Journalism's Association with Agriculture, a Historical Moment: Union Minister Parshottam Rupala at AJAI's Launch Event

Agriculture Journalist Association of India, AJAI unveiled its logo and website today at its headquarters in Green Park, New Delhi. The event was in hybrid mode, where Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, Parshottam Rupala revealed the AJAI logo, and Lena Johansson, President of the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ) launched the AJAI website.

After presenting the logo, Rupala appreciated the initiative of organizing AJAI in his speech by saying that AJAI is an innovative step that should have been introduced earlier. He congratulated the AJAI member body and agri-journalists and thanked them for providing a platform for the farmers. He mentioned that agriculture is the culture of India and agri-journalists who are reporting directly from the fields are doing commendable work.

Talking about his long-time dream turning into a reality, M C Dominic said, “I have always believed that agriculture has been the backbone of our Indian economy. Having said that, it is equally significant and quite apparent that the sector is plagued by numerous issues that go unseen by the authorities concerned. Undoubtedly, the Indian agriculture sector is in dire need of proper consideration from the media to not only address the matters of the farming community but also deliver them right onto the tables of the decision-making authorities. Regrettably, the nation does lack a dedicated media journalists’ association that works solely for the agriculture sector. This is where ‘Agriculture Journalist Association of India (AJAI),’ our committed initiative, comes into the picture to fill the vacuum. Dime a dozen times I have come across a very common complaint of farmers - their voice doesn’t reach the people in power, the ones in the authority who could bring a change in the industry. That's the reason AJAI was established with the aim that we must bear the responsibility of making farmers’ voices heard and their demands fulfilled as agri-journalists. After all, at least as humans, we have a long-standing obligation towards the hands that feed us.”

Congratulating M C Dominic and the members of AJAI on the logo and website launch, Johansson said, “When my organization IFAJ was started in the 1950s, it was in a way, a result of the second world war. People in Europe were starving agriculture needed to be improved to produce more but to manage that, farmers need the proper and relevant information. So, a group of agriculture journalists came together to network and support each other. IFAJ now has 60 member countries. Our members embrace freedom of the press. We offer agriculture journalists and communicators a platform for professional development and international networking. India has a long history of democracy and freedom of the press. It is also a very important agricultural country therefore it would be interesting if we shortly could strengthen our network with Indian colleagues through IFAG. We are looking forward to a fruitful connection with AJAI. I wish you good luck for future ventures.”

Many eminent personalities from the agriculture industry were present at the physical event while several guests joined via Zoom Meeting including:

• A K Singh, DDG Extension, ICAR

• Adalberto Rossi, Secretary General, IFAJ

• Dr S K Malhotra, Project Director- DKMA, ICAR

• J P Mishra OSD (Policy Planning & Partnership) & ADG (IR), ICAR

• Adrian Bell, Treasurer, IFAJ

• B R Kamboj, VC, CCS Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar

• V Praveen Rao, VC, PJ Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad

• Krishna Kumar, VC, RPCAU, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar

• DR A K Karnataka, VC, Uttarakhand Agriculture University

• Dr R S Kureel, VC, MGUHF, Chhattisgarh

• Prabha Shankar Shukla, VC, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong

• Hugh Maynard, Global Manager, IFAJ

• Choudhary Mohammad Iqbal, Director of Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh

• Soraj Singh, Ex-Director of Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh

• S Bhattacharjee, Former Managing Director, NERAMAC Ltd. Govt. of India

• Ismail Ugural, President, TGAJ

• Kanwal Singh Chauhan, Padma Shri Awardee, Progressive Farmer

• Anand Tripathi, Ex JDA Bureau, Department of Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh

• V V Sadamate, Former Advisor Agriculture Planning Commission

• Kalyan Goswami, DG, ACFI

• Sanjeeb Mukherjee, Business Standard

About Agriculture Journalist Association of India:

AJAI is an M C Dominic-founded national organization that works to promote the highest standards among agriculture journalism, including writers, communicators, and photographers, who have made a career out of farming, dairying, horticulture, fisheries, floriculture, food production, or, in general, anything related to the agricultural sector.

M C Dominic, who acts as the company's president, founded AJAI. AJAI is a one-stop destination for all topics related to agri-journalism. By planning seminars, presentations, workshops, and events for its members and providing opportunities for interaction with prominent people in the industry, the organization seeks to bring the agriculture sector together.