18.01.2016

Tamil Nadu tops in use of bio-fertilizers

Tamil Nadu is the leader among States in the use of bio-fertilizers, an

organic substitute for chemical fertilizers. Data compiled by the National

Centre of Organic Farming says that the State produces over 14,000 bio-

fertilizers a year.

Production of bio-fertilizers can safely be equated with usage because the

State produces only as much as it consumes and therefore the State tops the

country, says D. Balachandar, Professor, Department of Agricultural

Microbiology of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

Most of the State’s production is from the eight Agriculture Department-

owned facilities across the State. Farmers use those bio-fertilizers or bio-

inoculants as a substitute for NPK (nitrogen-phosphorous-potash) fertilizer

in paddy and a number of crops to increase yield.

Mr. Balachandar says that a hectare paddy would require 240 kg NPK and

this would cost farmers over Rs. 1,000. If the farmers were to use bio-

inoculants, they would spend only a couple of hundred rupees. This is not

the only savings, though. The use of bio-inoculants will result in increase in

yield by 10 per cent to 15 per cent. This will be additional income for the

farmers. The larger picture is that the State will have to spend less on

fertilizers and also fertilizer subsidy, says the University Vice-Chancellor K.

Ramasamy.

The University has calculated that by actively promoting bio-inoculants, the

State can save over Rs. 200 crore a year. But the sad part is that farmers use

the organic substitute on only 10 per cent of the 5.9 million hectare of

cultivable area.

Farmers use the bio-inoculants on almost all crops that are cultivated in the

State. The Agriculture Department encourages the use in three ways –

treating seeds before plantation, administering those on roots and using on

soil.

To further promote their use, the University is on the verge of releasing the

bio-fertilizer that will substitute zinc. Mr. Ramasamy says that the zinc being

one of the most important micro-nutrients, it is an important release. And it

will further reduce the farmers’ dependence of chemicals.

The University is also engaged in research to identify when to administer the

bio-inoculants in plant life cycle. It has obtained Rs. 9 crore from the State

Government for the purpose and the research will begin in the next two

months.

The Vice Chancellor says that the research will study the triangular

relationship among soil-root-microbe and suggest when and what to apply

the inoculant and how much. This targeted administration will increase the

yield.

Mushroom cultivation

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Information and Training Centre is

conducting a workshop on mushroom cultivation on January 21.

Venue: No: U-30, 10th Street, Anna Nagar. Time: From 9.30 a.m. to 4.30

p.m .For details, call 044 - 2626 3484.

Panel to revisit national policy on farmers

An expert committee will be set up to re-examine the National Policy for

Farmers (NPF) amidst growing number of suicides by farmers, the

government has told the Supreme Court.

The Agriculture Ministry told the Supreme Court that suicides continue to be

reported despite the NPF being in place for the past eight years.

“There is, thus, a need for an integrated approach and re-look at the present

policy…. the present government recognises the need for supporting the

farmers and has taken a number of steps for increasing production,

productivity, realise remunerative prices and risk mitigation,” the Ministry

said in an affidavit.

It said that Minimum Support Price for various crops was as per the

Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to promote de-risk

farming and cut losses.

The PIL was filed by the Punjab-based NGO Youth Kamal Organisation.

The apex court had earlier imposed a cost of Rs. 25,000 on the government

for failing to clarify its stand on the question of re-visiting the policy.

Modi government says committee formed as suicides have been on

the rise

Modi to open Sikkim Organic Festival today

Sikkim MPs P. D. Rai and Hissey Lachungpa on Sunday made a recce of

Ipecac Garden, Saramsa, and Ridge Park to oversee the preparation for

‘Sikkim Organic Festival’ to be declared open by the Prime Minister during

his visit to the State on Monday.

The Prime Minister will visit the organic horticulture at Ridge Park in

Gangtok on January 18 and organic agri produce at Saramsa on January 19.

While inspecting the venues which the PM is scheduled to visit, the MPs

praised the ‘Ganesha’ made of oranges and a ‘Sleeping Buddha’ made from

organic bananas which would be on display at Saramsa.

The MPs also interacted with the participants and appreciated their hard

work.

Fifty-five farmers from all over the State will display their organic produce

during the Prime Minister’s visit to Saramsa Gardens on January 19 during

which Sikkim will be declared the only organic farming State in the country.

Mr. Modi will be visiting organic stalls during his visit to Saramsa Gardens

at the Convention Centre situated in the garden complex, Minister for

Department of Information & Public Relations A. K. Ghatani and Minister

for Agriculture & Horticulture Somanth Poudyal said.

Mr. Poudyal noted that the Prime Minister would be inspecting the organic

display pavilions which will also highlight farming methods, control of

damage to crops through natural homemade sprays and repellents, role of

government in helping farmers increase their organic yield and get greater

value for their produce. - PTI

‘United AP stood second in agri exports’

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) has, in

its recent survey on agricultural product exports in the country, ranked

united Andhra Pradesh second in the value of commodities exported through

Agriculture Export Zones (AEZs) with the export value of nearly Rs. 2,890

crore.

It has the highest share of about eight per cent after Rajasthan (72 per cent)

in total net exports valued at over Rs. 38,300 crore in terms of States’ actual

exports through AEZs. Besides, AP has the third highest share of about 14

per cent in actual investments made in AEZs after Rajasthan (31 per cent)

and Maharashtra (25 per cent). For every Rs. 1 crore invested in AEZs,

united AP could export vegetables, grapes, mangoes, mango pulp, chilli and

gherkins worth Rs. 14 crore, according to the ASSOCHAM study.

United AP has five AEZs namely Chittoor (mango pulp and vegetables),

Krishna (mangoes), Guntur (chilli), Ranga Reddy, Medak and

Mahabubnagar (mangoes and grapes) and Ranga Reddy, Mahabubnagar,

Medak, Karimnagar, Warangal, Anantapur and Nalgonda (gherkins).

The AEZs have attracted investments of nearly Rs. 207 crore and exported

products worth around Rs. 2,891 crore. Export of mango pulp and fresh

vegetables from Chittoor district accounted for a staggering 95.5 per cent of

the actual exports from the united Andhra Pradesh as of February 2013.

Speaking to The Hindu , Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and

Industry Federation Executive Director P. Bhaskar Rao said that it was due

to the stellar performance of food processing sector in Chittoor district that

AP had earned the distinction of having the second highest value of exports.

Though Rajasthan is a desert State, its strength in horticulture, particularly in

the Ganga Nagar belt, enabled it register the highest value of agricultural

exports.

The facilitative role played by Agricultural and Processed Food Products

Export Development Authority (APEDA) helped the producers and

processing industries in AEZs in registering the impressive growth.

Value of commodities exported through Agriculture Export Zones stands

at Rs. 2,890 crore

United AP has the third highest share of 14 per cent of the actual

investments made in AEZs

Tirupur industry seeks land reclassification

Even as the Tirupur Local Planning Authority is all set to come out with a

revised master plan, different stakeholders involved in the economic

development of the district feel that the plan should take into account the

emerging needs with a pragmatic outlook.

With the Rs. 25,000-crore knitwear industry in Tirupur aiming to increase

the annual turnover to Rs. 1,00,000 crore (both exports and domestic put

together) by 2020, industrialists feel that re-classification of land into

industrial zones is of paramount importance.

