Delivering the 37th annual convocation address of the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad on Thursday, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board chairman Sanjay Kumar said: “Despite India boasting of impressive agricultural achievements, even ranking as a major producer and achieving self-sufficiency in staple grain like rice and wheat, it faces significant challenges and relies on imports for some crucial commodities.”
“India still depends on foreign countries for spices, medicinal plants, essential oils, ornamental flowers and even pulses, vegetables and floriculture seeds. While India enjoys surplus in some grain, a major concern lies in edible oils. Domestic production meets only 40% of the demand forcing the country to rely on imports for the remaining 60%,” he said.
He also pointed out that there is a decline in the rate of genetic gain in staple crops like rice, wheat, maize and soyabean. “These crops provide two-third of our calorie intake and the current 1% annual yield improvement is insufficient for long-term sustainability,” he added.
Dr. Kumar said that a multi-pronged strategy is needed to address these challenges. These strategies include encouragement for cultivation of currently imported crops, development of robust seed production programme, enhancing research and development and investment in research to improve crop yields and develop climate-resilient varieties that withstand changing weather patterns.
He said that the future of Indian agriculture demanded more than technology and that new challenges like land fragmentation, combating pests and diseases, soil and water management, storage and transportation facilities need to be addressed.
Dr. Kumar called upon fresh graduates to work towards improving the condition of India’s agriculture and ensure farmers welfare and never to stop innovation. He hailed UAS Dharwad for its accomplishments in various fields related to agriculture research and development and congratulated the vice-chancellor and faculty members.
Governor and Chancellor of UAS Thaawarchand Gehlot presided over the convocation.
The Governor presented gold medals and prizes to successful candidates. He said that land under cultivation in India is shrinking while the population is growing resulting in increase in demand for agricultural produce. He felt that organic farming is the way out to overcome this situation.
Pro-Chancellor and Agriculture Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy spoke. Vice-Chancellor P.L. Patil welcomed the gathering and explained the achievements of UAS Dharwad.
Honorary Doctorate (Honoris causa) was conferred in-absentia on ISRO chairman S. Somanath.
Shria S. Kari of Agricultural College, Dharwad, won three gold medals with OGPA of 9.209/10.
As many as 18 candidates shared 56 gold medals and 69 candidates received Ph.D degrees. In all, 933 candidates were conferred various graduate and post-graduate degrees.