Prof. Aldas Janaiah is a renowned agricultural economist with over three decades of distinguished service in agricultural research, education, policy analysis and international development. He currently serves as the 14 th Vice-Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), having assumed office in October 2024. Prof. Janaiah holds a Bachelor& 39’s degree in Agriculture and a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics with First Class from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, Rajendranagar. He earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1995 and subsequently completed a prestigious Post-DoctoralFellowship in Social Sciences at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, in 2002.

With 34 years of rich professional experience, Prof. Janaiah has held several impactful positions, including Economist at IRRI (Philippines) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB – Vietnam Resident Mission, Hanoi) for six years. He also served the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) as Scientist and Senior Scientist for 16 years. His academic engagements include a two years tenure as Visiting Professor at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Reserve Bank of India’s institute in Mumbai. He has held key academic and administrative roles for 16 years at ANGRAU and PJTAU, as Professor, Head of Department, Associate Dean and University Board Member. From 2022 to 2024, he worked as a Food Loss and Waste Management Specialist with ADB (Bangkok) and as India Program Coordinator for the International Commodity Institute, California. Prof. Janaiah is widely acknowledged for his policy research that led to the landmark Bt Cotton Seed Pricing Reform (2005–06), resulting in a price reduction from Rs. 1850 to Rs. 750 per packet in Andhra Pradesh, a move that significantly benefited millions of farmers across India. He also played a pivotal role in securing a special grant of Rs. 100 Crore for Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University under the Union Budget of 2012–13. With international exposure in 36 countries, he has contributed extensively to agricultural policy development and impact assessment across Asia and Africa.

Prof. Janaiah has received several accolades, including the Outstanding Academic LeadershipAward (2012) from the Government of Maryland, USA, for fostering US – India collaboration in higher education; the Best State Level Scientist Award (2012) from the Government of Andhra Pradesh; and the Best Scientist Award (2002) from IRRI for his outstanding research contributions to the rice economy. As a committed academician, Prof. Janaiah has supervised 70 postgraduate and doctoral students in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management. He has authored 65 peer-reviewed research papers, contributed over 100 editorial articles in both Telugu and English, and presented more than 100 conference papers. He has also led 17 major research projects focusing on technology impact assessment, irrigation economics, and agricultural policy analysis.