“To achieve the targeted growth, it is imperative for the industry to expand

geographically so as to facilitate setting up of more units and training centres

to produce large number of skilled workers and increase production of

value-added garments,” M. Veluswamy, chairman of Confederation of

Indian Industry (Tirupur district council), told The Hindu .

The entrepreneurs reiterated the need to reclassify agriculture land that was

lying unused for very long time for other purposes. N. Shanmugasundaram,

an activist and president of Nallur Consumer Welfare Association, said

focus is needed to identify parking areas and spaces for public utilities which

quite often been forgotten by the city/town planners. Another area of

concern, was encroachments on government lands. He cited the recent case

in which HR and CE department had obtained further stay on the

constructions of a prominent commercial establishment on a temple land in

Tirupur South area.

Cotton auction fetches Rs. 50 lakh

Cotton was auctioned for Rs. 50 lakh at the Konganapuram branch of the

Tiruchengode Agricultural Producers Cooperative Marketing Society near

Edappadi on Saturday. The farmers of Edappadi, Mettur, Sankagiri,

Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, and Tiruvannamalai had brought cotton for

auction. While DCH variety fetched between Rs. 6,000 and Rs. 6,500 per

bag, surabhi variety got between Rs. 4,800 and Rs. 5,450.

Help at hand for organic veg farming

The district panchayat has decided to give a major push to pesticide-free

vegetable cultivation in rural areas by providing assistance to self help group

members.

To achieve its objective, the panchayat had decided to cut expenditure on

non-priority sectors and set up a fund of Rs.1 crore for vegetable cultivation.

At a meeting of heads of grama and block panchayats held here recently it

was decided to bring out a list of SHG members interested in farming in two

to three cents of land at the ward level.

The grama panchayats and block panchayats will set aside Rs.2 lakh and

Rs.5 lakh respectively to provide assistance to the members.

The panchayats have been asked to submit a list of such SHGs within a

week so that farming could start early February.

“In view of the campaign against vegetables with high pesticide residue,

there is a growing demand for organically grown vegetables. To tap the

market, we have decided to embark on a large-scale cultivation of pesticide-

free vegetables. It’s one of the major farming activities ever taken up by the

district panchayat,” secretary of district panchayat K. Chandrasekhar said.

The SHG members would be also given opportunity to raise organic manure

locally, he added.

Around 12 lakh saplings of chillies, brinjal, cucumber, snake gourd, bitter

gourd, okra, and pumpkin are being raised in farms at Peringamala,

Chirayinkeezhu, Kazhakuttam, Valiathura, and Ulloor.

The panchayat had also decided to promote tuber crop farming in the coastal

areas of the district, Mr. Chandrasekhar said.

The panchayat will initiate talks with Agriculture and Horticulture

Departments to promote farming in the district, he added.

District panchayat to provide help

for cultivation in two to three

cents of land.

Spices seminar to discuss latest farm technologies

The Spices Board is organising a two-day national seminar on spices at

Hotel S.N. International at Kumily in Idukki district on January 20 and 21

for spices growers in South India under the Mission for Integrated

Development of Horticulture (MIDH) of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Spices farmers from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

and Kerala will attend the programme, the organisers said in a release here.

The seminar envisages to familiarise farmers with the latest technologies for

production, post-harvest improvement of spices, gaps in cultivation,

processing and marketing of spices and to draw a road map for development

of spices production in the southern region of the country. The technical

sessions will be led by experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Indian

Institute of Spices Research, Central Food Technological Research Institute,

Indian Cardamom Research Institute, various agricultural universities in

South India, State Agriculture Department and among spices exporters.

Following the inaugural ceremony, the board will distribute the ‘Small

Cardamom Productivity Awards’ for the year 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-

15.

Awards

The award was instituted to felicitate growers who achieve a high level of

productivity in small cardamom.

The board will also distribute enrolment certificates to the Spices Producers

Societies (SPS).

An exhibition of spices and spices products will also be organised at the

venue.

The board will distribute enrolment certificates to spices societies.

Cane production on the decline

Reduction in soil fertility, climate change and shortage of labour cited

Cane productivity in the State is dependent on excessive rainfall and drought

which appear at regular intervals leading to wide fluctuations in output. —

Picture used for representational purposes

A decline in soil fertility, climate change and shortage of labour are some of

the reasons that have led to the decline in sugarcane production in the State

over the last few years.

According to the Sugarcane Research Station in Cuddalore functioning

under the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), the production was

30,100 (in thousand tonne) in 2012-13 and 25,700 during 2013-14.

Though there was an increase in the production between 2009 and 2012, the

rate of produce could not be maintained due to various factors. The

production was 29,746 (in thousand tonne) during 2009-10, 34,252 during

2010-11 and 35,309 during 2011-12.

“There are various factors for the decline in the sugarcane production.

Decline in soil fertility, climate change and the need for high cane yield and

sugar recovery varieties and non availability of pure seed are some of the

reasons behind the decline in production,” said R.S. Purushothaman,

professor and Head of the Sugarcane Research Station.

Labour shortage, escalation in the cost of cultivation and non-adoption of

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative, drip fertigation systems by farmers are also

said to be the reasons. As for the diseases, red rot poses a major challenge

for the farmers. “Cane productivity in the State is dependent on excessive

rainfall and drought which appear at regular intervals leading to wide

fluctuations in output ,” he added. The Sugarcane Research Station,

Cuddalore, has brought out 24 varieties so far to increase the production and

sugar recovery.

Govt. for use of latest technology to save fuel

LPG to be provided to all households to reduce their dependence on

polluting fuels like kerosene

Agriculture Minister P. Pulla Rao and HPCL South Central Zone General

Manager G.S.V Prasad during an exhibition organised as part of the Oil and

Gas Conservation Fortnight – 2016 in Vijayawada on Saturday.- Photo: Ch.

Vijaya Bhaskar

he State government wants to make use of the latest technology to conserve

energy and protect the environment, and, as part of the drive, it is working to

provide LPG to all households, thereby reducing the use of polluting fuels

like kerosene, diesel and petrol, Minister for Agriculture Prathipati Pulla

Rao has said.

Inaugurating the Oil and Gas Conservation Fortnight – 2016 (OGCF-16)

here on Saturday, the Minister said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu

was all for the use of technology for empowerment of people.

He added that the awareness programmes organised as part of OGCF-16 for

energy conservation in households as well industrial, transport and

agricultural sectors would go a long way in conserving energy and

protecting the environment. HPCL South Central Zone General Manager

(Retail) G.S.V. Prasad, who heads the campaign, said Andhra Pradesh

ranked 10th in petroleum consumption, and that it consumed 4.1 per cent of

the total consumption across the contry.

Unclean fuels

He added that 50 per cent of households in the country were still using the

highly unclean solid fuels, resulting in 15 lakh deaths owing to respiratory

disorders.

“India imports 85 per cent of the petroleum crude it uses. But, the amount of

fossil fuels is limited. Even oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia are planning

to tap solar energy for 25 per cent of their energy needs by 2025,” he said.

“The environmental conference that concluded in Paris recently had brought

about a change in the perception on energy conservation.

The theme of OGCF-16 is not just conservation of energy but use of cleaner

fuels, Mr. Prasad said.

State Level Coordinator for Oil Industry G.K.K.V. Umashankar and GAIL

Deputy General Manager G.V.R Swamy participated in the programme.

