Natural farming is the way forward, says Padma award winner

K. Ramasamy, who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) for two terms (2012-2018), wants to continue his work to uplift the lives of small and medium-scale farmers.

A person who believes in Gandhian dictum, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”, feels that the Padma award will enable him to give back to the society. “The society has elevated us. We need to give back to the society,” he said.

Though India feeds 140 crore people and exports agricultural produce, the farmers are not respected. There are 14 crore farmers and 70% of them are small and medium-scale. “We need to give them what they require and support them to sustain,” he said. “I am convinced that natural farming needs to be supported and we should handhold them for natural farming,” he added.  

Hailing from a farming community of Nilaiyoor, Aranthangi Taluk, Pudukottai district in Tamil Nadu, he joined the TNAU in 1970 and served at various capacities in the Department of Soil Science, Plant Pathology, Agricultural Microbiology, Bioenergy, Environmental Science and Biotechnology. As an administrator, he served as the Head of Environmental Sciences in TNAU and rose to become the Dean, Adiparasakthi Agricultural College, Kalavai and Director, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in TNAU.

He had served as a Member in National Policy Planning of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ferti-irrigation and Biogas Development; Member of Backward Classes Commission; and Member of Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission (Agriculture and Irrigation).