities And Research Institutions Must Disseminate The Wealth Of Knowledge And Expertise They Have Generated To Transform Agriculture Into A Knowledge Based Enterprise. The Bhoo Chetna Programme Of The Karnataka Government To Promote Use Of Micronutrients Is A Stirring Example As To How Cost Effectively Knowledge Can Be Transferred From 'the Lab To The Land' For The Benefit Of The Farmers.

Thirdly, There Needs To Be A Paradigm Shift In Agriculture As It Now Operates In A Very Different Economic Environment. A Strictly Sectoral Approach To Agriculture Will Not Be Sufficient. It Needs Greater Integration With Other Sectors Of The Economy. Industry And The Services Sector Must Reach Out To Develop Linkages With Agriculture For End-to-end Operations, From The Sowing Stage To The Selling Of Produce, Including Value Addition. This Will Be Useful For Improving Agriculture Performance And, Will At The Same Time, Stimulate Growth In Other Sectors As Well. Such A Multidisciplinary Approach Is Particularly Needed To Enhance Productivity And Profitability Of Dry Land Farming. As A Part Of The Curriculum The Agricultural Universities, Should Encourage Their Students To Prepare Business Models For A Group Of Farmers, To Tap Resources From Different Sectors ,whether It Is The Government, Financial Institutions, R & D Organizations Or Industrial Sector. It Should Be Followed Up With Meticulous Implementation Plan In Association With Government Agencies, Panchayatiraj Institutions, Farmers' Organizations And Other Agricultural Inputs And Service Providers. Such An Exercise Would Help Attract Students To Take Up Practical Innovative Farm Activities For Which They Could Be Given Credits In Their Examination

Look At The Factual Situation - The Agricultural Economy Is The Biggest Private Enterprise In Our Country. In The Over 145 Million Rural Households Spread Over 6.5 Lakh Indian Villages, There Is A Deep Desire To Maximize Their Produce And Income. I Have Spoken Earlier About The Development Of Partnership Frameworks Between Farmers, The Private Sector And The Government, Which Are Transparent, And Where Farmers Retain Confidence About The Ownership Of Their Land And Protection Of Their Interests, Through An Appropriate Legal Framework. It Is Farmer Centric And Farmer Supportive Systems Of Production And Marketing That Will Make For Durable Arrangements. The Concept Is To Develop Agriculture And Industry As Two Well Balanced Wheels Of The Economy. I Hope That Agricultural Universities And Institutions Will Work With The Corporate Sector To Come Forward With Some Viable Models. However, Different Models May Be Necessary For Different Local Situations.

Fourthly, The Critical Input For Any Agricultural Growth Is Technology. In Fact, It Can Only Be Through Technological Intervention That Agriculture Productivity Can Be Increased. Agricultural Universities Must Look At Technological Breakthroughs Including The Use Of Biotechnology, To Evolve Plant Varieties Which Are Resistant To Pests And Diseases, Tolerant To Adverse Weather Conditions, Better Nutritional Value And Enhanced Durability Of Produce. In This Connection, Expansion And A Radical Change In The Extension Machinery, Which Aims At The Integration Of Research-extension-farmers-market Linkages, Cannot Be Over Emphasized. The Extension System Should Have The Active Participation Of Government Agencies, The Corporate Sector, Ngos, Farmers' Organizations And Self Help Groups. In Other Words, A New Concept Of Public-private-people-participation In Extension Needs To Be Evolved.

Dear Students,

You Can Play A Very Important Role In Changing The Way Agriculture Is Operating In Our Country, By Working Intimately With Farmers In Understanding Their Issues And Funding Innovative Solutions. Machinery Needs To Be Evolved That Would Enhance Productivity. Prediction Of Weather Patterns Need To Be Shared With Farmers. Research Must Be Geared To The Needs Of The Farmers And Continuous Training Of Farmers Is Necessary. Infact, I Would Urge That Some Of You To Take To Agriculture As A Profession. Instead Of Looking At What Others Are Doing, Take The Initiative And Leadership In Doing Something Really Innovative And Progressive. I Am Confident That With The Knowledge Gained In This University, You Will Contribute To Change The Scenario Of The Agricultural Sector Of The Country, By Working For The Welfare Of The Farming Community. This Will Result In The Overall Progress And Well-being Of The People Of The Nation.

Yesterday, With The Active Participation Of Your University, The Karnataka Government And The Representatives Of The Corporate Sector, A Brain Storming Session Was Held To Explore Strategies For Agriculture-industry Cooperation. From The Deliberation We Had, It Emerged That The Universities Can Be An Effective Interface To Provide Necessary Knowledge Inputs And Support Systems Required To Evolve Successful Models For Public - Private-people Partnership, To Usher In A Paradigm Shift In The Agriculture Sector.

Experience Shows That The Industrial Corporate Sector Is Keen To Join Hands With The Farmers In Commercial Ventures For Farm Production And Value Addition Through Mutually Beneficial Agreements. Such Innovative Partnerships Are Expected To Produce Positive Results For Both Farmers And Industrial Houses. To Begin With On An Experimental Basis Enterprising Farmers With Large Land Holdings Can Come Together, Negotiate Viable Business Models For Optimum Farm Size With Potential Industrial Houses. Successful Experiments Would Encourage Other Farmers To Join Hands Replicating The Model, Generate A Chain Of Positive Responses And Transform The Entire Area. Smaller Farmers Would Also Take A Lead From It, And Find Methods To Harness The Advantages Of Such Farmer-industry Co-operation. The Farmers Can Organize Themselves Into Agri-business Chambers Of Industry And Commerce For Common Cause, And To Enhance Their Bargaining Power.

To Attract Farmer-industry Partnership For A Breakthrough In Rainfed Area Farm Productivity And Profitability, Farmers As Well As The Industrial Sector Have To Be Appropriately Incentivized. They Look Up To The Governments For Bold Initiatives In This Respect, By Way Of Easy Availability Of Credit, Tax Holidays And Other Economic Incentives, Besides A More Open Marketing System Through Suitable Amendments In The Apmc Act. Governments Both At The Centre And The States, Have To Dynamically Respond To Bring About Policy Changes In The Interest Of Giving A Boost To The Rainfed Area Farming.

Lastly, I Convey My Best Wishes To All The Students Of The University And Especially To Those Who Have Graduated Today. My Good Wishes Also Go To Dr. K Narayana Gowda, Vice-chancellor Of The University, Its Faculty And Staff. I Hope That This University Will Continue To Progress In The Years Ahead.

Thank You.

Jai Hind!