I am indeed delighted to participate in the twenty-first Convocation of the Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, the first university in India to blend technology with agriculture. I congratulate the graduating students for their academic excellence. My greetings to the Vice Chancellor, professors, teachers and staff members of the University for shaping the students as scientists, technologists and researchers and above all as enlightened citizens of the country.

Being the only agricultural university in the State of Uttaranchal, this University has a greater responsibility towards development of the State apart from participating in national missions. Any University is judged by the level and extent of the research work it accomplishes. This sets in a regenerative cycle of excellence. Experience of research leads to quality teaching and quality teaching imparted to the young in turn enriches the research. Research brings transformation and development and also enhances the quality of education. Both the research and teaching have to be carried out in the best tradition of Pant University. You have a potential in terms of technology as well as human resource. This can be used to execute several research and development projects which will transform the lives of the people, especially living in remote and hilly parts of the region leading to the overall development of the State. Today I would like to discuss with you a few such research and developmental tasks towards ushering in to a new era in agriculture.

Green Revolution

As you are aware, the First Green Revolution launched by great visionaries Shri C. Subramaniam and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan with the help of agricultural scientists, farmers and entrepreneurs, liberated India from the situation of what was called "ship to mouth existence." Through an effort of historical magnitude, India attained self-sufficiency in food and we can now export certain quantity of food-grains. The contribution of this University in the green revolution by providing high quality "Pantnagar Seeds" to the farmers is well known. As part of this first green revolution, the country has been able to produce over 200 million tonnes of food grains per year. But there are challenges ahead.

India has to now embark upon the Second Green Revolution which will enable it to further increase its productivity in the agricultural sector. By 2020 India would require to produce over 380 million tonnes in view of population growth. The increase in the production would have to surmount many impeding factors. The requirement of land for the increasing population as well as for greater afforestation and environmental preservation activities would force a situation whereby the present 170 million hectares of arable land would not be fully available. It might shrink to 100 million hectares by 2020. In addition, there will be shortage of water. Our agricultural scientists and technologists have to work for doubling the productivity of the available land with lesser area being available for cultivation with less water. The type of technologies needed would be in the areas of development of seeds that would ensure good yield even under constraints of water and land. The second green revolution is indeed a knowledge graduation from characterization of soil to the matching of the seed with the composition of the fertilizer, water management and evolving pre-harvesting techniques for such conditions. The domain of a farmer's work would enlarge from grain production to food processing and marketing. While doing so, utmost care would have to be taken for various environmental and people related aspects leading to sustainable development. I would like to mention some of the areas in which we need to focus to realise the second green revolution.

Changes in employment - agricultural produce to marketing

In 1980, the agriculture sector employed, in parts or in full, 76% of people of India. It reduced to 65% in 1994 and is expected to be 60% by 2012. It may further fall to 50% by the year 2020. This will happen for two reasons. The agriculture technology would assist the future farmers engaging lesser number of workers and simultaneous growth in the service sector and to some extent in agro-food processing and industrial sectors would be preferred by more people for employment. We must therefore assume in this period, lesser numbers of people will be available for farming. Many will be migrating to food processing and marketing. Hence, it is important for Pant University faculty members to work in generating graduates who can spread and work for high productivity of wheat and paddy from what it is today and empower the farmers with the capability to take up food processing and food marketing. It is indeed a big mission. I would suggest Pant University to set a trend in expanding the conventional role of the Indian farmer from a producer of the food to an entrepreneur engaged in processing and marketing of international standard farm products.

Soil upgradation

Over a period of time by continuous usage of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides, there is deterioration in the quality of soil particularly reduction of carbon content and increase of salinity. Rejuvenation of soil characteristics is an important area for the specialists to tackle, with specific emphasis on recovery of its nutritional value. More thrust need to be given on adopting methods such as multi-cropping, rotation of crops and organic farming. A farmer in Haldwani district of Uttaranchal has already exemplified adoption of unique organic farming techniques for increased and sustainable productivity. The University can play a major role in making the State a leader in organic farming.

Dry land agriculture

Integrated nutrient management continues to be a focal issue in dry lands as the fertilizer use is not likely to pick up significantly unless water supply is assured. One of the reasons ascribed to low response of bio-fertilizers in dry lands is their low status of soil organic matter. Soil fertility in dry lands can be sustained only through maintenance of organic matter and achieving better fertilizer-use efficiency through integration of moisture-conservation practices along with soil-fertility management. Strategies for on-farm generation of organic matter need to be evolved.

Quality of Seeds

Pant University has indeed core competence in the Science and Technology of seed production. Thus you are fully equipped to further improve the quality of the seeds for enabling farming in areas where the soil has salinity and the environmental temperature gradient is high. This should be achieved through production of salinity tolerant and temperature tolerant seeds. In addition, seeds also have to be resistant to the stress induced by the residual effect of the pesticides and insecticides. Universities and research organizations have to lay more emphasis on developing and leading to production of the seeds which require less water, to the farmers for achieving increased productivity even in critical environmental conditions.

Water management

Geography is very closely linked to quality of life in our vast country. Wherever there are people enduring economic hardships there is also problem of the availability of water. It costs energy and money to bring water for specialized agriculture to such dry areas. We need to develop proper agricultural technologies and water conservation methodologies that can help enhance agriculture productivity and lift the people above the poverty line. Solutions may be just beyond agriculture alone spanning to animal husbandry, poultry, agro processing and other related activities.

