January 2012 Vol.II No.1

His Excellency the Governor of Sikkim, Shri B P Singh released the book entitled “ Sikkim towards Organic State by 2015” published by Sikkim organic Mission cell of Food Security and Agriculture Development Department and Horticulture and Cash Crop Development Department during the Republic Day programme at Palzor Stadium, Gangtok. The book has compiled all historic milestones and the activities of the government to make the Sikkim fully organic by 2015. The genesis for declaration of the state as organic by State government, Organic vision of Shri Pawan Chamling, Hon’ble Chief minister, various programmes launched by state government to support organic agriculture, some success stories of the farmers, potential crops for organic farming, establishment of Sikkim organic Mission, activities of SOM for Internal Control System development, Human Resource Development, Road Maps, organic certification are incorporated in the book.

A meeting of the service providers of Internal control System

(ICS) and all concerned Deputy Directors, Joint Directors and Senior

Officers of the FS&AD and H&CCD Departments was held at the th

SAMETI hall on 20 January under the Chairmanship of Shri D. N.

Thakarpa, Hon'ble Minister, FS&ADD and H&CCDD, Government of

Sikkim. The meeting covered the focused agenda of guidelines for ICS

implementation and the feedback from service providers about their

experience and the challenges at the field condition. The programme started with the welcome address by executive

Book by Sikkim Organic Mission Released

Minister chaired the Interface meeting ofService providers and departmental officers

His Excellency the Governor of Sikkim releasing the Book

1Newsletter Jan 12

Director of Sikkim Organic Mission, Shri Topchen Lepcha. Additional Executive Director I and II of SOM presented the guidelines for ICS development and the implementation of Rural and Vermicompost. There was interaction session before the address by Secretary of the department and the Hon'ble Minister.

Some of the questions/suggestions put forward during the interaction and discussion session are systematic bionutrient management for successful organic agriculture, uniform training modules, Monitoring by the senior officials from head office, Market linkage to the farmers for sustainability of the organic farming, Capacity building of the extension officials and organic pests and disease management.

The Director Agriculture Shri Khorlo Bhutia specifically suggests for more awareness and capacity building for vermicompost and 50: 50 allocation of rural and vermicompost. He also suggested for mandating service providers for market linkage and premium price to organic produce. More number of training to be conducted by SAMETI and KVK for extension officials.

The Service Providers stressed for training calendar and training schedule, formation of farmers groups and their institutionalization, fixed time for internal inspection and group certification.

Some of the problems spelled out by service providers include the dearth of availability of organic inputs regarding diseases, record of absentee land lords and mortgaged parcha and decrease of the land

1Newsletter Jan 12

allotted to the service provider due to diversion to non-farm activities.

Secretary Shri Vishal Chauhan in his address

thanked all the service providers for good suggestions

for intensifying the work of the organic mission. He

assure to solve the problem with due consideration to

the suggestions made by different participants in the

meeting. He also disclosed the allocation of above

18000 hectares to different service providers for ICS.

Honourable Minister in his concluding

remarks expresses his satisfaction over the work of

Sikkim organic Mission and urged one and all for the

best contribution to their potential to achieve the

objectives of the mission.

thState Seed Sub Committee meets on 17

January'2012 for the release of new Pahelo Dal variety

(PD-3) under the chairmanship of Shri vishal Chauhan,

Secretary FS&ADD and HCCDD, who is also the

chairman of state seed sub-committee. The programme

of identification of new variety was started in the year

2006. Various germplasms were collected and

evaluated for different traits at ICAR Sikkim Centre.

The indentified strain was then tested at Krishi Vigyan

Kendras and State Agriculture farm at Sikkim. The

variety has accorded the yield potential of 8.5

Q/hectare. Other improved characteristics in the

New Variety of Pahelo Dal(PD-3) released

Minister’s addresing ICS service provider Officials and service providers in interface meeting

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variety are determinate growth, synchronous habit,

medium duration and fairly tolerant to blight and

suited variety for midhills of Sikkim. Chairman of the

committee informed the house about the importance of

paheli Dal in the hills and expressed his satisfaction

over the work of the scientist of ICAR centre and

officers of the department.

Vishal Chauhan, IAS, Secretary, FS&ADD th

and HCCDD in a meeting with press and media on 17 January informed about the various activities undertaken by department against the spot sanction of the work made by Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Pawan Chamling during his 42 days tour of Sikkim. The following are the gist of the activities.

1. Repair of the all the VLW centres will be taken up in priority basis. 15 new VLW centres construction has to be taken up and there has been already a cabinet approval for some of the work.

2. The work order has already been issued to the beneficiaries for the construction of 72 rural composts cum urine pits at Dong, South Sikkim. Work is under progress and the project will be completed by March 2012. Likewise, water harvest tank construction is also under way and the project will be completed by the end of March 2012.

