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Dr. P. Rethinam obtained his graduation and post-graduation in agriculture from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. He started his career as Research Assistant in 1963, Assistant Lecturer and Assistant Professor up to 1976 at TNAU, Coimbatore and then joined Agricultural Research Service in ICAR in 1976. He became Project Coordinator, (Palms) in 1982 and was responsible for research coordination and management of palms. He was selected as Assistant Director General (Plantation Crops), ICAR, New Delhi in 1988 and coordinated the research on Plantation Crops, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops and Betel vine. He introduced the concept of irrigated Oil Palm as small holders crop. He was founder Director of the National Research Centre for Oil Palm at Pedavegi, A.P. and developed infrastructural facilities in a short time. Dr Rethinam was selected as the Chairman, Coconut Development Board, Kochi, Ministry of Agriculture, and Government of India in the year 2001. He has published 215 articles, co-edited two volumes of books on Recent Advances in Plantation Crops, edited 37 books and many technical bulletins, APCC Proceedings, COCOTECH Proceedings, Noni Search Proceedings and reports, DVDs, CDs of APCC intellectual database, etc.