The Government of India is focused on innovations to enhance both production and productivity through high yielding variety, hybrids & efficient farm equipment.Our priority is implementation of APMC Act, building modern Agri Infrastructure, IT enabled knowledge dissemination systems for farmers. Technology is important for farmers.

Agro Tech 2010 Inaugurated I am pleased to note that the Agro Tech 2010 in Chandigarh has featured all these points. CII’s Agro Tech is a regular feature…I have been here earlier too. It is a good opportunity for farmers to learn about new technologies & implements… the exhibition is good…and for serious discussions on agri related issues.

Mr Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of Agriculture, Govt of India

CII’s commitment to agriculture is reinforced through its intention of setting up the Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence (FACE). The Centre will work towards building efficiencies across the supply chain right from farm gate to the end consumer.

Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII

I am amazed by Agro Tech 2010. I would like to invite CII to hold an Agro Tech in Afghanistan. Bring an Agri Mission from India, Afghanistan has a lot to offer in agriculture.

Mr Mohammad Asif Rahimi, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock,

AfghanistanWe are happy with our interactions at Agro Tech 2010. UKIBC & CII has had a long term partnership which has been fruitful and would go a long way. We are happy with our interactions.

Ms Patricia Hewitt, Chairperson, UKIBC

Agro Tech’s theme ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ is very apt as there is a dire need for 2nd green revolution. More attention is needed for soil health, power availability and seed replacements.

Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister, Haryana

I am very happy to see an international Agro Fair organized in Chandigarh. It is a pride for each one of us and especially for the farmers of Punjab & Haryana since it provides an opportunity of growth by bringing the best in the market at the doorstep.

Mr Sucha Singh Langaha, Minister of Agriculture , Govt of Punjab

Agri rejuvenation should partner private sector. It is essential to build a productive, competitive and diversified Indian agriculture sector…. promote competition in agri markets to enable better compensation to farmers, as also ensure India’s food security concerns.Agro Tech 2010 is a great platform for this consultative process.

Mr Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Chairman, CII Agriculture Council

Many new features have been added in line with theme "Sustainable". The international participation has been huge, 30% more than last year. Farmer & Crop focus is sharper.

Mr Salil Singhal, Chairman Agro Tech 2010

Over 15000 farmers visited the fair on the 2nd day of the fair

Social networking has emerged as a very powerful tool to communicate and create professional and personal networks. Facebook is riding high on this wave. But Facebook is not alone. A Pune based enterprise has launched a social network- KISAN.com for the agri community. KISAN.com an online agri community, provides a virtual platform for all associated with agriculture to share ideas, opinions and experiences. A unique feature of the site is marking the location of the members on an interactive map. This gives members an idea about the number of people in one’s vicinity. This way a member can locate and contact other members in his / her vicinity and connect with them.There is an online market place where members can buy and put up their product(s) or equipment for sale. Dealers and suppliers can offer special discounts and offers. Farmers can find and sell second hand or first hand equipment and materials / seeds etc.

Regional players break into big leagueIndian agriculture equipment industry is dominated by large players like Escorts, Mahindra & Mahindra, International Tractors etc. Given low levels of agricultural mechanization, many global big wigs have also set up their manufacturing and assembling units in India. The entrepreneurs from Punjab, seeing the potential of the tractor and combine industry, have established their plants and now broken into the big league. Two such companies are Kartar Agro Industries Pvt Ltd from Patiala and Preet Tractors Pvt Ltd from Nabha, both participating in Agro Tech for the first time.

Kartar Agro Industries Pvt Ltd, established in 1975, the company won a National Award in 1989. It exports to Sri Lanka, Burkina Faso, Columbia and Pakistan. Kartar Agro has launched its small combine ideal for smaller plots at Agrotech 2010.Preet Tractors Industries Pvt Ltd established in 1982, is a winner of National Award in 2010 and State Award for excellent performance. The company exports to Iran, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Uganda and Burkina Faso. It has launched Tractor (Model 6049) having fuel efficient and a powerful engine, with aesthetic looks, oil immersed brakes and lifting capacity of more than 2000 Kg, at Agro Tech 2010.