Meanwhile, students from Andhra Pradesh bagged the first and third prizes

in the all-India essay writing competition and the consolation prize in on-

the-spot painting contest organised as a prelude to Oil and Gas Conservation

Fortnight-16.

N. Leela Praneetha, student of Government High School, Indukurupeta

mandal, Nellore district, won the first prize. The prize includes a trip to

Japan, a laptop and Rs. 30,000 in cash.

Y. Sai Gayatri of Sri Prakash Niketan High School, Waltair Uplands, won a

tab and Rs. 12,500 as the third prize. The second prize went to a student

from Telangana State.

S. Srinu, student of A.V.N.C. High School, Visakhapatnam, won Rs. 5,000

as consolation prize in the all India painting contest, Mr Prasad said.

The results were announced on Saturday in New Delhi, he said.

Elephant herd destroys crops

Elephants that were part of a herd that unleashed terror in and around

Theethipalayam on the outskirts of Coimbatore City on Saturday. —Photo:

Special Arrangement

A herd of three elephants, including a baby, damaged a few acres of crops at

Theethipalayam and Kalampalayam villages in Booluvampatti Forest Range,

near Thondamuthur, on Saturday. It is learnt that the herd entered the

villages through Velankanni Nagar in Theethipalayam and were grazing in

the maize fields, during the early hours of the day.

On information from villagers, about 50 forest personnel from Coimbatore

and Booluvampatti Range tried to chase the animal by lighting fireworks.

But the animals ran from one farm to the other for nearly 12 hours and kept

the villagers at bay when they ran near the houses.

Meanwhile, many people from nearby villages also came there to witness

the event.

Around 6 in the evening, Kumki elephant Paari from the elephant camp at

Chavadi was pressed into service, following which the herd returned to the

forest in the late hours of the day.

Elephant kills man

In another incident, a man died in an elephant attack on Thursday.

The victim S. Rangasamy (66), of Sambaravallipudur in Sirumugai, who

was attacked by a wild elephant near the forest check-post near

Bhavanisagar Dam Forest area on Sunday died during treatment.

Sirumugai Police said that he was on the way home on his moped on the

Thippu Sulthan Road when the elephant attacked him from behind with its

trunk.

The injured man was admitted in the Mettupalayam Government Hospital

and later referred to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, where he died on

Thursday.

Banana festival to show gratitude to God

Come Pongal festival, rural people offer their agri-produces to their village

gods to show their gratitude and for better yield in the coming season.

Their offerings vary from foodrains to cattle and roosters to goats depending

on their livelihood activities.

But residents of Sevugampatti, 32 km away from Dindigul on the

Batlagundu-Dindigul highway, celebrated a banana festival as part of their

annual festival of Sri Solaimalai Azhagar Temple.

During the festival in the evening of Sunday, devotees threw bunches of

bananas on devotees waiting outside the temple.

They have been following this custom for the past two-and-a-half centuries

on the third day of Thai, Tamil month.

The banana bunches meant for offering were brought in baskets. Each

pilgrim carried at least 20 to 25 dozens of bananas and offered them to the

deity. Some rich farmers brought even van load of banana.

At the outset, hundreds of devotees gathered on a street near the temple with

baskets full of bananas on their shoulders. Local youths carried holy

umbrellas, covering bananas.

They entered the temple in a procession. Each house has to offer at least one

basket of bananas.

The fruits were kept before the deity as offerings.

After special pujas, the bananas were taken to the roof of the temple. Donors

threw bananas on the crowd that gathered outside the temple. Several men,

women and children, irrespective of their age and social status, grabbed

them.

Some devotees personally handed over the bananas to each and every person

who could not grab it in the crowd. Even people waiting on the roadside

were not left out.

The devotees brought different varieties of bananas in mini lorries and vans

from villages in Dindigul, Theni, Tiruchi and Madurai districts.

“We call it as ‘soorai viduthal’ (throwing banana). Only restriction is that no

resident of Sevugampatti would be allowed to take home a single banana

offered to the temple,” said Andia Pillai, village head.

Offering was to show the gratitude to the deity for bumper harvest in the last

season and also for better harvest in the next season, said the villagers.

Most of the devotees were banana traders from Chennai, Bangalore,

Batlagundu, Sevugampatti, Thummalapatti, Lakshmipuram, Singarakottai,

Salaipudur, Thandigudi and Batlagundu, some of the major banana

producing centres in Dindigul district.

Habitat monitoring on at STR

In this file photo Forest Department personnel fix a camera to a tree to

record predator movement at Thottakahasanur in Sathyamangalam Tiger

Reserve in Erode district.

“It is an exercise undertaken before and after the rainy season”

: The Forest Department has commenced the Post-Monsoon Habitat

Monitoring in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.

The random sampling exercise in STR, spread over more than 1,500 sq.km

in Sathyamangalam and Hasanur divisions, is meant to determine the habitat

quality: encounter rate of herbivores, canopy cover, prey base, and diversity

of species in the forest area.

“It is an exercise undertaken before and after the rainy season,” said K.

Rajkumar, District Forest Officer of Sathyamangalam Division.

The Forest area has been demarcated into 48 blocks, and two to three

frontline staff: guards, watchers and anti-poaching watchers have been

deployed in each block. The overall supervision is carried out by Rangers.

The exercise is expected to resume after the Pongal break, and completion of

festivities of a few temples located inside forest area. “The activity is spread

over eight days,” Mr. Rajkumar said, adding that the next round of Habitat

Monitoring will be in August.

There is a scattered distribution of animals at present in the forest area. An

estimate of the number of wild animals in the forest area could be

determined only in the long run, after three to four years of repeated

monitoring, officials say. Animals are prone to moving towards bigger water

bodies such as rivers and dams when the water holes dry up. There is no

problem till February. The movement of animals in search of water is likely

from March onwards coinciding with onset of summer, they point out. The

Forest Department has been tasked with raising green fodder bank inside the

forest, creation of water holes, construction of check dams and percolation

ponds, and providing salt licks to meet mineral requirements of elephants

and confine their movement within the forest area.

There is a scattered distribution of animals at present in the forest area,

say officials

A harvest-time gift

New crop insurance scheme is welcome. Its litmus test: Whether crop-

damage assessment can be done within two weeks of the extreme weather

event and compensation paid a week after that

New crop insurance scheme is welcome. (Illustration by: C R Sasikumar)

The Narendra Modi-led government needs to be complimented for taking

the first major step to revamp the crop insurance system to address the

increasing distress in Indian farming. With back-to-back droughts, and

unseasonal rain and hail in certain pockets, it became clear that the risks in

farming are on the rise, and the existing system of crop insurance was

nowhere near meeting the needs of the peasantry. The sums insured were

low (based on the cost of inputs rather than prospective income), the

premiums high (generally ranging between 8-12 per cent in the case of the

modified scheme), the assessment of crop damage lacked transparency and

didn’t use the latest technologies (this was more a political exercise than

scientific assessment) and, finally, compensation took unduly long, even

going beyond a year in many cases, and was reported to be ridden with

corrupt practices.

Given this backdrop, the new scheme is surely a step in the right direction

and very timely — not only could it save Indian agriculture from the

increasing risks of nature, it could help protect the political goodwill of the

NDA government, which has been fast dissipating in rural areas. Although

more details are needed on the new scheme, especially on how it will be

implemented, but as a concept, it surely deserves kudos.

