Hyderabad: India must invest at least 1% of its agricultural GDP in research and innovation to drive reforms and keep pace with global trends, said Mangilal Jat, the newly appointed director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Speaking at the 55th convocation of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University on Saturday, Jat said that strengthening agricultural research is vital for improving productivity and ensuring food and nutritional security.“Despite being one of the world’s largest agricultural producers, India’s investment in agri-research remains low. Many countries invest a minimum of 2%; we are lagging behind,” he said. He emphasised the need for science-driven innovation that reaches every farmer and called for multidisciplinary research, the establishment of a second gene bank, and greater utilisation of ICT tools and big data. He also underscored the importance of inclusive policies that address gender and social diversity.Addressing the gathering, university chancellor and governor Jishnu Dev Varma cited successful outreach initiatives such as ‘Rythu Mungitlo Sastravethalu’, which engaged over 1.2 lakh farmers across 1,200 villages in Telangana. “We’ve promoted practices such as reduced urea use, water conservation, and crop diversification,” he said. At the convocation, degrees were awarded to approximately 830 students from the 2021–22 academic year, and around 30 students received gold medals for academic excellence.
