Change view on farming to motivate youth to join

In a interview with HT here on Tuesday, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) director general  and department of agricultural research and education (DARE) secretary  Dr S Ayyappan, said that agriculture was the only flourishing sector growing at a rate of more than 4% despite the present economic conditions.

"Farming, in the present scenario, is highly skilled profession which assures economic stability to the investors by the means of diversification," said the expert. Agricultural innovations, he said, are attracting people from various non-allied sectors and various central and state government agencies are now encouraging the youth to join the research conducted in the sector and to adopt new-age profit making farming.

Recently, software professionals in Bengaluru and Himachal Pradesh switched over the highly lucrative horticulture farming practiced in the polyhouses. "There is a change in the agricultural trends in almost every state where youngsters now make the best use of easily the latest technology and expertise for remunerative farming. But there is a need to highlight such success stories to motivate the youth," said Ayyappan, who was at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) to deliver a lecture at Dr S Sundaresan Memorial Lecture.