India can spark second Green Revolution with more agri R&D: CIMMYT chief

CIMMYT chief Bram Govaerts says India can drive a second Green Revolution by investing in agricultural research and global partnerships as the farm sector faces new challenges

Bram Govaerts, director general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), was recently in India to participate in the World Food Prize Foundation’s ‘DialogueNEXT’ event. CIMMYT, which played a pivotal role in India’s Green Revolution, working alongside Dr MS Swaminathan and Norman Borlaug, remains deeply engaged with the country’s farm sector.

 

In an email interview with Business Standard, Govaerts said India can usher in a second Green Revolution by investing in agricultural research and development and building partnerships with global institutions. India is observing the centenary year of Dr MS Swaminathan, who passed away a few years ago. Edited excerpts:

 

CIMMYT has been at the forefront of the Green Revolution in India through active partnership with ICAR and other institutions, a collaboration that continues. As Indian agriculture faces multiple challenges ranging from climate change to stagnating yields and declining land sizes, what solutions is CIMMYT offering?

 

CIMMYT’s role in India began with the introduction of semi-dwarf wheat lines from Mexico’s Sonora state, which became ‘Kalyan Sona’ and ‘Sonalika’ in Indian fields. The Green Revolution demonstrated what science, leadership, collaboration and enabling policies can achieve.

 

Taking this legacy forward, CIMMYT has expanded its science and research across the world. Today, over 90 per cent of spring bread wheat varieties released in South Asia in the past three decades carry CIMMYT genetics and breeding contributions.

 

However, climate change, conflicts and resource pressures are reshaping agriculture in India and across South Asia. The challenge is to renew the spirit of the Green Revolution for the 21st century with a focus on climate resilience, sustainability, nutrition and inclusivity.

 

By investing in agricultural R&D and strengthening partnerships through national organisations such as CIMMYT-BISA, India can drive a Green Revolution 2.0 anchored in peace, sustainability, food security, smallholders’ livelihoods and shared prosperity.

 

In India, maize is becoming a wonder crop, but much of the production boom is due to area expansion. Yields remain well below world averages. How can India address this?

 

Maize productivity in India has tripled in recent decades, with rising per-hectare yields establishing maize as a crucial crop for the country’s agricultural and industrial sectors. Maize enjoys stable demand from industrial buyers in food, feed and bioethanol.

 

There remains significant scope for science and innovation, including value chain development, to boost maize output and productivity. CIMMYT, ICAR, state agricultural universities, state agriculture departments and private sector players can scale up adoption of stress-tolerant and high-yielding hybrids for smallholder farmers.

 

Strengthening extension services for climate-smart agronomic management, promoting scale-appropriate machinery, expanding efficient irrigation in regions reliant on traditional practices and deepening collaborative research can help. India can also adapt global innovations to local contexts while sharing its advanced solutions with other countries in the Global South through South-South collaboration.

 

CIMMYT, like other global institutions, faces financial pressures. How has this affected its operations?

 

Funding is essential for research organisations, and CIMMYT is deeply grateful to its investors and partners. Funders periodically reassess priorities, and like others, CIMMYT must adapt. This can be challenging, but it is necessary.

 

Our foundation is strong, our talent pool deep and we continue to offer a compelling value proposition for investors, partners and the smallholder farmers we serve. We remain optimistic about opportunities across public and private sectors to support our agricultural R&D. Our work has never been more urgent, and we are confident funding will rise to meet the challenge of food and nutritional security for a growing global population.

 

What global challenges arise from funding shortfalls, and how can India help?

 

India, with its strong agricultural foundation, plays a pivotal role in shaping global food systems. As the world’s leading producer of milk, pulses and jute—and a top producer of rice, wheat and vegetables—India drives innovations through ICAR and state agricultural universities, including digital technologies, climate-smart practices and resilient value chains.

 

Together, India and CIMMYT are carrying forward the legacy of Norman Borlaug and MS Swaminathan by advancing climate-resilient seeds and sustainable agri-food systems for India and the wider South Asian region. With one of the world’s largest agricultural research networks, India can accelerate the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision while strengthening global food security.

 

Will the funding crunch push the world closer to food insecurity and hunger? How should the world respond?

 

CIMMYT and its partners are working to ensure food security remains a reality for all. Food is a basic human right, and agricultural research delivers some of the highest returns on investment. With the world’s population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, sustained innovation is critical.

 

Our recent work in Sudan highlighted the role of agricultural peacebuilding. Through science, innovation and extensive partnerships, we are building agricultural research capacity across regions and sectors. We remain optimistic that global support will grow to ensure food and nutritional security.

 

High tariffs on agricultural products are disrupting free trade. How will this impact India, and how should it respond?

 

International trade dynamics are complex, but India and the US share a long history of cooperation, and I am confident they will find common ground.

 

As an international research organisation, CIMMYT is committed to ensuring its science and innovations reach farmers, especially smallholders in the Global South. By working with diverse partners, CIMMYT promotes yield improvements and sustainable practices. Whether in laboratories or farmers’ fields, our goal is to strengthen farming communities and make agri-food systems more resilient, sustainable and profitable.

 

With maize increasingly used for fuel rather than food, could this create shortages? How can balance be maintained?

 

In India, maize is primarily used for poultry and livestock feed and industrial purposes. Only a limited share is consumed directly as food.

 

CIMMYT’s work in South Asia, including India, with ICAR and other partners, is focused on developing high-yielding, climate-resilient maize hybrids suited for Kharif and summer seasons. These hybrids are bred to withstand drought, heat, waterlogging, diseases and pests. Such innovations can improve maize output without major area expansion, meeting the diverse demands of smallholder farmers and supporting both food and industrial needs.