the Symposium on Wheats for More Tropical Environments - cimmyt
the Symposium on Wheats for More Tropical Environments - cimmyt
the Symposium on Wheats for More Tropical Environments - cimmyt
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12In Argentina, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re have been ups anddowns, principally depending <strong>on</strong>government pricing policies. but <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>upward trend in producti<strong>on</strong> has beenvery str<strong>on</strong>g and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is every reas<strong>on</strong> tobelieve that, in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> next few years. itwill increase even more rapidly.The real success story in wheat hasbeen in Bangladesh. It has g<strong>on</strong>e from asmall wheat-producti<strong>on</strong> area in 1961-65to a producti<strong>on</strong> of over <strong>on</strong>e milli<strong>on</strong> t<strong>on</strong>stoday. This has occurred withtechnology that was co-generated byCIMMYT and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Government of India.and imported into Bangladesh andapplied to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> fields of <strong>for</strong>mer riceproducers. It is a story of anextraordinary take-off in wheatproducti<strong>on</strong>.There are. however. problem areas in<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world where wheat producti<strong>on</strong> hasnot increased. These areas are mainlyin <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Middle East and Mrica. where<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re has been a downward trend in percapita producti<strong>on</strong>.CIMMYT wheats are now planted <strong>on</strong>approximately 40 milli<strong>on</strong> hectares indeveloping countries and ano<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r 10milli<strong>on</strong> in developed countries. Whenwe say CIMMYT. we are referring tothis network of some 2.500 scientistsscattered around <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world. These 50milli<strong>on</strong> hectares may have alreadyexpanded to 60 or even 65 milli<strong>on</strong>; at<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> moment we are trying to get newfigures <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> area under wheat cropsthat bear CIMMYT germplasm. Tenmilli<strong>on</strong> t<strong>on</strong>s of grain may be added to<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world's food supply annually. justfrom <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> effect of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se varieties.Looking briefly at maize. <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re hasbeen a similar success story in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>1969-71 to 1979-81 period. There havebeen significant increases in yielddUring <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> decade. The developedcountries had made big increasesdUring <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 1959-61 to 1969-71 decadebut. with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> developing countriescatching up. an even more surprisingpercentage increase in total producti<strong>on</strong>took place this last decade.We reck<strong>on</strong> that some 3 milli<strong>on</strong> hectaresof land are now under improved maizevarieties coming out of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> CIMMYTnetwork. with some 90 milli<strong>on</strong> dollarsin value added each year. But. hereagain, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re are regi<strong>on</strong>al discrepancies.While Latin America had an increase inproducti<strong>on</strong> of 2.4% annually dUring <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>last decade. Mrica has not kept pacewith <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> rate of populati<strong>on</strong> growth. Theincrease in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Middle East has beengreater than <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> rate of populati<strong>on</strong>growth. and Asia has made some realgains in per capita availability of maize.Much of CIMMYT's ef<strong>for</strong>t c<strong>on</strong>tinues tobe <strong>on</strong> improving <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> genetic yieldpotential. but even more ef<strong>for</strong>t is nowgoing into increasing yielddependability under envir<strong>on</strong>mentalstress c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s. That is why you arehere this week. We are trying to close<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> gap between potential yields andthose <strong>on</strong> farmers' fields. This is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>reas<strong>on</strong> that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> emphasis <strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong>-farmresearch and producti<strong>on</strong> agr<strong>on</strong>omy hasbecome a much more substantial partof our program in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> last few years.The biggest problem we face ispopulati<strong>on</strong> growth, with which you arefamiliar. When I was born. <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>populati<strong>on</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world was less than 2billi<strong>on</strong> people. If I live my three scoreand seven years. <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> populati<strong>on</strong> by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>end of my life time will exceed 6.5billi<strong>on</strong>. This is what can happen to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>populati<strong>on</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world Within <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>space of <strong>on</strong>e man's life. This Is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>challenge that faces us in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> yearsahead. and this is where ouropportunity lies.