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duced under very unfavorable weather conditions
clearly established the creditability of the
green revolution.
The current 1970 crop, produced under
moderately favorable weather conditions in
both India and Pakistan was the third consecutive
record breaker. Production climbed to
an estimated more than 20 million and 8.4
million tons in India and Pakistan, respectively.
Green revolution rolls onward in both Pakistan
and India.
During the past three wheat harvests, 1968­
70, a total of US$1,850,000,000 and US$850,000,­
000 has been added to the gross agricultural
product of India and Pakistan respectively,
above the value of the record 1965 wheat crop.
The injection of this vast new income into
the economies of the two countries has greatly
expanded business activity. Farm incomes
have soared and farmers demands for a wide
variety of goods have expanded rapidly. They
are buying inputs such as improved seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides, pumps, tractors, plows,
threshers and grain drills as never before.
Farmers are also rapidly expanding their purchase
of consumer goods such as transistor
radios, bicycles, sewing machines, refrigerators,
and many other items. The widespread
sales of radios offer the possibility of improving
the educational level of farmers. These
and other aspects of the green revolution are
discussed in more detail in the section covering
the Indian wheat program.
The Research Base Supporting
the Green Revolution
The breeding, pathologic and agronomic
research program on wheat in India is now
almost qertainly the largest and most diver:sified
of any in the world. The magnitude and scope
of the Pakistan wheat research program is
also one of the largest and most dynamic.
When the research being done by CIMMYT is
added to supplement that of these two strong
national programs, the research underpinning
of these national program is very great. This
feat of strengthening research has· been
achieved without adequate financial support
from the governments of India and Pakistan,
largely through the reorientation and reorganization
of the existing programs and through
the efforts of members of the researc"h and
extension teams. For example, although the
scheme for the All-India Coordinated Wheat
Improvement Programs dates back to 1961,
and the budget and staffing pattern were drawn
up and submitted in 1965, it was not finally
approved until late 1969, and funded in early
1970. In essence then the research developments
on wheat in India were accomplished
without formalized expanded financial support
for research. The finances available
were drawn from previously fragmented
schemes brought together under the coordinated
program. These funds were modestly
supplemented by additional state or university
sources. Shortage of funding also constituted
a major constraint at certain stages on the
expansion of several state and university programs.
Nevertheless, success has been
achieved, and largely because of the teamwork
approach.
It must be pointed out that wheat research
work is nonetheless either still weak, or fragmented
in many other countries of the Near
and Middle East and North Africa. Steps are
being taken in all countries where CIMMYT is
directly or indirectly involved in production
programs to attempt to correct this defect.
This takes time, money and staff. The following
examples illustrate the needs for more
research. Some of the highest yielding Mexican
varieties, Le., Siete Cerros and Inia 66
are susceptible to either Septoria, Mildew or
stripe rust in the heavy rainfall areas of the
Mediterranean. Other varieties such as Tobari
66 .and Penjamo 62 are somewhat more resistant
to such diseases under these conditions.
It is necessary to develop research programs
in the Mediterranean climate areas to identify,
develop and recommend those varieties most
appropriate for this climate. During the past
year, the national research programs in Tunisia
and Morocco with direct technical assistance
from CIMMYT have been strengthened so as
to achieve this goal. They have already made
a potentially valuable contribution to improving
wheat production in North Africa, and perhaps
also in the entire spring wheat area of
the Mediterranean by identifying several experimental
high-yielding dwarf CIMMYT Mexican
lines with better resistance to these diseases.
Both countries are now struggling to
expand their breeding programs so as to handle
these diseases as well as several insect
problems which are especially severe. in North
Africa.
There is now a welcomed strengthening of
research on the horizon, from an unexpected
source. Developing countries are beginning to
help other developing countries. The government
of India, which has profited enormously
from the green revolution, is now in the preliminary
stages of formally setting up a foreign
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