Dr. Sahdev Singh

In my view, institution-building means creating robust systems, capable people, effective processes and enabling infrastructure that continue to function efficiently even when individual officers move on. A strong institution should not depend on any one individual.

For example, as an administrator, I focused on strengthening the work environment through improvements in IT and digital infrastructure, workplace facilities, training centres and field offices. These initiatives helped create a more conducive and efficient environment for employees.

Such improvements go beyond physical infrastructure. They facilitate better communication, coordination, training, knowledge sharing, faster decision-making and improved productivity, enabling employees to deliver better results within a given period.

The ultimate objective is to create a ready, responsive and service-oriented institutional ecosystem in which people, processes, technology and infrastructure work together effectively.

I believe the true test of leadership is not how much an individual accomplishes personally, but how much institutional capacity he or she leaves behind. My approach is therefore to build systems that outlast individuals, develop people who can sustain them, and create an enabling environment that continuously improves efficiency, effectiveness and quality of service delivery.

I believe Indian agriculture must move beyond a production-centric approach towards an entrepreneurship- and market-centric approach. While increasing agricultural productivity remains important, farmers must also be empowered with the skills and resources needed to create value and participate meaningfully across the agricultural value chain.

A farmer is already an entrepreneur, making decisions relating to inputs, investment, technology, production, risk and markets. However, farmers need better market intelligence, business acumen, price-negotiation skills, risk-management capabilities and access to finance to realise the full economic potential of their efforts.

In my role in public administration and the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and while holding the additional charge of Director, CCS NIAM, I have come to appreciate the importance of agricultural marketing in improving farmers' economic returns. Efficient aggregation, grading, standardisation, storage, processing, value addition and market linkages can strengthen farmers' bargaining power and help them secure a greater share of the value generated beyond the farm gate.

Our objective should be to empower farmers as informed entrepreneurs with greater market access, economic choices and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

I believe the most important change required in Indian agriculture is to transform the relationship between farmers and markets from a largely transactional relationship into a strong, transparent and mutually beneficial business partnership.

Traditionally, agricultural development has focused considerably on increasing production, while market access, price discovery, value addition and consumer preferences have received comparatively less attention. Higher production alone does not necessarily translate into higher farm income. Agricultural marketing must therefore become an integral part of agricultural development.

In my view, five priority areas are essential to this transformation: strengthening market intelligence and price transparency; developing Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) as professionally managed business enterprises; investing in post-harvest infrastructure, storage, processing and value addition; building trust-based, long-term partnerships between farmers and market participants; and developing farmers as entrepreneurs with better business and risk-management skills.

Agricultural marketing institutions have a crucial role in connecting producers, markets and consumers through capacity building, market-oriented education, research and industry partnerships. These efforts should create transparent and efficient value chains that protect the interests of both farmers and consumers.

Ultimately, agricultural policy must focus not only on increasing productivity but also on improving farmers' incomes, choices, bargaining power and ability to secure a fair share of the value they create.

I believe young people can play a transformative role in making Indian agriculture more competitive, profitable, sustainable and attractive. Their familiarity with technology, data, innovation and entrepreneurship offers significant opportunities to address challenges across the agricultural value chain.

From my experience in government, higher education and agricultural administration, I see considerable potential to nurture the next generation through agricultural marketing education, entrepreneurship development, agribusiness incubation, industry partnerships and practical exposure to emerging value chains.

Agriculture should be presented not merely as cultivation, but as a diverse field of opportunities in agri-business, digital agriculture, research, food processing, agricultural marketing, logistics, supply-chain management and value addition. Institutions such as CCS NIAM can contribute by equipping young people with professional knowledge, entrepreneurial capabilities and an understanding of both agricultural realities and market opportunities.

Our focus should be on developing not only job seekers but also job creators who can establish viable enterprises, strengthen FPOs, improve market linkages and develop innovative solutions to farmers' real challenges. With appropriate mentoring, institutional support, finance and industry connections, young entrepreneurs can bridge the gap between farmers and markets.

Ultimately, young people must become the bridge between the farm and the future—combining technology with entrepreneurship, innovation with inclusion, and business growth with farmers' welfare. By channelising their talent towards practical agricultural challenges, we can create meaningful opportunities for employment, enterprise and nation-building.

Lifelong learning has taught me that expertise is never complete.

The moment we believe that we know enough is often the moment our ability to grow begins to decline.

Every new assignment exposes us to unfamiliar problems, different perspectives and new ways of thinking. Learning therefore should not stop with formal education or professional qualifications.

Curiosity is an important professional quality because it keeps us willing to ask questions, examine assumptions and understand changing circumstances.

In a rapidly changing world, the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn may be more valuable than any single qualification.

Experience becomes more valuable when it is shared.

Those who have benefited from institutions, mentors and opportunities have a responsibility to pass knowledge forward.

Mentorship should not mean telling the next generation what to do. It should help young people develop the ability to think independently, question assumptions and make informed decisions.

The objective of education should not simply be to create qualified individuals, but thoughtful and responsible citizens capable of contributing to society.

If our experience can help a young person avoid a mistake, see a possibility or develop confidence in their own ability, sharing that experience becomes a meaningful form of public service.

Authority can compel compliance, but it cannot create genuine trust.

Trust is built through consistency, competence, fairness and the willingness to take responsibility.

People observe what a leader does much more closely than what a leader says. If a leader expects discipline but does not demonstrate it, or expects accountability but avoids it personally, credibility is quickly lost.

Leadership therefore begins with example.

The most enduring influence comes when people respect not merely the position a person occupies, but the values and conduct associated with that person.

Every new responsibility initially appears unfamiliar, but unfamiliarity can also be an opportunity to learn.

Moving between different areas taught me not to approach a new assignment with the assumption that previous methods will automatically work in a new environment.

The subject may change, but certain fundamentals remain constant—understanding the problem, listening to stakeholders, studying the available evidence, understanding the institutional framework and then taking responsibility for a decision.

Adaptability is therefore not about abandoning one's principles. It is about applying those principles intelligently to changing circumstances.

Books can provide knowledge, frameworks and perspectives, but experience teaches us the complexity of applying them.

Real situations rarely arrive as neatly defined problems. They involve competing priorities, incomplete information, human emotions, institutional constraints and consequences that may not be immediately visible.

Experience teaches us to listen carefully before deciding, to understand different perspectives and to recognise that a technically correct decision may still require thoughtful implementation.

Perhaps the most important lesson is that good judgement develops through reflection—by looking back at decisions, understanding their consequences and remaining willing to learn from them.

Do not measure your career only by the positions you occupy. Measure it by the value you create and the institutions, people and communities that are stronger because of your contribution.

Positions change. Responsibilities change. Organisations change.

What remains is the integrity with which we performed our responsibilities, the knowledge we shared, the people we helped develop and the systems we helped strengthen.

A meaningful career should therefore leave behind more capability than it inherited.

Learn continuously, serve with integrity, and leave every institution and every person you touch stronger than you found them.

The most meaningful part of a career in public service is difficult to reduce to a position or designation.

For me, it is the opportunity to contribute—to institutions, to public administration, to knowledge and, ultimately, to people.

A career becomes meaningful when the work continues to have value beyond the period in which one performs a particular responsibility.

If something I have learned can help strengthen an institution, assist a colleague, guide a student, contribute to farmers' welfare or help a young person think differently about public service, then that is perhaps the most lasting measure of a career.