Agri Scientist warns against over exploitation of natural resources

An eminent agricultural scientist has called for alternate agricultural production systems so as to ensure that there was no over exploitation of the existing natural resources in the country.

“At present, we are exploiting our natural resources to an extent that it is beyond repair because we have to feed a population of over 140 crore people,” Dr. Puronjan Das, former Deputy Director General of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), said on Wednesday.

“To ensure that there is no further damage to our natural resources, we need to identify alternate production systems,” he said while delivering the seventh Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Memorial Lecture at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS), SOA’s faculty of agricultural sciences.

The alternate production systems should be water smart in terms of per kilogram of production, energy smart in terms of higher energy output per kilogram of energy input, low Green House Gas (GHG) emission by identifying the conventional inputs used in agriculture and by substituting them with alternate inputs which would ensure low GHG emission, he said.

The objective should be to ensure lower carbon sustainable index in view of the fact that the atmosphere was already heavy with increasing level of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, Dr. Das said.

Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Vice-Chancellor of SOA and Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, Dean (Students’ Welfare) attended the lecture. Prof. Santosh Kumar Rout, Dean of IAS, introduced the guest speaker while Prof. Saroj Kumar Mohanty, Convenor of the program, welcomed the gathering. 

Mr. Rajib Kumar Behera, Coordinator of the program, proposed the vote of thanks while Prof. Prabhat Kumar Sarangi conducted the event.