Agricultural Minister S Niranjan Reddy suggested the Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) administration to plan for more undergraduate and post-graduate colleges, agriculture polytechnics besides agricultural research stations to provide quality education in the State.
Reddy who lauded the varsity for achieving sixth rank at all India level urged the administration to work for gaining international recognition in agricultural education and research.
Participating in the 5th Foundation Day celebrations of PJTSAU organised here on Tuesday, Reddy said the State government was redefining the agriculture in the country. All the programmes of the State government have become role model for the other States.
He urged the scientists of the varsity to lay special focus on agricultural education and research besides developing new crop varieties which would be suitable for the State at large.
जम्मू कश्मीर के हर गांव से पांच लोगों को सरकारी नौकरी
Delivering a lecture on ‘Global Innovations in Agriculture to feed 1.7 billion in India’, Research Program Director for Genetic Gains at ICRISAT, Dr Rajeev K Varshney said India was now free from hunger but about 42 per cent of the children were suffering with the malnutrition. Ensuring the nutritional security for the growing population had becomes a major challenge, he said.
Stating that India requires 358 million tonnes food grains by the year 2050 to feed the population, Varshney said to ensure this, there was a need to utilise faster breeding technologies and global innovations in the agriculture sector as well.
PJTSAU Vice-Chancellor V Praveen Rao presented a report on the university achievements and said several reforms in teaching, research and extension programmes had yielded fruitful results with university being ranked one among the best agriculture universities in the country.