Water management strategies required to increase farm productivity: VIT chancellor

The Tamil Nadu government should take adequate steps to strengthen water management strategies to increase agricultural productivity and sustain farmers’ livelihoods, said G. Viswanathan, founder and chancellor, VIT.

Speaking at the valedictory of the eighth edition of Agri Expo 2026, which was organised by VIT School of Agricultural Innovations and Advanced Learning (VAIAL) here, Mr. Viswanathan said that with the limited share of national water resources for agrarian State like Tamil Nadu, water conservation remains key in addressing ways to increase agricultural productivity to meet growing population. “The government should eliminate middlemen in the supply chain of farm produce where farmers already face crop failures, mounting debts, and lack of remunerative prices,” he said. 

The Chancellor said that the State government should undertake restoration of around 41,000 irrigation tanks including desilting and deepening these water bodies. It will help to store excess rainwater during monsoon. “As Tamil Nadu gets only around three percent of the country’s total water availability, the State government should restore small water bodies to store excess rainwater. Interlinking of rivers should also be pursued vigorously,” he said.

Mr. Viswanathan said that despite India having become the world’s fourth-largest economy in terms of GDP, the actual growth of the country depends on higher per capita income, which is low when compared to developed countries. For example, India’s per capita income stands around 2,900 dollars and ranks 140th globally. In contrast, Japan’s per capita income is nearly 12 times higher than India.

The expo featured 145 stalls displaying innovations, including new banana varieties from National Research Centre on Banana (NRCB), water-saving technologies, and a fruit bagging device developed by VIT faculty.

On the occasion, awards were given to outstanding stalls in government, private, and women’s self-help group categories in the presence of K. Sundaravadivelu, Additional Director (Management), Tamil Nadu Department of Agriculture.