Subbanna Ayyappan

Subbanna Ayyappan (10 December 1955 – 10 May 2025) was an Indian aquaculture scientist hailing from the Karnataka State who held several key positions in various government organisations related to agricultural science. He was the Director-General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Secretary to Government, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) from January 2010 to February 2016.^[1] He was also the Chancellor of Central Agricultural University, Manipur. He was instrumental in bringing about the Blue Revolution in India. He was the first non-crop scientist to head the ICAR.^[2]

Ayyappan held a Ph.D. degree and a master's degree in Fish Production and Management from the College of Fisheries in Mangalore which was then a part of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. He published several research papers in areas of fisheries, limnology, and aquatic microbiology.^[3]

Ayyappan began his career in ICAR as a scientist at Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore in 1978. In 1996 he was appointed the Director, CIFA, Bhubaneswar, where he served for almost five years prior to holding the office of the Director, CIFE, Mumbai (Deemed University). He came to the ICAR headquarters in 2002 as the Deputy Director General (Fisheries) and served for almost eight years in that capacity before taking up the important post of the Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR on 1 January 2010. He was the founder Chief Executive of the National Fisheries Development Board, DAHD&I, Hyderabad (2006–2008).^[4] Ayyappan was also Chairman of National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).