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Published on Down To Earth(http://www.downtoearth.org.in)

Dealing with crop stresses and scandals

Issue Date:2013-10-17

Subbanna Ayyappan has made history in the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (IACR) bybecoming the first non-crop scientist to head this hoary institution. His is not an enviable task.Presiding over a network that has close to 100 institutions but with limited funds, he has thedifficult task of juggling finances, ensuring that his 4,000-odd scientists are achieving nationalobjectives and coordinating with the government as secretary of the department of agriculturalresearch and education in the Union Ministry of Agriculture.

Climate-proofing Indian agriculture against the biotic and abiotic stresses that crops face is amajor challenge for the head of one of the worlds largest research networks that has had little toshow for its efforts in the past several decades. To tone up ICARs operations, Ayyappan hasbeen visiting every kind of research institute that the system boasts, making difficult trips toremote cyclone-prone islands in the Sunderban to livestock research stations perched in themountains.

To make matters worse for this scientist, who is a fisheries expert noted for his work on limnologyand aquatic microbiology, are other stresses related to scientific ethics and professionalism.Since he took charge in January 2010, Ayyappan has had to deal with major serious researchscandals and misconduct by senior scientists. In an interview to Down to Earth, the soft-spokendirector general explains how he is handling these difficult assignments at a time when Indian

agriculture is under threat from factors as diverse as depleted and ravaged natural resources todramatic change in rainfall patterns. Excerpts:

Subbanna AyyappanWhat are the current research priorities ofICAR, and have these changed in recent years?

Research concerns are evolving all the time. Till 1970, we werefocused on meeting the challenge of food shortage, in the 1980s itwas factor productivity, in 1990s, it was natural resourcemanagement, then in the decades of the 2000s, it was profitabilityand farmers' income. Now it is intellectual property management and

technology commercialisation.

Our major concerns now are water crisis, soil degradation and fatigue, genetic erosion, theincreasing abiotic and biotic pressures, energy management, pests and diseases, weeds,harvest and post harvest losses What is also worrying us is the migration of rural youth and howto retain them in agriculture.

How are you dealing with these new challenges?

We have established a National Fund for Basic Strategic and Frontier Application Research inAgriculture with main objective to build capacity for basic, strategic and cutting edge research for

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generating knowledge needed for solving existing and emerging or future agriculture problems.We have also set up the National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), which aimsto identify at least 15-20 heat/drought tolerant promising cultivars of different crops and reduceproduction losses by 25-30 per cent. It is being demonstrated in 100 districts of 27 states.

There is also the consortia research platforms (CRPs) on agro-biodiversity, genomics, molecularbreeding, bio-fortification, nanotechnology, farm mechanization, phytochemical, fish health, etc tonetwork all India institutes for coordinated researches.

On the farmer front, we have launched a programme called Farmer First which is expected toenrich farmer-scientist interface on new technology applications. We also have Student READY(Rural entrepreneurship and Awareness Development Yojana) to provide students with thegrass-root level experience and entrepreneurship skills. This is a 12th Plan project to build thecapacity of rural youth so that they learn while they earn.

What are ICARs major achievements in the past decade?

ICAR is apex body for frontline research in the country. We work on all aspects of agriculture likecrops, fisheries, poultry, resource management, engineering, soils, etc. It also acts as a network

institute that coordinates 60 plus state agriculture universities, over 600 Krishi Vigyan Kendras(KVKs). Our main focus is to enhance productivity. We release around 60-70 varieties of cropsevery year which is our strength.

Apart from this, we have developed GIS-based soil fertility maps for 500 districts in 21 states ofIndia. In some areas, these soil fertility mapping is for macro, secondary and micronutrients atdistrict level. Its because of public research that production of grains has increasedtremendously since 1950-51 till date. For example, wheat production has increased from 6.46million tonnes to 94.88 million tonnes; rice has increased from 20.58 million tonnes to 105.31million tonnes; maize production has risen from 1.73 million tonnes to 21.76 million tonnes. Andhighest increase is in eggs where our production has increased from 1.8 billion to 66 billion whichis around 36 times.

Why do you rate these highly?