3. It was revealed in the meeting that 747 numbers of Water harvest tanks are under

construction in South, 26 in east and 141 in West district. A work order for land terracing on 25 hectares of land at Lower Jarrong has also been issued and similarly it will be completed by the end of March. He further informed that the Cabinet has agreed for Amliso Plantation in 34 hectares of area in Turuk Daragaon and 80 hectares in Jarrong.

4. The Agro-Service Centers, one each at Hee-Gaythang and Lum Ghor Santok has been sanctioned and intimation is issued to the Panchayats for construction of shed for installing agro service centre.

5. Cabinet approval has been sought for construction of 435 green houses across the state and cabinet has sanctioned the work orders.

6. Area Expansion of the cardamom in approximately 400 acres of land will be taken up. Beneficiaries have been identified and the plantation work will start from June 2012.

7. State level cold storage at Rangpo is functioning and another one at Melli is under construction process.

State level training on apple cultivation was

organized by Horticulture and Cash Crop

Development Department, Government of Sikkim on th th

29 and 30 January'2012. More than 50 apple growers

from North and West Sikkim attended the training th

programme. On 29 January, Shri P. T. Bhutia

Additional Director (HCCDD) introduced the resource

persons from Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture

and Forestry, Solan and briefed on the government

Scheme for promotion of apple cultivation in Sikkim.

Dr. Kuldip Mehta, Professor and Dr. Vishal Rana,

Assistant Professor were the resource persons. Various

aspects of apple cultivation such as improved varieties,

rootstocks, methods of propagations, training and

pruning, intercultural operations, diseases and pests

Management and Post Harvest Management and

marketing was covered during the course. Besides

farmers, Deputy Directors and HDOs also attended the

programme.

Sanctioned work during CM's42 days Sikkim tour and Action

of the department

State Level training on Apple Cultivation

Secretary Shri Vishal Chauhan addresing the members of State Seed Sub Committee

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“Wonderful work in Horticulture Sector” is the

final comment made by S.K. Singla, Additional

Commissioner from Govt. of India on a three day th

official visit to Sikkim. He was in the State from 30 st

January to 1 February, 2012 to inspect developmental

works undertaken in horticulture sector implemented

through the scheme Horticulture Mission for North

East and Himalayan States. Singla visited different

govt. farms and establishments including Mazitar

horticulture farm, Bermiok farm, Cymbidium

Development centre at Rumtek, Model Floriculture

Centre located at Maniram and the joint venture

establishments of anthurium and cymbidium. He also

visited floriculture units, vegetable farms and fruit

S.

No.

Name of the Service

providers

Area allotted

for ICS (Hectares)

District

1 SIMFED 1040.97 North

2 ITS Ltd. 2004.71 North

3 Mevedir 709.66 North

Total ( North Sikkim) 3755.35

4 CONCEDE 737.99 East

5 ICCOA 1091.36 East

6 International Panaceae Ltd. 2494.3 East

7 SSWA 498.91 East

8 Mevedir 1793.43 East

Total (East Sikkim) 6615.99 South

9 Sresta 2069.32 South

10 Morarka Foundation 3067.39 South

Total (East Sikkim) 5136.71

11 Amar Jyoti 1133.93 West

12 Organic Sikkim 967.15 West

13 Sheel Biotech. 2038.35 West

14 Himali Vikas Sansthan 500. 00 West

Total (East Sikkim) 4139.43

GRAND TOTAL 19647.00

Sikkim organic mission has increased the area for development of Internal control System for certification by

allotting areas to different service providers. In total, 13 service providers were allotted with 19647 hectare for ICS

development this year.

19000 hectare of land allotted to Service providers for ICS development

Wonderful work in Horticulture Sector in Sikkim Says Additional Commissioner

Shri S.K. Singla, Addll. Commissioner and P.D. Horti., Shri D.K.Raiat Farmers Field

4Newsletter Jan 12

plantations under private sector at different places in

East and South districts.

In the government farms, he was shown demonstration of high density orcharding and canopy management systems, drip irrigation system, greenhouse technology, multi-tier system of plantation, etc. He was quite impressed with the collection of germplasm materials in govt. farms / centres and the progress of activities being undertaken like tissue culture production of cymbidium orchids and orange seedling production in hi-tech greenhouse facilities.

The private sector units he visited were cymbidium clusters at Assam Lingzey and Ramaram, vegetable production farm maintained by two women SHGs at Assam Lingzey, lilium plantation at Tangzi and plantation of fruits like orange, peach and guava at Khamdong. While interacting with farmers at different places, he advised the farmers to sincerely follow instructions and recommendations made by the departmental experts. He further suggested for converging MNREGA scheme with horticulture activities to leverage farm output. In addition to these, he observed that the amount of publicity is not matching with the achievement and hence wider publicity to highlight the good work done in horticulture should be organize in coming days.

