The Hindu Business Line : Indian scientist wins World Food Prize

AN Indian scientist, Dr Modadugu V. Gupta, has been named winner of the $250,000 World Food Prize for his work in enhancing nutrition for over one million people, mostly very poor women, through the expansion of aquaculture and fish farming in South and South-East Asia and Africa.

Dr Gupta, whose hometown is Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh, was till his recent retirement the Assistant Director-General at WorldFish, an international fisheries research institute under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) based at Penang, Malaysia.

According to Dr William Dar, Director-General of Icrisat and Chairman of the Executive of the Future Harvest Alliance of the CGIAR, the recognition to Dr Gupta is another feather in the cap of the 15 international agricultural research institutes under the CGIAR.

"It is further acknowledgement of the impact of CGIAR institutes in improving global food production for alleviating poverty."

Dr Gupta is credited with having made small-scale aquaculture a viable means for over one million very poor farmers and women to improve their family's nutrition and well-being.

Freshwater fish production has risen dramatically in these countries by 3-5 times through his unique methods of fish farming, which require little cost and cause no environmental damage.

"The World Food Prize is a great honour for all those who work with improving fish production for reducing poverty and environmental protection," said Dr Gupta in a statement from Icrisat. He is the sixth citizen of Indian origin to receive the World Food Prize since it was established in 1986.

He joins Dr M.S. Swaminathan (1987), Dr Verghese Kurien (1989), Dr Gurdev Khush (1996), Mr B.R. Barwale (1998) and Dr Surinder K. Vasal (2000).

The World Food Prize will be presented to Dr Gupta on October 13 in the US.

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