There is a need to regulate agriculture courses, says ougoing TNAU VC Ramasamy

K Ramasamy is the 12th vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). He will complete his second consecutive tenure of three years on Thursday. He has served TNAU for more than 30 years in various academic and administrative positions. This apart, he has also been a member of various commissions. Vishnu Swaroop caught up with him a day before his current tenure comes to an end and he was more than willing to talk about his tenure, higher education and challenges faced by TNAU and farmers in the state.
What are the milestones in your six-year tenure?

We have brought infrastructure, instrumentation and curriculum modifications to support every individual become a professional. We tried online exams and used electronic exam pads. We have also brought similar facilities on all our campuses. TNAU has been ranked first among all the agricultural universities. And we are among top 17 among the 840 universities in the country.

What do you think TNAU should do in future to stay relevant?

We have to produce graduates, who can compete globally. We need to teach them one or two foreign languages. Today, an increasing number of girls are taking up agriculture courses. They should be able to get new technology through overseas education and training, and they should be able to set up start-ups. In future, agriculture might be all about farming in a large scale and not small farming. For this, we need to equip ourselves with new technology and machinery.

Is there an increase in interest in agriculture courses?

There is a real interest among students to pursue agriculture courses. But both academicians and administrators have failed miserably to regulate the courses. Agriculture is a state subject. But without the state’s knowledge, deemed universities are starting courses. Several colleges don’t even have land requirements. The rules are so fluid that accreditation from ICAR could be acquired after the first batch of students are out. This means that no one is going to regulate the courses for five years. This is a misfortune. It is high time that the government and academicians regulated agriculture courses.

Also, instead of starting separate central institutions, the Centre could invest in state institutions. Instead of horizontal expansion, we should go for vertical expansion to become knowledge contributors.

Usually, it is felt that there is a gap between research institutions and farmers. What’s your take?

Earlier, we were focussed on own research and PhDs. Now, we have introduced demand-driven research, so we can provide solutions to farmers. The delayed release of water from Karnataka for Kuruvai is always a problem. So, we introduced a short duration rice variety of 110 days. Other maize and fodder varieties that we have introduced are today prevalent in other states and countries as well.