Agricultural scientists have big challenges ahead’

HYDERABAD: Department of Agriculture Research and Education former secretary R.S. Paroda has termed the contribution of agriculture scientists as enormous in nation building.

Mr. Paroda, who was also the former director general of Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR), said if the country had done well in health and food sectors in the last 50 years, the health sector fared well because of the availability of enough foodgrains providing nutrition to millions of Indian population.

The credit for this goes to agriculture scientists. He made this observation while delivering the Foundation Day lecture of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) held at the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Rajendranagar.

Mr. Paroda, who worked with scientists like Noble Laureate Normon Borloug, also revealed the challenges before the agriculture scientists in the days to come and how they need to be prepared to overcome them and ensure that India was foodgrain-sufficient. Over 200 agriculture scientists from across the country participated in the celebrations.

Board Chairman A.K. Srivastava made a presentation on the historical achievements of the ASRB in selecting scientific staff for the ICAR institutes. Later, Gurbachan Singh and M. Mahadevappa former chairmen of the ASRB and K.V. Raman, former member, spoke on the contributions of the ASRB besides making suggestions for reforming the the ASRB to adapt to the changing demands of Indian agriculture. NAARM Director Ch. Srinivasara Rao also spoke. The ASRB review committee will hold consultations with the stakeholders such as Vice chancellors of agriculture universities, directors and scientists of the ICAR institutes from the region, eminent scientists, retired ICAR scientists, agriculture company representatives among others in the next two days.

Source: The Hindu