The Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) conferred its prestigious awards recognising outstanding contributions to agricultural science and innovation during the Global Conference on Women in Agri-Food Systems held in New Delhi. The Dr M. S. Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture for 2025 was presented to internationally renowned agricultural economist Prof. Prabhu Pingali, Professor of International Development Economics at Cornell University and Founding Director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition.
Chief guest of the award ceremony, Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member of NITI Aayog, described Prof. Prabhu Pingali as one of the top agricultural economists globally. While many economists focus heavily on price policies and subsidies, Pingali’s research has uniquely focused on agricultural sciences, covering almost all aspects of agricultural economics.
“Prof. Pingali’s research contributions to agricultural development economics have influenced food and agricultural policy at both global and national levels. He also pioneered research on the environmental and human health impacts of the Green Revolution in Asia,” the citation, read by Dr Bhag Mal, Secretary, TAAS, said.
Chairman of TAAS, Dr R. S. Paroda, Former DG of ICAR and Secretary of DARE, said the Trust honours excellence in agriculture through a set of national awards that carry a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, along with a citation and a trophy. The awards were instituted to commemorate globally renowned scientists such as M. S. Swaminathan, S. K. Vasal and Norman E. Borlaug, whose work transformed global agriculture.
Another major honour, the Dr S. K. Vasal Award for Excellence in Crop Hybrid Research for 2025, was conferred on Dr Bhupender Kumar, Senior Maize Breeder at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR), Ludhiana, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to maize hybrid development.
Dr Kumar has developed and released 39 single-cross maize hybrids, of which 12 have been licensed to 32 private seed companies. Two of his flagship hybrids, DMRH 1301 and DMRH 1308, have been widely commercialised and have generated cumulative economic benefits estimated at Rs 1,240 crore and Rs 1,797 crore respectively.
His research has also focused on the use of DNA marker-based tools to identify genes related to disease resistance, drought tolerance and improved nutritional quality in maize. In addition, he has contributed significantly to developing screening methods and breeding tools to improve crop resilience to abiotic stresses.
Co-chair of the award function, Dr Raju Barwale, Chairman of Mahyco Private Limited, said that the awards to Dr Prabhu Pingali and Dr Bhupender Kumar would inspire agricultural scientists to take up the cause of agriculture and address future challenges related to food and nutritional security.
Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary of DARE and Director General of ICAR, congratulated TAAS for promoting science and leadership in agriculture and appreciated the global leadership and contributions of Dr Pingali, particularly in advancing the goals of zero hunger and low-carbon agriculture. Dr Jat also highlighted the significant work carried out by Dr Bhupender Kumar.
TAAS, established in 2002 and headquartered at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, functions as an independent think tank dedicated to strengthening agricultural research and innovation for development.
The award ceremony formed part of the Global Conference on Women in Agri-Food Systems, which brought together scientists, policymakers and development practitioners to deliberate on strengthening inclusive and sustainable agricultural systems. During the award function, World Food Prize laureate Dr S. K. Vasal, along with several prominent agricultural scientists and researchers, was present.