07.01.2016

Farmers’ Day

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University will hold the Farmers’ Day on January 8

(Friday) at 9.30 a.m. at the Convention Hall.

Minister for Agriculture S. Vaithilingam, Municipal Administration Minister

S.P. Velumani and other officials are expected to participate.

The University is expected to release a new varieties of paddy.

Flowers attract mosquitoes

Dengue mosquitoes are more likely to lay eggs in water sources near

flowers, says a recent study

Certain mosquitoes known to transmit dengue and chikungunya are more

likely to lay eggs in water sources near flowers, according to a new study

that may lead to novel methods of controlling the diseases. Researchers from

the US Department of Agriculture and the University of Florida in the U.S.

studied the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and its egg-laying

preferences. This mosquito is known to transmit yellow fever, dengue, and

chikungunya. These mosquitoes prefer to lay eggs in containers so the first

thing the scientists decided to test was whether the size of the containers

made any difference.

The scientists were curious about whether or not the presence of flowers

might affect the egg-laying behaviour, due to the fact that mosquitoes drink

nectar from flowers. They studied female mosquitoes that had been fed

bloodmeals and released in large cages with water containers flowering

butterfly bushes (Buddleja davidii). They found significantly more eggs in

the largest containers, and they found more eggs in containers next to

flowering bushes than in containers without flowers. These findings could

lead to new methods of controlling the mosquito, researchers said.

Lure of butterfly bushes

“One of the potential outcomes of this study might be that someone could

look at the flower fragrances as a way to lure egg-laying female mosquitoes

to some sort of trap,” said Phil Kaufman, one of the researchers.

“This study provides evidence of the attractiveness of flowering butterfly

bushes to ovipositing (i.e., egg-laying) Aedes albopictus,” said Dr Timothy

Davis, another researcher.

“Ovipositing mosquitoes are those that have taken a bloodmeal and, in

instances where pathogen transmission is occurring, are the potential vectors

as they may have acquired the pathogen through the bloodmeal. Therefore,

exploiting the attractiveness of flowering butterfly bushes in developing

control techniques could assist in stopping pathogen transmission,” said

Davis.

The researchers suggest that female mosquitoes lay eggs near flowers for a

variety of possible reasons. Nectar is an important energy source, so

pregnant females are obviously attracted to the flowers in order to feed

themselves. But it could also have something to do with providing food for

the next generation in the form of nectar. “Putting eggs in water near a

nectar source may be a way of provisioning for the offspring, which do need

sugar upon emergence,” said Kaufman.

The findings of this study may be used one day to increase the effectiveness

of mosquito trapping and monitoring efforts, especially if the attractants

from flowers can be isolated and replicated.PTI

Black raspberries are the new superfood

Antioxidants in the berry is three timeshigher than its cousins: study

Black raspberries may be the new superfood on the block as they show

greater health benefits than their better known cousins — raspberries or

blackberries, says a study by the University of Agriculture in Poland.

Berries contain potent antioxidants, which decrease or reverse the effects of

free radicals — natural by-products of energy production that can play havoc

on the body and that are closely linked with heart disease, cancer, arthritis,

stroke or respiratory diseases, researchers said.

It is usually the exotic Goji, Acerola or Acai berries that make the headlines

as superfoods.

Researchers led by Anna Malgorzata Kostecka-Gugala measured the content

of phenolics and anthocyanins in black raspberries, red raspberries and

blackberries, assessing their antioxidant potential and health benefits.

It turned out that the antioxidants in black raspberries were three times

higher than the other fruits under investigation. The number was even higher

for phenolics — with black raspberries topping their humble cousins by over

1000 per cent.PTI

Finance Dept. clears filling of 1,069 posts

The Finance Department has given its nod for filling 1,069 posts in the

Agriculture and Irrigation Departments through direct recruitment to be

taken up by Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).

The decision was taken keeping in view the actual requirement of manpower

with reference to the nature of work and activities of the departments and

also the overall financial implications on the government.

Groundwater wing

The posts to be filled include 1,000 Agriculture Extension Officers Grade-II

and 69 posts in the groundwater wing of the Irrigation Department. The

posts to be filled in the groundwater wing include Assistant Geophysicist-2,

Assistant Chemist-1, Assistant Executive Engineer (Mechanical)-1,

Assistant Hydrologist-37, Assistant Engineer (Civil)-10, Technical Assistant

(Geophysics)-6, Technical Assistant (Hydrogeology)-7 and Technical

Assistant (Hydrology)-5. Secretary (Finance) N. Siva Sankar directed the

TSPSC to take appropriate steps for filling up the vacancies through direct

recruitment.

Tiruvallur lost over two-thirds of standing crop to floods

Central team makes second visit to assess damage owing to rains in

December

The Central team members inspect the damaged bridge near Magaral on

Wednesday.-Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan

For a fortnight now, fifty-two-year-old K. Selvam, a marginal farmer in

Narayanapuram, a small village near Poondi, around 60 km north of

Chennai, slowly began his paddy cultivation for this season after draining

the floodwater from his farmland .

His five-hectare agricultural land was among the 31, 732 hectares of

standing paddy in Tiruvallur district that was damaged by the rains on

December 2 and 3 last year. In other words, Tiruvallur district lost more than

two-thirds of its standing paddy on a total of 49, 619 hectares of paddy in

December. In fact, rains on December 2 and 3 last year doubled the total

damage in the district, including civic infrastructure from Rs. 800 crore to

Rs. 1,805 crore.

“Our paddy cultivation loss was high. We want the State government to

provide more farm subsidies, including easy availability of seeds, fertilizers

and electricity,” farmer Selvam told a visiting eight-member inter-ministerial

Central team led by TVSN Prasad, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home

Affairs, on Wednesday.

Accompanied by Tiruvallur Collector, K. Veera Raghava Rao, the team

listened to affected farmers and families in areas, including Kattupakkam

near Poonamallee, Kaduvetti and Senniekuppam near Thiruverukadu on its

second survey since November last.

The second visit, Tiruvallur officials said, was mainly to access the damage

incurred to the district on December 2 and 3. The team also inspected

medical camps, temporary bridges and marooned areas near Poonamallee

and Tiruvallur.

“We saw the extensive damage to roads and buildings. We are satisfied with

the relief work done by the State government. The Union government will

help the State in this regard,” Mr. Prasad told The Hindu.

Staff Reporter writes

from Kancheepuram

The inter-ministerial team, headed by Union Joint Secretary (Home)

T.V.S.N. Prasad, on Wednesday inspected the low-level bridge across the

Cheyyar near Magaral in Kancheepuram district, which was damaged in the

recent floods.

Talking to reporters, he said the team had visited certain flood-affected spots

in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts on Wednesday.

“The unexpected rain and flood have caused extensive damage to public

facilities and led to loss of lives and cattle,” he said.

Commending the State government for its pro-active efforts taken to

minimise the loss of human lives and cattle, Mr. Prasad said the Centre

would extend the best possible assistance based on the report filed by the

team.

Staff Reporter

writes from Puducherry

A two-member team from the Centre on Wednesday visited rain-affected

areas in Puducherry for assessment of the damage caused by the rains.

This is the second visit of the Central team after its earlier visit in December.

The team comprising of N.M. Krishnan Unni, Superintending Engineer,

Ministry of Water Resources, and D.S. Arvind, Regional Director, Ministry

of Road Transport, assessed the damage to crops at Olavaikal and listened to

the grievances of farmers.

Stating that the compensation announced by the Puducherry government was

inadequate, the farmers pointed out that they were carrying out farming

operations under oral lease agreements.

Collector D. Manikandan told the team that the government would take

necessary steps to ensure distribution of relief to the affected farmers.

The team also visited Kommandamedu, a border village over the Pennaiyar

and inspected the damage to the bed dam.

The team also examined a feeder canal in Manapet and the Chunnambar

boat house and Paradise islet.

ASD-16 variety paddy shows good growth

ROBUST:Growth of ASD - 16 paddy seed crop raised in a farm in

Unjapalayam in Erode has impressed the Agriculture Department.– PHOTO:

M. GOVARTHAN

Panicles are showing up in the ASD - 16 variety paddy crop raised by

farmers in Uthandipalayam in Ganapathipalayam panchayat in the district

through SRI (System of Rice Intensification) method.

