Another key figure on the program today at the World Agricultural Forum was the Hon. Dr. Rajashekara Reddy, Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh, India. He participated in the opening session then held a press conference this afternoon.

I recorded his press conference for you. In it he was first asked about the price of seed in India and what he thought about it. You can listen to how he answers that. He basically wondered why seed from Monsanto costs so much in India vs. the United States. I asked him about biofuels production in his country and what it means to the economy there. He says they’ve only just begun the development of “fuel crops” and says it will be several years before it becomes significant but he’d like to see a goal of having biofuels replace at least 5% of their fuel consumption as soon as possible. He also addresses high world dairy prices and the increase in cotton production in India.

You can listen to Dr. Reddy’s press conference here: world-ag-forum-07-reddy.mp3