While actuarially based premiums generally hover around 10-12 per cent for

most kharif crops, the share of farmers has been capped at 2 per cent in the

new scheme. For rabi crops, the farmer’s share has been fixed at 1.5 per cent

— against actuarially based premiums of 8-10 per cent. For year-long cash

crops and horticulture crops, this has been capped at 5 per cent. What this

means is that farmers will get almost 80 per cent subsidy in insurance

premiums, which will be borne by the government — presumably by the

Centre and the state government, although there is lack of clarity on the

proportion that will be shouldered by each.

This rate of subsidy in crop premiums is not out of line with international

practices. The United States insures its farmers (about 123 million hectares)

and gives subsidy to the tune of around 70 per cent. China insures its farmers

for a sown area of around 75 million hectares with a subsidy on premiums of

about 80 per cent. India plans to cover around 50 per cent of its cropped

area, which hovers around 195 million hectares, over the next five years if

the scheme really takes off.

The new scheme is estimated to cost the government around Rs 8,000-9,000

crore annually. Given that the government is already shelling out around Rs

5,000 crore annually (average for the last five years) through its clumsy

mechanism for disaster relief, the additional cost of the scheme isn’t much.

Nevertheless, the scheme could be the harbinger of change, provided that

two conditions are satisfied.

First, crop assessment should be done in a transparent manner and within a

specified period of time, and using high technology such as automatic

weather stations (AWSs), drones, low earth orbits (Leos) and satellites. Is

this infrastructure in place? How much will it cost and how much time will it

take to get it in place? There is no clarity on this. Can we fix the time period

within which crop-damage assessment must be done: Say, within two weeks

of the extreme weather event? These issues need to be clarified for the

successful implementation of the scheme.

Second, compensation must be paid to farmers’ accounts directly, say,

within a week of assessment of crop damage. In Kenya, compensation is

paid in two to four days. In order to do this, the financial infrastructure has

to be in place. Information has to be digitised plot wise — the plot of the

tiller who has paid the premium has to be synchronised/ seeded with her

bank account number, Aadhaar number and mobile number. This is critical,

as the crop-damage assessment exercise has to be matched with data on plots

and bank account numbers of the tillers. Is all this infrastructure in place? I

doubt it.

To ensure that this idea is not buried under bureaucratic wrangling of

various stakeholders, the prime minister’s office must focus on and

persevere with the creation of this basic infrastructure. This task must be

accorded the same priority as was given to the opening of Jan Dhan

accounts. This exercise will involve the ministries of rural development (to

clean up land records), agriculture and farmers’ welfare (to digitise plot-wise

information), as well as banks (to seed accounts of tillers with their Aadhaar

and mobile numbers). But who will set up the AWSs, drones, Leos, and

satellites? Who will be responsible for the functioning of this high-tech

equipment? What would be the role of private-sector insurance companies?

The role of Nabard and the RBI? All these questions need systematic

answers. The accountability of each stakeholder needs to be clarified and

fixed. Lot of work still needs to be done.

The bottomline is that crop-damage assessment must be done within, at

most, two weeks of the extreme weather event, and compensation to farmers

deposited directly into their accounts within a week of the assessment —

without their asking or even realising it. This would be the litmus test for the

success of this scheme and the perfect Lohri/ Bihu/ Pongal gift to farmers.

Only then will the risks of farming be reduced, incentives for private

investments in agriculture increased, and agricultural growth and farmers’

prosperity revived.

Will the government rise to the challenge? Only time will tell. Nevertheless,

at this stage, the government deserves compliments from farmers and farm

analysts for focusing on the problems of rising risk in agriculture.

The writer is Infosys Chair Professor for Agriculture at Icrier, Delhi

End to dal woes? Scientists breed high-yield super arhar variety

What IARI scientists have now bred is a ‘determinate’ early-maturing

pigeon-pea, which produces 20 quintal per hectare in just 120 days.

In 120 days, new variety produces 20 quintal per hectare.

It could well be the answer to India’s arhar dal woes.

Scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) have

developed a new arhar (pigeon-pea) variety that matures in 120 days, gives

the same 20 quintal-per-hectare yields of normal 160-180 day plants and is,

moreover, amenable to mechanical combine harvesting.

Arhar plants are mostly ‘indeterminate’; they keep growing and, left to

themselves, can even become perennial trees. In Bihar and eastern Uttar

Pradesh, farmers plant the crop in June-July and harvest it after 250-280

days in March-April. In other parts, especially Maharashtra, Karnataka and

Madhya Pradesh, the varieties grown are of medium duration (160-180 days)

and also yield 20 quintal per hectare.

What IARI scientists have now bred is a ‘determinate’ early-maturing

pigeon-pea, which produces 20 quintal per hectare in just 120 days.

“It is a totally new plant-type, whose apical meristems (tissues at the tip of

the main stem) only produce flowers. Unlike the indeterminate pigeon-pea

plants, where the meristematic cells keep dividing and producing vegetative

buds (giving rise to new leaves and shoots), here the growth stops with

production of flowers and setting of pods,” K V Prabhu, joint director

(research) at IARI, said.

But that’s not all. In normal arhar varieties, the flowers produced from the

axillary and lateral branches do not set pods at the same time. So, even at the

time of harvesting, not all the pods are mature. Some may have already

shattered, others would still be developing or be even at the flowering and

vegetative bud stages.

In the new plant-type — called PADT-16 (Pusa Arhar Determinate) and

bred by a team led by Prabhu and R S Raje, principal scientist at IARI’s

division of genetics — the flowering and pod-setting is synchronous, with

the crop maturing and ready for harvest in 120 days.

“This is a short, compact plant-type that grows to hardly 95 cm height,

compared to 175 cm for medium-duration arhar and 300 cm-plus for

perennials. The spacing between rows, too, is only 30 cm (as against 60-70

cm in normal arhar varieties) along with lower plant-to-plant distance (15

cm versus 30-40 cm). Since there are more plants per unit area, it creates a

compact canopy,” Raje said.

The benefits are two-fold.

First, being a dwarf semi-erect plant makes pesticide spraying easier. The

normal arhar plants rise to six feet levels, at which application is difficult

and also tends to be non-uniform. “Here, you can use a regular knapsack

pesticide sprayer and ensure every plant is covered. Also, you only need to

give one good spray against maruca insect and pod borer at bud initiation

stage after 65-70 days,” Raje said.

Secondly, synchronous maturity and podding happening only at the top —

because of the compact canopy and no tertiary or quaternary branch growth

— means the entire arhar crop can be harvested at one go using combine

harvesters. “This is something that the Punjab farmer would want, as in the

case of wheat and paddy. An early-maturing, short, compact plant-type

precisely fits that requirement,” Prabhu said.

Experts believe that India’s pulses production cannot increase to match

growing demand unless farmers in irrigated regions like Punjab, Haryana

and western UP take up large-scale cultivation. But that isn’t possible

without breeding high-yielding varieties/hybrids amenable to mechanisation.

So, when will the new ‘super’ arhar make it to the fields? “Our immediate

priority is seed multiplication. We have supplied the breeder material to the

Punjab Agricultural University for further foundation seed multiplication in

the coming kharif season. Once the plant variety protection for the new

plant-type is obtained, we could even involve private seed companies to

enable commercial cultivation by 2018,” said Prabhu. He is also the main

breeder of HD-2967, a blockbuster IARI wheat variety currently grown over

10 million hectares.

