28.01.2016

A new chilli variety that saves labour cost

Did you know that about Rs. 320 crore is being spent in the country annually

just to de-stem/stalk the chillies? To tackle this labour-intensive issue, a

Dharwad-based private research centre has come out with a chilli variety

which can be harvested without stalk/stem from the plant.

When the fruit is plucked after ripening, the stem/stalk remains on the plant

in the new variety called ‘Dandicut’ (without stem) unlike the normal

varieties where even the stem/stalk comes attached with the fruit on

plucking. “We have induced a semi-deciduous gene into this variety to

ensure that the fruits get de-stemmed on the plant itself while plucking,”

says N. B. Gaddagimath, a plant breeder who heads the Sarpan Agri

Horticultural Research Centre, that has come out with the new variety. The

de-stemming happens only after ripening – when the fruits are red and wet,

he notes. According to him, such a variety has been developed for the first

time in the country.

It took nine years of research work to develop this variety, says Dr.

Gaggagimath, a former faculty member of the University of Agricultural

Sciences-Dharwad. The stem, he notes, is one of the major contaminants

during the value addition process as it adds fungi, mites and fibre materials

into chilli products.

However, de-stemming is a massive process as it requires 106 lakh labour

days to handle the country’s total chilli production of 16 lakh metric tonnes.

The cost of labour comes to Rs. 15 to 20 for de-stemming a kilogram of

chillies, he points out.

Apart from costing huge money and taking a long time, the present method

of manual de-stemming is causing health problems such as asthma and TB

to labourers, he notes. Also, the detached stems amount to 5,000 truck loads

of garbage.

Extend Start-up India to farm sector, says Minister

Efforts are on to make farming profitable, says Union Minister

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh presenting an awardat the

National Youth Convention on ‘Attracting and Retaining Youth in

Agriculture,’ in New Delhi on Wednesday.— PHOTO: PTI

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Wednesday said

migration of rural youth to cities was alarming. This could have several

implications on the future of Indian agriculture and hence, to create interest

among rural youth in agriculture, there was a need to make farming more

profitable.

He was addressing an event on attracting and retaining youth in agriculture

organised jointly by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and

the All India Agriculture Students Association (AIASA) here.

Realising the importance of rural youth in agricultural development,

especially from the point of view of food security, the ICAR has initiated a

programme on “Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture.”

Mr. Singh said start-up India had created an impact on non-farm sectors as

many entrepreneurs started vibrant enterprises. “It is time to extend start-up

India to the farm sector by replicating the success stories of enterprises in

honey production, dairying and fisheries,” he said, adding that to promote

agri-business and to attract young farmers, the Centre was promoting

formation of Farmer Producer Organisations. Capacity building and

financial assistance would be provided. “This ICAR project will be

implemented in 25 districts [one district from each State] through the Krishi

Vigyan Kendras. Each KVK will involve about 200 youths below the age of

35.”

The Minister said the government had made B.Sc. Agriculture a mandatory

qualification to get licence for sale of agriculture inputs such as seeds,

fertilizers and pesticides. “This will create several thousand jobs for

agriculture graduates,” he added.

‘No genetically modified seeds in rooftop garden scheme’

As doubts are raised over the quality of the seeds and saplings distributed for

cultivation in rooftop gardens, the Horticulture Department clarified that the

seeds were improved and hybrid varieties resistant to diseases.

“There is a campaign in the social media that we have distributed genetically

modified seeds. It has no basis. We have distributed hybrid varieties as per

order issued by our department as farmers in the State have been using only

hybrid varieties,” said L. Sitherasenan, director, Horticulture and Plantation

Crops.

The department has selected short duration and nutritious vegetable crops

including bhendi, bush type lab, radish, palak, coriander, arakeerai and

thandukeerai for “Do it yourself” scheme aimed at promoting vegetable

cultivation in urban areas.

Seeds of bhendi, bush type lab, ‘arakeerai’ and ‘thandukeerai’ were procured

from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) while coriander, palak

and radish seeds were sourced from private sector. ‘Arakeerai’ can be

harvested in 30 days, ‘thandukeerai’ in 40 days, radish in 45 days, palak in

35 days and coriander in 30 days.

“They are less prone to pests and diseases. Some pest and diseases which

infect in early stages of the crop can be managed by organic control

measures,” Mr. Sitherasenan said. Among the vegetable crops selected for

this scheme five vegetable crops are improved variety.

