World Food Prize laureate Modadugu Vijay Gupta, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director-General Trilochan Mohapatra and Kathleen L. Hefferon of Cornell University are among the speakers at the sessions on agriculture and allied sectors planned as part of ‘Kerala Looks Ahead’, a three-day conference and consultation being organised by the State Planning Board from February 1 to 3.
The sessions are expected to provide new insights for the State on the latest global trends and best practices in agriculture and fisheries, according to the Planning Board.
The three-day meet will focus on agriculture as an important staging point for the State’s recovery in the post-COVID-19 economy. The February 2 session on agriculture will have experts discussing ways to bridge yield gaps and increase production in select crops, the Planning Board said.
“In order to ensure productivity growth, Kerala has to embrace the best technologies in use globally, particularly with respect to modern seeds and planting materials and crop management,” Planning Board vice chairman V.K. Ramachandran was quoted as saying in a statement.
Potential in fisheries
Planning Board member secretary Venu V. underlined the need to strengthen extension methodologies that are new and IT-based. The sessions on fisheries would discuss how Kerala could draw on an educated labour force to develop modern technical and working skills for tapping a ready internal market for fish and fish products, he said. The conference will devote two technical sessions to the fisheries sector.
The three sub-sessions on agriculture will look into new forms of production organisation and the international experience in successful farmer cooperatives. Enhancing productivity, profitability, and sustainability was the slogan for the agricultural sector in the ongoing 13th Five-Year Plan, the Planning Board noted.
The inaugural session of February 1 will be addressed by Nobel laureate and economist Joseph Stiglitz and Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist with the World Health Organisation.
