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NEW DELHI: Prominent agriculture scientist Ashok Kumar Singh who developed over 25 rice varieties and former vice-chancellor of the Bihar-based Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Gopal Ji Trivedi, are among nine persons associated with farm and allied sector selected for this year’s Padma Shri award. Trivedi helped farmers cultivate makhana (fox nuts) in a big way, and popularise this nutrient-dense, low-calorie, and gluten-free snack among health conscious Indians.Besides Singh, former director of the ICAR Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), there are four other scientists and four farmers in the list of awardees who not only helped farm growth through their research and innovative farm practices but also contributed towards improving livelihood of farmers in different parts of the country.Rice varieties including different Pusa Basmati and non-Basmati varieties, developed by Singh and other ICAR-IARI scientists, have significantly increased rice output over the years and helped India earn roughly around Rs 50,000 crore annually from Basmati rice export.On the other hand, the country’s first genome-edited rice varieties – ‘DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala)’ and ‘Pusa DST Rice 1′ – which Singh co-developed with other scientists of the ICAR’s institutes will not only enhance output but also save water and reduce greenhouse gas emission during cultivation. Besides helping farmers cultivate Makhana, the agriculture scientist Trivedi also popularised adoption of canopy management in Litchi orchards to improve yield and promoted winter maize cultivation in Bihar.Other scientists who have been selected for Padma Shri are P L Gautam, former chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority and the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority; K Ramasamy, former vice chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University; and N Punniamoorthy, former dean at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. Four farmers who have been selected for the Padma Shri for their outstanding contributions to agriculture and animal husbandry include Raghupat Singh (posthumous), a progressive farmer from Moradabad district, who conserved more than 55 rare and nearly extinct vegetable varieties and developed around 100 new varieties; Jogesh Deuri of Assam who promoted Muga silk and helped it gain wider national and international recognition; Shrirang Devaba Lad of Maharashtra who developed the “Dada Lad technique” for cotton cultivation to increase yield; and Telangana’s Rama Reddy Mamidi (posthumous) who strengthened cooperative models in animal husbandry and dairy development.