• International Tractors offering discount of Rs 67,000 ontwoofitsvariants-DI60MMRXOIBandDI60MMSUPERRXPowerSteeringOIB

• Preet TractorsofferingdiscountofRs40,000on its tractorsandRs1,00,000onitsharvestersonspotbookings

• Mahindraofferingtractorsatdealerpriceonspotbookings

Agriculture goes hi-tech

Localisation & Customisation of Agricultural MachineryInteractive session with Mr V K Venkatachalam, Addl Secretary, Agriculture, Government of India

Need for Farm Mechanization Enhances production, plays a significant role in nation’s food

security and socio-economic growth Enhances land and labour efficiency

Intrinsic Issues Improving productivity in small farm holdings. Reaching“BottomofthePyramid”

Barriers TechnologicalConstraints:“CutandWeld”technology,

inadequate research and customisation, substandard & poor quality equipment

Economic Constraints: Adverse economy of scale, high acquisition costs

Options Technology and System Development Compact, light, low-powered, multi-purpose, small-size

tractors, mini-power tillers, and small farm equipment Energy efficient machines Thinking beyond ‘machine driven’: bullock drawn implements Promoting local manufacturing Training local craftsmen in manufacturing technology,

operation, repair and maintenance Public-Private Partnerships Custom Hiring or Service centres in rural and remote areas The future of agricultural mechanisation in India depends on successful design, development and commercial production of low-cost agricultural machinery and equipment, adapted to local needs

The Facebook of Agriculture

Farmers have to toil themselves in extreme condition, whether it is scorching summer or chilly winter. Working in tractors during these periods proves difficult for them.

To take care of the comfort of the farmers, two Indian companies Escorts (690 DT) and Mahindra & Mahindra (Mahindra 8085) have launched tractors with Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning ( HVAC) systems.

Agro Tech turns matchmakerMahindra & Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES), the market leader in the Indian tractor industry, announced a tie-up with M/s Maschio-Gaspardo S.p.A, Italy, a leading global brand manufacturing rotary tillage equipment. The agreement for the tie-up was signed between Dr Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive and Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and Mr Egidio Maschio, President, M/s Maschio Gaspardo S.p.A. As part of this agreement, Maschio will provide rotovators to Mahindra. Maschio

will also manufacture other kinds of rotary tillage equipment for planting, seeding, crop care and crop residue management for Mahindra AppliTrac. This agreement will facilitate availability of an extensive variety of farm machinery to provide better mechanization to farmer with the backing of the Mahindra brand name.

At CII NR HQAgri Infrastructure

New Drivers in Food Processing

At Parade GroundInternational Buyer Seller Meet on

Processed Foods SeminaronBasmatiRiceExports

At Shivalik ViewApple and Stone Fruits

New Product launches

Remote Control Improved and advanced communications have enabled real time communication across the world. Based on the ubiquitous cell phone, a Pune based company has developed an agricultural application ‘Khyatee’. This is a mobile starter device which can be used to remotely control motors and pumps from anywhere in the world. Connected to a cell phone the machine can be activated by putting in the appropriate command. The machine also communicates password errors - a safety feature, status of motor operation, power cuts, overload of motor etc. A new model is on its way which will have the capacity to give status messages automatically via SMS. Currently the model needs to be called to receive status.The device is especially useful in rural areas which suffer from load shedding and irrigation pumps/ motors need to be started at odd times of the day.

Power house tractor There are numerous villages in India without electricity, many of these are in agricultural states. Many face long hour power cuts. These power cuts adversely affect the normal activities of the households. Targeting rural farming communities facing power shortages, Escorts has recently launched a unique tractor called Inverter Tractor - FT 45. The motto of this tractor is ‘tractor in the field and power house in the home’. The tractor is on display at Agrotech 2010.

Dana, from USA has launched a Compact Utility Tractor Axle, which is a 4 wheel drive axle and also economical.