The hybrid radish is also a short duration crop and may not require

pesticides and fungicides.

Bhendi hybrid released by TNAU is resistant to Yellow Vein Mosaic virus

and does not require much pesticide to control the vector.

‘We have distributed hybrid varieties as per order issued by our

department’

Expanded herbal garden inaugurated

It has over 100 species of medicinal plants including many rare plants

The herbal garden at BHEL township in Tiruchi.

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Herbal Garden at the Kailasapuram

Township of the BHEL on the outskirts of the city has been expanded at the

initiative of the Kerala Samajam.

Gomathi Thangam, Assistant Director of Agriculture, inaugurated the

expanded garden by planting a sapling of ‘elavangam’ on the occasion of

Republic Day in the presence of S.Gopinath, Executive Director, BHEL,

Tiruchi. Mr.Gopinath, planted a clove sapling.

Opened in 2014, the garden now boasts of more than 100 species of

medicinal plants including many rare plants that normally do not thrive

under the climatic conditions of the region.

In addition, it has a collection of fruit trees, spices and other herbs.

“One would be surprised to see clove, gamboj tree and pepper, which

normally grow in mountainous regions with lower temperature at the garden.

This is one of the largest such collection in Tiruchi. We plan to have more

than 300 varieties of plants by 2017,” said Francis Xaviour, President of

Kerala Samajam.

Saplings were sourced from various agricultural colleges and ashrams in

Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Medicinal Plants that are recommended in Ayurveda for treating a wide

variety of disorders ranging from common ailments such as head ache, skin

disorders and fever to more severe ones like cancer and snake bites can be

found in this garden, he said.

“No chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used in the garden. Even the dry

leaves that fall are collected and allowed to naturally form the manure so

that the entire eco system becomes a self sustaining one,” said V.K.

Sreekumar, secretary of Kerala Samajam.

Samba paddy harvest in full swing

Yield below average, say farmers; it is normal, says Agriculture Dept.

Harvest of samba paddy is under way in full swing in canal-irrigated areas of

the district with farmers in some parts of the district worried over possible

yield loss because of blast disease.

Farmers are busy harvesting the crop, many of them using harvesters in

Musiri, Manachanallur, Andhanallur, Tiruverumbur, Lalgudi and

Pullampadi areas. Harvesting is expected to reach a feverish pace over the

next few days. Samba paddy has been raised on about 34,400 hectares in the

canal-irrigated delta areas and on 17,000 hectares in the non-delta areas,

according to Agriculture Department.

Farmers in the delta areas had started harvesting the crop. While farmers in

some parts of the district complained of below average yield, sources in

Agriculture Department said the yield was normal. Farmers in some pockets

of Lalgudi, Tiruverumbur and a few other parts have been complaining of

yield loss owing to the blast disease attack in Andhra Ponni variety, which is

raised widely in the district. “The yield has been less than 20 bags in the

disease affected crops,” said R.Subramanian, deputy secretary, Cauvery

Delta Farmers Welfare Association.

With no rain, Vaigai dam level falls below 50 feet

Residents relying on Vaigai dam for drinking water needs may face shortage

(Level in feet)

With no rainfall in recent days in the catchment areas and release of water

for irrigation, storage in the Vaigai reservoir is fast depleting and has slipped

below 50 feet (maximum level is 71 feet).

As there was good rainfall during the northeast monsoon in the region the

storage level in the dam almost touched the maximum. Officials had issued

flood warning thrice and instructed residents in low lying areas to move

away from the river bank.

However, the release of water for agricultural crops over an area of 65,000

hectares had led to steady fall in storage. The Public Works Department

engineers said that turn system introduced for irrigation had begun a week

ago, which had helped to lower the quantum of water released from the dam.

Going by last year’s storage level, the water level appeared to be

comfortable now. However, the cultivable area had expanded now in the

district, which may require water for irrigation for at least another six weeks

before harvest, they said.

Meanwhile, agriculture department officials in the district have started

counselling farmers to use water judiciously. A majority of the paddy crops

would require at least two more wettings. With use of technology, the yield

is also expected to be high this season, they added.

The Water Users’ Association in Vadipatti block said that farm ponds and

water conservation through watershed development projects had facilitated

recharging of ground water table. “We are hoping to make a rich harvest this

season,” Balusamy, a progressive farmer in the village, said.

