Letter to BS: Allocate 1% of the agriculture GDP to research, education

This refers to “Atmanirbharta’s white knight” by Shreekant Sambrani and “Some lessons from the corona crisis” by Surinder Sud (both July 14). The pieces show that the agriculture sector needs glorious recognition. There is a saying,” A friend in need is a friend indeed”. The  agriculture sector and the farmers have shown to be a true friend in the present massive crisis caused by Covid-19. It is high time that the government allocated at least 1 per cent of the agriculture GDP to agriculture research, education, and extension. Presently, the government allocates less than 0.5 per cent of the agriculture