And the timing was apt for the Agriculture Department to initiate them into

pest management practices. The Farmers’ Field School conducted under the

aegis of Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) was handy

for the department to orient the farmers about best practices. A group of

farmers engaged in the fourth of the six training modules on Wednesday

was, at the end, able to make out the difference between good and bad pests.

They were divided into groups and asked to reproduce their observation in

the field on a chart. And they depicted the paddy plant, the sunlight, the

good pests and bad pests.

The picture of coxynelli beetles and spiders figured among the good pests

and leaf folder among the bad ones. They had collected the insects in a

plastic cover from the field.

Making farmers understand the utility of certain pests in eliminating bad

ones so as to avoid usage of pesticides to maximum possible extent is one of

the important objectives of the school, said Kulandaivelu, Assistant Director

of Agriculture, Modakurichi block. The farmers are provided guidance right

from the time of seed selection to post-harvest stage through the school, he

said. According M. Sekar, a farmer, cultivation under SRI was economical

since seed requirement as well as water usage was much lower.

Also, there were many panicles in a hill under SRI cultivation, implying

more productivity, he said.

Sugarcane growers a happy lot

DESIRED IMPACT:Sugarcane at a farm at Velampalayam in Erode.–

pHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative through drip irrigation and fertigation

reflecting in lesser water usage of higher productivity is gradually gaining

roots in the district.

Every year, 50 to 100 farmers are initiated into SSI in each block, according

to official sources.

With each clump accounting for a minimum of 10 stalks of robust girth,

farmers are able to reap richer harvests.

Farmers enjoy high subsidy on loans for drip irrigation.

On the recommendation of the Agriculture Department, Nationalised banks

promptly release funds to identified beneficiaries for installation of drip

irrigation system.

On their part, farmers invest more in additional paraphernalia such as sand

filter and valves.

V. Chellakumarasamy of Velampalayam village in Modakurichi block, for

instance, has availed himself of a subsidy benefit of Rs. 75,000, but has

invested Rs. 1.10 lakh more for covering his 2.5 acre farm under drip

irrigation and fertigation under SSI.

He planted 6,000 saplings in 1.2 metre gaps, and in the fifth month, finds the

crop promising. There are five more months to go for harvest and the crop

appears full-grown already. Recovery will be the highest in the sugarcane

crop raised under SSI.

As much as 65 tonnes of sugarcane could be harvested from the farm, said

Kulandaivelu, Assistant Agriculture Officer, Modakurichi block.

According to the farmer, water usage has been optimised through drip

fertigation since the fertilisers are taken through the tubes directly to the

roots; the growth of the crop has been rapid.

Returns will be more in the coming years as the ratoon crop could be raised

and harvested for for 10 consecutive years, Mr. Kulandaivelu said.

Productivity

By raising nurseries using single-budded chips, and planting young

seedlings directly in wide spacing in the main field, the desired productivity

could be achieved, he said.

The tillering is increased and height and girth of individual canes is also

more, reflecting in much higher productivity when compared to the produce

in fields under conventional cultivation method.

Cold storage units to come up in all districts soon: Minister

Minister for Co-operation and Sugar H.S. Mahadeva Prasad said that the

government planned to establish cold storages with a capacity of 13 lakh

tonnes all over Karnataka shortly.

He was speaking to presspersons here on Wednesday after inaugurating the

district central cooperative bank’s new building.

“We have planned to establish storages that could store 13 lakh tonnes

grains. We need around Rs. 800 crore for the project. We have taken loans

from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development for the

purpose,” he said.

The Minister expressed satisfaction over the performance of Primary Land

Development Banks in the State by stating that 177 PLD banks have

returned to very good financial position by achieving targeted loan

recoveries.

“After the Congress assumed power in the State, measures are taken to

ensure credit facilities to both old and new borrowing farmers in cooperative

lending institutions. The loan recoveries from the institutions are also

satisfactory,” he said. Mr. Prasad said that that the amendment to the

Cooperative Act was aimed at preventing irregularities and corruption in

housing cooperative bodies by allowing them to directly purchase lands for

housing purposes.

“All services such as land conversion from agriculture to residential purpose

are being facilitated through single window. The purpose is put hassle-free

process in place keeping the housing needs,” he said.

Raichur District Central Cooperative Bank (RDCC) president Rajashekhar

Naik, director Manohar Maski, former minister Amaregowda Bayyapur and

others were present.

The work will

cost around

Rs. 800 crore,

says H.S. Mahadeva Prasad

Varsity to form body of horticultural farmers

D.L. Maheshwar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Horticulture Sciences-

Bagalkot, at an interactive session at the universityin Bagalkot.

D.L. Maheshwar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Horticulture Sciences-

Bagalkot, has said that the university was constituting a cooperative

association of the farmer producing improved variety of horticulture crops in

the district.

Speaking after inaugurating interactive session on improved variety of

horticulture crops organised by the university here on Tuesday, he said that

the university would provide necessary information about cultivation,

technology and marketing of improved variety of crop to the farmers.

Dr. Maheshwar said that the university has set up a state-of-the-art research

centre for horticulture crops for giving quality products to the farmers.

He said that soon, a horticulture mobile van would be introduced by the

university for the benefit of farmers.

He informed that 40 per cent of the agriculture products of the State was

coming from horticulture sector and the university was trying to improved

the quality and quantity of the produces. “Horticulture crops are cultivated

on only 5 per cent land in Bagalkot. The district stands 15th position in the

horticulture sector while Vijayapura has secured ninth position in the State,”

he said.

Stating that horticulture sector was gaining popularity, he informed that the

district has 70 per cent farmers who have an average of 2 hectares of

cultivable land.

These farmers could be encouraged to take up horticulture as it was best

suitable for small and marginal farmers.

He informed that the university had developed over 20 improved varieties of

vegetables, not just the farmers but urban people could make use of it for

developing kitchen garden.

Dr. Maheshwar said that if the farmers were educated about the improved

varieties, they could earn higher revenue with limited input cost. J.

Venkatesh, Director of Research, and A. B. Patil, Extension Director, also

spoke on the issue.

Several progressive farmers and experts were present.

Rs. 15,000 cr. investment expected at today’s investors meet

As a prelude to the global investors meet to be held in Bengaluru next

month, the district administration, in association with the District Industries

Committee, will organise an investors meet at the Central Hall of the

Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here on Thursday, where over 400 prospective

investors would converge to explore the possibilities of venturing into

various focussed sectors of agro and food processing, textiles, basic metal,

general engineering, automobile and tourism sectors.

As much as Rs. 15,000 crore of investment and creation of 15,000 jobs are

expected from Thursday’s meet.

Belagavi district, which is the second largest district in the State and is

known as the sugar bowl of Karnataka, thrives mainly on its agrarian

economy, supported by nine rivers and three irrigation dams. Belagavi city,

which has common boundaries with Goa and Maharashtra, is being

developed on the lines of a second capital of the State. It is connected by the

railways, national highways and air. It is rich with a vast pool of educated

and skilled human talent, with two government universities and one in the

private sector offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in

engineering, medicine and business management.

Although Belagavi is regarded as the best among the tier two cities in the

State, the pace of progress has not been as expected due to the slow pace of

infrastructure developments, which was fundamental to attract large

investments. A major problem that has been discouraging industrial growth

is the shortage of good quality and uninterrupted power supply, the lifeline

for growth in both the agriculture sector and industry.

Ongoing developments include major roads that have been taken up for

widening, construction of railway over-bridge and proposed flyover aimed at

decongesting vehicular traffic in the city. The government has approved 24 x

7 drinking water supply project for all the 58 wards in the Belagavi City

Corporation limits and the city is competing to be among the first 20 cities to

be developed under the Smart City project of the Union government.

An inland container depot at Desur, about 18 km from the city, a

Government Tool Room Centre to provide technical cues and training, 13

industrial areas, a foundry cluster, hydraulics and automobile body building

industries, a SEZ in aerospace engineering near Hattargi form an established

infrastructure facility in the district.

Konda Laxman varsity

KCR to lay foundation for Horticulture varsity today

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Union Agriculture Minister Radha

Mohan Singh will lay foundation for the construction of Konda Laxman

Telangana State Horticulture University at Mulugu mandal headquarters on

Thursday.

The University would come up in 12.5 hectares. The government had also

signed a memorandum of understanding with Forest Department for leasing

out additionally another 40 hectares for the same purpose.