In Bengaluru, an ode to broad beans at the Avarekai Mela

Rich in protein and fibre, find delicacies in every imaginable form from

desserts to main course at the annual festival.

Bengaluru’s inextricable relationship with avarekai — broad beans — is

evident from the fact that the etymology of the city’s name is ‘Town of the

Boiled Beans’. If you need proof that its residents love it, head over to the

Avarekai Mela at the Food Street in VV Puram, near Sajjan Rao Circle in

South Bengaluru. The festival ends on January 24.

Avarekai lovers queue up to buy fresh stock – beans pouring out in streams

of green into baskets, and the rustling as they are gathered in packets to be

sold is a sight and sound to behold – and sample the many dishes being

cooked at the festival. Rich in protein and fibre, broad beans are highly

nutritious and have been popular on all weight loss menus.

Avarekai (Source: Akhila Ranganna)

The avarekai dosa with hithkabele (avarekai without its skin) saru — a

sumptuously thick uttappam-style dosa liberally sprinkled with avarekalu

and served with a spicy saru, hithkabele holige (parota stuffed with

jaggery/dal and hithkabele), avarekai vada, avarekai honey jalebi, avarekai

mallige idli, avarekai kodubale and avarekai nippattu — are easily the most

popular dishes at the mela. Others include avarekai bhaath, avarekai shavige,

sweets — like avarekai barfi, avarekai rava laddo — and fried savoury items

like garlic hithkabele, cashew hithkabele and avarekai pani puri — a twist to

Mumbai’s street food. Says a service staff member at the festival, “Illi neeru

bittu yella talli avarekai siggatte — apart from water everything else you get

here has avarekai.”

Avarekai kodubale: These sinfully rich curd rings — that are deep fried have

avarekai ground and mixed in the batter — are best eaten hot and crunchy.

(Source: Akhila Ranganna)

While the beans are now available largely through the year, it is during the

winter months that you can find them at their freshest, most plentiful and

also available at very reasonable rates. “This is the sixteenth year of the

mela,” says Swathi Karmakar, whose mother Geetha Shivakumar —

proprietor of Sri Vasavi Condiments — organises the festival and whose

recipes have been put to test at the festival. “In the early years, she would

cook herself. But now the demand is so much that we have cooks who

follow her recipes. Every year we try and introduce one new item.” Last year

was the hithkabele honey jalebi — a sinfully delicious and crunchy jalebi,

bursting with the flavour of honey and avarekai. This year they have

introduced the avarekai jahangir and avarekai pickles.

The hot and crunchy avarekai honey jalebi is one of the fastest moving

items. (Source: Akhila Ranganna)

What started off as a small endeavour to help the avarekai farmers sell their

produce now involves more than 200 farmers and their families from

Magadi, Kolar and Chikmagalur. When the festival was launched, a total of

1,000 kg avarekai would be purchased. Now close to 1,000 kgs are

purchased directly from the farmers during every day of the festival — a

testimony to the growing popularity of both the mela and avarekai. “We do

this to help those famers who are growing only avarekai,” explains Swathi.

Avarekai upma is one of the most popular breakfast and tiffin items.

(Source: Akhila Ranganna)

According to Dileep V — who has been a regular at the avarekai mela — it

is because of the versatility of the bean. “It’s multi-faceted. I can’t think of

anything else that can be used to make or flavour almost any local dish

without overwhelming the taste,” he says. But there is another deeper, more

historical connect with the bean. Legend traces it to 12th century Hoysala

king — King Vira Ballala II — who was out hunting in the area that is now

Yelahanka in Bengaluru when he lost his way. He came upon a hut

belonging to an old woman, who offered him cooked beans (benda kalu) and

water. So pleased he was with her generosity that he named the area

Bendekaluru — Town of Boiled Beans — which over time became

Bengaluru.

It is no wonder then that the avarekai mela has become an intrinsic part of

the city’s socio-cultural fabric.

One of the most interesting combinations — rava laddoo which has avarekai

mixed in it. (Source: Akhila Ranganna)

Recipe for Hithkabele Saru — serves 4

Ingredients

Hithkabele – 1 big glass

Dhania seeds – 1 tbsp

Copra (dried coconut) – 1/2 inch

Onions – 2

Poppy seeds – 2 tsp

Freshly grated coconut – 1/2 cup

Salt – To taste

Jaggery – Small piece

Byadagi red chillies – 12-15

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Few sprigs curry leaves

Oil – 2 tbsp

Method

*Take an onion and roast it on medium flame.

*Grind the roasted onion, dhania seeds, red chillies and copra in a moxie and

set aside (mixture 1).

*Grind the fresh coconut and poppy seeds and set aside (mixture 2).

*Cut the second onion in cubes.

*In your cooking vessel, heat oil, and add the mustard seeds, cubed onions

and curry leaves. Fry for 1-2 minutes.

*Add the hithkabele and stir nicely.

*Add Mixture 1 and fry for a couple of minutes.

*Add around 2 big glasses of boiling water.

*Let the saru boil for about 15-20 minutes till the hithkabele is about 80%

cooked.

*Add mixture 2.

*Cook till the hithkabele is fully cooked and the smell of raw coconut has

gone.

*Add salt to taste and the small piece of jaggery.

You can add some more water here if you feel the consistency is too thick —

but remember to check your seasonings accordingly.

Recipe courtesy: Krupa Nanjesh — a homemaker who was handed this

recipe by her mother.

Recipe for Avarekai Saru — serves 2

Ingredients

Avarekai – 1 cup

Sambar dal – 1 tbsp

Byadgi red chillies – 2

Dhania seeds – 1/2 tsp

Ginger – 1 inch

Garlic – 5-6 cloves

Coconut – 2 tbsp

Medium sized onion – 1

Rasam powder (any variety can be used) – 2 tsp

Haldi – 1/2 tsp

Salt – To taste

Tamarind – one small ball soaked in warm water

Few sprigs of curry leaves

Hing – 1 pinch

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Method

*Boil the avarekai and dal in a pressure cooker for approx 6-8 whistles.

*Take two tbsp of the boiled avarekai and dal and grind in a mixie (mixture

1).

*Dry fry the chillies, dhania seeds, ginger, garlic, and onion (mixture 2).

*Grind mixture 2 along with the coconut in a mixie.

*In your cooking vessel, add the boiled avarekai and dal, and mixture 1 and

2.

*Add warm water depending on the consistency you want.

*Add tamarind juice as per taste, rasam powder, haldi, and salt.

*Boil well till the avarekai is fully cooked and the consistency becomes

thick.

*In a small pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing and fry

till the seeds splutter.

*Add it to the avarekai saru.

Recipe courtesy: The writer’s mother — Balamba Ranganna — who in turn

was taught this recipe by her mother.

KUFOS to set up hatchery for producing vannamei shrimp seeds

KOCHI, JAN 17:

The Coastal Aquaculture Authority, Chennai has issued a licence to Kerala

University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) to set up a hatchery for

producing vannamei shrimp seeds.

