"Sustainable Agriculture is Not a Goal, It is a Necessity," Says Mayank Singhal, MD, PI Industries at CII Agrinnovate

CII Agrinnovate conference on Embracing Technology for Sustainable Agriculture, fostered discussions, knowledge sharing, and collaboration around technology integration in advancing sustainable agricultural practices.

The conference organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Northern Region was held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on October 6, 2023, and aimed to bring together experts, policymakers, stakeholders, and innovators to explore the potential of technology-driven solutions in addressing the challenges and opportunities in agriculture while promoting agriculture sustainability.

“As we all have seen in the evolving world of technology today, not one individual or one organization can bring total solutions. We need to partner, compete, and connect with different dots to create unique solutions,” suggested Mayank Singhal, Chairman, CII Northern Regional Committee on Agriculture, Food Processing & Dairy and Vice Chairman & Managing Director, PI Industries., at the inaugural session.

He further stressed on the belief that the adoption of these technologies for crop protection recognizes that sustainable agriculture is not a goal, it is a necessity.

Dr PK Singh, Agriculture Commissioner, Government of India, put emphasis that technology needs integration for adoption and stated that the planet, people, and profit are the foundation for any technological advancement and sustainability.

The CII Agrinnovate conference witnessed a number of discussions including the importance of innovative technologies in crop protection, the role of seed technology in maximizing crop productivity and resilience, and exploring the concept of climate-smart agriculture, an integrated approach that seeks to enhance productivity and environmental sustainability in the face of climatic uncertainties.

"It is nice to see the integration of ideas and concepts along with a number of fruitful discussions. All these are to be supported with enhanced collaboration between stakeholders, especially in the agri-business industry which should be driven by market or consumer needs,” said, Raghavan Sampathkumar, Executive Director, Federation of Seed Industry (FSII) while talking to Krishi Jagran.

He further added, “Above all, we need to have a policy and regulatory framework, which is essentially based on science and evidence so that we will be able to believe in the advancements and technologies to help meet our country’s food and nutrition security needs in the future.”