While it looks like the farmers would sail through, residents relying on

Vaigai dam for drinking water needs may experience problems of shortage

during April-May. However, PWD engineers said that during Chitirai,

summer showers would come to their rescue.

Foodgrain production hits a new low

Estimates show a fall in production by over 30 per cent, compared to last

year

Failure of monsoon and the consequential lack of water in irrigation projects

and steep depletion of groundwater table have taken a heavy toll on the

production of foodgrains in Telangana State this year as the estimates show

a fall in production by over 30 per cent, compared to last year.

The production of foodgrains including cereals, millets and pulses has been

estimated to be about 49.35 lakh tonnes in the current (2015-16) agriculture

year as against 71.24 lakh tonnes last year. According to official sources, a

sharp decrease in the production of paddy, the staple food in the State, has

pulled down the total produce of food crops. Paddy output is estimated to

less than 30 lakh tonnes this year as against over 44 lakh tonnes last year.

Similarly, the production of pulses is estimated to be 2.5 lakh tonnes this

year against 2.57 lakh tonnes last year. It is no better for oilseeds either as

the officials of the Economics and Statistics (Planning) Department have

estimated their production to register a decline of over 2.14 lakh tonnes this

year. Their production is likely to be 4.73 lakh tonnes against 6.87 lakh

tonnes last year.

“Sharp fall in the production of foodgrains and oilseeds has become certain

by the end of kharif season itself with no water for crops this year in major

irrigation sources – Sriramsagar and Nagarjunasagar projects. Except for

some medium irrigation projects and tanks in Khammam, Adilabad and parts

of Warangal district, the remaining areas have experienced paucity of rain

resulting in drought conditions in over half (233) of the mandals in the

State”, a senior official of the Agriculture Department said explaining the

reasons for poor production.

Cultivation of food crops had seen a sharp fall in kharif by over 6.13 lakh

hectares (15.32 lakh acres).

The total extent of cultivation was down by 5.65 lakh ha with all crops

raised in 35.78 lakh ha against the season normal of 41.43 lakh ha.

The prospects in rabi season appear to be even worse with cultivation of

food crops taken up only in 3.88 lakh ha against 6.31 lakh ha normal by the

end of January third-week.

Paddy is the worst-hit crop with its transplantation taken up only 36 per cent

of the normal extent.

Cherthala to embrace organic paddy farming

Plan to expand area under Pokkali farming in phases

The Cherthala Assembly constituency is planning to take up organic paddy

farming. A project for total conversion of paddy farming into organic mode

has been envisaged in a development report prepared by the Kerala Institute

of Local Administration (KILA), which was approved by people’s

representatives recently.

The project targets expansion of area under Pokkali farming in phases. The

constituency has about 200 hectares of fertile land where Pokkali farming

could be taken up, including 160 hectares in Pattanakkad panchayat, 40

hectares in Vayalar panchayat and six hectares in Kadakkarapally panchayat.

One of the measures mooted for expansion of organic farming is to adopt

‘one paddy, one fish’ scheme which entails fish farming in the fields after

one crop of paddy every year. Extension of subsidy for taking up Pokkali

cultivation, and development of suitable machinery for harvesting of Pokkali

crop are envisaged under the programme.

Irrigation

This apart, the farming pattern would have to be changed so that the

harvesting operations are done in tandem with the farming season in

Kuttanad which would facilitate the use of harvesting machines employed in

Kuttanad. The shutters of Andhakaranazhy would have to be mechanised to

ensure proper irrigation facilities and to control brackish water incursion into

the fields.

An awareness campaign would have to be taken up prior to the

implementation of the project. A marketing network for sale of organic

produce and establishment of quality-control laboratories are among other

measures required. Starting of units to make organic manure and organic

pesticides and funding schemes for marketing are also necessary.

Meanwhile, an organic horticulture project has been launched in Elanji in

Cherthala south grama panchayat. The scheme is supported by agricultural

department and Cherthala South Cooperative Bank. The scheme has been

taken up in 50 acres by a few farming groups. Loans up to Rs.25,000 will be

allocated to each farming group. The plan is to develop a marketing setup

for collection and sale of the produce.

‘One paddy, one fish’ scheme mooted for expansion of paddy farming

Organic horticulture project launched in Elanji

Fruit and flower show begins tomorrow

Flowers being cultivated in pots for the fruit and flower show at the Flower

Auction Centre in Udupi.