The most beneficial contribution of research and development is seen in the form of improvedfood and nutritional security and secondly improvement in total factor productivity. This gain inturn reduces cost of production in real terms, contributing to resource saving and lowering ofprice for consumers. The highest gain is in wheat, which experiences 2.3 per cent annual declinein cost of production. Similar decline was in barley, jowar, bajra and mustard, while for rice,moong, groundnut and gram, the annual decline was around one per cent.

ICAR has produced no remarkable breakthrough nor has all the research of the decadeshelped the public sector to dominate the seed market. Why is this so?

For public seed sector, it depends on state governments indents. We have been saying thatseed chain in public sector is not getting stronger. We give breeder seeds to the seedcorporations and they make foundation seed and multiply it and give it to farmers. Now the indentof a seed corporation depends whether they want seed from some old variety or some new. Soproduction of breeder seed cannot be criteria to measure success.

But our research seems to have yielded nothing significant except routine varietal


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releases

Thats not true. In cereals, only the public sector dominates. The private sector is present only inhybrids, and that too in vegetable crops and maybe maize. Genetically modified cotton is wherethe private industry has edge over us. We also work on hybrids and GM crops. Frankly speaking,Im often asked by institutes and universities why we focus so much on cereals which arehigh-volume, low-value commodities. I make it clear that we do not have a choice. We aremandated to do so by the government and we fulfill that.

Is GM research shelved after our disastrous experience on developing our own cottonvarieties based on our own gene?

At present, we have six GM crops from public research institutes ready for commercialisation.But that will be possible only when the bill on regulation, that is, BRAI is passed [1] (see 'Stageset for GM crops' [2]).

We understand the same gene that was at the centre of the cotton controversy, the genethat was used in Bikaneri Narma cotton, has been used in the development of GMvegetables and other crops

I dont believe so but we will look into this. There is also the question of the patent on that genehaving expired. So we are not sure if it matters.

How are you dealing with Bikaneri Narma scandal that involves top research institutions,universities and senior scientists?

We have taken action. We set up the Sopory Committee, which has submitted its report and thatreport is in the public domain. Everything is transparent.

That was more than a year ago.

We have asked the scientists involved to respond. After that we will decide what is to be done.

There is another scandal involving the award of ICARs most prestigious research prize toK C Bansal (head of the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources). The scientistsclaims on which the prize was given are said to be false. Does it not reflect badly on ICARand it scientists?

Whenever such things come up we write to the division, then take either administrative action orseek an explanation. Now the point is the complaint has to been seen by a scientist at the higherlevel. It depends on their judgement and response of the scientist involved.

Many scientists have complained that these cases affect the morale of the institution andthat it shows the complete lack of accountability in ICAR.

That is not true. Due processes are being followed so there is no need for scientists to feeldemoralised. As and when such instances come up, we act on them instantly. Unless things areproved we cannot take action.

One reason why there so few research outcomes is because there is no monitoring of theresearch work. How do you evaluate scientists?


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We have six-monthly monitoring of targets and achievements of individual scientists apart fromthe annual assessment reports. There are other institutional monitoring mechanisms and we alsolook at the institutes performance indicators.

There are a number of cases where scientists are leaving ICAR and its affiliated institutesto join private companies?

ICAR is one of the best institutes to work with in India. In the last three years, at least 32

scientists from abroad have joined us. If ICAR was not pro-science, pro-skill, they would not havejoined us. As far as remuneration is concerned, ICAR is the only public institute that hasUniversity Grants Commission pay package since 1986, while other organisations like DRDO,CSIR still follow government pay scales. When you join ICAR as scientist, you become a seniorscientist in eight to nine years and then principal scientist in another 15 years. Monthly packageof a principal scientist varies from Rs 1.2 to Rs 1.6 lakh per month. Apart from this, we havespecial research schemes like National Professor Scheme where a scientist gets Rs 50 lakh forfive years to pursue his research. Similarly, we have National fellow Scheme also where you getRs 40 lakh for five years. I feel its the best institute when it comes to research freedom andremunerations.

Interviewee:Subbanna Ayyappan [3]

Source URL: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/dealing-crop-stresses-and-scandals


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dealing with crop stresses and scandals.pdf

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