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The Hindu
an hour ago
- Science
- The Hindu
A tribute to M.S. Swaminathan, ‘the man who fed India'
The Viksit Bharat aspiration, which has gained considerable momentum, will require a significant development of scientific capability, and some of this, especially in the new digital economy, will have to be aatmanirbhar. There is much to learn in this context from the most successful experiment in atmanirbharata in the past, which was the achievement of food self-sufficiency in the 1960s. M.S. Swaminathan was the man who did it and he was a living hero to all of us. This is the centenary year of his birth and it has seen the publication of a new biography, M.S. Swaminathan: the Man who Fed India, by Priyambada Jayakumar. Ms. Jayakumar had the benefit of detailed discussions with him on both the personal and professional side of his life and she has produced a book which is a great read. However, in this article, I will focus on some lessons from his experience which have relevance for the future. The planting of a seed of an idea Scientific advancement was at the core of the Green Revolution and the book brings out that such advances are not achieved by dedicated scientists working in isolation in a lab. They involve collaboration with other scientists and a cross-fertilisation of ideas. It was known that wheat productivity could be increased through application of fertilizers and other inputs, but the problem was that the higher weight of grains caused the plant to bend and lodge if the stalk was not strong enough. Swaminathan was trying to use radiation to develop a genetic mutation that would have a stronger stalk, but this approach was not getting anywhere. In 1958, a Japanese scientist visiting Delhi told Swaminathan that a dwarf wheat variety developed in Japan, and which had a shorter, stronger stalk, could hold the higher weight of grain without bending. Swaminathan found that the new variety had been taken to the United States where a seed breeder was working on it. The breeder told Swaminathan that they were developing a winter variety, which would not be suitable for India, but Norman Borlaug in Mexico was developing a different variety that might work. As it happened, Swaminathan had met Borlaug earlier at a seminar in the U.S. He was able to persuade him to send a small quantity of his Mexican seeds to India. These seeds did well and Swaminathan wanted to invite Borlaug to come to India to discuss ways of adapting these varieties to Indian conditions. The proposal to invite Borlaug was promptly approved by the Director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in 1960 but it took more than two years to get the bureaucratic approvals needed to send the invitation and Borlaug arrived only by March 1963. Swaminathan often quoted Pandit Nehru's phrase, 'everything can wait but not agriculture', but the bureaucracy was clearly unaware of it. It is interesting to speculate on what would have been the benefits if the Green Revolution had come two years earlier. The important lesson is that for science to flourish, our scientists must be much better connected to relevant scientists abroad and become familiar with cutting-edge work in their field. This means they should travel more freely to attend conferences abroad and build personal contacts, all of which means bureaucratic control must be drastically reduced. The next step was to subject the seeds to trials on the fields of actual farmers. Swaminathan could not get the Ministry to fund the effort. Fortunately, Lal Bahadur Shastri, who became Prime Minister in 1964, wanted to give higher priority to agriculture and for this purpose appointed C. Subramaniam as Minister of Agriculture. This made a critical difference. Subramaniam called about 20 agricultural scientists for a meeting to hear their views on how to increase food production. When Swaminathan was asked to speak, he frankly told the Minister that he had identified the new seeds that would solve the problem, but the Ministry was unable to fund the necessary trials. Subramaniam promptly called for the file and ensured that the funds were provided. It is a pity that we have no record of what the other scientists said in the meeting, and in particular whether the more senior scientists (Swaminathan was then only 39) had a different view. The politician needs to listen to the scientist This yields the second important lesson. In dealing with complex technical issues, the political leadership must hear the scientists/technical people involved directly instead of relying on the generalist bureaucracy to convey their views. Swaminathan greatly admired Pandit Nehru's commitment to science, but the book brings out that he soon realised that this 'had few takers even in his own government, ministries and the bureaucracy'. On page 48 the author puts it bluntly: 'Most ministers barely supported, understood, or believed in research and development…. this was also true of the Agriculture Minister in 1958.. (who ) would order scientists like Swaminathan to go into the field and 'sort out the problems' without really understanding the ground realities.' One of the reasons China has done so well on the economic and technical front is that Ministers are usually technically qualified people, often engineers with a track record of successful management. Subramaniam exemplified that type of political leader: he was a physics graduate and had a good knowledge of science. If we want to achieve Viksit Bharat, and explore new and increasingly complex areas of science, we will need many more such Ministers in the years ahead, not