Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's convocation address at Pant University

A convocation is a very special occasion in the academic calendar of any university. Today's convocation is even more special as it is being held in the golden jubilee year of the Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology. I am very happy to be here with you today. I compliment all those who have been associated with this university for their contribution in making it one of the foremost institutions in the country for agricultural education and research. I also congratulate all the students who have received medals and degrees today. They are indeed privileged to have studied in this prestigious institution.

The Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology has a record to be proud of. It was set up in 1960 on the recommendations of the First Education Commission, which was Chaired by no less a person than Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. And it was only befitting that the foundation stone of the university was laid by our first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. His famous words that everything in our country can wait but agriculture are as true today as they were in 1947.

The Govind Ballabh Pant University has come a long way since its inception. Over the last 50 years it has made significant contributions in the development of the agriculture sector in our country in a variety of ways. It played a major role in promoting the Green Revolution. It introduced the soybean crop to India. The scientists of this centre of excellence solved a major problem in rice production by finding a remedy for the Khaira disease. I am happy to know that the university has developed 225 high yielding varieties of different crops besides a number of improved technologies. During the last one year as many as 12 varieties developed by it have been released for commercial production and marketing at the national level. I also understand that the institution has filed patents on important technologies like plastic degrading bacteria, carbon fixing fungi in soils and composite nano-material for high wear farm machinery. It has also contributed handsomely to agricultural extension and transfer of technology to the field.

I commend the university for these achievements.

Fifty years of excellence indeed call for celebrations. But as we celebrate the golden jubilee of this institution, we must also introspect and look ahead to the challenges that we must face and overcome. Our agricultural production should increase at a rate fast enough to ensure food security for our growing population. Equally importantly, growth in our country cannot be truly inclusive if it does not benefit our farmers; especially those who are small and marginal. Investment in the agricultural sector needs to increase, a larger area needs to be covered under irrigation, agricultural markets need to be reformed and farmers need to be provided remunerative prices for their produce and better quality seeds and inputs. Sustained efforts have to be made to prevent degradation of our land and water resources. To increase production we must increase our farm yields, because the scope for increasing the area under cultivation and under irrigation is rather limited. Yields must go up particularly in those parts of India where they have lagged behind compared to other parts of the country. We must endeavour to raise our agricultural growth rate from around 2 per cent per annum to 4 per cent. I have no doubt that we can overcome all these challenges, given sustained efforts and an approach different from business as usual.

In the last six years the central government has endeavoured to give the highest priority to agriculture. A number of new centrally sponsored programmes have been started to increase investment and to tap the unused potential for achieving higher productivity and production. The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) has been launched with an allocation of Rs. 25,000 crore as Central Assistance to States with a view to incentivize them to make higher investment in agriculture. Further, RKVY envisages promotion of district agricultural plans and thus brings in improvements in the agricultural planning process. The National Food Security Mission (NFSM), the National Horticulture Mission (NHM), and the Technology Mission on Oilseeds and Pulses (TMOP) have been launched for achieving higher production of food grains, oilseeds and pulses and horticultural corps. All this has helped agriculture in our country but we still have a very long way to go. Here I would suggest that agricultural universities like yours could help in planning for agriculture at the district level, especially through the Krishi Vigyan Kendras. I would also urge the faculty and students of this university to focus some of their dissertations on evaluation of agricultural programmes and schemes.

Without solid support from agricultural scientists and technologists it would be impossible for us to achieve our production targets, whatever other measures we might take. There is a widespread feeling that there has not been any really big breakthrough in agricultural technologies since the green revolution of the late 1960s. This is a real challenge to the ICAR system, to our agricultural universities and our agricultural scientists. India commands about 2.3 per cent of the world's land area and about 4 per cent of the earth's fresh water resources, but feeds about 17 per cent of the world's population. This puts tremendous pressure on our resources and makes the need for newer and better technologies even more critical.

