Bio-Agri 2021 to focus on comprehensive approach to tackle food crisis

HYDERABAD, Oct 21 (The CONNECT) – Pointing out that there is a great stress on soil, president of Bio-agri Input Producers Association (BIPA) Dr KRK Reddy has said by the year 2050, major soils will be dead. By 2050, around 50% of the arable land would be salt-affected, Dr Reddy said briefing media about the BIO AGRI-2021, to be held in Hyderabad on October 28 and 29. 

Quoting the UN reports, Dr Reddy said only 60 years of farming is left. The world will face a food crisis and even encounter a famine situation.

Generating three centimetres of topsoil takes 1,000 years, and if current rates of degradation continue all of the world’s topsoil could be gone within 60 years, he said and explained that the Bio-Agri 2021 will focus on the twin challenges of increasing productivity and quality output

BIPA joint secretary Dr John Peter said one-third of usable land globally is consumed by agriculture. It is perceived generally that industries are producing a lot of pollution.

But, 15% of greenhouse gases are produced because of agricultural practices and unconventional uses of chemicals.

Association treasurer Ch. V. Srinivas said soil which is supposed to be like a sponge has become a brick. The world soil is on the ventilator. 

The 2020 World Food Prize Laureate Dr Rattan Lal will address the conference delegates virtually from the US. Over his career spanning more than five decades and four continents, Dr Lal has promoted innovative soil-saving techniques benefiting the livelihoods of more than 500 million smallholder farmers, improving the food and nutritional security of more than two billion people and saving hundreds of millions of hectares of natural tropical ecosystems.

The other speakers include Dr Pam Marrone, Chairperson, Marrone Bio Innovations—USA; Henri Oosthoek, MD of Koppert Biological Systems, The Netherlands and Dr Agenor Mafra-Neto, Chemical Ecology Researcher. 

The conference will discuss Biological Crop Nutrition - Current Status and Way Forward; Biological Crop Protection - Emerging Trends; Predators, Parasites and Pollinators for better Crop Protection; Pheromones / Semi chemicals for innovative Crop Protection and Regulatory, Industry-Academia Interface and Bio-Agri business opportunities.