Summit on organic farming from today

The first national ATMA-SAMETI summit on organic agriculture will get

under way at the Adlux Convention Centre, near Angamaly, on Thursday.

The two-day summit will be attended by officials and farmers from all over

India. Minister for agriculture K.P. Mohanan will inaugurate the summit.

The first day will see directors of Agricultural Technology Management

Agencies and State Agricultural Management and Extension Training

Institutes from 12 States present papers.

Union minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Kumar Balyan will be the

chief guest on the second day. Kerala will be one of the highlights of the

summit as it has set itself the goal of total organic agriculture this year.

Seminars and an exhibition are part of the summit programmes.

KOCHI TODAY

Department of Agriculture: Organic Agriculture summit, Minister for

Agriculture K.P. Mohanan to inaugurate, Adlux International Convention

Centre, Angamaly, 9 a.m.

Centre for Public Policy Research: Jacob Thomas, Chairman and

Managing Director of Kerala Police Housing and Construction Corporation

Ltd to talk on ‘Governance and Accountability’, Bharat Tourist Home,

Durbar Hall Road, 5 p.m.

Cochin University Employees Association: CPI (M) Polit Bureau member

Brinda Karat inaugurates public meeting as part of its 35{+t}{+h}annual

meet, SMS auditorium, 10 a.m.

Vigil Human Rights: Discussion on the National Herald controversy,

Children’s Park, North End, 5.30 p.m.

All Kerala Document Writers Association: 20{+t}{+h}Ernakulam district

meet, Thrikkakara community hall, Kakkanad, 10.30 a.m.

CULTURE

Kerala Fine Arts Society: Staging of drama ‘Arayannangalude Tharatu’,

Fine Arts Avenue, 6.30 p.m.

Kerala Lalithakala Akademi: Exhibition of paintings of Vipin K. Nair,

Durbar Hall Art Centre, 11 a.m.

Nanappa Art Gallery: Exhibition of paintings and sculptures, 11 a.m.

RELIGION

Vaduthala Don Bosco: Tirunal celebrations, 6.30 a.m.

Chinmaya Mission: Classes on Kaivalyopanishad and Bhagavad Gita,

Satsang Mandir, Netteppadam Road, 6 p.m.

Theosophical Society Hall: J. Krishnamurti teachings, Pallimukku, 5.30

p.m.

CPCRI measures help check spread of root-wilt disease

Inter-crop farming, planting disease-resistant varieties among strategies

A coconut palm affected by root-wilt disease, which remains a serious

concern for farmers in the State.

Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) of the Indian Council

of Agricultural Research is adopting integrated management technologies to

counter root wilt disease which has been causing wide damage in coconut

farms.

The strategy, involving a cropping system with participatory technology

transfer, had helped restrict the spread of the disease, besides ensuring better

yield in demonstration fields, P. Chowdappa, Director, ICAR-CPCRI, said.

The productivity level of 150-200 nuts per coconut tree per annum could be

achieved through upgrading management practices and technologies. The

management practices include planting of disease-tolerant palms developed

by the institute and adoption of multiple-crop system.

Root wilt remains a serious concern for coconut farmers in Kerala and has

been spreading to other States. Adoption of inter-crop pattern with the use of

new varieties of coconut palms was demonstrated successfully in

Bharanikkavu panchayat. Black pepper, nutmeg, banana, pineapple, and

tuber crops were cultivated as inter-crops.

“Raising different crops in the inter space ensures effective utilisation of

natural resources, maximum returns per unit area and provides bio-mass for

recycling,” said B. Krishna Kumar, head of ICAR-CPCRI, Kayamkulam.

Systematic evaluation trials at ICAR-CPCRI regional station at

Kayamkulam have resulted in the release of three varieties of coconuts,

Kalparaksha, Kalpasree and Kalpasankara, with resistance or tolerance to the

disease, he said.

Bacterial disease

Studies have established that root wilt disease is caused by the wall-less

bacteria phytoplasmas.

Phytoplasmal diseases are usually transmitted by insects.

Current research on the disease is focused on development of diagnostic

tools for early detection of the disease.

From 1882

CPCRI scientists said the disease was first noticed in 1882 at Erattupetta in

Kottayam district. Later, around 1,907, the disease was reported from

Kaviyoor and Kalloopara areas of Pathanamthitta district and Kayamkulam

in Alappuzha district.

The disease has spread to eight southern districts of Kerala, from

Thiruvanathapuram to Thrissur and in isolated patches in the remaining six

districts of the State.

The annual loss due to the disease has been estimated at 968 million nuts

and the monetary loss at Rs.3,000 million.

Census of minor irrigation schemes, waterbodies on

For estimating the availability of groundwater, surface water and

formulation of a realistic plan for water resource development

The census is expected to create a clear picture of the number of minor

irrigation schemes, and the irrigation potential created.— Photo: T.

Singaravelou

Drawing from the lessons learnt due to unprecedented rains and floods, the

authorities have taken up the work of identifying minor irrigation schemes

and waterbodies that are near-extinct.

The Public Works Department (PWD) is set to start a major exercise across

the Union Territory (UT) to conduct a census to catalogue all minor

irrigation schemes and waterbodies.

Ahead of the census, the PWD conducted workshop-cum-training for

officers who would be out on the field shortly for the purpose. The officers

were imparted training on how to enumerate and collect the data from

villagers.

B. Umapathy, scientist of Central Ground Board, said, “The census is

conducted to get a clear picture of the minor irrigation schemes, including

their number, the irrigation potential created and extent of utilisation, which

is essential for estimating the availability of groundwater, surface water and

formulation of a realistic plan for water resource development.”

Central scheme

The Centrally sponsored scheme, ‘Rationalisation of Minor irrigation

Statistics (RMIS),’ was launched in 1987 with 100 per cent Central

assistance to the States/Union Territories. The aim of RMIS is to build a

comprehensive and reliable database in the minor irrigation sector for future

planning. The major activity under the scheme is all-India census of minor

irrigation schemes conducted once in five years in the States, covering all

groundwater and surface water minor irrigation schemes.

The first census of minor irrigation schemes with reference year 1986-87

was conducted in the States/ UTs and the report was published in November

1993.

The second census with reference year 1993-94 was held in September 1994

and the report was published in March 2001. The information in respect of

adoption of newly developed technology of water and energy conserving

devices such as sprinkler and drip irrigation systems and use of non-

conventional energy sources such as solar pumps and wind mills was

collected in this round. For the first time, census data was computerised with

the help of National Informatics Centre and the results were put on the

Ministry website.

The third census with reference year 2000-2001 was conducted in 33

States/UTs and the report was released in November 2005. The fourth

census was conducted with the reference year 2006-07. The data has been

processed and is expected to be published soon. The data collected in the

census is utilised for formulation of the proposals for the Five-Year Plans.

The census data is also utilised for estimation of groundwater resources by

the Central Ground Water Board. In addition to this, Central Water

Commission and various wings of the Ministry of Water Resources use the

data extensively. The fifth census of minor irrigation schemes will be

conducted with reference year 2013-14.

Schedules

As per schedules drawn out for the UT, the enumerators will first collect

information about total agricultural, irrigated area and the number of minor

irrigation schemes and waterbodies in the village as a whole. In the second

schedule, they will collect detailed data related to specific groundwater

schemes — dug well, shallow tube well, medium tube well and deep tube

well. In the third schedule, they will collect details on scheme design such as

surface flow or surface lift irrigation.

Rs. 550 cr. allotted for 10 lakh farm ponds: CM

The government has earmarked Rs. 550 crore for digging 10 lakh farm

ponds in the State as part of measures to store rain water and utilise it for

irrigation, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Wednesday.

“The government has also allotted Rs. 2,000 crore for laying cement

concrete roads for a length of 5,000 km,” he said at a Janmabhoomi - Maa

Vooru programme here on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister promised completion of the Handri Neeva Sujala

Sravanthi project and the Siddhapuram lift-irrigation scheme by June and the

Muchumarri lift-irrigation by March. He added that the Kurnool-Chittoor

national highway works would be completed by November.

“The government will develop an education hub and has conceived an Urdu

University and IIIT in Kurnool district. Nandyal will be developed as a seed

capital. The government will also develop a food park, cement and industrial

hubs and build an airport at Orvakal. Kurnool and Nandyal will be

developed into smart cities,” Mr. Naidu said.

