This refers to the interview with Dr Raju Barwale by Sreelatha Menon and Kanika Datta (“The farmer has a pragmatic approach in choosing hybrids”, April 1). I belong to a team of researchers studying the status of agricultural production and its impact on poverty alleviation in India. We have estimated that the long-term growth rate of agriculture from 1991 to 2011 is 2.75 per cent. We have been struggling to find ways to accelerate this rate to 4 per cent. The interview with Dr Barwale suggests that this is achievable but depends on whether he and people like him are successful in convincing the naysayers to rapidly introduce new technologies. Indian consumers should not worry about biotechnology since most of the food we eat in the US has some element of biotechnology, and we have not seen any visible negative effect on our health.
Chandrashekhar G Ranade, Washington DC
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