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The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) is estimating foodgrain production of 250 million tonnes for 2011-12.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new laboratory building of CMFRI (Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute) here on Friday, Dr S. Ayyappan, Director-General of ICAR and Secretary of Department of Agricultural Research and Education, said that 2010-11 was one of the best years in Indian agriculture.
The foodgrain production that year was 245 million tonnes. During that year, production of pulses crossed 18 million tonnes.
“In 2011-12, we are estimating foodgrain production of 250 million tonnes. That includes rice, wheat, pulses, oil seeds, sugar, cotton, milk, meat, fish, eggs etc,” he said.
On fisheries sector, he said marine fisheries production could be anywhere between five and six million tonnes. Inland fisheries production could be around eight million tonnes.
By the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan, that is by 2017, total fisheries production in India will be around 15-16 million tonnes, Dr Ayyappan said.
Stating that agriculture sector is worried today, he said disasters were never discussed in agriculture.
“Earlier we heard of floods and droughts. Now we hear of tsunami and landslide in hilly areas. The new issues facing agriculture are frost and events like extreme heat or cold,” he said.
On the human resource requirements in agriculture sector, he said agriculture universities now have around 30,000 students. But the sector requires around 60,000 students.
He said ICAR is bringing out a mission called ‘student ready' in the 12{+t}{+h} Plan. “We are trying to make agriculture as exciting and interesting as any other professional education. We are talking of entrepreneurship, skill development in this regard,” Dr Ayyappan said.
Recently, ICAR has approved progressive farmers as professors in agriculture universities. They will interact with students to help build capacity, he added.
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