Following the Tamil Nadu Government’s decision to rename an Agricultural Research Institute in Thanjavur after Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, there is a growing chorus to rename the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) in honor of the late agricultural scientist. Dr. K. G. Padma Kumar, Director of the International Research and Training Centre for Below Sea Level Farming in Kuttanad, highlighted the strong demand for this change, particularly from the farming community in Central Kerala who benefited from Dr. Swaminathan’s contributions to the Indian Green Revolution.
Dr. Padma Kumar stated, “The farmers, especially in Kuttanad, are keen to pay tribute to the great man who turned their lives for the better. They are making recurring calls during the various events organized to commemorate the scientist. It’s now up to the government to take a call.” He also emphasized that the practice of naming universities after eminent personalities to honor their contributions is common in states like Tamil Nadu.
During a recent meeting in Kuttanad, Congress Working Committee member K. C. Venugopal MP and Kodikkunnil Suresh MP called for renaming the Rice Research Station under KAU at Moncompu after Dr. Swaminathan. Dr. Swaminathan, renowned for transforming post-Independent India’s agricultural landscape, had his roots in Kuttanad, Kerala’s granary. His high-yielding rice variety, IR8, played a pivotal role in revolutionizing paddy farming in Kerala.
In 2007, a committee led by Dr. Swaminathan submitted a report on measures to alleviate agrarian distress in the Alappuzha and Kuttanad wetland ecosystem, leading the government to announce a special package for Kuttanad’s restoration. This study also prompted the Food and Agriculture Organization to declare the Kuttanad Wetland Agriculture System as a Global Heritage Agriculture System.
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