only at the Centre but also in the States. The field trials were a great success and the next step was to roll out the Green Revolution across the country. This required importing 18,000 tonnes of seed — the largest seed shipment in history — costing ₹5 crore in foreign exchange. There were objections from many fronts. The Finance Ministry was not happy releasing that much foreign exchange. The Planning Commission opposed the proposal on the grounds that it did not believe that the new seeds would do better than what we already had. The Left also opposed the move because the seeds were developed under a grant from a U.S. institution (the Rockefeller Foundation). Shastri was understandably concerned about these conflicting views. Fortunately, Swaminathan persuaded him to visit the IARI to see for himself how the new wheat was doing. Shastri was convinced and the import of new seeds was duly approved. Tragically, Shastri passed away in January 1966 but Indira Gandhi, who took over as the next Prime Minister, also gave Swaminathan full backing. The lesson is that when dealing with new and untried ideas, there will always be conflicting opinions even among so-called experts. It is important that all the different points of view are appropriately aired and considered. However, this process may not always result in a consensus. In such a situation, a decision has to be taken at the highest level. Once taken, the thing to do is to back the effort fully. But it must also be subjected to truly independent monitoring, with course corrections. In the case of the Green Revolution, the results were amply evident within a few years. We reaped a bounteous wheat harvest in 1968 and we were able to start phasing out PL 480 imports. Over time, new problems arose. The excessive dependence on water and also fertilizer use led to environmental problems. Swaminathan himself, having left the government by then, warned about the corrections needed to make the Green Revolution environmentally sustainable. It is a pity that we are yet to implement these corrections. The issues India needs to look at Looking ahead, we know that climate change will have a severely negative effect on agricultural productivity. Once again, science will be critical and much will depend upon the performance of our research institutions. India was ahead of China in agricultural research in the late 1960s, but today, China has eight agricultural research institutions in the world's top 10 and India does not have any in the top 200. One reason is inadequate funding: we spend only 0.43% of our agricultural GDP on research and development, whereas the percentage in China is twice our level. But there is also the issue of the quality. Do our agricultural research institutions have the institutional autonomy and governance structure that they need to recruit and promote meritorious scientists? And can we ensure that our top agricultural scientists have the kind of access to political decision makers that Swaminathan had? Filling these gaps is the best way of really honouring M.S. Swaminathan. And the lessons are relevant for other areas of scientific development also. Montek S. Ahluwalia is Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress
NDTV
06-08-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Fields of Gold: How One Scientist Changed India's Destiny
New Delhi: India, once a nation dependent on food imports and described as a "basket case," today stands tall as a food surplus country -- for which the contribution of one man -- Dr MS Swaminathan -- has been immense. This year the country celebrates the birth centenary of Dr Swaminathan - born August 7, 1925 -- the architect of India's Green Revolution. On the occasion, NDTV spoke with leading voices to reflect on the transformation of India's food security landscape. Long queues at ration shops of yesteryears have given way today Indians queuing at food courts -- starvation to food surplus is an astronomical success of India's agricultural development as India has become the most populous nation of the world. Some even suggest that India's spectacular space technology successes of Chandrayaan, and Mangalyaan are all catalysed because of the food security that the country has achieved and today the country urgently needs a 'Krishiyaan' or an evergreen revolution in sustainable paddy, wheat, pulses and oilseeds revolution. Standing on the very ground where Dr. Swaminathan once worked, Dr AK Singh, a leading rice scientist and former director of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, recounted the dire conditions of the 1950s and 60s. "India was living from ship to mouth," he said. "We were importing 5 to 7 million tonnes of wheat annually to meet domestic needs," he said. That changed dramatically when Dr Swaminathan, in collaboration with Dr. Norman Borlaug of International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, Mexico, introduced dwarf, high-yielding Mexican wheat varieties to India. These varieties were quickly adopted by Indian farmers and breeders, and in 1968, wheat production jumped from 12 million tons to 17 million tons, exactly the amount India had been importing. India's union minister for agriculture and farmers welfare Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan said: "Indian agriculture has gone from stagnation and food insecurity before the 1960s to large surpluses today, disproving the Malthusian belief that population growth would outstrip food production. In 1967, William and Paul Paddock predicted a famine in India, claiming it couldn't feed its growing population and controversially argued against food