With irrigation facilities available to only forty per cent of the cultivated area and extreme weather conditions like drought and floods becoming more frequent, there was considerable scope for enlarging opportunities in the farm services sector, according to noted farm scientist M S Swaminathan.
Responding to a series of queries during an interaction with mediapersons on Saturday on the sidelines of the 27th annual convocation of VIT here, Swaminathan said that this was an opportune time for the technological upgradation of small farm agriculture using relevant machinery that would generate more jobs in the services sector. He was referring to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme being accused of creating scarcity of labour for agriculture sector. It would also attract youth in farming operations while reducing drudgery for women, he added.
When asked about the most significant contribution made by him as farm scientist to the ‘green revolution’, he pointed out that efforts taken to make use of science as transport of change for production of food to meet the requirement of the people of the country was something big. This was made possible with the help of the government, media and hard work from the farmers. The transition from a ‘ship to mouth’ existence in 1960s to ‘right to food’ commitment with homegrown food now was a great transition, he pointed out. When enacted, the National Food security Bill would be the brightest jewel in the crown of Indian democracy since the matter addressed the first among the hierarchical needs of human beings - food.
He pointed out that bio-fortification of farm produce with micronutrients was the need of the hour. He underlined the need to mainstream nutritional considerations in farming systems research and development.
While medical biotechnology had not generated fears about safety aspects, food and agricultural biotechnology had evoked strong opposition. This could be overcome with the introduction of a regulatory authority.
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