With the gradual rise in population and drastic climatic changes, the world is expected to experience acute food shortage in the near future. It is estimated that the world population is likely to increase by 30% to touch 9.1 billion by 2050, which will lead to a huge demand-supply gap. The condition is bound to be even more critical in developing countries like India, where nearly 21% of the total population is suffering from malnutrition.
Challenges in crop production
The ‘green revolution’ had brought about a significant transformation in Indian agriculture, as it facilitated the production of a variety of high yielding food crops due to the usage of agro-chemicals and high tech machinery. However, even after the green revolution, poverty and huger continue to persist, especially in the rural areas due to scarcity of food grains leading to high costs of food products. “Land and water are the key natural resources that are required for high crop production. However, due to rise in population, coupled with climatic changes, the natural resources are gradually depleting,” says Chetan Mehra, proprietor of Spectrum Limited, a Surat-based mid-sized company that exports agricultural equipments.
Anticipating a rough road ahead, a handful of cultivators in India have begun to adopt latest technologies like biotechnology in the agricultural sector. Experts believe biotechnology that includes genetically modified (GM) seeds, bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides, will aid in higher production of crops as compared to using conventional cultivation techniques. Therefore, it is also expected to help cultivators earn higher revenues. Unfortunately, most cultivators in India are still unaware of this concept. As a result, due to lack of knowledge regarding biotechnology, many cultivators in the country have failed to meet consumer demand from time-to-time.
Setting new trends
Currently, the Government of India (GoI) has undertaken the initiative of promoting biotechnology among Indian cultivators and those involved in the agricultural sector. The government is also offering a premium to farmers for producing organic crops in the country. GoI has further assured that crops that are cultivated using biotechnology-based techniques would be sold at moderate prices to suit the consumers’ budget.
“With the introduction of various biotechnology-based tools and techniques, crops would be made resistant towards harsh conditions like drought. Farmers can utilise bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides, which will help them to protect their crops from pest attacks,” says Neeraj Das, proprietor of Aakar Exporter, a mid-sized manufacturer and supplier of agriculture equipments in Jaipur.
Experts in the agricultural industry believe that the cost of bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides are lower than that of nitrogenous fertilisers. Nutritionists are also of the opinion that crops that are cultivated using biotechnology would be of a much higher quality. This would not only retain the nutritional value of the food grains, but will also facilitate in maintaining their natural flavour and colour.
On the whole, it can be said that by using tools and techniques in biotechnology, cultivators can help in reducing the post-harvest losses like food spoilage. This would in turn result in a marked increase in the crop output in India in the coming days.
Sabrina Mitchell
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