A team of Officers of AH,LF&VS Department

and directorate of Fisheries headed by Secretary Shri.

D.P.Sharma, made a surprise visit to premises of

farmers who have been provided milching cows,

goats, piglets, poultry, fodder saplings and silo pits

under different schemes of the department. The house th

to house visit was done on 11 January'2012 in East

District. Secretary was accompanied by Dr.

R.K.Tamang, Joint Director (East), Dr. Sangay

Dorjee, Deputy Director, East, Mr. R.P.Sharma,

Deputy Director (Fisheries), Mr.D.B.Rai, Assistant

Director (Fisheries) and other officials. The purpose of

visit was to make an on the spot assessment and

evaluate the farmers' progress.

Accordingly, in Rey Mindu Area, three nos. of fish

ponds were inspected by the team and took the

feedback from the farmers.

The team during inspection of livestock,

particularly Milching Cows distributed under T.S.P

and the goats under BRGF programme found that they

are doing well with the development schemes. The

team met with the members of Milk Co-operative

Society at Reshi paley and interacted with them

regarding progress and issues pertaining to milk price

and others.

Secretary AH,LF&VS, Shri. D.P.Sharma took

note of the demand and urged the society members to

achieve the target of 500 ltrs. of milk per day and to

make best use of the facilities provided by the

Government in their society. Similarly, in Rumtek,

Sang and Martam also the team visited the farmers

who have been given the cows under T.S.P and RKVY

schemes. The team interacted with farmers on

different issue pertaining to livestock sectors. The

team then listens to the views of farmers rearing cattle

and farming fish at Khamdong where farmers had

interacted with the team on different problem being

Inspection of the Developmental Programmeunder Animal Husbandry Department

Secretary Shri D.P. Sharmaat farmer’s house during tour

Secretary inspecting fish pond

Power Tiller for farmers of Sikkim

5Newsletter Jan 12

faced by them in fish farming and they were made

aware of technical know-how about fisheries.

The team finally visited Veterinary Hospital

and farm complex at Dochung and discussed on

problems of water supply and power supply in the

complex where the team arrived to a decision to

initiate the action to resolve the issues right from next

day onwards so as to make the poultry farm functional

as early as possible. The team overall express great

satisfaction on livestock sector where farmers have

been found doing better. Secretary AH,LF&VS, Shri.

D.P.Sharma, directed all the officials of the fisheries to

be more pro-active and make regular visit to farmers

so as to reach them help and to monitor their

performance in the field.

One Day Farmers Awareness cum Calf Rally

Programme for the farmers of Budang GPU under

Rhenock Constituency was held on 5.1.2012.

Around 55 nos. of farmers attended the

programme on Dairy Management and Production.

The programme was conducted by Deputy Director

Dr. Sangay Dorjee under the chairmanship of Miss

Puspa Gurung, Ward Panchayat. The technical

programme was imparted by Dr. B.M. Chettri,

Superintendent SVH and Dr. Dipendra Pradhan, Vety.

Officer, Central Pendam. The programme

commenced with Calf Rally where calves of elite

cows born through artificial insemination and natural

services under genetic up-gradation programme of the

Department were exhibited in the show.

Best calves of the show were awarded with

cash prizes and also other participating calves were

given with consolation prizes in cash.

The day long programme included a Mobile

Veterinary Hospital to cater to the need of the farmers.

The programmes as such envisage to build the

capacity of the farmers to adopt newer technology

pertaining to Dairy Management and Production to

gear up the Milk production of the State.

The engineering cell of the department

procured 40nos of GN61 model 7.5Hp power tiller

under RKVY scheme and Macro management scheme

2011-12 and distributed to the 40 numbers of Self help

groups and user groups of the state. Two representative

of these SHG's and User groups were given one weeks

training at Sajong Rumtek by the College of

Agriculture Engineering Marchak on Operation and

maintenance of power tiller. This training programme

was funded by ATMA of the respective districts.

Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) South Sikkim launched three farm schools

rdfor turmeric on 3 January at Turuk village. Sri Keshab Pradhan a progressive farmers of the village is

selected as farm school teacher. The School operated by Glorisha Farmers Club with Sixteen numbers of active members has its school teacher Shri Krishna Prasad Rai for Turmeric Seed production. Another Turmeric Farm School on Turmeric seed production also launched for Rose Farmers club at Belbotay Kitam on 4th Jan 2012 and Shri K.B.Nepal nominated as Farm School Teacher. Glorisha Farmers Club has also been provided with Cheque amounting Rs. 5000/- under activity Mobilization of Farmers Group for seed potato production.

