| "Various agriculture problems can be solved with the effective use of biotechnology. This will be very useful to usher in another green revolution in our country," he said. |
| "The National Centre for Plant Genome Research (NCPGR) has identified and patented two genes "" Amaranth, which enhances protein value, and Auxullatic, which is a toxic producing gene. The centre is also working on various other genes that it has identified and would file patents soon," said Datta. However, he did not mentioned the name of those genes. |
| Datta lamented that, in spite of the impressive agricultural progress, nearly 250 million people remain under-nourished in our country. |
| "Our population is still growing at a fast rate, with nearly 17 million additional children being born every year. Over 50 per cent of our population still remains under-nutrition and we are working to improve the nutrition value of our crops. There are several issues before getting patented as USFDA asks for the origin of the gene and toxicity of the gene amongst others," said Datta. |
| "Apart from enhancing productivity, we need nutritional security at the individual level. To achieve this, we need a shift in planning and implementation from the concept of food security at the national level to nutritional security at the individual level. The NCPGR is working to enhance the nutritional value of our crops," said Datta. |
| "Over 10 per cent production of the 40 crops across the world are destroyed with a single fungus, and if it can be prevented, it would result in enhancing agricultural productivity by over 10 per cent. Over 55 per cent of the population in our country are still dependent upon agriculture, which gives 23 per cent output," said Datta. |
| "We need to work with the planners, with supportive government policies and funds for the research and delivery," he added. |
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