Our agriculture is still dependent on timely arrival and intensity of monsoon. It is high time that we have an overall water management plan for conservation of water, preparation of water shed schemes, rainwater harvesting and recharging of ground water. These measures will help prevent loss of a crop by using the harvested water for nursery development and delaying transplantation in case of late arrival of monsoon. The University, with its vast human resource potential, can popularize the water management techniques in distant parts of the State and elsewhere in the country in collaboration with Ministry of Water Resources.

Agro-processing and waste management

The changing life-styles of the modern generation are giving rise to demand for processed food. For example, special type of corn is required for making corn flakes and unique potato crop for making wafers. The agro-processing industry has to take into account the retention of the nutritional value and safeguarding against possible side effects of additives and preservatives. In addition the agriculture and agro-processing industry in India have to master many new standards and perceptions for cleanliness, generally described as phyto-sanitary requirements. The University can extend their support to agro-processing sector through research and application of innovative technologies.

Management of agricultural waste is another important area which can turn out to be a source for revenue generation. Farmers can realise better value from the agricultural residue by paying special attention to its usage into organic farming and making value added products out of it before disposal. Agricultural waste should be put to use by developing appropriate and cost-effective technologies such as generation of biogas, production of vermi-compost and paper for example.

Role of Information Technology

Information Technology should be used for maintaining an updated and enriched database of region specific agricultural information and timely dissemination of the information pertaining to soil enrichment, seed selection, actions relating to arrival of monsoon, etc., to the farmers. In addition, information regarding agricultural product preferences - both national and international, demand-supply status in respect of different products and the current price should be made available on-line to the farmers for taking timely decisions on crop product diversification strategies and positioning of the same in right market to get optimum revenue. The University can extend their support to the district and panchayat level institutions to take a lead in central acquisition of the latest information using IT as a tool and making it available to the farmers in their native language. IT should be used by networking agricultural universities to generate data bank for at least 20-years. The data-bank should provide information on seed management, water management, treatment for typical diseases, and above all annual output, distribution and market dynamics.

Tele-consultancy

The Pant University should be connected to other universities of excellence in the country and also farming centres through tele-education. The students of these universities should have a collaborative tele-education network for interacting with renowned scholars in various specializations. Tele-education will provide knowledge connectivity and will facilitate the creation of a knowledge society, leading to enhanced wealth generation for national development. In order to bring about a vibrant educational and research atmosphere, we need to initiate research programmes in collaboration with various scientific and research institutions in the country in the core competence area of the university. This networking will provide larger exposure to the students and the faculty of the university and enable enhanced employment and research opportunities.

The University in coordination with local institutions can consider extending tele-consultancy services in agriculture and related fields, to the farmers, thereby ensuring timely dissemination of appropriate information. I understand that you are engaged in the research work of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. The people of the region can get benefit of the successful results of such projects through tele-consultancy facility in the area of herbal plants. The university can suggest to the farmers to go for suitable plantation in between the main crops. This will enrich the soil and also farmers will get incremental income.

PURA model

As you are aware, our Prime Minister in his Independence Day announcements has declared a rural development programme called PURA - Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas. It involves identification of rural clusters with growth potential and creating four types of connectivities for them -

(i) Physical Connectivity in the form of Road, transportation, and power connectivity

(ii) Electronic connectivity in the form of reliable telecom, Internet and IT services

(iii) Knowledge connectivity in the form of good educational and training institutions, and

(iv) Market connectivity that would enable farmers and others to get the best prices for their produce.

Majority of our population lives in villages. The development of the nation requires enhancement of economic connectivity of the villages. The Pant University can take this as a theatre of action. Out of the 6 lakhs villages in the country about 50,000 PURA complexes would emerge. What is the type of farming to be chosen, area under cultivation, water management, production, food processing and marketing is a task of paramount effort. Pant University can consider the PURA model to be implemented in the Uttaranchal state to start with keeping the following variables in mind:

(a) number of villages per complex

(b) number of village-complexes for the state

(c) crop pattern for different complexes based on soil, weather, core competence, water availability and region (hill or plain)

(d) cultivation methods

(e) food processing units

(f) marketing centres

The model should enable proper selection of clusters and deployment of farmers in different areas of agriculture, agro processing and the market to make this programme a reality.

Concluding remarks

In India, a large number of people earn their livelihood from agriculture and farming. Agricultural universities have to do research to reinforce the efforts of farmers for enabling enhancement of per hectare productivity and graduating to food processing near large farms and also marketing their products. Simultaneously, they should network with multiple universities to enhance cost-effective, long life storage methods and evolve a scheme for stabilized cost structure, so that high volume production does not bring the farmer to despair. Also, they should facilitate farmers to produce grains, vegetable and fruits meeting international standards. As you all know, today any farm product when it is exported, a certification is required in terms of its nutrient value and that it is free of chemicals. This aspect has to be focused right from development of seed to final product acceptable in the international market.

Pant University has been a pioneering institution. The leadership is in its soil. I would like to greet Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology for their contribution in various agricultural missions and now I am sure the graduating students will be the pioneers in bringing about prosperous and happy farmers to the nation.

May God bless you!

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