Tirupati, Sep 10 (Representative) In achieving the sustainability of the plantation crops in a scientific manner, use of new tools like nanotechnology, molecular breeding, and genomic research should get priority in plantation crop research in India, said Dr. P. Rethinam, International Plantation Crops Management Specialist and former Chairman, Coconut Development Board, Kochi. Participating as a Key-Note Speaker in the Symposium on ‘Food Security: Innovations and Strategies for Hunger-Free India’, organised by the Academy of Grassroots Studies and Research of India (AGRASRI), Tirupati, through the Zoom Platform here on Sunday, Dr. Rethinam observes that due to population exploitation, climate change, resource constraints, low productivity, etc., the challenges warrant that India has always been alert in creating food security. He further elaborates that food security means not only to fill up the stomach with carbohydrates but to have nutritional and health security to develop a wellness society whereby efficiency will be increased and country productivity will increase. Panellist Dr. George V. Thomas, Former Director, ICAR—Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasargod, advocates that the challenges of climate change, water scarcity, land degradation, diseases and pests, and food waste are to be addressed through technological interventions to enhance food production to meet the food and nutritional security of the growing population in India.
He concludes that innovation-driven technological development in the frontier areas of science is the only pathway to meet the challenges and enhance food production to make the country hunger-free in 2047. Prof. P.V.P.S. Vidya Sagar, Independent Agricultural Consultant and President of the Retired Indian Council of Agriculture Research Employees Association, Hyderabad Chapter, said that for sustainable agriculture, the first step is the production of adequate quantities of food, along with excellent storage and distribution systems, and the second step is reducing wastage of food in urban areas so that none is hungry by 2047. Dr. D. Sundar Ram, Moderator of the Symposium and Director of AGRASRI, said that although the Indian government has been actively addressing household food security for a long time through the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, there are still concerns about food security in India amid a growing population at one level and climate change at another level. Dr. Vijaya Khader, Retired Dean of Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, said that the youth should set up advanced start-ups in the agricultural sector and the government should provide incentives to women in the villages for the agricultural products they produce. Further, she demands that the government authorities should take stringent action against the culprits and companies of food adulteration.
Dr. Chakrapani Reddy, a retired principal scientist at the Indian Rice Research Institute, Hyderabad, said that the government should provide subsidies and remunerative prices to farmers, who grow groundnuts and millets. Later, distinguished agricultural scientists Dr. B. Narasimha Rao, Dr. Rajiv, and others shared their views and suggestions for sustainable agriculture production in achieving a hunger-free India. Finally, the symposium proposed 9 recommendations for Food Security by India@2047, including sustainable agriculture—promote eco-friendly farming practices, reduce chemical inputs, and enhance soil health; water resource management—efficient use of water through irrigation technologies, rainwater harvesting, and tackling water scarcity; agri-tech innovations—implement digital agriculture tools, precision farming, and AI-driven solutions for better yield and resource optimisation; and climate-resilient crops—develop and promote crops that can withstand climate change, pests, and diseases. The symposium also recommended post-harvest infrastructure; agri-entrepreneurship and diversification; nutrition security; policy reforms and support; and research and education.