The Department of Horticulture is organising a fruit and flower show at the

Flower Auction Centre at Doddanagudde here from January 29 to 31.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, K.A. Vijaykumar, Deputy

Director of Horticulture, said that 32 varieties of flower saplings had been

specifically grown for display at the show. These included marigold,

petunia, verbena, coleus, impatiens, celosia, gomphrena, dahlia and

sunflower. Other decorative flowers would also be on display, he said.

The department had cultivated flower saplings in 5,000 flower pots, which

would be available for sale. Saplings of various decorative trees too would

be on display.

In addition, there would be an exhibition of Shankarpura Mallige and Mattu

Gulla vegetable, both from Udupi district, which enjoy geographical

indication tag. Vegetable carvings and pictorial drawing of national leaders

through “flower rangoli” would be other attractions.

The figures of a boat, fish and heart, made out of either flowers or fruits,

would be on display. The vegetables which could be cultivated on terrace

gardens, too would be exhibited. Various horticultural crops grown by

progressive farmers would be on display.

A number of stalls selling agriculture and horticultural equipment would be

set up at the venue. The department was spending Rs. 5 lakh on organising

the fruits and flowers show.

The soil and climate of Udupi district was suitable for the cultivation of

horticultural crops.

The main source of income for farmers in the district was from horticulture

crops such as coconut, arecanut, cashew, spices, black pepper, ginger,

turmeric, fruits such as mango, banana, pineapple, and sapodilla, and

vegetables such as brinjal, cucumber, okra, and cowpeas.

Horticultural crops and vegetables and fruits had vital role in the economic

growth of both rural and urban areas of the district. If cultivated, they would

increase their income and also generated jobs. Value addition to some

horticultural produces also increased their value.

With the increase in their shelf life due to modern technology, the

horticultural products also had export potential. There were 200 cashew

factories in the district, Mr. Vijaykumar said.

Badal seeks modifications in PM Fasal Bima Yojna

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday sought

modifications in the recently launched Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna

(PMFBY) to make it more farmer-friendly and result-oriented.

“The PMFBY falls short of the farmers’ expectations,” the Chief Minister

said in separate letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.

The scheme provides insurance cover and financial support to farmers in the

event of failure of any of the notified crops as a result of natural calamities,

pests and diseases.

“The scheme is a step forward as it has greatly improved insurance product

as compared to earlier schemes, but still falls short of the farmers’

expectations,” he said, saying the situation in Punjab was totally different

from rest of the country.

He said an indemnity level of 90 per cent for cereal crops would be

completely “unsuitable” for Punjab.

The Chief Minister advocated higher level of indemnity for Punjab because

of its special and different position in agriculture.

He said even if it was kept at 90 per cent, it should be based on last year’s

yield of the insured and affected farmers.

“Such a step will help cover more farmers on voluntary basis, minimising

State’s contribution in providing calamity relief which otherwise is likely to

continue unabated, ” added Mr. Badal.

Dwelling on another issue, the Chief Minister said the scheme provides for

insurance cover for losses suffered due to drought, but Punjab has never

declared drought.

Mr. Badal said in case of drought like situation as a result of deficit rains, the

cost of cultivation of farmer increases due to increase in cost of irrigation

and labour but the new insurance scheme does not provide for compensation

for such increases and situations.

“Further the scheme also does not provide for losses due to unseasonal rains

in Rabi crops. I feel that such increased costs and losses should be covered,”

said Mr. Badal.

Post harvest losses covered in the scheme were for crops kept in “cut and

spread” condition in the field whereas the harvesting of cereal crop in the

State was fully mechanized and the crop was immediately taken to market

but losses due to natural calamities during marketing in the mandis were not

covered.

Such losses should also be covered if the crop remains unsold in the mandi

at the peril of farmers.

He said given present the agrarian crisis and financial stress on farmers,

insurance cover should be provided to them as a measure to save them from

natural calamities and climate variability.

It may be appropriate to cap the farmers’ contribution to the premium at Rs

100 an acre to begin with, and to share the balance cost of insurance in the

ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State as done in most other schemes of

agriculture development, said Mr. Badal. - PTI

Permaculture meet in Hyderabad

The Aranya Agriculture Alternatives (AAA), Hyderabad, an NGO working

on promotion of permaculture, will host the three-day national permaculture

convergence (NPC), 2016 between February 5 and 7 at the University

auditorium of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agriculture University,

Hyderabad. Participants include eminent agriculture and environmental

scientists with the keynote address to be delivered by renowned seed activist

and conservationist, Dr. Vandana Shiva.