The first of its kind hatchery in the state will start functioning as Nauplius

Rearing Centre at the initial stage, which has a capacity of producing two

million seeds of white leg shrimp at the Fisheries Research Station at

Puthuvypeen.

KUFOS Vice-Chancellor B Madhusoodana Kurup said that vannamei

shrimp farming would be more popular among farmers with the setting up of

hatchery thereby boosting shrimp exports from Kerala.

The decision to set up the hatchery was taken by KUFOS following the

demand from fish farming community for easy availability of seeds during a

state-wide training programme on vannamei culture.

The pilot farming of vannamei shrimp carried out by KUFOS had also

turned out to be a huge success, as it led to the production of 5.5 to 6 tonnes

from one hectare.

The huge potential of available resources in the state, especially the Pokkali

fields, is very much suitable to the farming of this exotic shrimp variety

Litonpeneus vannamei, the most sought variety in the global market, he said.

Seafood sector in the country registered a significant increase in vannamei

shrimp production in the past five years from 50,000 tonnes in 2009 to more

than 3 lakh tonnes in 2014. More than 60 per cent of the production comes

from Andhra Pradesh, followed by Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

(This article was published on January 17, 2016)

Post-floods TN banana prices to remain under pressure

COIMBATORE, JAN 15:

Come winter, the consumption of banana, once touted as the poor man's

fruit, drops. And more so this season, particularly after the floods in Chennai

and Cuddalore and the continuous rains in some of the major banana

consuming districts in the State.

Taking note of the drop in demand, the Back Office of Agro Marketing

Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre (AMI &BPC) operating in the

Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS), Tamil

Nadu Agricultural University, analysed the price movement of popular

varieties such as Poovan, Karpooravalli and Nendran, conducted trader

surveys and concluded that the price of banana will not recover in the short

run.

Summing up the market, university sources preferred to advise farmers to

take note of this before harvesting the produce.

In India, banana ranks first in production and third in area among fruit crops.

The major banana growing states are Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra,

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Assam.

In Tamil Nadu, the major banana growing districts are Thoothukudi, Tiruchi,

Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Karur, Erode and Kanniyakumari.

Tiruchi has been a major centre for the despatch of banana to various parts

of the State such as Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villupuram,

Perambalur and Ariyalur.

The result of the analysis and traders survey indicated that during February–

March 2016, the expected average farm gate price for both Poovan and

Karpooravalli variety would range between Rs. 7 and 9 a kg and

between Rs. 21 and Rs. 24 a kg for the Nendran banana.

(This article was published on January 15, 2016)

Abnormal hot weather over North India to continue into Feb, March

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JANUARY 14:

The above-average temperature regime over North-West and adjoining

Central India will last into February, March and April, according to

international weather agencies.

The UK Met Office assesses that there is an 80 per cent chance that the hot

weather would persist over the region into the spring.

Similar projections

Minor exceptions would be parts of South Gujarat and adjoining Mumbai as

well as those of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, it said.

In near-similar projections, the Busan, South Korea-based Asia-Pacific

Climate Centre said that the whole of North, Central and West India would

witness above-normal temperatures during this period.

Parts of the West Coast and adjoining peninsula, those of East India and

North-East India may spring up some surprise relatively speaking with more

hospitable climes.

West Bengal and the southern half of the North-Eastern States may benefit

in this manner.

As for individual forecasts for the months, the Busan centre said that both

January and February are likely to turn in dry and hot weather over the entire

region referred above.

Heat waves

March will turn relatively kinder to western and eastern parts respectively of

the peninsula, parts of East India and the North-East.

The month of April would see temperatures climb to new highs over large

parts of the country with the entire western half of the country heating up the

most.

Affected Met divisions include Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Madhya

Maharashtra, Marathwada, north interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema and

coastal Karnataka. Those less affected are Gujarat and the Konkan-Mumbai

stretch in the west and practically the whole eastern half save southern parts

of Kerala and eastern Tamil Nadu.

This would mean that heat waves would hold strong to the western parts of

the country, which is ideal in so far as the build-up to the year 2016 South-

west monsoon is concerned.

Thundershowers seen

The heat causes the air to lift, setting the required pressure and temperature

gradients for the monsoon winds to blow in from the south-west of the

country. Meanwhile on Thursday, India Met Department said that Central

India and adjoining East-Central India would see a confluence of opposing

winds and resultant violent and wet weather over the next few days.

This would come about as back-to-back western disturbances push in

westerly winds from the Arabian Sea only to run into south-easterly winds

from the Bay of Bengal.

The US National Centres for Environmental Prediction is of the view that

entire East India, Central India, peninsular India and parts of South India

would receive thundershowers from January 14 to 22.

(This article was published on January 14, 2016)

'Converge existing schemes to boost investment in farm sector'

GANGTOK, JAN 17:

Aiming to achieve four per cent growth in the farm sector, Union

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Sunday called for convergence

of existing schemes to boost investment in the sector.

“To achieve high growth in agriculture, we need to increase both public and

private investments. We are looking at convergence of schemes to enhance

investments in agriculture,” Singh said while addressing a national

conference on sustainable agriculture and farmers’ welfare here.

Higher investment will lead to creation of backward and forward linkages

besides support production, processing and marketing, he added.

As per government data, public investment showed lower growth (11.42 per

cent) than private investment (19.81 per cent) during 2004-05 to 2012-13.

Currently, public and private investments are financed through two sources:

loans from financial institutions by individuals and governments, and

budgetary support from the central and state governments.

Since the Centre and states have similar schemes for financing investments,

there is duplication or concentration of activities in particular areas.

Therefore, there is a need to pool the financial resources of the Central and

State governments.

The three-day conference, after detailed deliberations with state agriculture

ministers and officers, will recommend investment activities to be supported

through public and private investment and accordingly schemes at the

central and state level would be designed in an integrated manner.

The suggestions with regard to investment and other areas will be placed

before Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow and may also find their way

in the forthcoming Union Budget.

Besides investment, Singh also emphasised on reforming the land lease

policy, ways to improve credit flow in agriculture, effective implementation

of crop insurance scheme, and establishment of national agriculture market.

“Issues related to land lease have assumed importance, in view of its practice

all over the country. But, lessees are not eligible for assistance from banks

and governments. This is hampering productivity,” he said.

Sharing a success story of organic farming, Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan

Kumar Chamling said that Sikkim is the first state in the country that follows

fully organic farming.

“We initiated organic farming in 2003 and have taken giant steps forward,

turning into an organic state successfully.

However, it would require further investments in diverse areas,” he added.

Chamling wanted the Centre to strengthen value chain, linking growers with

consumers, support for distribution of seeds, certification, creation of

facilities for collection, aggregation and value addition besides processing.

(This article was published on January 17, 2016)

Post Comment

Five TN farmers win CRI Pumps, TNAU awards

COIMBATORE, JAN 14:

Pump manufacturing major, CRI Pumps, in association with the Tamil Nadu

Agricultural University honoured five best farmers in the State with the

Velaanmai Chemmal Award, during the Farmers' Day function, last week.

The award winning farmers were V Krishnan of Kulamangalam village near

Madurai for achievement in rice production; S Jayalakshmi, Sandhiyur,

Salem, for integrated farming practices; P Sasikumar, Thuckalay,

Kanyakumari district in the area of cut flowers; Sripriya Varadheeswaran,

Kamanur Village, Kodaikanal, Dindigul district for achievement in

plantation crops; and M Deivamani of Mannargudi in Thiruvarur district for

inland fish culture, backyard poultry, vermicompost and Azolla production.