Despite his sincere efforts to develop the backward Rayalaseema region,

some were spreading mala-fide propaganda that he was neglecting the

region, he alleged. “Those leaders talk of injustice to the region while they

are out of power and forget the issue when they gain power,” he added.

Alleging that some MLAs had abused him and called him “Call CM” in the

call money issue, he said people should ponder if such leaders should go to

the Assembly. “The State will be ruined if people cooperated with such

leaders,” he said.

The CM sanctioned a primary health centre at Deebaguntla. Incidentally, the

villagers offered six acres for setting up the centre. He also directed the

release of water to KC Canal to save standing crops.

Mr. Naidu promised to sanction 200 bore-wells with power connections in

the village, provided 600 farm ponds were dug in the village. He also

promised LPG connections to all poor under the Deepam scheme. Deputy

Chief Minister K.E. Krishnamurthy, Minister K. Atchannaidu, MLA B.C.

Janardhana Reddy, MLC Silpa Chakrapani Reddy, former Ministers Silpa

Mohan Reddy and N.Md. Farooq, former ZP chairman P.P. Nagi Reddy and

District Collector Ch. Vijayamohan were present.

Kurnool and Nandyal will be developed into smart cities,

says Naidu

Moratorium on recovery of farm loans

The State Cabinet on Wednesday decided to declare a moratorium on

recovery of all agriculture loans up to June, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy

announced at his post-Cabinet briefing. Replying to questions, Mr. Chandy

said the State government would continue with rubber subsidy programme.

He said that no State other than Kerala had taken the initiative in providing

subsidy to an agriculture crop.

Left-over food less nutritious

How food items retain their nutrient content…

Kale lasts far longer than lettuce or spinach

Q. Does day-old, leftover kale salad have less nutritional value than kale

that is fresher?

Technically, yes. There is a gradual loss in nutrient content in kale or any

fresh fruit or vegetable from the moment it is picked. But the decrease is so

minor that the overall health benefits of consuming the leftover salad would

still be quite high.

Unless you’re picking kale straight from your garden or buying it at the

farmers’ market, it has most likely already spent days in transit and on

display. The additional day in your crisper will make virtually no difference

in nutrient levels. And, kale is quite hardy. While we tend to treat it as a

salad green, it’s actually the same type of cruciferous vegetable as Brussels

sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. So you may notice it stores far longer than

lettuce or spinach.

To retain nutrient value, temperature is the critical factor. Whether the

leftover kale is raw or cooked, dressed or not, it’s important to keep it

refrigerated. One study found that after six days of refrigeration, leafy

vegetables lost only 10 percent of their vitamin C content (versus 20 percent

in just two days at room temperature).

It also helps to chop the kale yourself, as close to meal time as possible.

“As soon as you chop that kale, you’re basically breaking the cell walls, and

that begins the oxidation process,” Ms. Armstrong said. “Processing the

kale” by chopping increases “the rate at which the nutrients degrade.”

Different nutrients degrade at different rates and are sensitive to different

factors. Whereas most minerals retain their value at any temperature,

vitamins can be more sensitive, especially the B vitamin folate.— New York

Times News Service

To retain nutrient value, temperature is the critical factor. Whether the

leftover kale is raw or cooked, dressed or not, it’s important to keep it

refrigerated. One study found that after six days of refrigeration, leafy

vegetables lost only 10 percent of their vitamin C content (versus 20

percent in just two days at room temperature).

Different nutrients degrade at different rates and are sensitive to

different factors. Whereas most minerals retain their value at any

temperature, vitamins can be more sensitive, especially the B vitamin

folate

Rubber farmers’ demand

Rubber Farmers Protection Samithi has urged the government not to entrust

Rubber Marketing Federation and State Marketing Federation with the task

of rubber procurement. P.C. Cyriac, its chairman, said in a release that the

move will only result in diversion of funds earmarked for rubber farmers for

other purposes.

– Special Correspondent

Big boost to big ticket land development projects

Chief Minister clears bid structuring for Dharavi

Stalled for years due to legal and other reasons, two crucial development

projects for Mumbai – the Dharavi redevelopment and Salt Pan development

– have been set in motion by the Devendra Fadnavis government. While the

Chief Minister on Wednesday cleared the bid document for Dharavi

redevelopment in central Mumbai, the State is likely to submit to Centre the

master plan for development of salt pan land spreading over 13,000 acres

across the State.

Mr Fadnavis on Wednesday chaired a crucial meeting to discuss the Rs

15,000-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project, and cleared the bid

structuring for the project, paving the way for the tendering process within

next two months. The BJP-led government has increased the size of the

tenements under the project from 300 to 350 square feet. The ambitious

project which will redevelop prime piece of land adjoining the Bandra Kurla

Complex had been stalled since 2004 over contentious issue of the size of

tenements and appointment of project consultants.

Similarly, the plan to open up stretches of Salt Pan land for development in

landlocked Mumbai has also been stuck in complex litigation. The

government had appointed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development

Authority (MMRDA) to prepare a master plan to enable development of

mass housing projects. The MMRDA is giving finishing touches to a master

plan, which is likely to be submitted to the Centre within the next one

month, sources said.

In August 2015, the Fadnavis government had initiated the process of using

these land pockets of salt pan land to build mass housing projects, primarily

for Economically Weaker Sections and Lower Income Groups. The master

plan will map the land and provide an estimate of how much of this land can

be developed.

The salt pan land pockets are located on Mumbai’s eastern water front, far

suburbs of Vasai, Virar and Palghar districts and are estimated to be around

5,300 acres.

Agenda 2016: Three things government can do for agriculture today

Drip irrigation, making urea in Iran, and pushing pulses in Punjab

should be top policy priorities.

The government can do many things to bring agriculture back on track. We

focus on three.

The biggest risk to the Indian economy today isn’t the US Federal Reserve

hiking interest rates further or a deepening Chinese slowdown, but rising

domestic farm distress that has political implications too. The government

can do many things to bring agriculture back on track. We focus on three.

The first relates to water

The Centre has launched a Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana with an

outlay of Rs 50,000 crore over five years, for providing assured irrigation

cover to every farm (“har khet ko pani”) and maximising water use

efficiency (“more crop per drop”). The potential downside of schemes like

this, or the Maharashtra government’s Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan, is their

widely dispersed nature of works stemming from vague operational

guidelines that may lead to no quantifiable benefits at the individual farmer

level: Drought-proofing isn’t simply about deepening and widening of

nullahs, constructing cement/earthen check dams or digging farm ponds in

isolation.

What we need is a more focussed and integrated plan of building farm ponds

for harvesting rainwater that also ensures judicious use of this stored water

through drip irrigation. A 30m x 30m x 3m pond on about 0.2 acres can

accumulate over 25 lakh litres of rainfall during the monsoon season. Even

after accounting for evaporation and seepage losses of 5 per cent each —

these can be minimised by lining the excavated tank with impervious

material such as high density polyethylene fabric — the balance water can

meet the requirement of a five-acre farmer growing any 5-6 month duration

crop, including direct-seeded paddy. This is, however, conditional upon use

of drip irrigation that can deliver the pumped water to the fields at discharge

rates as low as one litre per hour.

There are three components to the above scheme. The first is the pond,

whose cost, inclusive of excavation and plastic lining, would be within Rs 1

lakh. The second is rural electrification: Without three-phase power supply

to operate 3-5 horsepower motors, the harvested rainwater cannot be

conveyed to the fields. Ordinary farmers can’t afford diesel or solar pumps,

the former entailing high operational expenses and the latter ten times the

capital cost of electric pump-sets. The third is drip irrigation, costing Rs

25,000-30,000 per acre. With drip, not only can ten times the area be

covered using the same quantity of water in conventional flood irrigation,

crop yields, too, would go up. The reason: the water along with fertiliser is

applied only at the plant’s root zone, where it is required, while the

remaining soil area gets enough air to maintain an optimal air-water-nutrient

balance.

A well-funded and focussed programme integrating all the three components

can go a long way in guaranteeing universal access to protective irrigation.

The water thus delivered should be properly metered and priced to

encourage judicious use, with the government subsidising the capital costs of

around Rs 3 lakh for a five-acre farm.

The impact of a national-level programme of this kind will be

transformational. Most parts of India receive reasonable rainfall at an

aggregate level; the problem is more in its uneven temporal distribution.