Productive systems

AAA secretary Narsanna Koppula said that permaculture is a philosophy

and practice which helps people to design and establish productive systems

to provide for their food, energy, shelter and other material and non material

needs in harmony with nature.

It is more relevant to India given the declining water resources, soil health

and bio diversity.

TS to host meet on livestock

College of Veterinary Science to hold event from tomorrow

The youngest State of the country, Telangana, will host the first ever

international conference of the Indian Society of Animal Production and

Management (ISAPM), a body that is 33 years old and has 1,200 members.

The College of Veterinary Science affiliated to the P.V. Narasimha Rao

Telangana State University of Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences

(SPVNR-TSUVAFS) will host this prestigious event between January 28

and 31, as a part of the 23{+r}{+d}annual convention of the ISAPM on the

concept of ‘Indigenous’.

At a curtain raiser press conference on Wednesday, faculty experts and

scientists of the varsity working in Rajendranagar and in Maamnoor of

Warangal district, A. Sharat Chandra, K. Mahender, N. Rajanna and Ch.

Harikrishna said that a road map would be chalked out at the plenary session

on January 31. To be prepared with inputs from experts across the country

and abroad, it would then be sent to the Central Government, the Indian

Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Veterinary Council of India,

Dr. Mahender said.

Of the 12 foreign experts from 10 countries, Donald M. Broom from the

University of Cambridge and John Williams of the University of Adelaide

would be the keynote speakers with their papers on the subjects of animal

welfare and livestock production in different climatic zones, respectively. A

highlight of the 4-day programme would be the National Quiz on Livestock

for students on the last day, Dr. Rajanna said, adding that in all, 44 awards

would be given away to post-graduate students, subject experts and

scientists.

Dr. Harikrishna, who works in Mamnoor as head of Livestock Research

Station said the 10 technical/workshop sessions would be on specific

subjects including animal behavious and welfare, climate effect, modern

livestock farming practices, different breeds of farm animals, their

reproduction, animal health, value addition and veterinary education.

organic paddy farming

Plan to expand area under Pokkali farming in phases

The Cherthala Assembly constituency is planning to take up organic paddy

farming. A project for total conversion of paddy farming into organic mode

has been envisaged in a development report prepared by the Kerala Institute

of Local Administration (KILA), which was approved by people’s

representatives recently.

The project targets expansion of area under Pokkali farming in phases. The

constituency has about 200 hectares of fertile land where Pokkali farming

could be taken up, including 160 hectares in Pattanakkad panchayat, 40

hectares in Vayalar panchayat and six hectares in Kadakkarapally panchayat.

One of the measures mooted for expansion of organic farming is to adopt

‘one paddy, one fish’ scheme which entails fish farming in the fields after

one crop of paddy every year. Extension of subsidy for taking up Pokkali

cultivation, and development of suitable machinery for harvesting of Pokkali

crop are envisaged under the programme.

Irrigation

This apart, the farming pattern would have to be changed so that the

harvesting operations are done in tandem with the farming season in

Kuttanad which would facilitate the use of harvesting machines employed in

Kuttanad. The shutters of Andhakaranazhy would have to be mechanised to

ensure proper irrigation facilities and to control brackish water incursion into

the fields.

An awareness campaign would have to be taken up prior to the

implementation of the project. A marketing network for sale of organic

produce and establishment of quality-control laboratories are among other

measures required. Starting of units to make organic manure and organic

pesticides and funding schemes for marketing are also necessary.

Meanwhile, an organic horticulture project has been launched in Elanji in

Cherthala south grama panchayat. The scheme is supported by agricultural

department and Cherthala South Cooperative Bank. The scheme has been

taken up in 50 acres by a few farming groups. Loans up to Rs.25,000 will be

allocated to each farming group. The plan is to develop a marketing setup

for collection and sale of the produce.

‘One paddy, one fish’ scheme mooted for expansion of paddy farming

Organic horticulture project launched in Elanji

Water release ordered

Considering the pleas of farmers in the Cauvery delta region, who were

planting crops in a delayed manner, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on

Wednesday has ordered the release of water from the Mettur dam till

February 25. Everyday 6,000 cubic feet per second of water would be

released for irrigation.

In a statement, she said usually water from the dam is let out only till

January 28. The dam was opened on August 9, 2015. Around 70,000 acres

require irrigation at present.

