The OUAT Amendment Bill has been passed by the state Assembly and aims to accord affiliation to private institutions for imparting education in agriculture. How many proposals have you received in this regard?

None, so far. This year, the Siksha O Anusandhan (SoA) University, which is a private institution, has started its own agriculture college. And for this, they have selected candidates who cleared the OUAT entrance test. However, we are planning to open two new institutes — a dairy technology college in Baripada and the other will be a veterinary college in Sambalpur.

Don’t you think extending affiliation to private institutions would dilute the quality of education?

At OUAT, we have a talented and highly qualified faculty. But if private institutions are interested to get affiliation, they have to adhere to quality control norms set by the university. Otherwise, quality of education cannot be ensured. We will constitute a monitoring team to review their status from time to time. The SoA University has appointed retired professors from OUAT that will help maintain quality

As the head of a premier agriculture university, are you satisfied with the research and development (R&D) work being undertaken at the university?

To a certain extent, I am not satisfied. We need more manpower, resources and physical infrastructure. Many teaching and researcher posts are vacant. Similar is the situation of Krishi Vigyan Kendras. How can we ensure quality R&D work under such circumstances? Whatever research we are doing with existing facilities, I think we are complacent.

Concern has been raised over the quality of higher education institutions in the state. How do you think OUAT is faring?

Our quality of education is the best in the country among all agriculture universities. This time, we have ranked third at the all-India level for having 323 postgraduates, who qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET). Before I joined, it was 34. Besides, we have produced 327 PhD scholars in the last 52 years.

Has the OUAT been successful in transfer of technology from its laboratories to the fields?

Of course. Since the time OUAT came into existence, it has been committed to serve the farming community of the state. Various technologies have been developed over the years. We, however, cannot say that 100 per cent technology has been transferred to the fields because it happens through government departments such as agriculture and animal resources. But there was manpower crunch. Recently, they have recruited some persons, which will help speed up the technology transfer process.

If technology has reached farmers, why have a lot of land remained uncultivated?

No, that is because our farmers are poor. More than 80 per cent of them are small and marginal farmers and they don’t have the financial capability. But now we have developed low-cost technology farming modules for them. We are encouraging them to mix various components to get maximum benefit out of a small land. A farmer can undertake fish and crab rearing in his pond along with poultry farming and horticulture around it. So, if one component fails at any point of time, they can rely on the others.

Why has no green revolution taken place in Odisha so far like it did in Punjab and Haryana?

There is a centrally-funded Bring Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) programme to usher in a second green revolution in the country. However, one has to understand that Odisha is vulnerable to natural calamities such as floods and droughts. That is not a constraint for Punjab or Haryana. But we are actively undertaking BGREI activities and the productivity has gone up.

How many crop varieties are you growing?

So far, we have released 140 varieties, including 59 rice varieties, 22 oilseed crops and 15 types of vegetables. Our state-grown rice varieties are very popular not only in the state, but also in Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and other places.

The primary means of livelihood of rural folk is agriculture but many experts have alleged that the state government’s Re 1 rice per kg scheme has turned them lethargic. What is your opinion as an agriculturist?

I don’t think I should comment, as it is a government policy.

A section of media has reported about Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) funds being bungled and the university has constituted a committee to probe into the allegations.

Governor S.C. Jamir, while addressing the 52nd foundation day of OUAT on August 24, advised not to take negative things into account as it would affect the growth of the institution. There are people with vested interests. If things don’t happen as per their wishes, they send out fake letters to the media. After joining in March, my thrust has been on sincerity, honesty and integrity. I will never spare anyone who is dishonest, even if that person is my friend.

The annual convocation programme is in November. Who are you planning to invite?

We will be inviting Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. We have already discussed this with the governor.

Rs 50 crore sum was announced for OUAT during the presentation of the annual budget in Parliament last year. Have you received the funds?

It will be sent over four years. We received Rs 9.9 crore last year and are expecting Rs 28 crore more this year. We are utilising it for research work and infrastructure development.

A popular scientist

Noted agriculturist and OUAT vice-chancellor professor Manoranjan Kar, 58, is
immensely popular with students and staff alike.

Professor Kar was born in Oupada village in Pattamundai, Kendrapara.

After completing his intermediate studies from Rairangpur, he did his graduation and postgraduation (gold medallist) in agriculture from the OUAT.

In 1980, he joined his alma mater as a lecturer in plant physiology and then went on to do his PhD from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.

Subsequently, he became the associate professor and head of the plant physiology department and has also been at the helm of affairs of the department of performance, monitoring and evaluation and dean of students’ welfare at the OUAT.

He had been appointed as the dean of the College of Agriculture before being named as the V-C.

He has guided 15 MSc (agriculture) and four PhD scholars and co-guided 95 postgraduate and PhD students.

He has published 90 research articles in reputed scientific journals and written eight books widely acclaimed by the teaching and research communities.

His field of specialisation is nitrogen fixation, mineral nutrition and stress physiology which are of paramount importance for the second green revolution.

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN HAD YOU NOT BEEN AN ACADEMIC?

I would have loved to become a musician. I belong to a family of singers. Though I am not professionally trained, singing has always been my hobby. I can play a range of musical instruments.

However, my brother, who was the director of health, inspired me to pursue academics.

During my younger days, engineering was generally not a preferred subject as there was large-scale unemployment of engineers. So, my brother advised me to take up agriculture studies.