Harvel Azud, an Indo – Italian JV has launchedXILEMA,anautomaticfertigationand irrigation unit. It can be programmed to manage fertilizer doses according to EC, pH & water quality.OCAP Chassis Parts (Pvt) Ltd launched 6 products - Tierodend, Ball Joint, Stabilizer Link,ControlRM,SheetMetalRM,andAxleJoint.Graziano Transmission India Pvt Ltd launched Continuous Variable Transmission,

which requires no gear and has engine power of 40 – 60 HP. It has also launched Electron B e a m Welding System which reduces distortion and contamination.Peekay Farm Equipments (India) Pvt Ltd launched a Corn Dryer which saves grains during cloudy and rainy days, prevents the mold & germination and reduces post harvest wastages; and a Grillo Cultivator used for Pulversing, weeding and furrowing.

Thanda Thanda Cool Cool

Chip InsideIn the Agro Tech 2010, M & M has launched Mahindra 4035 with GPRSsystems. This helps in farmers keeping the track of their tractors and also gives them service and maintenance alert.

“Ihavebeencominghereeveryyearforthepastthreeyearsandhave purchased lot of machinery. I am hoping to pick up a tractor asIdidlastyear.”

−ParminderSinghanAgroTechregular“ThisAgroTechisthebestorganizedintheregion.Itisorganizedand neat and we get to see the latest gadgets from both international and national exhibitors. I have come early so that I can place the orderforafewmachines.”

−HardeepSinghamarginalfarmer“Iwould like tohave itextendedforaweekas itgives timeforfarmers from far of places to also come and visit. Last time by the timeIinformedmyrelativesandtheycameitwasalmostover.”

−GurdevSinghabiglandlord

The Farmers who teach at Harvard

Agri Implements for Women FarmersIt is an accepted fact that women are the back bone of the agrarian society. Most of the harvesting and post-harvesting activities fall on women. Much of their time and effort is spent in the fields, with crude, bulky and cumbersome instruments.

Central Institute for Agricultural engineering (CIAE) has developed tools especially for women, keeping in mind their needs and requirements. The tools promise to reduce drudgery for rural women. They also make it easier for women to set up agri processing based enterprises providing them with livelihood opportunities. These tools are specially useful for small farms in the hilly regions and where mechanized farming is not possible.

These specialized tools were also displayed at the Agriculture RoundtableExpoheldduringtherecentIndiavisitoftheAmericanPresident, Mr Barack Obama.

Women farmers throng to Agro TechAround 250 women farmers from all over the Una district of neighbouring Himachal Pradesh are visiting AgroTech 2010. Despite industrial development, agriculture continues to be the primary occupation.

The women farmers visiting AgroTech are here on an exposure visit. They are visiting various exhibits and interacting with other farmers. The farmers are very excited as this is their first such visit. Mrs Smita conveyed thanks to the Department of Agriculture for providing this opportunity. While Ms Kamla expressed regret at not being able to attend the Kishan Goshthis for all three days.

The women are a part of self help groups formed by Department of Agriculture, Una. They are small scale farmers with small land holdings, growing wheat, maize, potato etc.

Women, Agriculture & Agro Tech

After the Mumbai’s Dabbawalas, it is the turn of two farmers from Jalgaon, Maharashtra to be in international limelight. HemchandraPatilandRajendraPatil recently made a trip to USA, not on a holiday, but to share their experiences with drip irrigation.

Using drip irrigation they could irrigate 8 acres of land in the same amount of water that would earlier irrigate only 1 acre. In 5 – 6 years their productivity doubled. Both the farmers are avid supporters of sustainable agriculture and maintain that it is the only option for food security.

TodayKisan Goshthis – Kisan Goshthi Hall, Parade Ground

Balanced Crop nutrition (1430 - 1500 hrs) Irrigation Technologies (1500 - 1530 hrs)

Progressive FarmersDrip Irrigation (1400 - 1430 hrs)

Excellence in Vegetables (1530 - 1600 hrs)