IIPM B School Chennai Colloquium On Opportunities And Threats In The Field Of Agriculture

The Colloquium on “Opportunities and Threats in the Field of Agriculture” was organized on by the E2 Club of IIPM on 18th June 2008. It was addressed by an elite panel which included Prof. P. C. Kesavan from Department of Atomic Research, Homi Bhabha, Mr. Natarajan, Managing Director of NSA, India, Pvt. Ltd. and Prof.. Amlan Ray, Dean Admininstration of IIPM, Chennai and Prof. Krishnan, Dean Academics at IIPM, Chennai, served as moderator.

The colloquium began with the introduction and welcoming of the chief guests by Mr. Jasper Jerome, student of batch SS/0810, which was followed by lighting up of the lamp. Prof. Krishnan then took over the podium and initiated the discussions. The first topic for discussion was “Lower growth rate in agriculture compared to the services sector”. Prof. Kesavan was the first to respond and began by briefly outlining the world’s perception of Indian agriculture which included opinions expressed by President Bush of the USA. Dr. Kesavan went on to talk about how India’s agricultural system is drastically different from other system, describing the Indian system as a system of “Production by the Masses”. He said that this was one of the main reasons for the slow growth rate.

Mr. Natarajan and Prof. Ray agreed with the reasons. Mr. Natarajan also identified the imbalances in the price of agricultural products and the declining agricultural labor force in India as possible reasons.  Prof. Ray added that the declining importance given to agriculture by the government, as seen in the five year plans, is also a major reason.

After a brief round of questions from the students, Prof. Krishnan moved the discussion to the second topic which was “Various problems faced by Indian Agriculture and possible solutions”. Mr. Natarajan was asked to reply first and he identified the inefficient growing of different crops in ill-suited areas and climates as the one of the main problems along with the movement of the rural population to urban areas. Mr. Natarajan also said that the rural economy is governed by urban forces and this leads to various problems.

Prof. Kesavan echoed Mr. Natarajan’s opinions and added to them by saying that the younger generations are becoming increasingly disillusioned with agriculture and that this has resulted in the “Feminization of Poverty” in rural areas.

Professor Ray said that the government’s poor decision in attending to the symptoms of agricultural problems without addressing the real problem was a large contributor to the woes of agricultural India. He pointed out the unconditional clearing of all farmers’ loans as an example of this trend.

This topic warranted a flurry of questions with students wanting to know how they, as MBA’s, can help solve these problems. All three members of the panel gave various ways in which the students could assist the Indian agricultural system.

Following the questions, the third topic for the afternoon was brought up: “Contribution of the corporate sector in distribution and marketing in agriculture”. Professor Ray started opened the discussion by saying that the corporate sector had well and truly entered the agricultural sector and that the only question was whether they were doing good or harm to the sector. Prof. Ray went on to say that the corporate sector in agriculture tended to focus on retail and thus helped the farmers by eliminating the middleman and ensuring a greater share of the profits for the farmer themselves.

Prof. Kesavan felt that the issue was highly controversial and that the entrance of the corporate sector might increase the exports and thus lead to an increase in the price of food within the country. Mr. Natarajan had a more neutral view, saying that it is possible

that the corporate sector could force the food prices higher but adding that in the current market it is necessary for the two sectors to co-exist.

After a quick summary of the answers was given by Prof. Krishnan the next topic on the agenda was taken up: “Future of agriculture and India”. Mr. Natarajan felt that a reversal of current trends was in the offing. He said that by 2020 India should start moving back to its roots as an agricultural nation and that “the markets will go the farmers rather than the farmers going to the markets”.

Prof. Kesavan’s view was that the future of Indian agriculture was uncertain and that the effects of the green revolution were waning. He called for a new “evergreen revolution” which would ensure a sustainable growth in Indian agriculture. Professor Ray was also of the same opinion and said that production must be increased and then sustained. He also said that for the Indian farmers to compete on the global arena, the European Union and the USA must cut down their subsidies to farmers.

Following the answers was one final round of questioning with topics such as “useful genetic modification” and rising prices were discussed.

The colloquium was attended by students of IIPM as well as visiting students from Ethiraj College and Swami Vivekananda College. The colloquium ended with a vote of thanks from Mr.Kannan, student of batch Fw/0709.