Take Nabarangpur in Odisha, India’s poorest district that recorded 1,458.2

mm rainfall this monsoon season. This was not only above the national

average of 887.5 mm — or the 700-750 mm for Marathwada and Telangana

— but even the district’s normal of 1,241.5 mm for June-September. But

since it did not rain in the crucial July-August period, Nabarangpur’s

farmers experienced drought despite a “normal” monsoon. If only they had

the means to harness groundwater or stored rainwater in ponds!

The second action point is in fertiliser, specifically urea

The Omifco ammonia-urea fertiliser manufacturing plant at Sur in Oman.

In 2000, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave a decisive push

to the Oman India Fertiliser Company (Omifco) project that was floundering

after being first mooted in 1993. The 50:25:25 overseas urea manufacturing

joint venture of the Oman Oil Company, Indian Farmers Fertiliser

Cooperative and Krishak Bharati Cooperative got finally commissioned in

July 2005. India has since been importing roughly two million tonnes (mt) of

urea annually through Omifco at an average long-term offtake price of $130-

140 per tonne free-on-board. The Omifco project helped partly insulate India

against volatility in world prices, including in 2008 when they crossed $800

per tonne. Even at current $230-240 per tonne prices, Omifco urea is a steal,

supplying a quarter of India’s total eight mt imports.

There’s need for more Omifco-type JVs for producing urea in countries

where gas is available relatively cheap against long-term government-

backed offtake agreements at pre-determined prices. The initiative should

come now, when global hydrocarbon prices have slumped. True, it takes

about two years for any planned project to obtain statutory clearances and

achieve financial closure — in addition to three years for actual

construction. Also, no supplier country may want to lock into today’s gas

price for a plant that will produce only five years later.

Yet, India can leverage its position as a big buyer — more so, with China

turning from being the world’s biggest urea importer to larger exporter and

the US, too, on course to becoming self-sufficient — to secure gas at below

$4 per million British thermal units (mBtu) for an overseas JV against

committed offtake of end-product. The gas supply contracts could even

incorporate escalation clauses allowing for a gradual increase linked to, say,

the US CPI: For Omifco, Oman was initially making gas available at

$0.77/mBtu. It has since been reset at $3/mBtu, which is still way below

ruling Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices of $7/mBtu.

India is reportedly in talks to set up a 1.3 mt urea plant in Iran’s Chabahar

region. The Iranian government has apparently even indicated a gas price of

$2.95/mBtu. But for matters to proceed beyond “talks”, the intervention has

to come from the top. Prime Minister Narendra Modi could do a Vajpayee

here, directly engaging with the Iranian top leadership as he has done with

the Japanese for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. There could

eventually be scope for even two plants of 1.3 mt each.

The crash in global commodity prices affords an opportunity for India,

which imports huge quantities of fertiliser either in direct form (urea, di-

ammonium phosphate and potash) or as raw materials/intermediates (gas,

rock phosphate, sulphur, phosphoric acid and ammonia). This is the time to

scout for overseas asset acquisitions and establishing JVs, whether in Iran,

Qatar, Nigeria, Ghana and Gabon for urea or Morocco, Jordan, Egypt,

Tunisia and Senegal for phosphates. Rather than establishing new urea

plants in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh using imported LNG re-gasified and

delivered at $10/mBtu, nutritional security is better achieved by investing

overseas (where gas is available at source at $3-4/mBtu) to “make for India”.

And finally pulses

India’s pulses production has to significantly increase from present 17-18 mt

levels to cater to growing domestic demand. This clearly cannot be met

through imports, which can, at best, supply 4-5 mt out of the annual global

trade in pulses of around 15 mt.

Domestic output can, however, go up only if farmers in Punjab, Haryana and

other irrigated regions – who grow paddy, wheat and sugarcane – take up

pulses cultivation. Today, pulses are an orphan crop planted largely in

marginal lands prone to moisture stress. Even with drip and improved

cropping technologies, one cannot expect dramatic production increases

from Vidarbha, Marathwada or northeast Karnataka, especially in the face of

repeated monsoon failures.

This calls for a strategy to make pulses an attractive option for even irrigated

area farmers. But they will not switch without assured procurement and

minimum support prices (MSP) reasonably aligned to market levels. For the

current rabi season, the government has fixed the procurement price of

chana at Rs 3,500 per quintal and at Rs 3,400 for masur, when they are

selling in mandis at Rs 4,500 and Rs 6,000 per quintal levels respectively.

Worse, the MSPs were announced as late as November 5, when farmers

would already have taken their planting decisions.

The approach of routine mechanical fixing of MSPs needs to be replaced by

one based on market realities and national cropping priorities. We have a

strange situation now of the MSPs of paddy or wheat being higher than what

the market can support, while way below the latter for pulses. If 50 mt of

paddy and 30 mt of wheat can be procured at above market prices every

year, the government can surely buy 2-3 mt of pulses at rates closer to

market levels. Only then will farmers of Punjab and Haryana get a clear

signal to grow pulses.

Our scientists have done a good job in breeding shorter duration varieties —

100-110 days in chana (as against 140-150 days in traditional cultivars) and

150-160 days in arhar (300 days) — that are also resistant to various pests

and diseases. But we know from experience that it is the Punjab farmer who

will put real pressure on the farm research system to deliver. That applies to

pulses as well — for instance, breeding varieties/hybrids whose plants will

flower and set pods simultaneously, making them amenable to combine

harvesting at one go.

Also crucial is the role of pulses in soil rejuvenation and ‘fixing’ of

atmospheric nitrogen. The fact they can save one bag of urea per acre for the

succeeding crop is something that could well be factored in MSP setting.

Horticulture woes: The rise and fall of kinnow as Punjab’s ‘king fruit’

Why are they doing this to their kinnow orchards that they had painstakingly

nurtured over the years and reaped the rich harvest from these trees until

recently?

Ajay Vir Jakhar at his kinnow orchard in Abohar.

Fifteen years after growing kinnows, Harbinder Singh Sandhu decided to

uproot the trees in 32 out of his 50-acre orchard. He plans to uproot the

remaining 18 acres as well over the next two years.

This farmer from Bhikhowal village in Hoshiarpur isn’t the only one.

Sarabjit Singh of Mona Kalan, Anil Sood of Bassi Gulam Hussain and

Sadhu Ram Saini of Bohan village — all in Hoshiarpur district — have

uprooted their entire 30, 15 and eight acre kinnow orchards, respectively.

Over 200 kinnow growers in Hoshiarpur are estimated to have uprooted their

orchards, ranging from 2.5 acres to 50 acres in past couple of years. They are

all returning to the traditional wheat-paddy-maize- vegetables cropping

system.

Why are they doing this to their kinnow orchards that they had painstakingly

nurtured over the years and reaped the rich harvest from these trees until

recently?

“It makes no sense to grow kinnow when our price realisations have been

static at Rs 8-9 per kg, even as input costs have more than doubled from Rs

10,000-12,000 to Rs 25,000-30,000 per acre in the last ten years,” notes

Sandhu.

Now, fruit flies return to attack kinnow crop

Bumper crop,closed juice unit send kinnow prices in a free fall

Kinnow glut: Crash in prices forces farmers to go for new varieties

Tikka crowned Kinnow King for transforming barren land

Fall in yield,kinnows to be costlier this season

In Punjab’s crop diversification story,kinnow harvests millionaires

Now, fruit flies return to attack kinnow crop

Bumper crop,closed juice unit send kinnow prices in a free fall

Kinnow glut: Crash in prices forces farmers to go for new varieties

Tikka crowned Kinnow King for transforming barren land

Fall in yield,kinnows to be costlier this season

In Punjab’s crop diversification story,kinnow harvests millionaires

Now, fruit flies return to attack kinnow crop

Bumper crop,closed juice unit send kinnow prices in a free fall

Kinnow glut: Crash in prices forces farmers to go for new varieties

Tikka crowned Kinnow King for transforming barren land

Fall in yield,kinnows to be costlier this season

In Punjab’s crop diversification story,kinnow harvests millionaires

Punjab grows kinnows on roughly 48,000 hectares area, which includes

27,000 hectares in the Abohar-Fazilka belt, 6,300 hectares in Hoshiarpur,

5,600 hectares in Muktsar and 4,000 hectares in Bathinda districts. Much of

this increase — from 19,000 to 39,000 hectares — took place between 2004-

05 and 2009-10, largely on the back of the state’s push for crop

diversification (away from paddy and wheat) and its setting up kinnow

processing plants at Hoshiarpur and Abohar in 2007, along with citrus

estates providing farm implements, grading, waxing and other facilities

under a single roof.

