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Farm scientists see food scarcity in future; bat for Nano-biotechnology to increase productivity
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Saturday, 12 December, 2009, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Farm scientists across the country are unanimous about the considerable decline in Indian agriculture production. They are of the view that the country’s food security could be under serious threat unless advances in nano-biotechnology are used to boost crop production. The country’s many top farm scientists, present at the Indian Agriculture Universities Association (IAUA) Meet for Vice- Chancellors, held at the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, feared that availability of food in the coming years was becoming a serious global concern that needed to be tackled on priority.
“Global population is expected to touch 7.5 billion by 2020 and 9 billion by 2050, with most of the population boom happening in Asia and Africa. There is need to use scientific interventions to ensure growth in production, which remains commensurate with the number of people who need to be fed,” said Dr B Mishra, vice-chancellor of the Shere-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu.
Stressing on carving out a planned expansion, Dr A K Srivastava, director, National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, says, “Though India produces 230 million tonnes of food grains, 149mt of horticulture products, 51 billion eggs, 7 billion tonnes of fish and 105mt of milk, lack of post-harvest technology causes an annual loss of Rs 76,000 crore. Out of this, around Rs 52,000 crore is lost in wastage of milk, fish, fruits and vegetables, alone.”
According to statistics available, more than one billion people across the world survive on just one meal a day, of which nearly 250 million exist in India alone. The one meal they get, too, came from garbage cans and left overs, said Dr Srivastava. By 2020, he says, agriculture will need more water to sustain the current level of yields, while the water availability will decrease by 12 per cent. “The only way out is precision agriculture and use of technology to add nutrients to the soil that is fast losing its strength to produce.”
In this context, Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana, has already started research. The university boasts of housing one of the finest nano-biotechnology labs in the country and has pioneered some work on nematodes in the soil. PAU vice-chancellor Dr M S Kang said, “Nematode is a major cause for crop destruction and, therefore, also responsible for limiting yields. PAU is doing research wherein fungus is used to trap nematodes.”
According to Dr Kang, efforts are being made ti use nano-biotechnology for better and judicious use of fertilizers and pesticides. Technology can now be used for early detection of disease and delivery of fungicides in a targeted manner. This will help achieve increase in production. Similarly in the south, Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University at Bidar is using technology to help increase the yield of fish and other marine species used as food.
Source: The Tribune
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