Awareness Programme and Calf Rally

Farm School for turmeric

Krishi Mela by ATMA South Sikkim

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Farmers - Scientists Interaction program was conducted at Belbotay Kitam on 4th January where Sri BK Rai JD (Horticulture), South, Bhison Pradhan, SMS KVK south Sikkim and Sri CK Pradhan, DDA, Namchi were the resource persons for discussion on various issues. Farmers from Rose and Surya Farmers Club and Lakshya -NGO participated in the programme.

ATMA south also organised a programme “'Interface for promotion of Marketing of Horticulture produce including floriculture” on 11th January at Ramaram- Bikmat. Shri B. K. Rai, Joint Director Horticulture, Shri J.C. Biswas DDM, NABARD, SIMFED took part in this programme. Deputy Director, Plant protection Shri Harish Moktan also demonstrated various issues on IPM. A cheque amounting Rs. 5000/- was handed over to “Surya Farmers Club” by ATMA (s) for support.

ATMA South S i k k i m h a s o r g a n i s e d Kr i sh i Me la during Maghey M e l a 2 0 1 2 Celebration at Jorethang w.e.f

t h t h1 4 t o 1 7 J a n ' 2 0 1 2 .

Training Cum Demonstration on OrganicManagement of Citrus Orchard

Farmers Club, farm School promoted by ATMA South Sikkim, KVK South Sikkim and progressive farmers participated in exhibition with different produce and value added products. Mushroom and Honey Be fee School from Namthang also participated in the mela with various products. Dong farmers club participated in the mela with popcorn Machine contributed by SAMETI and served hot and fresh popcorn to the visitors.

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, North Sikkim organized

Training and Demonstration programme on organic rd th

management of orange at Lum , Dzongu on 3 and 4

January'2012.

The programme was attended by Panchayat

Secretary and 50 numbers of orange growers.

Resource person of the Programme Shri Tshering

Thendup Bhutia, Programme Coordinator and Shri

Tshering Norbu Bhutia, Subject Matter Specialist

imparted training on various aspects of orange orchard

management. Pests and diseases, organic management

of orchard soil, intercropping, bionutrient management

were taught with hands on practical. Problem related to

ginger (Pest & diseases) was discussed. Method

demonstration on on Method of Preparation of

Bordeaux mixture and its application techniques in the

Orange field was also conducted.

Farmers Scientist Programme

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Shri Khorlo Bhutia, Director FS&ADD, Smt.

S. L. Dorjee, Director SAMETI, Smt. Songkit Lepcha

and Shri N. T. Bhutia, Project Director of ATMA

South and West Sikkim attended regional workshop

on review of Central Sponsored Scheme and training

planning organized by Extension Education Institute

of Jorhat at Guhawati.

The workshop was attended by State Nodal

officers of Extension Reform Programme, Project

Director of ATMA districts of North Eastern State. To

felicitate the programme on various aspects of

extension reform and CSS programme, there was

presence of Mrs. V. Natarajan, Joint Director

Extension Reform, Dr. P. Chandra Shekhar, Director

Centre for Agriculture Extension Development,

MANAGE, Hyderabad, Dr. Neogg, Director EEI, Dr.

M. K. Viswakarma, Director MDRFTTI.

Shri Khorlo Bhutia, Director FS&ADD

presented the details on activities of Extension

reforms of Sikkim. The workshop come out with

different recommendation for Sikkim that includes

Formation of Agri-Clinic, Agri business centre,

updating service providers for Kisan Credit Card,

Formation of State Level Committee to monitor mass

media and compilation of Success stories.

Regional Workshop on

review of CSS and training planning

The Government of Sikkim confered on the

Letter of Appreciation to Shri Vishal Chauhan, IAS,

Secretary, Food Security and Agriculture

Development Department and Horticulture and Cash

Crop Development Department, Government of

Sikkim on the occasion of Republic Day'2012 for his

exemplary services and contribution to the public

service. His Excellency the Governor of Sikkim Shri

B. P. Singh presented the appreciation letter to Shri

Chauhan. The appreciation letter has cited the

commendable contribution of Shri Vishal Chauhan

after joining Indian Administrative Service in the year

1998. Some of the major works cited in letter are total

Sanitation programme in East Sikkim as District

Development Officer, law and order administration in

East and South Sikkim as District Collector, South and

East Sikkim, land record computerization as DC South

Sikkim, implementation of rehabilitation and

resettlement package of Teesta Stage V Hydroelectric

project as DC, East Sikkim, implementation of Sikkim

Poultry Mission and Diary Mission as Secretary of

Animal Husbandry, Livestock Fisheries and

Veterinary Service. The citation has also appreciated

the contribution of Shri Chauhan for mission project to

make the Sikkim organic by 2015 as Secretary of the

department or a Chief Executive of Sikkim Organic

Mission.

Letter of Appreciation toShri Vishal Chauhan, IAS

Workshop on review of CSS and Training planning

Shri Vishal Chauhan, IAS, receiving letter ofappreciation from H.E. the governor of Shri B.P. Singh