But the period since then has registered lower acreage increases. In the last

2-3 years, farmers have actually been uprooting 700-800 hectares of

orchards annually, ending their love affair with the citrus that is considered

Punjab’s “King Fruit”.

Sadhu Ram Saini blames the situation mainly on inadequate government

support for marketing. “They made big promises to farmers that their entire

crop will be purchased and established two juice processing units at a cost of

over Rs 84 crore. But today, these are not even operational for reasons only

the government knows,” he complains.

On why the two plants with capacity to process 20 tonnes of kinnows per

hour were lying idle, the managing director of Punjab Agro Industries

Corporation, Kahan Singh Pannu, said that “we will run the units soon”

without elaborating further.

Ajay Vir Jakhar, one of the Abohar belt’s biggest kinnow farmers, believes

the current problem is no less due to lack of research in developing new

varieties with extended harvesting periods, making them more amenable to

processing in plants that can run for longer time.

In oranges, there are two harvesting seasons for an early and late crop

between November and March. The entire kinnow crop, by contrast, is

harvested during December-January, which is also the time when oranges hit

the market. It naturally results in a citrus glut, translating into poor

realisations for farmers. “Punjab has just one kinnow variety that was

introduced first in Pakistan from Florida way back in the 1960s. Since then,

no research has been done to develop new varieties having longer harvesting

periods,” he points out.

According to Jakhar, a lot of orchards are being uprooted even in the main

kinnow belt of Abohar. Kinnow requires dry land with water tables below 12

feet. The Abohar area, on the other hand, has been seeing water tables rising

to 7-8 feet levels and associated problems of salinity. It has led to fungal

disease attacks going up manifold. Traders have, in turn, exploited the

situation by selling spurious pesticides to farmers. Farmers have also

suffered from use of root stock from poor quality plants hawked by

unscrupulous nursery owners. “These plants are susceptible to diseases such

as fruit fly, which result in premature dropping of fruits and reduction in

yields (from 1,200-1,500 to 250-300 per tree),” says Jakhar, who owns a

National Horticulture Board “four-star” rated kinnow nursery supplying

planting material to even states like Andhra Pradesh.

Cabinet clears Stand Up India scheme for women and SC/ST

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley holds the pre-Budget Consultation

Meeting with representatives of industry and trade groups in New Delhi

on Wednesday. (Mohd Zakir/ HT Photo)

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday

gave its nod for the Stand Up India scheme that is aimed at promoting

entrepreneurship among women and scheduled castes and tribes.

Loans under the scheme would be given for greenfield projects in the non-

farm sector.

The scheme will be a refinance window through Small Industries

Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with an initial amount of Rs 10,000

crore.

“The scheme is intended to facilitate at least two such projects per branch --

on an average one for each category of entrepreneur. It is expected to benefit

at least 250,000 borrowers,” an official statement said.

A credit guarantee mechanism would also be set up through the National

Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) to support the scheme. Loans

under the Stand Up India scheme will range between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1

crore.

The ‘Start up India Stand up India’ initiative was announced by the Prime

Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2015. The Start up India will be

launched by Modi on January 16.

“The Stand Up India campaign is different from the Start Up India

campaign…Start Up India is for new entrepreneurs but Stand Up India is a

proposal restricted only to scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and women

entrepreneurs,” finance minister Arun Jaitley told reporters after the Cabinet

meeting. The Cabinet has also given its nod for the conversion of the Mudra

Ltd (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency), an NBFC, into

Mudra Bank. The Mudra SIDBI Bank will be a wholly owned subsidiary of

SIDBI. A separate Credit Guarantee Fund corpus of `3,000 crore, to support

loans disbursed under the Mudra Yojana will also be set up.

Jaitley said 17.3 million people have so far benefited under the Mudra

Yojana.

While Mudra Yojana is also aimed at financing small businesses, its focus is

on refinancing micro lenders who focus on non-corporate small business

such as shopkeeper and small manufacturers. It has loan size range of Rs

50,000-Rs 10 lakh.

Poor offtake from Iran, Nigeria to dent India’s rice exports

Grain loses aroma on lower prices offered by competing countries in global

market

BENGALURU, DECEMBER 06:

India’s rice exports for the current financial year are headed for a decline,

both in value and volume terms, over the previous year on reduced

purchases by large buyers, such as Iran and Nigeria, and drop in realisations.

Latest export trends suggest that total rice shipments – basmati and non-

basmati – have declined 7.3 per cent in volumes and 18 per cent in value

terms for the April-November period over the corresponding period last

year.

While basmati shipments were up 23 per cent in volume terms, realisations

were down 13 per cent in rupee terms and 18.5 per cent in dollar terms, on

account of decline in grain prices.

Non-basmati rice shipments dropped by a fifth in volume terms and by a

fourth in rupee terms. This was largely on account of stoppage of imports of

parboiled rice by Nigeria due to the foreign exchange issue in the African

nation.

Exports drop

“Going by the current trend, our exports may see a decline. We may end up

shipping 10.5-11 million tonnes (mt) of rice, both basmati and non-basmati

put together this year,” said Rajen Sundaresan, Executive Director, All India

Rice Exporters Association. India had exported a total of 11.92 mt rice in

2014-15.

Basmati shipments to Iran, the largest buyer of the Indian aromatic rice

variety in recent years, have dropped 25 per cent to 3.9 lakh tonnes during

the April-October period of the current financial year against 5.18 lakh

tonnes in the corresponding period last year.

Iran, which had stopped issuing fresh import permits for basmati in

November 2014, began issuing new permits from December 2015,

Sundaresan said.

As a result, basmati shipments were likely to pick up in the coming months.

However, the quantum of permits issued by Iran so far could not be

ascertained.

“Our basmati shipments, in volume terms, may increase by about 10 per cent

this year, while in value terms there could be a decline of 20-25 per cent on

lower realisations,” said AK Gupta, Director, Basmati Export Development

Foundation.

Competing countries

Non-basmati rice exporters, who rely mainly on the African markets, are not

optimistic about the outlook for exports in the absence of demand from

Nigeria and the firming trend in domestic prices. “The market is not very

buoyant because of low prices in countries, such as Pakistan and Vietnam,”

said BV Krishna Rao, Managing Director of Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt Ltd, a

large rice exporter in Kakinada.

Rao said Indian rice is not competitive in the global market compared to rice

from Thailand and Pakistan. The Centre should provide some incentive to

rice exporters to help maintain their market share, he added. Rao expects the

overall non-basmati shipments to be in the region of around five million

tonnes this year.

Tejinder Narang, a grains trade analyst, said a depreciating Thailand

currency (baht) will pose a challenge to Indian exporters, who are already

battling a firming trend in domestic rice prices. “Lack of demand from

Nigeria is bound to impact Indian exports,” he added.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

Post Comment

Farm suicides, price crash puts potato off the boil in Bengal

KOLKATA, JANUARY 6:

A bumper crop leading to price crash and subsequent farm suicides in 2015,

may have impacted the potato cultivation in the current season. At least 16

farm suicides were reported last year after the price of tuber crashed below

₹ 2 a kg.

While both the West Bengal government and trade sources refer to a

marginal drop in sowing area this season, unconfirmed sources from the

potato growing regions report substantial drop in farmers’ interest.

Acreage may dip

The cold storage lobby that takes active interest in trading, however, says

area of cultivation in prime potato growing regions of Burdwan, Hooghly,

Paschim Medinipur shrunk by five per cent when compared to last year.

“The price crash following a bumper crop and suicides is likely to put off

new cultivators. This will impact the area of cultivation,” a cold storage

owner said.

He, however, predicted that such “marginal” drop in sowing area will not

impact the final production in a big way. West Bengal produced 110 lakh

tonnes of the tuber last year. Purnendu Basu, State Agriculture Minister,

appeared more focussed in keeping potato prices affordable. “West Bengal

ensured lowest price of potato when compared to other States,” he said.

Basu has no data of the current sowing area. The State government also

denied any farm suicides last year.

“Potato production is unlikely to be impacted. However, the area under

cultivation may go down, if at all, because of floods in south Bengal

districts,” he told BusinessLine.

Delayed harvesting

Meanwhile, potato prices are ruling 25-30 per cent higher than last year.

