India should appreciate the importance of genetically improved varieties of crops. The nation’s farmers have been among the greatest beneficiaries of the introduction of high-yielding wheat varieties, thanks to the “Father of the Green Revolution,” Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug.
In pre-Borlaug 1963, wheat grew in India in sparse, irregular strands, was harvested by hand, and was susceptible to rust disease. The maximum yield was 800 pounds per acre. By 1968, after the introduction of Borlaug’s varieties and improved agronomic practices, the wheat grew densely packed, was resistant to rust, and the maximum yield had risen to 6,000 pounds per acre.
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