India’s spend on agriculture research and development (R&D), though among the best in South Asia, is still much below those of competitors such as Brazil and China, according to a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Agriculture research in India is largely funded by public agencies and channelised through the Indian Council of Agriculture Research and a host of agriculture universities. However, increasingly, the private sector is also playing an important role in research.
The IFPRI report, titled ‘Public Agriculture R&D in South Asia’, said on an average, for every $100 of agriculture output, South Asia invested $0.37 in agriculture research in 2009, compared with $0.28 in 1996. India spent $0.40 in agriculture research for every $100 of agriculture output in 2009. While sub-Saharan Africa invested $0.61 in farm research, Caribbean nations invested $1.14 for every $100 of agriculture output.
| NOT ENOUGH Average public sector spend in agriculture research | |
| Countries | Agriculture Spend* |
| Pakistan | 0.21 |
| Nepal | 0.23 |
| India | 0.40 |
| China | 0.50 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 0.61 |
| Latin America | 1.14 |
| Brazil | 1.80 |
| *Dollar invested in agriculture research for every $100 of agriculture output in 2009. In some countries the data relates to 2008 as well. Source: IFPRI | |
Though the report uses old data, experts believe it reflects a hurdle in India’s agriculture sector that needs to be overcome.
China and Brazil invested more in agriculture, compared to India. In 2008, China invested about $0.50 in farm research for every $100 of agricultural output, while Brazil invested about $1.80. “This clearly shows South Asia is under-investing in agriculture, which doesn’t bode well for future generations,” the IFPRI report stated. On India, the report said though the country’s spend on agriculture research was better than that in many countries, it needed to do more to raise food production. The report was also critical of state agriculture universities, as their research capacities had weakened over the years, becoming fragmented among disciplinary lines.
The report shows in India and Bangladesh, rice, fruit, vegetables and wheat are the four items in which the majority of public funds on agriculture research were spent. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal spent the most on wheat and vegetables.
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In India, 167 public agencies carried out agriculture research, the highest in the region, while in Pakistan, 123 agencies accounted for research on agriculture, according to the report. In Bangladesh, 54 public agencies carried out research in agriculture, while in Sri Lanka and Nepal, the numbers stood at 20 and eight, respectively.
The report showed women were severely under-represented in agriculture research in South Asian countries. In 2009, just 10 per cent of agriculture scientists in Nepal were women, while in Bangladesh, the number stood at 16 per cent. At 48 per cent, Sri Lanka had the highest number of women in agriculture research.
The report showed in 2008-09, the private sector invested $ 531 million (on purchasing power parity basis, at 2005 prices) in agriculture research, almost a quadruple rise since mid-1990s.