Subsidy for ‘pack house’ under National Horticulture Mission

The Department of Horticulture has appealed to farmers to construct ‘pack

houses’ for cleaning, grading and packing their produce so as to get the right

price for farm products.

Farmers can get the right price for their produce only if it is clean, graded

and packed properly. Since most of the farmers are not aware of these things

and are getting very low price even during the ‘peak season’, the Department

of Horticulture has come to their rescue by providing 50 per cent subsidy, to

a maximum of Rs. 2 lakh, under National Horticulture Mission (NHM) for

grading and packing the farm produce in an attractive manner.

The NHM, which was introduced with the objective of increasing the area of

cultivation and thus increasing production, also provides room for carrying

out ‘project activities’ such as ‘pack house’ with which the farmer can get

the right price for his produce.

A ‘pack house’ can be used for temporarily storing, cleaning, grading and

packing the farm produce. The ‘pack house’ should be 30 feet in length and

20 feet in breadth with a minimum surface area of 600 sq. m having

galvanized iron, asbestos or concrete roof. It should have cement flooring,

six windows and two double doors.

Equipment such as weighing machine (to weigh up to 300 kg), grading table

with provision to drain water, plastic or cement tubs, overhead or synthetic

water tank with 2,000 litre capacity, etc. should be provided.

After inspection by a team of officials, it will be recommended for subsidy.

“Four ‘pack houses’ have been constructed in the district. Farmers, who

want to get the right price for their produce, should construct a ‘pack house’,

clean the produce and pack it in an appropriate manner,” said an official.

Farmers to congregate in Delhi on March 10

They are seeking farm loan waiver, among other measures

President of the State Sugarcane Growers’ Association Kurubur

Shanthkumar has said that farmers from across the country would

congregate before Parliament on March 10 seeking waiver of farmers’ loans

and implementation of the recommendations of the Dr. Swaminathan

Committee Report.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, he said that farmers from

across the country would march to Parliament under the aegis of ‘Bharatiya

Kisan Manch.’

He said that due to the increasing number of farmers’ suicides and the farm

scenario becoming furthermore complex, the farmers were demanding

waiver of Rs. 5.30 lakh crore of farm loans.

Mr. Shanthkumar said, “We are also demanding implementation of the Dr.

M.S. Swaminathan Committee Report for ensuring fair prices for farm

produce. The compensation guidelines fixed by the Union government for

the loss suffered by farmers due to natural calamities like drought and floods

is very much unscientific and we are demanding remedial steps.”

‘Organic tag to boost Sikkim’s cardamom exports’

Organically-grown large cardamom may be priced higher than its fertiliser-

fed counterpart but the former has burgeoning premium-class consumers

abroad

Organically-grown large cardamom may be priced higher than its fertiliser-

fed counterpart but the former has burgeoning premium-class consumers

abroad

The global demand for large cardamom grown in India is expected to rise

with Sikkim, which produces a chunk of this highly-valued spice, being

declared an organic-farming state, according to Spices Board.

“Organically-grown large cardamom may be priced higher than its fertiliser-

fed counterpart but the former has burgeoning premium-class consumers

abroad whose number are increasing of late,” said A. Jayathilak, Chairman,

Spices Board.

“Discerning users are willing to pay the extra money,” Mr. Jaythilak

emphasised. He said organically-raised large cardamom was another

initiative under the present government’s Make in India mission which aims

to make the country a global hub of indigenously-developed products.

India exported 665 tonnes of large cardamom in 2014-15. In the first half of

the current fiscal, the powerful flavouring spice, endemic to a certain section

of the Himalayan terrain, has earned the country Rs. 2,011.50 lakh in the

international market, statistics show. Sikkim, which grows large cardamom

in 17,000 hectares of land, produces 4,000 metric tonnes (90 per cent of the

country’s production) of the spice annually. The Spices Board had designed

the ‘Organic Sikkim’ logo that was released on January 18.

“Our message to farmers is this: ‘You become exporters’. It is simple but

strong,” Mr. Jayathilak said. Spices Board has a team of 50-odd employees

working in Sikkim to not just sustain organic farming but empower the

growers to earn more from their produce in the coming years.

“The work of our personnel is multi-disciplinary. We do not just marketing

but research, spread of information, linkages between farmers and

mediations to resolve issues,” he said. The cultivation of large cardamom

will receive impetus in six months from now as the Spices Board is set to

unveil an e-platform for its famed fortnightly auction in Sikkim’s traditional

spice market of Singtam. This is in accordance with the Digital India

campaign, Mr. Jayathilak said.

