In the history of mankind, there have been those who have welcomed change and some that have clung to the old ways to avoid unknown risks. Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) is one of the former. The company has, however, been caught in the crossfire of protagonists and antagonists of genetically modified (GM) seeds. Crops enhanced by biotechnology are being grown on nearly 110 million acres in 13 countries. Food ingredients produced from biotech crops are found in thousands of food products consumed worldwide. However, while no unequivocal evidence of harm to our health or the environment is known or expected from these crops, there is intense debate questioning their value and safety. Mahyco’s decision to sell 26 per cent share holdings to Monsanto, a global leader in agricultural solutions and GM products, has been criticised by certain sections of the agricultural community. But its stand on GM seeds cannot undermine Mahyco’s contribution to Indian agricultural production. With this on-going debate as the backdrop, Badrinath Barwale shares his views on the different issues in Indian agriculture.

On improving agricultural productivity in India

I feel the following are a few methods for increasing agricultural productivity and giving it a boost:

• Biotechnology: Maybe transferring genes for desired characters from among wild relatives in crops was considered impossible around ten years ago. But now we can have such transfers of characters. I certainly would say that biotechnology is bringing about a revolution in the field of agriculture.
• Composting: It is very important to make proper use of waste and use it in better ways like restoring the health of the soil.
• Maximum utilisation of natural resources: We should try and use our natural resources in the best possible way so that we can cut down on the cost of production.

On government initiatives required

The government is extremely co-operative. They try their level best to help the farmers of the state. One main reason is that the chief ministers of the state are mainly farmers. All of them, from Vasantrao Naik to Shankarao Chauhan, have played an important role in giving a new face lift to agriculture. They understood the problems of the farmers and solved them. We should see to it that our state is not a survivor, but a leader in the country. We should try to derive maximum benefits, as in more production from the same area space. We should see to it that the cost of production is less and the quantity of production is high. Population will rise in the next 20 years; we should be prepared to produce enough to suffice.

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