Eminent agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminthan passed passed away in Chennai on Thursday. He was 98. Hailed as the father of Green Revolution in India, Swaminathan is credited with developing high-yield varieties of paddy and wheat that helped farmers improve the produce.
Swaminathan, who started his career in 1949, researching the genetics of crops like potato, wheat and rice, joined hands with agriculture ministers C. Subramaniam and Jagjivan Ram in the 1960s to spearhead the Green Revolution that paved way for a leap in productivity of these food crops with the use of chemical-biological technology. Swaminathan worked with American farm scientist and Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug to develop the high-yielding varieties.
Swaminathan, recipient of the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan, was also conferred the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971. He was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987 following which he set up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Taramani, Chennai.
Wheat production doubled in just a few years, making the country self-sufficient and saving millions from extreme food deprivation, the World Food Prize Foundation stated on its website in a note about Swaminathan's works. “Swaminathan learned of Borlaug’s newly developed Mexican dwarf wheat variety and invited him to India. The two scientists worked side by side to develop wheat varieties that would yield higher levels of grain as well as develop stalk structures strong enough to support the increased biomass,” it further stated.
Swaminathan has also held several administrative positions like Director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and chair of the National Commission of Farmers. He also became chair of numerous prestigious international conferences, including the 1974 United Nations World Food Congress in Rome.
He is survived by three daughters Soumya Swaminathan, Madhura Swaminathan, and Nitya Swaminathan.