“The idea is to cut down on middlemen. This will ease the post-harvest flow

in the trade of the crop,” he said.

After Paris, keep the heat on

“While it is important to promote and use solar pumps in agriculture in

India, the crisis caused by over-extraction of groundwater and its

contamination can only be addressed if regulation plays a critical role.”

Picture shows a farmer using a solar pump for his paddy field in Podavoor

village in Tiruchirapalli district, Tamil Nadu. Photo: M. Srinath

In order to have a chance of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees

Celsius, we need suitable technologies to make low-carbon transitions in

development right away

Now that the Paris Conference of the Parties (COP) meet is long over,

countries need to concentrate on global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,

which need to peak soon and go to zero by mid-century if there is to be a

chance of preventing average temperatures from rising more than 1.5

degrees Celsius above the level of pre-industrial times.

This is especially a major challenge for the least developed countries and

developing countries, as they need to provide an improved quality of life to

millions of poor while reducing emissions and shifting to a new model of

growth that is a low-carbon pathway. Many countries, including India, have

a stated expectation that the country’s Intended Nationally Determined

Contributions (INDC) targets can be met only if there is technological and

financial support. Technology transfer may include one or more of the

following kinds of processes: a transfer of manufacturing methods, skills,

knowledge, supporting finance, and facilitation through institutional

arrangements that enable such transfers. Technology transfer has been

considered to be critical from the beginning of the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is part of the

Convention under Article 4.5.

Access to technologies

Innovation and transfer of technologies are essential if we want rapid shifts

to renewable energy systems worldwide. For example, commercially

available crystalline silicon solar panels are on average about 15 per cent

efficient. However, higher levels of efficiency (up to 45 per cent) have been

demonstrated at laboratory scale in the U.S. and Europe. These are not yet

commercially available. If India and other developing countries had access

to these technologies, they could potentially leapfrog to an advanced stage of

renewables, using less land area than currently needed. This does not mean

disregarding intellectual property rights (IPR). But support for licensing fees

or some such arrangement through financing could allow developing

countries to not have to reinvent technologies that the world already has

access to. Similarly, hybrid (petrol and electric) vehicles have been available

in the U.S. for over a decade now, but are still not in the Indian market, even

though they could enable a doubling of efficiency and vastly lower tailpipe

emissions at a reasonable cost. In many States, the transport departments

hesitate to purchase electric buses because of the prohibitive cost, mainly

because of the battery cost.

Experience in innovation and technology has taught us that along with

research and the technology itself, we need the right enabling environment

that supports diffusion and uptake of technologies, markets, and supporting

regulations and policies. For instance, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency gave

meticulous attention to the dissemination of compact fluorescent lamps. It

undertook a series of measures to enhance penetration, including large-scale

procurement by the government, to ensure markets to manufacturers and, as

a result, improved system-wide efficiencies. Similarly, novel business

models undertaken by the government to promote Light Emitting Diode

(LED) bulbs have resulted in a rapid decline of prices from Rs. 310 to Rs. 69

per bulb.

Every country has technology requirements that are quite specific to its

priorities, opportunities and socio-economic circumstances. In the energy

sector, India’s needs include highly efficient renewables, better storage

technologies, smart grids, clean public transport, efficient para-transit modes

such as autorickshaws, and improved efficiencies in micro, small and

medium industries which employ large numbers of people. India also needs

technologies for adaptation that are suitable to local impacts and conditions,

since the effects of warming will be severe in the region. This combination

of needs and challenges in different places across countries and ecosystems

means that new climate technologies need special attention so that they can

be readily adapted for local needs and deployed easily with a reasonable

profit; they also need to be affordable to the most needy people.

The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and the Technology

Executive Committee were set up under the Technology Mechanism in

COP-16 in 2010. These were meant to facilitate technology transfer by

providing information and technical assistance and fostering collaboration

among experts through their network. There has been concern about the

level of support for the CTCN and its activities, but its establishment has at

least placed the issue of technology transfer under the UNFCCC. Various

countries jointly launched Mission Innovation before the Paris COP in order

to accelerate innovation in the energy sector. This will increase public

investments, provide private investor support, increase transparency, and

support implementation. Still, the mission’s goals are meant to promote

innovation only in the medium to long term, and deliverables from

investments in new technology development will, in any case, yield results

slowly, over decades probably.