aid, fearing it would worsen future starvation. The Green Revolution proved the Paddocks wrong." Today India's food grain production stands at estimated 353.96 million tonnes. "Last year, India harvested 115 million tons of wheat," Dr. Singh noted. "India is now in a position to export wheat to needy nations." Prime Minister Narendra Modi, writing a tribute on Dr Swaminathan on October 7, 2023, wrote "He was a true 'Kisan Vaigyanik' - a Farmers' Scientist. In his heart there was a farmer. He consistently advocated for sustainable agriculture, emphasising the delicate balance between human advancement and ecological sustainability". PM Modi added: "I want you all to think about the challenging circumstances in which he stood as a colossus, guiding our nation towards the path of self-sufficiency and self-confidence. In the first two decades since Independence, we were dealing with immense challenges and one of them was food shortages. In the early 1960s, India was grappling with the ominous shadows of famine and it is then that Prof. Swaminathan's unyielding commitment and foresight ushered a new era of agricultural prosperity. His pioneering work in agriculture and specific sectors like wheat breeding led to a significant increase in wheat production, thus turning India from a food-deficient country into a self-sufficient nation. This tremendous achievement earned him the well-deserved title of, "Father of the Indian Green Revolution'." But Dr Swaminathan didn't stop at the Green Revolution. He envisioned an "Evergreen Revolution," which he defined as "production in perpetuity without harming the environment." Dr Singh explained that India is moving toward this goal by conserving natural resources, improving water and fertilizer efficiency, and developing climate-resilient technologies. Speaking to NDTV in 2013, Dr Swaminathan had said: "We could not have done [nuclear tests at] Pokhran either during Indira Gandhi's time or Vajpayee's time if we did not, if we were not self-sufficient in food. Because you can withstand all other sanctions, but not sanction which denies you the food. Therefore, it is a historic transition. The younger generation do not want to take to agriculture because it is a very risky profession and provides low income. But I think the future belongs to nations with grains and not guns. Guns you can purchase, but grains you cannot purchase.' Dr Singh stressed the importance of investing in agricultural research and development, noting that India currently allocates about 0.5% of its agricultural GDP to R&D, a figure that should ideally double to meet future challenges. Dr ML Jat, Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, ICAR, told NDTV: "Under Prof. MS Swaminathan's stewardship, ICAR blossomed into a catalyst for India's agricultural transformation, seeding innovation, and reaping a harvest of progress that continues to nourish the nation's growth and prosperity." The current director of IARI, Dr Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao, says, "food, nutrition, sustainability, equity, well-being of humankind are the true pillars of Prof Swaminathan's philosophical path taking Indian agriculture from the Green Revolution to an Evergreen Revolution in India". This centenary celebration is not just a remembrance of a visionary scientist but a reaffirmation of India's commitment to sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty. As the nation looks ahead, the legacy of Dr MS Swaminathan continues to inspire scientists, policymakers, and farmers alike.
India Today
08-07-2025
- Health
- India Today
Does rice really cause diabetes? An expert breaks the myth
There is a widespread belief that eating rice increases your risk of belief has grown stronger over time, especially in India, where rice is a daily staple for millions. But is this concern backed by science? To answer that, we spoke to Dr Ashok Kumar Singh, a senior agricultural scientist and former Director and Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. With more than three decades of rice research and as someone living with diabetes himself, Dr Singh offers rare insights based on science and lived experience. advertisementUNDERSTANDING THE GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI)Dr Singh starts by explaining how different foods affect blood sugar through the Glycemic Index.'When we eat food, the sugar level in our blood increases. To measure this, scientists created the Glycemic Index, or GI. It divides foods into high, medium, and low GI categories based on how quickly they raise blood sugar.'High-GI foods cause blood sugar to rise foods raise blood sugar levels more slowly, keeping them more stable.'If the GI is above 55%, it is considered high GI, which can be between 55% and 80%. Some types of rice have GI below 55%, and others above it.'Not all rice behaves the same way in the human body. The type of rice you eat plays a big role.'The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has even developed types of rice with an ultra-low GI of under 45%.'These special varieties digest slowly and are more suitable for individuals with diabetes or those trying to manage their blood sugar YOU EAT RICE MAKES A DIFFERENCEThe impact of rice on blood sugar depends not only on the type, but also on how it is cooked and eaten.'If you eat rice with dal (lentils) in equal proportions, the GI value reduces.'This is because dal adds protein and fiber, both of which help slow down digestion.'This is very important for those who love rice to remember – adding a good amount of dal helps control blood sugar.'He also recommends brown rice as a healthier retains