The Jyoti variety and other hybrid varieties are now selling around ₹ 750-

800 a quintal (₹ 7.5-8/kg) against last year’s ₹ 600 per quintal (₹ 6/kg).

Traders blame it on delayed arrival of new stock. “Prices have moved up

slightly because of delayed harvesting and absence of new stock of tuber,” a

cold storage owner said.

According to him, prices should soften soon as harvesting of the early tuber

varieties (like Pukhraj and Jyoti) are expected to pick up from the mid of this

month.

Currently, cold storages here have a stock of around 2.5 lakh tonnes, which

coupled with some new stock, are expected to last for around a month.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

Post Comment

Planters’ body seeks govt support for the survival of industry

Upasi wants the Centre to tweak Plantations Labour Act and check rubber

imports

KOCHI, JAN 6:

The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (Upasi) has demanded

overhauling the archaic Plantations Labour Act (PLA), 1951, saying it

would save the ₹ 43,000-crore industry now reeling under high doses of

taxation, un-remunerative returns and commodity price fluctuation.

Until changes are made to the PLA, all expenses under this category should

be given weighted deduction to the extent of 200 per cent of the expenditure,

Upasi said in the pre-Budget memorandum to the Finance Minister.

Infra support

The other major demands in the memorandum are full expenditure

allowance for replanting, temporary ban on rubber imports pending disposal

of safeguard duty application, exclusion of tea exports from the ambit of

cess and concessional import tariff for plantation machineries, said N

Dharmaraj, President, Upasi.

Plantation business in India is pegged at ₹ 43,000 crore and 60 per cent of it

comes from South India.

It employs 24 lakh people (of which 60 per cent is also from south India),

besides playing a significant role in supporting the rural infrastructure.

According to Upasi, PLA was enacted at a time when plantations operated in

extremely remote areas with no external infrastructure support.

Today, plantation areas are no longer rural but semi-urban.

As such, the legislation has lost its relevance, is a burden on the production

cost of plantations and makes Indian plantations uncompetitive

internationally.

Upasi drew the government’s attention to the commodity price fluctuation

that hugely impacts plantation business.

“Currently, commodity prices are at its lowest, which makes plantation

producers vulnerable for price manipulation since they are at the lowest rung

in the value chain,” he pointed out.

Wage hike, bonus

The recently amended Bonus Act would also severely impact the plantation

business where 60 per cent of the cost is on employee remuneration.

Besides, the proposed changes in the Gratuity and Maternity Benefits Act

would increase the production cost of plantations making it totally unviable.

Plantations are subjected to both Central Income Tax (CIT) and Agricultural

Income Tax (AIT) and the weighted average rate is higher than CIT and

hence rebate should be provided to offset the additional liability of tax paid

on account of higher AIT.

Rubber sector

The memorandum brought into focus the domestic rubber plantation

business which is ‘gasping for breath under the impact of extremely un-

remunerative prices’.

“Though international prices are low, unbridled imports, over and above the

production, have hugely impacted domestic prices of natural rubber. The

government has increased the import duty to the maximum, but it has failed

to check imports. Hence, a levy of safeguard duty on import of natural

rubber is requested to protect the livelihood of small producers and keep

intact its production capacity of the country,” it submitted.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

Post Comment

Agri-business becomes attractive bet for global industrial giants:

Experts

AHMEDABAD, JAN 6:

Agriculture and allied businesses are increasingly gaining importance as a

serious business activity among the global industrial giants.

At a two-day International Conference on Agri-business in Emerging

Economies at the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), experts

revealed that agriculture has been the oldest endeavour in the world and

India has an advantage in the sector.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Prof S P Raj, professor of marketing at

Syracuse University, said, “Agri-business contributes a large proportion to

the world economy. Such is its importance that 17 global businesses have

now diversified into agribusiness.''

In the context of emerging economies, he said: “The main challenge is to

improve efficiency."

The two-day international conference, organised in collaboration with

Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management and the Journal of

Agri-business in Developing and Emerging Economies (JADEE), kicked off

on Wednesday, January 6, 2016.

Aimed at sharing research and expertise on agribusiness in developing and

emerging economies, the conference was attended by delegates and guests

from across the country and also from countries, including the US, Uganda,

Belgium, and Sri Lanka.

R S Sodhi, MD, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF),

stated that Indian dairy sector had gone from being market stagnant in the

1970s to becoming the largest milk producer of the world… from 20 tonnes

we are now up to 150 tonnes.

"When goods get consumed locally, it is good for agribusiness. It is

important to protect small farmers in the context of emerging economies

since inputs and outputs occur on a smaller scale. We are not into mass

production but production by the masses," Sodhi said.

Member of Parliament from Kheda seat Devusinh Chauhan expressed the

need to provide better prices for farm produce to the growers. "For 10,000

years, farmers have provided food for mankind and being their

representative, I demand higher prices for agricultural products.”

Delegates from YES Bank's International Agribusiness vertical, besides

other delegates, were present at the first day of the conference.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

Higher arrivals at Coonoor tea sale

COONOOR, JANUARY 6:

The first auction of Coonoor Tea Trade Association for calendar 2016 will

be held on Thursday (leaf sale) and Friday (dust sale). A total of 13.64 lakh

kg has been catalogued for Sale No: 1. This is as much as 3.12 lakh kg more

than the last sale of 2015 held on Dec 23. As much as 12.04 lakh kg belongs

to CTC variety and only 1.57 lakh kg, orthodox variety. In the leaf counter,

only 88,000 kg belongs to orthodox while 8.02 lakh kg, CTC. Among the

dusts, only 69,000 kg belongs to orthodox while 4.02 lakh kg, CTC.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

Post Comment

Turmeric down on slack buying

ERODE, JANUARY 6:

Spot turmeric prices decreased at Erode markets on Wednesday due to poor

upcountry demand. The price of the finger variety was up ₹ 1,600 a quintal

and was sold at ₹ 11,551 in the Erode Cooperative Marketing Society.

Further the arrival increased to 7,000 bags. Buyers and stockists were active.

At the Erode Turmeric Merchants Association sales yard, the finger turmeric

was sold at ₹ 9,799-10,359 a quintal; the root variety ₹ 8,800-9,500. Of the

arrival of 3,016 bags, 1,500 were sold.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

PostComment

Castor futures slip on profit booking

RAJKOT, JANUARY 6:

Castorseed futures traded lower on back of weak demand against higher

supply in the spot market. Moreover, higher production estimates from the

major producing belts too weighed on castorseed prices. Traders said that

weak export demand for castor oil pulled down the price in spot. On the

National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange, castor January contract

decreased ₹ 36 to ₹ 3,659 per quintal, with an open interest of 175,190 lots.

NCDEX castor February contract declined ₹ 31 to ₹ 3,692 per quintal, with

an open interests of 215,120 lots. About 13,000-14,000 bags arrived in

Gujarat and price was down by ₹ 5 to ₹ 705-715 per 20 kg. Nearly 850-900

bags arrived in Saurashtra and price fell by ₹ 5 to ₹ 675-685 per 20 kg.

Castor oil lost ₹ 5 to ₹ 715/10 kg. On the Rajkot Commodity Exchange,

(RCX) castor March contract was decreased ₹ 2 to ₹ 3,506 per 100 kg.

RCX spot castor was traded down by ₹ 12.50 to ₹ 3,525 per quintal.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

Indonesia, Sri Lanka seek ways to turn weather pains into gains

JANUARY 6:

Indonesia is bolstering its rural flood defences to help farmers protect crops

from monsoon waters and the La Nina weather pattern, its agriculture

minister said on Wednesday.

Indonesia is a top producer of cocoa, palm oil and coffee, as well as a major

importer of rice and raw sugar. It has forecast that the La Nina weather

pattern will strengthen from mid-2016.

Gearing up for La Nina

Any reduction in output of these crops could support global prices or lead to

greater imports as domestic supplies dwindle in South-East Asia’s biggest

economy.

La Nina is a cooling of the tropical waters of the Pacific that is a counterpart

to the El Nino weather event that is characterised by warmer waters.

Indonesia is repairing irrigation systems and installing water pumps in areas

likely to be worst hit, such as East Java, Agriculture Minister Amran

Sulaiman told reporters, adding that rice planting was also being accelerated.