Agricultural extension is another area which needs urgent attention, particularly from the state governments. It is often perceived to be the weakest link in the chain of transfer of technology from the research lab to the farmer's land. We must innovate on extension models and specifically integrate the needs of farm households so that the farmers get the latest information about an array of technologies. The Agricultural Universities and the ICAR system should come forward and develop successful Public Private Partnership (PPP) models in extension of agri-related services involving their graduates, which later can be replicated by the public and private systems.

The generation and dissemination of technology is hampered not only by lack of investible resources but also by sub-optimal priorities across crops, regions and institutions, and lack of appropriate incentives and autonomy in most of our public research institutions. Through the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) and National Agriculture Innovation Project (NAIP), resources are being mobilized for furthering quality research. However, just pouring in more resources in public R&D without commensurate institutional reforms, is not likely to make the existing system deliver efficiently. We also need a system that transfers the improved technologies to our farmers smoothly and without delay. We need to create an appropriate information technology network through which our farmers can have information on crops and varieties, best practices, market prices, demand and supply gaps etc.

Our growth processes have put a huge pressure on our resources, particularly on natural resources. Policy makers and scientists, therefore, need to put their heads together and work towards developing and implementing sustainable technologies that can produce more from less: particularly in the background of the new challenges of global warming and climate change. Ecological and agricultural sustainability go hand in hand and we must follow the three fundamental principles of sustainable agriculture; a live soil, protection of biodiversity, and precision farming and nutrient cycle. The soil is one of the most wonderful ecosystems of the world. If it stays alive our agriculture will be vibrant. Traditionally, farmers could conserve biodiversity; however, with the demand for more food production, this has taken the back seat. One of the weaknesses of modern agriculture is its dependence on fewer varieties and a limited number of cultivars. Monoculture, as a rule of nature, infuses vulnerability in the whole system and compels us to be dependent on chemicals to protect crops against pests. A balance needs to be worked out between conserving biodiversity on the one hand and increasing food production on the other. Towards this end, we need to adopt an appropriate agricultural cycle with precision farming so that the nutrient cycle in the soil is maintained. In situ and on-farm conservation of biodiversity should, therefore, be an important factor in our interventions for enhancing agricultural production.

The beautiful state of Uttrakhand, where your university is situated has a very fragile eco-system. Agricultural development in the mountains requires a special approach which is sensitive to the need for preserving their eco system and also respects the social and cultural traditions of the people. The Himalayas need to be saved from the invasion of exotic species. Their biodiversity, most of which is endemic, should be allowed to flourish in its original habitats. In mountain areas, traditional crops are still a significant part of the agricultural practices. These crops possess unique characteristics such as resistance against pests and drought conditions, better palatability, aroma and medicinal properties, and should be protected and promoted. Cultivation of a base crop along with a dozens of inter-cultured crops is also a unique characteristic of hill agriculture. It is a wonderful example of preservation of bio-diversity and minimization of risk. Such traditional systems need special attention in our Research and Development efforts and I hope the Govind Ballabh Pant University will pay adequate attention to these areas.

As I stated earlier, the Govind Ballabh Pant University has played a stellar role in the agricultural development of our country and I wish to see this role further strengthened in the future. A concern which I would particularly like our policy makers and agricultural scientists to address is the low number of students from rural farm families who join our agricultural universities. This is perhaps because students with rural education are at a disadvantage in comparison to those from urban backgrounds. I would also like our agricultural universities to impart more knowledge and skills on post-harvest technologies so that there is higher value addition and better diversification in agriculture. This would help in the shift of our work force from agriculture to non-agriculture activities and both these sectors would gain in the process.

Let me conclude by once again congratulating all students who have received degrees today. They will have a unique opportunity to contribute to the processes of nation building. I see a bright future for them and wish them all success in their life and career. I also wish the Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology and all those associated with it all the very best in the years ahead.

Thank you.