more fiber and nutrients compared to polished white rice.'Brown rice also has a low GI because it takes longer to get digested. The sugar releases into the system slowly, so the blood sugar level does not instantly go up.'Parboiled rice, also known as usna or sella rice, is another good option.'Parboiled rice also has low GI. And there is no harm in eating that.'REAL NUMBERS FROM RICE-EATING STATES Dr Singh refers to research published in The Lancet, a global journal of health research, to back up his claims with data.'It clearly shows that Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha, all majorly have rice as a part of their food in all three meals. But the diabetes percentage in these states is less than 10%.'This challenges the idea that rice alone causes when you look at North Indian states like Punjab and Haryana, they majorly consume wheat or chapati and don't eat rice as much. Many people only make rice once a week or so. But the diabetes percentage in Punjab and Haryana is 12.4% and 12.7% respectively.'The numbers speak for themselves. If rice was the main cause, people who eat it more frequently should have higher diabetes rates.'So if rice was to blame, then the percentage in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha should have been higher.'GENES AND LIFESTYLE PLAY A BIGGER ROLEDr Singh emphasises that genetics and lifestyle are far more important when it comes to diabetes.'Diabetes is a genetic disease, and we carry these genes from our parents and pass them on to our children.'Having a family history of diabetes increases your risk, but it doesn't mean you are guaranteed to get it.'If we have that genetic sensitivity and we don't take care of our lifestyle, don't exercise, follow a sedentary lifestyle, then we will have high chances of getting diabetes.'However, living a healthy life can help lower those chances.'But if we maintain a proper lifestyle despite having the genetic sensitivity, then the chances are lesser.'Dr Singh sums it up simply.'To solely blame rice for this would not be right.'Avoiding rice completely is unnecessary. Choosing healthier rice varieties, eating balanced meals, and staying physically active can help prevent diabetes without giving up the food you love.- EndsMust Watch
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
CISH, Israel institute to collab for superior mango cultivation
Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) in Lucknow is set to collaborate with Israel for advanced research in mango improvement, its officials said. The announcement came during an interactive session on mango improvement hosted at CISH's Rehmankhera campus on June 17, where leading agri-scientists from India and abroad gathered to explore the future of mango breeding. CISH is a unit of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR). The event witnessed a high-powered exchange between Indian researchers and senior scientists Yuval Cohen and Amir Sherman from Israel's prestigious Volcani Institute. The initiative is spearheaded by T. Damodaran, the CISH director. Researchers from ICAR-CISH (Lucknow), ICAR-IARI (New Delhi), ICAR-IIHR (Bangalore), and Jain Irrigation Systems (Jalgaon) participated in discussions centred on growing superior mango varieties that can withstand climate extremes, deliver higher yields, resist pests and diseases, and meet global quality standards. 'India and Israel both have rich mango-growing traditions, but together we can take the fruit's cultivation to the next level,' Damodaran said. The focus is on leveraging genomics tools and marker-assisted selection to accelerate the breeding process, a significant shift from traditional, time-consuming methods. Israel's experience in high-tech horticulture, especially its rootstock 13-1 known for salinity tolerance, could prove critical in boosting mango production on challenging Indian soils. For the unversed, the 13-1 rootstock is a variety of mango rootstock that is widely used in commercial orchards, particularly in areas with calcareous soils and saline irrigation water. It is known for its tolerance to these soil and water conditions, as well as its suitability for high-density planting systems. The 13-1 rootstock was developed in Israel and is commonly used in commercial mango orchards there. Officials noted that the Indo-Israeli partnership will facilitate the exchange of genetic resources, innovative techniques, and technological know-how, aiming to position India at the forefront of global mango innovation.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Explained: The cost of rising imports
Rao Gulab Singh Lodi has harvested roughly 90 quintals of summer moong (green gram) from his 16-acres land in Nanhegaon village of Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur district. His major worry: The government's apathy in procuring the pulses crop that's fetching Rs 6,000 or so per quintal in the open market, as against its official minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 8,682. It's not only moong. Lodhi cultivates soyabean during the kharif (monsoon) season, sowing the leguminous oilseed in early-July and harvesting by mid-October, followed by chana (chickpea) and masoor (red lentil) during rabi (winter-spring). After harvesting masoor towards March 10 and chana around March 15-20, he sows summer moong that matures in 60-70 days. In none of these crops is there any systematic government procurement at MSP, comparable to that in rice and wheat. 