Rangareddy: The 33rd annual conference of Agricultural Economics Research Association (AERA), India, was inaugurated on Monday at the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) with a theme “Innovations in Agribusiness, Empowering Women and Climate Resilient Agriculture. Nearly 300 participants, including agri-economists, industry personnel, scientists and young scholars, besides NAARM faculty and staff, students participated.

Addressing the conference as chief guest, Ramesh Chand, Member NITI Aayog, emphasised the need for timely innovations in agribusiness. This, he said, would bring a dimensional change and further stimulate thriving improvements. This change will surely help allied sectors reinforcing each other.

Highlighting the importance of women empowerment in agriculture, he said, rural women should have access to markets where they can sell their farm produce which may help boost their economic empowerment. Statistically elaborating women’s contribution in upgrading the agri-sector, he said, “women contribute to 34% of total workforce. Their participation in agri-related activities has increased to 12%. As such, their contribution is more when compared to their counterparts.” He shed light on consistent growth of agriculture over the past decade.

Director-General of ICRISAT Dr Himanshu Pathak elaborated on the immense scope for innovations under the ambit of the agri-food systems similar the challenges in improving role of women in agriculture as well as tackling climate change.

“Innovations in agriculture can be fostered through enabling environment, collaborations, partnerships and increased investments,” he said, while calling upon agri-scientists to release few climate-resilient varieties of different crops.

Another guest, Dr PK Joshi, president of AERA and former director, IFPRI South Asia & ICAR-NAARM, said “Agricultural challenges should be turned into opportunities to usher in prominent change in agriculture sector; agribusiness is a tool for such change. He lauded the transformation from deficit and import dependency to a self-sufficient and export-oriented agriculture.”

Dr. Samarendu Mohanty, founding-director, Centre for Sustainable Agri-Systems, Prof. Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTSAU), urged the fraternity to reinvent themselves to make strides with the global changes and be in forefront in the changing agriculture scenario.