South Asia public spending in farming worst: report

Major competitors like China and Brazil have invested more in agriculture as compared to India

India’s spending on agriculture research and development, though among the best in South- Asia is still much below its nearest competitors like Brazil and China, a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has said.

p>Agriculture Research in India is largely funded by public agencies and channelized through the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and host of Agriculture Universities, but private sector is also increasingly becoming an important component in research.

The report titled “Public Agriculture R&D in South Asia’ said that on an average, in 2009, South Asia invested $0.37 in agriculture research for every $100 of agriculture output, up from $0.28 in 1996, but this is much less as compared to Sub-Saharan Africa. Though the report is slightly dated and uses old data, but experts believe that is does reflect a area in Indian agriculture which needs much more emphasis.

Sub-Saharan Africa  invested $0.61 in farm research for every $100 of agriculture output and Caribbean nations which invested $1.14. India spent $40 in agriculture research for every $100 of agriculture output as on 2009.

Even India’s major competitors in the world agriculture markets, China and Brazil have invested more in agriculture as compared to India and also in relation to overall South Asian countries.  China invests around $.50 (as in 2008) in farm research for every $100 of agricultural output, while Brazil invested around $1.80.

“This clearly shows that South Asia is under investing in agriculture, which doesn’t bode well for future generations,” the IFPRI report said.

On India, the report said though the country’s spending on agriculture research is better than many countries, but it needs to do more to  push up its food production.

The report is also critical of the State Agriculture Universities (SAU) as their research capacities have weakened over the years and is also fragmented among disciplinary lines.

The report shows that in India and Bangladesh, rice, fruits, vegetables and wheat are the four items in which much of public funds for agriculture research are spent, while in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal wheat and vegetables are the primary items.

In India, the report shows that 167 public agencies conduct agriculture research, which is by far the highest in the region, while in Pakistan 123 agencies conduct the same. In Bangladesh, 54 public agencies conduct research in agriculture, while in Sri Lanka is 20 and 8 in Nepal.

It also shows that women are severely under-represented in agriculture research in South Asian countries.  In 2009, just 10 per cent of the agriculture scientists in Nepal were women and only 16 per cent in Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka had the maximum number of women in agriculture research at 48 per cent.

On private sector participation in agriculture research in India, the report showed that in 2008-09, private sector invested $ 531 million purchasing power parity at 2005 prices in agriculture research, almost a quadruple rise since mid 1990s.