Adopt Bio-Tech for Enhanced Productivity

Higher levels of productivity, nutritional security and quality production can be achieved through biotechnology only since all conventional methods were exhausted to improve technology said Dr. I V Subba Rao, vice-chancellor N G Ranga agricultural University.

Allaying fears and misconceptions on the health hazards due to genetically modified food crops he informed that 12 most advanced countries have adopted gene modified crops covering 44 million hectare. The cost of production will come down substantially in view of pests and disease resistance of such crops. A multitude of other benefits would accrue to farmers if they took to cultivation of genetically modified crops. Subba Rao pointed out. Presiding over the seminar on green revolution to gene revolution organised on Jan 7, 2002 in Hyderabad V L Chopra, president, National academy of agricultural sciences and former director general ICAR said, that gene technology is very precise, dependable and repeatable. It has all potential to address issues that green revolution technology could neither reach or left negative impacts behind. Crops will be protected against diseases, pests and weather related phenomenon.

The productivity level must increase from 1.9 tonnes per hectare to 2.7 tonnes in rice, 2.45 tonnes to 3.3 tonnes in wheat, 0.60 tonnes to 0.99 tonnes in pulses and 1.74 tonnes to 2.4 tonnes in respect to cereal production to achieve the target, he said. By adopting bio-technology, new traits into crops can be engineered. Bio-degradable plastics, edible vaccine, nutritional enrichment, prevention of post harvest losses are some of the advantages in agriculture.

Source : AIBA, Deccan Chronicle, Hyderbad