Sulaiman said discussions with state food procurement agency Bulog were

underway over domestic rice buying but declined to comment on imports,

adding that harvests may be delayed a little and that Bulog currently had

stocks of 1.2 million tonnes (mt).

Despite the self-sufficiency push, Indonesia is expected to have imported

700,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam and Thailand by the end of 2015.

Sri Lankan efforts

In the island nation of Sri Lanka, rice farmer Weerasinghearchchilage

Darmarathana is used to periodic flooding in his low-lying village of Galella

in central Sri Lanka.

The 60-year-old has lived all his life on the flood plains of the country’s

longest river, the Mahaweli, in Polonnaruwa District, some 250 km (155.34

miles) north-east of the capital Colombo.

"It used to be maybe twice, three times a year the road would go under, but

the last year has been insane," said the paddy farmer. In his recollection,

Galella has never been flooded with the same frequency as in the last two

months of 2015.

Excessive rainfall seen

An advisory issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission

for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in early December attributed the rains to

the current El Nino weather phenomenon, likely to be the strongest since

1997-98. “The consensus that strong El Nino conditions has led to abnormal

rainfall during the northeast monsoon season in South Asia indicates that El

Nino had a part to play in the sequence of extreme weather events in India,”

the ESCAP advisory said.

Excessive El Nino-linked rainfall across southern India and northern Sri

Lanka was expected to continue into early 2016, it added. Sri Lankan

authorities said they were prepared.

Farmers advisory

“Historically El Nino has meant more rains in this region, so we have been

making our predictions on those lines,” said Lalith Chandrapala, head of the

island’s Department of Meteorology.

Chandrapala said the country could be in a position to benefit from the El

Nino-induced rains, which began in mid-November on the back of a weak

monsoon he assessed to be 75 per cent below average.

“We have been telling agencies like the Department of Agriculture to advise

farmers to prepare for rains,” he said. As the heavy rains struck when there

was no harvest, agricultural losses have been negligible.

Pradeep Koddiplili, deputy director at the Disaster Management Centre, said

no warnings had yet been issued for potential El Nino-related crop damage,

mainly because the rains had coincided with the preparation of fields for

planting. But disaster risk experts working in rural areas say awareness of

changing weather patterns remains low and could prevent farmers making

the most of the unseasonal rains.

Changing mindset

Sarath Wickramasinghe, a disaster risk reduction specialist with the Sri

Lanka Red Cross who works in North Central Province, said people in the

country’s dry zone lacked sufficient infrastructure and knowledge to adapt to

shifting rains. “They are traditionally geared for the monsoon, which comes

twice a year - even some officials are,” he said. “That mindset needs to be

changed.”

Farmers must adjust to long dry spells, like that experienced in parts of Sri

Lanka between June and October 2015, broken by heavy rains. “Right now

the cultivation cycles follow the traditional monsoon,” he added.

The Red Cross and the U.N. Development Programme have launched a pilot

project in Polonnaruwa District to help farmers adapt to uncertain weather

and climate conditions.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

Mother Dairy, IL&FS tie up to sell organic compost

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 6:

Mother Dairy, whose about 400 Safal outlets in the Delhi-NCR region sell

vegetables and fruits, juices, pulses, and spices, will now sell organic

compost made by IL&FS Environment to households and farmers.

“In the next two-three months, we hope to take this compost to about 5,000

farmers who work with us on a daily basis,” said Nagarajan S, Managing

Director, Mother Dairy Fruits & Vegetables Private Ltd, a wholly-owned

subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board.

Under the strategic tie-up, Mother Dairy will give back-end support to

IL&FS Environment and will follow the concept of a “circular economy” by

loading trucks that bring fruits and vegetables from farmers in the NCR

region with organic compost, Nagarajan told BusinessLine, adding that this

would also save transportation costs.

The compost, Home Garden, is rich in humus and has over 12 per cent

organic carbon content, necessary for long-term soil health, said Mahesh

Babu, Managing Director, IL&FS Environment, adding that “65 per cent of

soil in India does not contain organic carbon, which destroys its ability to

retain moisture”.

Claiming that the compost would give 20-25 per cent higher yield to farmers

after three crop cycles, Babu said it would later also lead to reduction in the

use of urea, as also cut down on emission of methane, a greenhouse gas.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

Pepper turns hot on tight supply

KOCHI, JANUARY 6:

Spot pepper on Wednesday turned hot on tight supply. Following the

selective plucking during the first round, the growers seem to have realised

that the current crop is going to be small and hence they are holding back

now, market sources told BusinessLine. As a result, only seven tonnes

arrived and were traded at ₹ 630-635 a kg. No sellers were forthcoming

below ₹ 650, while the buyers were at ₹ 640 a kg. Meanwhile, 30 tonnes of

exchange released pepper were traded here at ₹ 650, they claimed. Spot

prices shot up by ₹ 500 a quintal to ₹ 63,200 (ungarbled) and ₹ 66,200

(garbled). January, February and March contracts on the IPSTA remained

unchanged. Export prices were at $10,200 a tonne c&f for Europe and

₹ 10,450 for the US.

(This article was published on January 6, 2016)

Extend farm benefits to plantations also: Planters' body to govt

South India constitutes nearly 60% of India's plantation sector

Hit by the vagaries of nature and unfavourable policies, theplantation sector

has urged the government to extend 200 per cent deductions of expenditure

incurred on any aspect of plant protection or labourers’ welfare.

In a pre-Budget memorandum to the government, the apex body of planters

in south India, the United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI),

made a strong pitch for overhauling the archaic Plantations Labour

Act(PLA), 1951, saying such a step is imperative to save the Rs 43,000-

crore sector reeling under high doses of taxation, un-remunerative returns

and commodity price fluctuation.

Read our full coverage on Union Budget

“Until changes are made to PLA, all expenses under this category should be

given weighted deduction to the extent of 200 per cent of the expenditure.

Apart from that full expenditure allowance for replanting, temporary ban

on rubber imports pending disposal of safeguard duty application, exclusion

of tea exports from the ambit of cess and concessional import tariff for

plantation machineries,” said N Dharmaraj, president, UPASI.

South India constitutes nearly 60 per cent of India’s plantation sector, which

employs 2.4 million workers directly and indirectly besides playing a

significant role in supporting the rural infrastructure.

“The PLA was enacted at a time when plantations operated in extremely

remote areas with no external infrastructure support. Today plantation areas

are no longer rural but semi-urban. As such, the legislation has lost its

relevance, is a burden on the production cost of plantations and makes

Indian plantations uncompetitive internationally,” he pointed out.

UPASI drew the government’s attention to the commodity price fluctuation

that hugely impacts plantation business. Currently, commodity prices are at

its lowest, which make plantation producers vulnerable for price

manipulation since they are at the lowest rung in the value chain.

“PLA, therefore, needs to be amended and many government schemes which

are available to take care of the facilities provided under the PLA should be

extended to the plantations” he said. Conceding that the recently amended

bonus Act is laudable in its intention, Dharmaraj said it would severely

impact the plantation business where 60 per cent of the cost is on employee

remuneration.

Replanting is a regular operation in plantations to maintain the agronomic

viability. Therefore, rules connecting to replanting should be amended to

remove the ambiguity with regard to full expenditure allowance for

replanting.

Also, subsidy for orthodox production which is an export-oriented incentive

should not be included as a part of total income.

In particular, the memorandum brought into focus the domestic rubber

plantation business which is 'gasping for breath under the impact of

extremely un-remunerative prices'.

Influence of extreme weather disasters on global crop production

In recent years, several extreme weather disasters have partially or

completely damaged regional crop production. While detailed regional

accounts of the effects of extreme weather disasters exist, the global scale

effects of droughts, floods and extreme temperature on crop production are

yet to be quantified. Here we estimate for the first time, to our knowledge,

national cereal production losses across the globe resulting from reported

extreme weather disasters during 1964–2007. We show that droughts and

extreme heat significantly reduced national cereal production by 9–10%,

whereas our analysis could not identify an effect from floods and extreme

cold in the national data. Analysing the underlying processes, we find that

production losses due to droughts were associated with a reduction in both

harvested area and yields, whereas extreme heat mainly decreased cereal

yields. Furthermore, the results highlight ~7% greater production damage

from more recent droughts and 8–11% more damage in developed countries

than in developing ones. Our findings may help to guide agricultural

priorities in international disaster risk reduction and adaptation efforts.