The 'Velaanmai Chemmal' awards were devised by instituting an

endowment at TNAU in 2011.

(This article was published on January 14, 2016)

Cardamom spices up

Increase in export demand and drop in output from Guatemala may support

prices

January 17, 2016:

Cardamom has witnessed a robust start this year. The cardamom futures

contract traded on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) has surged over 5

per cent in the first two weeks of the New Year. From being one of the worst

performers in 2015, cardamom has turned out to be the best performer so far

this year among the actively traded domestic commodity futures contracts. It

is currently trading around ₹ 805 per kg.

Increase in demand well ahead of the festival season with prices ruling well

below average levels of last year, is said to be the key trigger. The MCX-

Cardamom futures contract had plummeted 49 per cent from its high of

₹ 1,190 per kg in March to record a low of ₹ 602.6 per kg in December last

year.

The sharp fall in prices was due to good rains, which resulted in forecasts of

an increase in production to over 25,000 tonnes. However, it now looks like

the excess supply in the domestic market would be well absorbed in the

export market.

Guatemala, the world’s largest producer of cardamom, is expected to see a

15 per cent production drop this year due to dry weather conditions and

draught

Given that India is the second largest producer of cardamom in the world, a

pick-up in export demand could help cardamom prices move higher.

Medium-term view

MCX Cardamom futures contract was in a strong downtrend all through last

year. The contract recorded a high of ₹ 1,190 per kg in March and

plummeted to a low of ₹ 602 in December.

However, the contract has reversed sharply higher thereafter and has risen

over 33 per cent from this low. The recent rally from the December low

signals the reversal of the strong downtrend that was in place since March

last year.

Also, the price action between November and December reflects the

formation of a double-bottom reversal pattern suggesting that the downtrend

since March last year could have ended.

In addition to this, the MCX Cardamom futures contract has been broadly

range-bound between ₹ 550 and ₹ 1,200 for a very long time since 2013.

The strong recovery seen in the past month implies that the long-term

sideways movement in the contract remains intact.

The major moving averages, 55-, 100- and 200-week remain flat, suggesting

that the long-term sideways consolidation could continue.

All the above mentioned factors indicate that, within the long-term range

bound movement, the MCX-Cardamom futures contract has begun a fresh

leg of up-move. Strong support for this leg is around ₹ 650. There is no

immediate danger of the contract falling in the near-term as long as it trades

above this support. Resistance is at ₹ 900 — the 38.2 per cent Fibonacci

retracement level. A strong break above this hurdle could take the contract

higher to ₹ 1,000.

Further break above ₹ 1,000 will then open the doors for a rally to ₹ 1,100

or even ₹ 1,200 over the medium to long term.

The outlook will turn negative only if the contract falls below ₹ 650. Such a

fall can take it back to ₹ 600 and ₹ 550 — the lower end of the long-term

range thereafter.

Short-term view

The short-term trend is up. The contract is consolidating in the last two

weeks after breaking above the 200-day moving average resistance at ₹ 796.

The 21-day moving average is on the verge of crossing over the 100-day

moving average. This signals that the bullish momentum may continue.

The next key resistance is near ₹ 900, which is the 200-week moving

average as well as the 38.2 per cent Fibonacci retracement level. This

resistance is likely to be tested in the near term. Inability to break above this

hurdle can trigger a corrective fall to ₹ 800 and ₹ 750.

On the other hand, a strong break above ₹ 900 will increase the bullish

momentum and take the contract further higher to the next targets of ₹ 950

and ₹ 1,000 in the short term.

(This article was published on January 17, 2016)

Agriculture Ministry aims to achieve 4% growth in farm sector

Radha Mohan Singh called for convergence of existing schemes to boost

investment in the sector

A farmer casts urea on her mustard field in Allahabad

Aiming to achieve 4% growth in the farm sector, Union

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today called for convergence of

existing schemes to boost investment in the sector.

"To achieve high growth in agriculture, we need to increase both public and

private investments. We are looking at convergence of schemes to enhance

investments in agriculture," Singh said while addressing a national

conference on sustainable agriculture and farmers welfare here.

Higher investment will lead to creation of backward and forward linkages

besides support production, processing and marketing, he added.

As per government data, public investment showed lower growth (11.42%)

than private investment (19.81%) during 2004-05 to 2012-13.

Currently, public and private investments are financed through two sources:

loans from financial institutions by individuals and governments, and

budgetary support from the central and state governments.

Since the Centre and states have similar schemes for financing investments,

there is duplication or concentration of activities in particular areas.

Therefore, there is a need to pool the financial resources of the central and

state governments.

The three-day conference, after detailed deliberations with state agriculture

ministers and officers, will recommend investment activities to be supported

through public and private investment and accordingly schemes at the

central and state level would be designed in an integrated manner.

The suggestions with regard to investment and other areas will be placed

before Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow and may also find their way

in the forthcoming Union Budget.

Besides investment, Singh also emphasised on reforming the land lease

policy, ways to improve credit flow in agriculture, effective implementation

of crop insurance scheme, and establishment of national agriculture market.

"Issues related to land lease have assumed importance, in view of its practice

all over the country. But, lessees are not eligible for assistance from banks

and governments. This is hampering productivity," he said.

Sharing a success story of organic farming, Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan

Kumar Chamling said that Sikkim is the first state in the country that follows

fully organic farming.

"We initiated organic farming in 2003 and have taken giant steps forward,

turning into an organic state successfully. However, it would require further

investments in diverse areas," he added.

Chamling wanted the Centre to strengthen value chain, linking growers with

consumers, support for distribution of seeds, certification, creation of

facilities for collection, aggregation and value addition besides processing.

Chamling also demanded central assistance in installing cold chain

infrastructure, biofertiliser subsidy, special transport subsidy for movement

of organic produce, and development of agri-export zone for organic

products.

He also wanted the regional centre of Indian Council of Agricultural

Research (ICAR) to be converted into a national centre for organic farming.

The Chief Minister also proposed an organic seed bank to be set up in the

state.

He pegged the global market for organic produce at USD 72 billion and

wanted to promote organic agriculture in more organised and planned

manner for it to emerge as the country's largest industry.

Meanwhile, Ministers of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and

Mohanbhai Kundariya also addressed the event.

Commodity picks

Chilli

Chilli prices in Guntur are currently at Rs 11,509 a quintal. The arrivals have

commenced but are of inferior quality. Buyers are awaiting good-quality

crop. The arrivals are expected to improve in coming days and can put

further pressure on prices, which are expected to move towards Rs 11,300 a

quintal.

Jeera

Jeera prices are trading at Rs 14,705 a quintal in Unjha physical market.

Prices are expected to trade lower towards Rs 14,000 a quintal for the

coming week, due to higher sowing across major growing regions and

expected stock liquidation pressure by stockists ahead of commencement of

fresh arrivals.

Prerana Desai,

Vice-president, research, agri value chain, Edelweiss Integrated Commodity

Management

Maharathy to attend national agricultural meet

Bhubaneswar: Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy will attend a two-

day national conference to be held at Gangtok. The conference will begin

from Sunday.

The conference will be attended by agriculture ministers and agriculture

production commissioners from various states. Prime Minister Narendra

Modi is likely to chair the concluding session.

