"For every single rupee invested in last five years so far in technology and research in India, Rs 13 have been recovered as the end result due to product development or output", mentioned Dr S. Ayyappan , secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education (DARE) and DG, ICAR, government of India while referring to the National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) project which he thinks has served as a catalyst to bring about changes.

He was speaking to the BioSpectrum's Rahul Koul on the sidelines of a press meeting to explain the achievements of The World Bank and government India funded NAIP. The meeting was organized by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). "This project has given critical approach to do the capacity building to tackle problems created due to climatic changes," Dr Ayappan said.

Speaking further on the partnerships and priorities, the head of ICAR, mentioned, "It is not just about money but the mutual advantage that comes due to collaboration with the World Bank. India is the first country to bring about the agriculture innovation and very few countries have this kind of krishi vigyan kendra (KVK) model. Infrastructure development and value chain is our top priority. Value chain was brought as a business aspect. The introduction of Sustainable Rural Livelihood component can lead to increase in farmer's income."

"All the major stakeholders, scientists, agri-incubators, farmers and government as policy maker, have to play an important role. The future of science lies in the mix of technology, research, policy, investments. We cannot rely only on foreign technologies. We now need home grown technologies for Indian agriculture to progress and march into future," added Dr Ayappan