India will support the food requirement of 37 per cent of the world population by 2025
Research papers prepared by scientists from different AICRP centres being released at TNAU in Coimbatore. (Photo: DC)
COIMBATORE: India will support the food requirement of 37 per cent of the world population by 2025 since the other countries like USA are utilising their land for bio fuel production, said Dr K. Ramasamy, vice chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
The vice chancellor was addressing an annual group meet of All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on biological control of crop pest held at TNAU. In India only agricultural technologies reach the farmer (end users) significantly up to 32 per cent, while in engineering and medicine, technologies reach the end users at less than 15 per cent.
Stating that our agricultural practices are traditional which dates back to 3000 B.C., he advised the scientists to orient a part of their research on fundamental aspects of crop protection, besides ensuring the quality of various bio-control agents. More than 60 scientists from different parts of our country representing the ICAR institutes and state agricultural universities attended the two day programme.
Dr Abraham Vergese, project coordinator and director, NBAIR, Bengaluru presented the research findings of different AICRP centres for the year 2014-2015. He also presented the involvement of different centres in the training of tribal farmers.
The successful control of papaya mealy bug, which is a menace on papaya, tapioca, cotton, mulberry, etc., is a recent example of biological control in our country, said Dr K. Ramaraju, director, centre for plant protection studies, TNAU.
Dr P.K. Chakrabarty, assistant director general, (plant protection and bio safety), ICAR, New Delhi emphasised the need for sustainability of biological control of crop pests. Nine booklets on the mass production and use of bio control agents prepared by scientists from various institutes were released.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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