Adopt technology to achieve higher farm output, says expert

To achieve the declared goal of a 4 per cent plus annual growth in agriculture, the country needs to adopt technology in a big way, said Mangala Rai, director general of Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR).

"The overall strategy to achieve the goal includes harnessing the potential of cutting edge science, supported with a state-of-the-art infrastructure and enlightened human resource, while maintaining and building on the health of the primary production base," he said.

He inaugurated a three-day national symposium on 'Improving Input Use Efficiency in Horticulture' organised by the Society for Promotion of Horticulture and Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, here on Wednesday.

Speaking during the inauguration, he said that the country needs to address specific challenges like water crisis, soil degradation and fatigue, genetic erosion, increasing biotic and abiotic pressures, slow pace of diversification, high post-harvest losses, inadequate markets and energy management.

He said the productivity gains in Indian agriculture since 1950 have been nearly 1.6 times in fruits and 2.1 times in vegetables. "Although we have made a quantum jump in the production of major food items, the overall agricultural productivity, including crops and livestock, remains considerably low when compared to several other countries," he said.

Stressing the need for judicious water management in agriculture, Rai called for making huge investments in water harvesting and enhancing water use efficiency.

"There is a need to regulate all our water bodies and store water when it is available in abundance and use it during the summer to enhance agriculture productivity," he said.

He said that the agriculture ministry has allocated Rs 2,300 crore to the states under the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) programme only for adopting drip irrigation and sprinkler system to increase water efficiency.

Rai suggested a judicious and balanced diversification of crops to enhance income and employment, to minimise risks and allow an efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.

"A major approach for productivity enhancement will be the use of hybrid technology, genetic modification using biotechnology in crops, animals and fish, and supplying quality seed, planting material and strains/breeds to diverse end-users," he stated.

He added that the use of biotechnology will minimise risk and dependence on costly agricultural inputs and enhance environmental health.