The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee attended the Golden Jubilee Convocation of Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh today (June 27, 2014).
Speaking on the occasion, the President said development and management of skilled human resource is vital for realizing the potential of the agricultural sector. For that, sound agricultural education is the key. India has been a front runner in higher learning from ancient times. Agriculture was taught at the world-renowned universities of Takshashila and Nalanda. Yet over the years, we have not been able to maintain our position. Global recognition eludes our agricultural universities today.
The President said agriculture universities have a huge stake in the success of the farm sector as well as welfare of the common man. The yardstick of their performance is the quality of graduates being produced. We require committed, capable and hardworking professionals from our agricultural institutions to spearhead the next farm revolution. Students of Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya are no exception and they must fully contribute to this impending transformation in agriculture.
The President said India is home to the fourth largest agricultural sector in the world. It is to the credit of our agricultural scientists and farmers that India transformed itself from being a net importer of food grains in the Sixties to being self-sufficient and an exporter. India today stands second in terms of both rice and wheat production in the world. It is also the largest rice exporter and second largest wheat exporter. We have to now maintain our hard-fought leadership position.
This release issued at 1415 hrs