How can technology boost agricultural growth?
There are huge programmes to help farmers increase their levels of income. Information and data must reach farmers. We are modernising the Indian Metrological Department at a cost of Rs 900 crore. The programme will start showing results by mid-2008. An agro-advisory portal will be integrated into the weather channel to help farmers on agro-climatic and other issues. Crop productivity will increase. We will map the farm sector to monitor real time agricultural produce in respect of major crops sown including rice, wheat, pulses, sugarcane and cotton. States will know about the pattern and ultimate extent of production of a particular crop. This can revolutionise agricultural monitoring system and decide on the import requirement and export potential well in advance of the total output. Initiatives have been taken in agricultural instrumentation, medicinal and aroma plants. Q: Why is the spending on R&D 0.8 per cent of GDP? A: The private sector contributes a lot to R&D in many countrie
