WHEAT is the Crop of the coming era,
says the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research
(CGIAR). And India is slated to be the
lead producer of this cereal in the next
decade. In a recently published report,
the Institute predicts that wheat will be
the most important grain in developing
nations as a result of a massive agricultural transformation. Advances in wheat
research have produced varieties with
higher degrees of drought resi .stance'
This is particularly attractive to the
African and certain Asian nations which
suffer from prolonged and persistent
dry spells. It is not surprising therefore,
that in the developing world wheat has
experienced a 96 per cent yield increase
between 1970 and 1994, with India forging ahead of others. And Don
Winkelmann, chairman Of CGIAR'S technical advisory committee is convinced
that this is only the beginning. "If we
continue to invest in research we can
achieve tremendous increases in productivity," he enthuses.
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