Agricultural Revolutions & ICAR Institutes
Transformative agricultural revolutions have elevated India from food scarcity to agricultural self-sufficiency and global export prominence. The Green Revolution, pioneered by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan and Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug during the mid-1960s, introduced high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of semi-dwarf wheat and rice alongside chemical fertilizers and tube-well irrigation. Similarly, the White Revolution (Operation Flood), spearheaded by Dr. Verghese Kurien through the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Amul cooperative model, made India the world's largest milk producer. Additional initiatives, such as the Blue Revolution (fisheries) and Yellow Revolution (oilseeds), are reinforced by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) network and Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanisms.
Key Concepts & Examination Highlights
- Dr. M.S. Swaminathan is regarded as the 'Father of the Green Revolution in India' for introducing high-yielding Mexican dwarf wheat varieties in the 1960s.
- Operation Flood, launched in 1970 by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) under Dr. Verghese Kurien ('Father of the White Revolution'), established the world's largest dairy development programme.
- The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommends Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for 22 mandated agricultural crops and Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane.
- The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI, Pusa Institute) in New Delhi is India's premier national institute for agricultural research and education under ICAR.