A national phytotron facility, the first of itskind In Asia, was inaugurated by the directorgeneral of the Food and AgricultureOrganisation (FAO), Jacques Diouf, at theIndian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI),in New Delhi on May 7. India is the fourthcountry in the world, after Australia, Canadaand the US, to have this facility.
This facility is a joint effort of theFAO, the United Nations Development Programme, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the department of scienceand technology. Built at a cost of Rs 15 crore,this controlled environment researchfacility overcomes environmental constraints like seasons and locations andfacilitates the faster development of bettervarieties and efficient crop managementprogrammes, particularly in the rain-fedand other low yield areas. The nationalphytotron facility at the IARI consists of acore facility of 22 degree C, humidity, light andcarbon dioxide controlled chambers, backedby 10 greenhouses.
In his address, the agriculture minister,Chaturanan Mishra, criticised the currenttrend of intellectual property rightsover developed plant varieties and reiterated India's commitment for South-South cooperation, offering the phytotronfacilities to neighbouring countries.Speaking at a press conference, Dioufcomplimented India's progress in the agricultural front and emphasised the power of science and technology and the meritsof a UN-FAO developing country collaboration. He did not think that population was a major hurdle in the path towardsachieving food security. "Water is a majorinput and yet it is wasted due to inappropriate harnessing. If proper policies are adopted, then achieving food securityeven in a country like Africa will not beimpossible," he said.