'It is my misfortune that I cannot grow rice or even wheat (except for self-consumption) here. The black cotton soil in my area is basically suitable for pulses and oilseeds,' says Lodhi. The 65-year-old is a progressive farmer. He plants the best recommended varieties, whether in soyabean ('JS 20-116' and 'JS 2172' bred by the Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya at Jabalpur), moong ('PDM 139' by the Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur), masoor ('IPL 329' by the same institute) or chana ('Pusa Manav' by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi). But Lodhi isn't as lucky as the farmers who take rice and wheat. Soyabean is selling in MP's mandis at Rs 4,100-4,200 per quintal. That's below not only the MSP of Rs 5,328 for the upcoming 2025-26, but even the Rs 4,892 of last year's crop. The low prices notwithstanding, Lodhi is going ahead with planting soyabean: 'Vikalp kya hai (what option do I have)?'. The woes for Indian pulses and oilseeds growers come amid all-time-high imports during 2024-25 (April-March). In the case of pulses, these touched 7.3 million tonnes (mt) and valued at $5.5 billion, surpassing the previous record of 6.6 mt and $4.2 billion for 2016-17. Pulses imports had actually registered a substantial dip after 2017-18, to an average of 2.6 mt worth $1.7 billion during the subsequent five years (Charts 1a and 1b). This came on the back of improved domestic production. India's pulses output, which stood at 19.3 mt in 2013-14 and 17.2 mt in 2014-15 and 16.3 mt in 2015-16 (both drought years), climbed to 27.3 mt in 2021-22 and 26.1 mt in 2022-23. Much of that was courtesy of chana and moong, with scientists breeding short-duration varieties (100-120 days) requiring hardly any irrigation in the former and those amenable to growing across all seasons in the latter. Farmers today plant moong in kharif and rabi as well as spring and summer. However, the relative self-sufficiency or atmanirbharta achieved in pulses was reversed in 2023-24, which was an El Niño-induced drought year. Domestic production dropped to 24.2 mt in 2023-24 and recovered partly to 25.2 mt in 2024-25, as per the Agriculture Ministry's data. Falling output and retail inflation in pulses soaring to double digits by mid-2023 led to a slashing of duties on imports, which peaked during the last fiscal. The 7.3 mt of pulses imports in 2024-25 included 2.2 mt of yellow/white peas (largely from Canada and Russia), 1.6 mt of chana (from Australia), 1.2 mt each of arhar or pigeon-pea (from Mozambique, Tanzania, Myanmar, Sudan and Malawi) and masoor (from Canada, Australia and United States), and 0.8 mt of urad or black gram (from Myanmar and Brazil). As imports surged, the consumer price index (CPI) inflation in pulses eased to 3.8% year-on-year by December 2024 and further to 2.6%, -0.4%, -2.7%, -5.2% and -8.2% in the following five months. The shoe is on the other foot now, with arhar and chana selling at Rs 6,400-6,450 and Rs 5,450-5,500 per quintal respectively in Maharashtra's Latur mandi, below their corresponding MSPs of Rs 7,550 and Rs 5,650. In vegetable oils, the story has been a more uniform one – of increasing import dependence. The last 11 years have seen imports more than double from 7.9 mt to 16.4 mt, a trend that the Narendra Modi government may want to arrest, if not reverse. In value terms, imports almost trebled from $7.2 billion in 2013-14 to $20.8 billion in 2022-23, which was around the time when international prices skyrocketed owing to supply disruptions from the Russia-Ukraine war. While global prices have come off those peaks, the quantum of imports has continued to rise (Charts 2a and 2b). The 16.4 mt of imports during 2024-25 mainly comprised 7.9 mt of palm (primarily from Indonesia and Malaysia), 4.8 mt of soyabean (from Argentina and Brazil) and 3.5 mt of sunflower oil (from Russia, Ukraine and Argentina). On the other hand, India's production of oil from domestically grown oilseeds and secondary sources such as cottonseed, rice bran and maize is estimated at just about 10 mt, translating into an import dependence of well over 60%. CPI inflation in vegetable oils, unlike pulses, has been ruling at double digits since November 2024, with the latest May reading at 17.9%. It explains the Modi government's decision, on May 30, to cut the basic customs duty on crude palm, soyabean and sunflower oil from 20% to 10% and the overall import tariff (after adding an agriculture cess and social welfare surcharge) from 27.5% to 16.5%. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects the lowering of duty to result in a 'further increase' in soyabean oil imports by India. Although its market is dominated by Argentina, 'the reduced tariff can boost the import of US soyabean oil,' a USDA report, dated June 10, has stated. All this would mean imports likely hitting a new high in the current fiscal, even as the USDA has projected a record-breaking global vegetable oil output of 235 mt for 2025-26, led by palm (80.7 mt) and soyabean (70.8 mt). And that may not be good news for farmers like Lodhi. The Soyabean Processors Association of India has expressed concern over the 11-percentage points duty cut, which is expected to 'flood the Indian market with cheaper imported oils'. That will make oilseed cultivation less attractive to farmers, who may sow less area and switch to other more profitable crops in this kharif season, said Davish Jain, chairman of the Indore-based association. Harish Damodaran is National Rural Affairs & Agriculture Editor of The Indian Express. A journalist with over 33 years of experience in agri-business and macroeconomic policy reporting and analysis, he has previously worked with the Press Trust of India (1991-94) and The Hindu Business Line (1994-2014). ... Read More
