PROJECT FOR CAPACITY BUILDING IN BIO-TECHNOLOGY
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH TO ADDRESS
GLOBALISATION CHALLENGES
In order to cope
up with the rapid advances in the frontier area of bio-technology,
the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will train
100 young and promising scientists in national and international
centres of excellence. This was stated by Dr. Mangla Rai, Director
General of ICAR and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research
and Education at a press meet here today. He said capacity building
in bio-technology is the need of the hour so as to enable the
country address various issues in this regard effectively including
harnessing the potential in this sector. An action plan in this
regard is being drawn up by expert committees, Dr. Rai said.
ICAR will be launching
special projects in respect of transgenic research, organic farming,
climate change and issues relating to classification of insects
with an outlay of Rs.100 crore in the next financial year. Dr.
Mangla Rai further said that the Council will be focussing attention
on evolving transgenic varieties of Bengal gram and Red gram given
the importance of these crops in dry land agriculture.
Stating that the
country’s farmers are confronted with the challenges of cost and
quality in the context of globalisation, Dr. Rai said that farm
research will be focussed to enable the country’s farm produce
to be competitive in world markets. He said the focus of research
so far has been by and large on ‘quantity’ and the time has come
to address quality concerns. Dr. Rai further said agricultural
research in the country has made significant contribution to meet
the challenges on the food front and 66 per cent increase in production
has been brought about through increased productivity. He observed
that ICAR would endeavour to convert various challenges emerging
in the context of globalisation and frontier technologies into
opportunities.
