Foodgrains: Pratibha calls for another green revolution

  • 27/05/2008

  • Tribune (New Delhi)

After making clear that India will not tolerate any misadventure at her borders President Pratibha Patil today stressed upon the need of starting another green revolution in the country in the backdrop of the increasing gap between the demand and supply of foodgrains. Addressing the second convocation of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu, the President recalled India's first green revolution in 1960, when the country's import had reached to an alarming proportion. "A new agricultural strategy was adopted in the country and barriers in the yield of wheat were broken,' she said. However, today the world was facing a situation of the increased demand and shortage in the supply of foodgrains resulting in a spiralling of foodgrain prices and also possibly a difficult global food situation, she said. The President also referred to first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's remarks that everything can wait but not agriculture. "Today we are at a critical juncture striving to achieve food security and to eradicate hunger and poverty from our planet,' she said, adding, that we need to take better management on water resources, better quality of seeds, scientific farming practises, rational use of fertilisers, integrated pest management and agricultural diversification. She also underlined the need of having a look at advances in the biotechnology to develop crops. Deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, president of the Veterinary Council of India Amrit Lal Chaudhary and secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education Mangala Rai (in absentia) were conferred Doctor of Science Honoris Causa.