Chennai :

A biography of Dr Sanjaya Rajaram, who developed 58% of all wheat varieties that exist now, was released in Chennai on Sunday.

The book, “Mr Golden Grain, the Life and Work of the Maharaja of Wheat,” traces the humble beginning of Rajaram and his success.

The book highlights Rajaram’s sheer grit and determination that took him from a humble wheat researcher to a global leader in research arena.

The book, written by agriculture communications specialist G Venkataramani, was released at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation. M S Swaminathan, founder of MSSRF, released the book and applauded it for being one of the best biographies on scientists.

“Dr Rajaram has shown single-minded devotion and desire not only for knowledge but to work towards public good, bringing him awards cutting across national boundaries,” he said.

“The book not only delves on not only on the humanistic aspects of the person but also on the scientific strength of Dr Rajaram,” he added.

Rajaram — who is the recipient of the 2014 World Food Prize for his scientific research that lead to an increase in wheat production by more than the 200 million tonne — expressed his concern over the growing population and the need to strengthen a holistic approach to agriculture especially related to soils and seeds.

“Wheat is a great programme on paper. However, the quality of seeds is a great concern where different varieties are being mixed and sold. Although it is distributed by the public sector, if farmers don’t get good seed, they won’t get good crops. We can look at public-private or public – NGO supported models for better seeds,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Karthikeyan Hemalatha, TNN / June 21st, 2015