Agriculture scientists and experts said that India has made substantial gains towards increasing food and crop output to feed a population of 1.3 billion people. To feed the entire population, India has increased agriculture output threefold and horticulture and fish output tenfold each.
It is a matter of pride for the country’s growing food production, Vice-Chancellor Praveen Rao, vice-chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University, said at the 5th International Agronomy Congress.
We should also have a plan in place to face the challenges of increasing food grain production and provide food to the entire population.
Agronomy is a vital aspect of agriculture. We now have a surplus of agricultural produce. Agricultural exports have surged by more than 40% when compared to last year, “Professor Trilochan Mohapatra, director-general of ICAR, explained.
Exports of wheat, basmati rice, sugarcane goods and cotton have increased tremendously. However, there is a need to boost oilseed production because we continue to import oil and need to raise its production, he said.
D. Samunder Singh, president of the International Weed Science Society in Brazil, said the Indian agricultural scenario had transformed from a “begging bowl” to a “surplus state”. He advocated the deployment of robotics and drones in agriculture for optimum input utilisation.
As said by PV Vara Prasad, president of the Crop Science Society of America, the importance of developing technologies that are inclusive and accessible to all was underlined.