Hyderabad: Professor Aldas Janaiah, the Vice-Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), has called for more focus on protecting the environment and developing farming methods that need less human involvement.
He made these remarks while chairing the 48th meeting of the Research and Extension Advisory Council on Friday. During the event, Professor Janaiah said that universities and research systems must change with the times. He mentioned that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) regularly updates its structure to deal with new challenges. Since becoming Vice-Chancellor, he has introduced several changes at the university, which are being implemented step-by-step.
Professor Janaiah explained that in the past, policies were mainly aimed at ensuring food security. This led to the construction of big irrigation projects and fertiliser plants, which helped increase food grain production. Today, Telangana’s crop yields are similar to those seen across India between 1947 and 1950.
However, he warned that new problems have come up due to climate change and the pressure to produce more food. He said that research should now focus more on natural and organic farming. He also highlighted the growing importance of new technologies like artificial intelligence, drones, and robots in farming. He called for stronger policies to protect the environment and preserve native crop types.
On June 2, the university will begin providing high-quality seeds to two or three farmers in every village across Telangana. Professor Janaiah believes that farming without human labor might be possible by 2047. He also said that the government is working on plans to boost food exports, with the university helping by sharing its knowledge. He added that Telangana could potentially export rice worth around Rs 20,000 crore each year, but more resources are needed to reach this goal.
He encouraged more research on how to increase the value of food products. During the meeting, Dr Balaram, Director of Research, and Dr Yakadri, Director of Extension, gave updates on research and outreach activities for the years 2022–23 and 2023–24. Farmers also shared their views.
At the end of the meeting, Professor Janaiah and other officials released CDs created by the university’s Electronics Department on various topics. Registrar Dr. G. E. CH Vidyasagar gave the vote of thanks. The meeting was attended by university staff, scientists, farmers, and representatives from the horticulture and animal husbandry sectors.
