Letters: Review farm options

This refers to “Cultivating farm research” (December 13). Agricultural research in India has been entrusted to many organisations and huge sums have been spent on this since Independence. However, the results are barely discernible and nor are they commensurate with the amount spent so far. There are innumerable problems such as fragmented pieces of land, lack of awareness about modern cultivation methods, heavy dependence on rain water, vagaries of nature, lack of quality inputs such as seeds, manure, fertilisers, lack of appropriate product pricing and marketing avenues, and so on. The per acre output is far below international benchmark metrics even though India has more cultivable land than many other countries.

The following measures can improve agricultural operations:

1. Establish a single organisation for agricultural research, preferably an agricultural university, as the nodal point. The university can have two wings — one for academic pursuit and another for research.
2. University students should adopt a cluster of villages in their respective areas and disseminate knowledge based on research and be made accountable during their study period.
3. Farmers should undergo periodical training and be given bank loans on time. They should be able to sell their produce directly to consumers, eliminating middlemen.
4. The state governments can build grain and cold storage units in every taluk.
5. Experts and successful farmers from leading countries may visit India’s farms and suggest methods to improve their operations.
6. Corporations and food-processing firms may be entrusted with the task of mentoring and monitoring a group of villages as is being done in Andhra Pradesh, for tobacco, sunflower and so on.

B Venkateswaran, Chennai