If we honour Swaminathan, we have to take farmers along, says daughter

Head of the Economic Analysis Unit at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bengaluru, she joined the event through video conferencing.

Police use tear gas shells to disperse farmers during their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march at Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, near Patiala, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (PTI Photo)

Former IARI director R B Singh said M S Swaminathan devised the formula for MSP and had strongly recommended its implementation.

He recalled his time with M S Swaminathan, who led the Green Revolution, in the National Commission on Farmers, noting that they had also framed the first-ever policy on farmers. “Policies on agriculture are many but policy on farmers, the person behind the plow, was nowhere… the Swaminathan Commission had strongly suggested the adoption of Minimum Support Price… A pro-poor, pro-women and pro-nature approach, Dr Swaminathan strongly believed that if our farm women and men are assisted on the lines proposed in the policy, they will ensure a glorious future in agriculture and in food and nutrition security,” he said.

M S Swaminathan’s other daughter Soumya Swaminathan, a former WHO Chief Scientist, said he always used a combination of participatory and anticipatory research, where he included those who would be directly affected by any new research he undertook. Additionally, he would anticipate problems that could come up in the future and would attempt to address them.

Security at Singhu. Amit Mehra

“That is why he was one of the first people who was talking about climate change in the late 60s and early 70s when not many people were thinking about it,” she said.

Security personnel use teargas to disperse farmers at the Shambhu border on Tuesday. Kamleshwar Singh

The speakers also highlighted M S Swaminathan’s popularity among his students.

Soumya Swaminathan recalled how her father had an open-door policy where anyone could walk into his office or house to talk to him. She said her father loved interacting with students since they would be the ones who would address problems in the future. She recalled him being devoted to the cause of agriculture and farmers’ welfare – especially small-holder farmers and fishermen – as well as to the cause of the marginalised and tribal communities. “That always worried and saddened him that the people who grow food for us actually are not living very healthy or prosperous lives,” she said.

The lecture was headed by Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education at the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. He highlighted how the 1943 Bengal Famine had a deep impact on M S Swaminathan.

“The burning question at that time was how to solve the problem of hunger. Dr M S Swaminathan said, in his later speeches, that he’d ask himself why he took up agriculture, especially genetics. He said it is because he wanted to produce more and more food so that this country becomes free from hunger,” Pathak said.