Chandigarh April 26:
The father of Green Revolution, Dr M S Swaminathan, is now pushing for an "evergreen revolution", for increasing productivity without ecological harm. And, he wants Punjab, to become the flagship of this new turnaround.
"No part of the country is in greater need of sustainable agriculture than Punjab as it is the place where natural resources have been intensively exploited, mainly due to rice production and due to its pivotal role in bearing the burden of country's food security," said the member of National Advisory Council (NAC), who was here on Monday after visiting Punjab's mandis.
Giving roadmap for this change, Swaminathan highlighted the need to start a land and water care movement through a switchover from resource guzzling to sustaining ways. He revealed that the NAC, headed by Sonia Gandhi, has recommended that maize be introduced in PDS along with other nutri-cereals like bajra, jawar, ragi and other millets.
He pointed out that it may not be possible to wean farmers away from paddy in the coming season, since, including alternative crops in the PDS would come only with the enactment of Right to Food Act. The procurement policy would determine land use by the farmer. Paddy cultivation would reduce by 2012, once these grains are included in PDS.
The father of Green Revolution, Dr M S Swaminathan, is now pushing for an "evergreen revolution", for increasing productivity without ecological harm. And, he wants Punjab, to become the flagship of this new turnaround.
"No part of the country is in greater need of sustainable agriculture than Punjab as it is the place where natural resources have been intensively exploited, mainly due to rice production and due to its pivotal role in bearing the burden of country's food security," said the member of National Advisory Council (NAC), who was here on Monday after visiting Punjab's mandis.
Giving roadmap for this change, Swaminathan highlighted the need to start a land and water care movement through a switchover from resource guzzling to sustaining ways. He revealed that the NAC, headed by Sonia Gandhi, has recommended that maize be introduced in PDS along with other nutri-cereals like bajra, jawar, ragi and other millets.
He pointed out that it may not be possible to wean farmers away from paddy in the coming season, since, including alternative crops in the PDS would come only with the enactment of Right to Food Act. The procurement policy would determine land use by the farmer. Paddy cultivation would reduce by 2012, once these grains are included in PDS.