INCREASED USE OF BIO AND SPACE TECHNOLOGY
IN AGRICULTURE STRESSED
Biotechnology, Information and Communication Technology and Space
Technology are going to play an increasingly important role in
agriculture. The Secretary of the Union Agriculture and Cooperation
Department, Shri J.N.L. Shrivastava while addressing a two-day
National Workshop on Improvement of Agricultural Statistics here
today said that biotechnology is already playing an important
role in the fields of agriculture and pharmaceuticals. Shri Shrivastava
called upon the participants to make use of Remote Sensing for
estimation of crop production. He said, India is on the path of
reform and addedthat the country is moving away from subsistence
agriculture to commercialization. Shri Shrivastva said that in
Kalahandi district of Orissa where, there is an allegation of
starvation, and in Assam and Bihar, there has been excess of rice
production. The Secretary said that in the country the problem
is not how to feed but how to clear the grain godowns. Emphasizing
on statistics in agriculture Shri Shrivastava said that Real Time
Information is essential for both Farmers and the Traders. He
pointed out that statistics in case of horticultural crops are
weak and suggested for strengthening of data collection and dissemination
in case of fruits and vegetables.
The two-day workshop which is being attended by representatives
of states/UTs, will finalise the Fourth Advanced Estimates of
various forecast crops for 2001-02. Besides, it will also discuss
action plans of states/UTs for implementing recommendations of
the National Statistical Commission relating to the agriculture
sector.
Reliable information on agricultural production has since long
remained a major concern for planners and policy makers in the
country. Important decisions relating to procurement, distribution,
price, export and import largely depend on production data. In
a country like India where more than five million people depend
on agriculture for their livelihood, the importance of agricultural
data cannot be over emphasized. The estimation of yield rate of
principal food and non-food crops on the basis of statistically
designed random sample survey known as General Crop Estimation
Survey (GCES) is now being carried out regularly in states/UTs,
which is gradually replacing the eye-estimation method of crop
production. Besides, the Union Agriculture Ministry is working
on a joint project with Department of Space called FASAL (Forecasting
Agricultural Output using Space-born Agro-Meteorological and Land
Observations), which aims at use of Remote Sensing for crop inventory
assessment. The approach of the project is to integrate three
types of observations viz: Remote Sensing, weather and field observations
for timely and accurate forecast.
