Need for innovations to foster sustainable agri-food systems: Parshottam Rupala

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala believes that in view of the increasing food demand, environmental degradation and the challenges posed by climate change, there is an urgent need to transform agri-food systems into sustainable enterprises through scientific innovations.

Addressing the 16th Agricultural Science Congress (ASC), Rupala asked agricultural scientists to strive to infuse greater mechanisation in the agriculture production process and develop and popularise specialised farm implements for women in agriculture. The Union Minister exhorted the scientists to find lasting and sustainable solutions to address the perilous threat to aquatic life and coastal ecology because of marine and inland water pollution.

He also suggested that minimising post-harvest losses is equivalent to boosting production and this can be achieved by focusing attention on advanced technological interventions. Rupala noted that the future of India’s agriculture depends a lot on how the accumulated scientific knowledge can be translated to commercial success.

Dr Himanshu Pathak, Secretary to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said that India’s food grain demand will rise to 340-355 metric tonne by 2033. Research on genomics and genome editing would be the core focus for technological breakthroughs in agriculture and commodities where traditional breeding cannot yield the desired results, he added.

Organised by the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), the ASC recommendations will facilitate the agriculture sector in moving towards a path of greater sustainability. More than 1,500 delegates from India and abroad are attending the four-day event, which is taking place for the first time in Kerala and is being hosted by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).