M. S. Swaminathan
Agricultural scientist known as the father of India’s Green Revolution
- Lived
- 98 yrs
- 1925 – 2023
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 6
- Most recent 2024
- Profile views
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M. S. Swaminathan was an agricultural scientist who led the introduction of high-yielding crop varieties that turned India from a food-deficit country into a self-sufficient one in the 1960s and 1970s. He won the first World Food Prize and was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously. He died in 2023.
Biography
Choosing agriculture
Swaminathan’s father, a surgeon, died when he was eleven. Moved by the Bengal famine of 1943, he switched from zoology to agricultural science. He qualified for the Indian Police Service but chose a research fellowship in the Netherlands instead, and earned a PhD in genetics at Cambridge in 1952.
The Green Revolution
Back in India at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, he worked with American plant breeder Norman Borlaug in the 1960s to test and adapt high-yielding dwarf wheat varieties for Indian farms. Combined with irrigation and fertiliser, they led to a dramatic jump in wheat production, ending India’s dependence on food imports.
Global leader
He headed the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and served as principal secretary in the agriculture ministry, then led the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines from 1982 to 1988. In 1987 he received the first World Food Prize and used the money to set up the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai, focused on sustainable farming and the rural poor.
Later years
He chaired the National Commission on Farmers, whose recommendations on minimum support prices are still debated, and was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2007 to 2013. He died in Chennai on 28 September 2023 and was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2024.
Timeline
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1925
Born in Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu)
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1952
PhD in genetics at Cambridge
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1966
Large-scale trials of high-yielding wheat
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1971
Ramon Magsaysay Award
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1982
Director-General of the International Rice Research Institute
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1987
First World Food Prize
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1988
Founds his research foundation
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2004
Chairs the National Commission on Farmers
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2007
Nominated to the Rajya Sabha
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2023
Dies in Chennai
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2024
Bharat Ratna (posthumous)
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2023
Died, aged 98
Awards and honours
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Padma Shri
1967
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Ramon Magsaysay Award
1971
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Padma Bhushan
1972
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World Food Prize
1987 · The first.
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Padma Vibhushan
1989
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Bharat Ratna
2024 · Posthumous.
Did you know?
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1
He turned down a career in the Indian Police Service.
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2
He won the first World Food Prize.
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3
Time magazine named him among the twenty most influential Asians of the twentieth century.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is M. S. Swaminathan?
M. S. Swaminathan was an agricultural scientist who led the introduction of high-yielding crop varieties that turned India from a food-deficit country into a self-sufficient one in the 1960s and 1970s. He won the first World Food Prize and was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously. He died in 2023.
When did M. S. Swaminathan die?
M. S. Swaminathan died on 28 September 2023 at the age of 98.
Where is M. S. Swaminathan from?
M. S. Swaminathan was born in Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu).
What is M. S. Swaminathan known for?
M. S. Swaminathan is best known for High-yielding wheat and rice varieties; the Green Revolution; the first World Food Prize.
What awards has M. S. Swaminathan received?
Notable honours include Padma Shri (1967), Ramon Magsaysay Award (1971), Padma Bhushan (1972), World Food Prize (1987).
References
- M. S. Swaminathan — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- M. S. Swaminathan — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- M. S. Swaminathan — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- M. S. Swaminathan (Q982109) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “M. S. Swaminathan”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
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About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“M. S. Swaminathan.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/m-s-swaminathan
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