Keralite Professor received highest honour in Australia

Keralite Professor received highest honour in Australia
Dr.T.P.Sethumadhavan

Professor Kadambot H.M.Sidhique, a native of Kodungalloor and currently the Chair in Agriculture and Director, UWA Institute of Agriculture and Associate Dean Research, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia has been honoured as the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in Queen’s birthday honors’ list. The citation recognized his lifetime’s work in advancing agricultural science as an academic and researcher. In 2005 he was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) recognizing his outstanding contribution to Australian and international agriculture, particularly his innovative research and leadership in production agronomy, crop physiology, germplasm development and breeding of grain legumes (pulses) and cereal crops. In 2009 he received a gold medal and citation from the former President on India, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, for his international contribution to agricultural science and education. In 2001, Siddique received the prestigious “Urrbrae Memorial Award” for his contribution to Australian agricultural science and the industry.
Professor Siddique has 25 years of experience in agricultural research, teaching and management in both Australia and overseas. As a result of Professor Siddique’s personal research and with others with whom he collaborates, Australia has become one of the major grain legume exporting nations in the world and he is the Winthrop Professor of the University. He has developed an extensive network of scientists within Australia and has also established a diverse range of overseas (China, India, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, East Timor, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Europe, Canada, USA) collaborative research and educational projects and holds a number of national and international committee positions and has published more than 200 scientific papers, review articles and book chapters. As an Alumni of Kerala Agricultural University he was instrumental in establishing Academic of Climate change Education and research at Kerala Agricultural University in association with University of Western Australia.
Recently Professor Sidhique visited Kerala to deliver a talk on Global agricultural Production and impacts on climate change at Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur.He suggested that Agricultural issues of the state need immediate attention by Government in the following thrust areas.
Labour shortage is a serious problem and large scale mechanization is essential. Requirement of machines for garden land agriculture for perennials is increasing- digging, coconut harvesting, basin operations, hill implements etc. Weather advisories and forecasting models needs to expand the weather net work. Productivity of crops are quite low. Larger issues on agro climatic planning for addressing yield gaps of perennials are existing. Exploiting the local potential as well as participatory technology development, management like deep ploughing etc are not practiced. Consultancy/demonstration of agro techniques for productivity increase could be considered.
Water management is an issue in Kerala- water harvesting, rehabilitation of tanks and ponds, water use efficiency, enhancing agronomic aspects, micro irrigation, etc must be popularized in the state. Attention on precision farming for vegetables, banana etc are practiced in isolated areas. This could be expanded to larger areas. Projects to promote Organic farming, Soil fertility, wet land ecosystem, farmer group based technology transfer, value addition, safe use of pesticides, capacity building and strategies to improve the health of major rivers are the need of the hour; Prof.Sidhique added.