Besides Maharathy, agriculture department director Pramod Kumar Meherda

will attend the conference as well as the Sikkim Organic Festival 2016 and

national conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare at

Gangtok.

The conference will be held to discuss how to bring organic farming too the

mainstream, operationalizing the national agriculture market and reforming

Agricultural Produce Market Committee rules and regulations and other

agriculture-related issues.

Agriculture production doubles in 15 years

The chief secretary said agriculture production has more than doubled in the

last 15 years in our state.

"Adoption of modern technology, continuously improving seed replacement

ratio along with better irrigation and extension services has improved

agriculture productivity substantially," he added.

In a letter to Odisha government, the Centre also asked the state government

to select one each male and female farmers from the state to receive the

Agriculture minister's Krishi Karman Award for their contribution as

progressive and innovative farmers.

Apart from Odisha, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,

Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand are among

the category-II states.

In 2014-15, Odisha produces 118 lakh metric tonne of foodgrains against 96

lakh metric tonne in 2013-14. The foodgrains include paddy, maize, all

kinds of oil seeds and pulses.

The award money used for construction of a state of the art Krishi Bhawan

here in the city. All kinds of modern technologies in agriculture would be

put on display in the proposed building.

Jalandhar selected under PM's Agriculture Irrigation Plan

JALANDHAR: Jalandhar district has been enlisted under Pradhan Mantri

Krishi Sinchayee Yojna (PMKSY). Under this ambitious plan, the district

will get sufficient funds for irrigation, enhancing water-use efficiency

thereby reducing wastage of water besides multiplying adoption of latest

water harvesting technologies.

The Union government has selected 100 districts across the nation under the

plan, which includes Jalandhar, Moga and Hoshiarpur districts of Punjab.

Jalandhar deputy commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav said that the total

geographical area of Jalandhar district was 266,224 hectare, out of which

90% area was already under cultivation. He said that keeping in view this

situation, the district administration has made a conscious attempt to focus

on optimum utilization of water through latest technologies besides

preserving fast depleting ground-water table.

He revealed that the district administration had submitted a comprehensive

proposal of Rs 500 crore through the state government to the Union

Government under this project. He said that the proposal was prepared by

engaging the farmers/agriculturists, the real stakeholders. "Besides this, a

special forum had been set up under this plan where suggestions were sought

for using Jalandhar city water disposal (both domestic and industrial) for

irrigation purpose. Working on the suggestions, it was planned to utilize this

water after properly treating as during the study it was estimated that such

235 MLD of discharge has the potential of irrigating at least 15000 hectare

area daily with one time expenditure of 186 crore, required for creating

necessary infrastructure," he said.

Bumper cotton crop augurs well for exports

Nagpur: Despite a continued decline in estimated cotton production by the

Cotton Association of India (CAI) since October this year, the country will

still end up with 134.65 lakh bales surplus this season. Till December 31,

2015, CAI has estimated the total cotton availability for year 2015-16 at

449.65 lakh bales that includes this year's production of 357 lakh bales, a

stock of 78.65 lakh bales of last year, and 14 lakh bales imported cotton. It

means the country can expect better export performance this year.

Since the domestic consumption is just about 315 lakh bales, CAI has put

the surplus at 134.65 lakh bales. CAI president Dhiren Sheth told TOI the

estimates of cotton production for the present season had reduced since

October last year due to a severe pest attack in Gujarat and Panjab and bad

weather conditions at some places. "The arrivals of cotton during 2015-16

crop year are estimated to be lower than those in the same period last year.

Farmers are holding back seed cotton expecting better prices and the crop

estimate is also lower than last year," he said. Last year the total production

was 382.75 lakh bales which was a record. The CAI does not have the figure

of last year's surplus.

Till December end only 128.35 lakh bales had arrived in the market from the

ten major cotton growing states. It includes 18.75 lakh bales from north zone

covering Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, 69.60 lakh bales from central zone

across the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, 38.75 lakh

bales from south zone covering Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and

Tamil Nadu.

Keshav Kranthi, director of city-based Central Institute for Cotton Research

(CICR), explained that the unexpected attack of white fly in Punjab and pink

boll worm in Gujarat had brought down the original yield estimates. Pink

boll worm seems to have developed resistance to bollguard II in Gujarat.

Also, because of virtually no rain in November and December that extend

the total output, this year's production has fallen. "The production has fallen

in Maharashtra compared to last year due to drought in Marathwada. Still,

Maharashtra and Gujarat continue to be highest producers," he said.

As per CAI, this year the projected estimates for Gujarat and Maharashtra

are 96.50 lakh bales and 81.75 lakh bales whereas last year these figures

were 108 and 78.5 lakh bales respectively.

As expected, cotton growers who have suffered losses due to drought are

crying foul over state government not including cotton in the compensation

list of crops. They say the government should put a cut off limit for the

compensation against the loss and not do away with the crop as it is

otherwise a good crop nationwide. There are states and regions that have

suffered losses. Government should take this into consideration.

Facts and figures

* Estimated crop production for year 2015-16--------------------357 lakh bales

* Total cotton availability for the year 2015-16- 449.65 lakh bales (Last

year, it was 453.65 lakh bales including 382.75 lakh bales production, 58.90

carry over stock and 12 lakh bales import)

* Highest production to come from Central zone--- 197.25 lakh bales (96.50

from Gujarat, 81.75 from Maharashtra and 19 from Madhya Pradesh)

* North zone to give least production of 42.25 lakh bales (9 from Punjab,

16.50 from Haryana and 16.75 from Rajasthan)

* South zone to generate 11.50 lakh bales (58 Telangana, 26 Andhra

Pradesh, 20 Karnataka and 7.50 Tamil Nadu)

* Orissa and other states to generate 4 and 2 lakh bales respectively to make

it to 357 lakh bales

* Gujarat and Punjab hit by pest attack of Pink boll worm and White fly

respectively

3D structure of 'causative agent' of malaria constructed: study

The technique used by OIST researchers allows them to have a unique

dynamic view of the proteins' conformation.

The study has been published in Cell Reports.

Washington: Providing valuable knowledge for the design of anti-malaria

drugs, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University

(OIST) reconstructed the 3D structure of one of the proteins of Plasmodium

falciparum, the causative agent of malaria and the antibodies that act as the

first line of defence against the parasite.

Plasmodium falciparum is transmitted to humans by the bite of some species

of the Anopheles mosquito. Once inside the human body, the parasite soon

reaches the liver where it matures and it is then ready to infect red blood

cells, also called erythrocytes.

One strategy used by the pathogen to amplify its spreading probability is the

formation of rosette-shaped clusters of uninfected erythrocytes surrounding

a malaria-infected red blood cell. Since the parasite in the central cell of the

rosette can easily infect the surrounding cells, the rosette enhances the

infection.

One of the key players in the formation of the rosette is the protein PfEMP1,

Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane proteinp PfEMP1 sticks out

of the infected red blood cell and deceives one of the first defenses against

malaria called the IgM antibodies.

The technique used by OIST researchers allows them to have a unique

dynamic view of the proteins' conformation.

Having this 3D structural model of the PfEMP1 and IgM complex can help

scientists to design anti-malaria pharmacological treatments that can break

down or wash out malaria rosettes without hurting the patient.

The study has been published in Cell Reports.