INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Mrs. Poonam Yadav, Assistant Professor from Electronics & Computer Engineering Department of Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurgaon attended a one-day International Conference on “Creating a Second Green Revolution in India” on 7th November 2014 held at Hotel The Lalit New Delhi.

The conference featured Mr. H.E. Shimon Peres, Former President of Israel; Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman, Ananta Centre & Chairman of the Board, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Ltd.; Mr. Anthony Pratt, Chairman, Pratt Foundation & Chairman, Visy Industries Pty Ltd; Mr. T.N. Ninan, Chairman, Ananta Aspen Centre and Chairman, Business Standard Pvt. Ltd.; Dr. Ashok Gulati, Chair Professor for Agriculture, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations; Mr Ross Fitzgerald , Director, Visy Industries Pty Ltd.; from Australia and Dr. Daniel Chamovitz, Dean Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University from Israel steered the discussion.

Addressing the gathering, the key-note speakers Mr. Peres lauded the steps taken by India in the last decade to strengthen its agriculture sector and enhance food production. Presently, India is suffering shortage of land and water and the way forward is that the “India, Israel and Australia — should join hands” to address the challenges of food and water security, he said.

Underscoring the potential for expansion in Indian agriculture, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Chairman, Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, said, "With the projected levels of population growth, food security remains high on the development agenda. "Farmer aggregation and improved irrigation systems can be the foundation for the expansion of Indian agriculture. Israel's agro-technologies and Australia's efficient production, processing systems and R&D can also play a vital role in India's Second Green Revolution," he added.

The success of the initiative was attributed to a mixture of investment in crop research, use of appropriate technology, market development and government provisions. The expansion in agricultural production created self-sufficiency in food grains and significantly cut India's reliance on imports of the same.

The conference was very informative as the attendees came to know the status of Green Revolution in India and the collaborative initiatives taken in association with Israel, and India.