Given the short timeline over which the world needs to shift to zero

emissions, these processes are too slow. In order to peak GHG emissions

and adapt to a warmer climate, the world needs suitable technologies in

order to make low-carbon transitions in development right now, not seven

years after a global stocktake.

Paris deal and the future

COP-21 adopted the ‘Joint annual report of the Technology Executive

Committee and the Climate Technology Centre and Network’. Under the

Paris deal, there will be a framework to provide guidance for the technology

mechanism, provide enhanced action on technology development and assess

technologies ready for transfer. A link between financial and technology

mechanisms has also been established, which should allow for collaboration

in research and development. Whether this will go as far as India wanted in

providing financial support to deal with IPR barriers in the future is not

entirely clear.

It might be easier to grasp the linkages between energy efficiencies

(therefore, mitigation) and technology needs. But a policy and regulatory

regime that promotes innovation within countries, transfers suitable

technologies from outside, and supports the equity-sensitive application of

new technologies is important. For example, while it is important to promote

and use solar pumps in agriculture in India, the crisis caused by over-

extraction of groundwater and its contamination can only be addressed if

regulation plays a critical role. Otherwise, the country would continue to

overexploit groundwater with solar pumps. Understanding these linkages

between technologies, policies and regulations and making appropriate

institutional changes would be necessary for climate adaptation and climate

friendly development.

(Sujatha Byravan is Principal Research Scientist at the Center for Study of

Science, Technology and Policy, Bengaluru.)

Disaster management: Preparing for the deluge

Coastal states have learnt to handle cyclonic storms better, but more needs to

be done.

A saline embankment under construction at Sarkanda village in

Jagatsinghpur. (Source: Naveed Iqbal)

The Sundarbans evokes images of the Royal Bengal tiger, mangrove forests

and mudflats that draw tourists both from within and outside the country.

But for Komola Mridha, the deltaic region in southern West Bengal is more

than just the “world’s only mangrove tiger land”.

“Everyone knows about our tigers, but not many know that there are people,

too, living here,” complains this resident of Gosaba village, while attending

to domestic chores in the mud-and-bamboo hut where she and her fisherman

husband live.

Gosaba is among the archipelago’s 104 islands on the Indian side of the

delta formed by the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. It was also one

of the Sundarbans’ worst affected areas when Cyclone Aila struck in 2009.

While the tropical cyclonic storm made landfall in the Sundarbans on May

23, locals admit to having ignored the warnings, thinking it was only a flood

tide. When the winds became too strong, Pintu Mandal and hundred other

men of Pakhirala Island, about 8 km from Gosaba, decided to show the

cyclone their back — literally.

“We locked our arms together and formed a human chain, believing it would

stop the flow of water. We stayed like that for about four hours. But once the

water rose beyond 7-8 feet, we simply gave up,” recalls 36-year-old Mandal.

Swades Jana, who is from Gosaba and operates a ferry service across the

cluster of islands that make up Sunderbans, says that Aila’s impact lasted

even after the waters had receded. “There was no agriculture for over three

years, as the sea water had left the soil saline. Many of us had to, therefore,

take up fishing,” he says.

Six years since Aila hit, the Sundarbans —described as the “saviour of

Kolkata” for its mangroves that absorb much of the fury of storms — is now

getting its first set of cyclone shelters. There are a total of 1,012

multipurpose cyclone shelters being built in vulnerable locations across all

coastal states of India under a National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Programme

(NCRMP). With a total investment of $1.7 billion — $1.3 billion from the

World Bank and the rest contributed by the states concerned — the

programme is being implemented in two phases.

While Odisha has already been covered under the first phase from 2011,

NCRMP-2 involving West Bengal took off last year. The programme’s

focus is on investing in risk mitigation ahead of disasters, as against efforts

in the past directed mainly at relief and rehabilitation post any natural

calamity. The multipurpose cyclone shelters are mostly buildings

constructed in school premises, where people can be safely moved in the

event of disasters. While serving as schools or community centres in normal

times, these are also provided with equipment such as first aid boxes,

kitchen utensils, power saws, life buoys, foldable stretchers, search lights,

solar lanterns and water filters that are to be of use when disaster strikes. In

Odisha, the day-to-day management and maintenance of the shelters are with

committees headed by the block development officers concerned along with

community members and volunteers, trained on the use of the equipment.

Besides cyclone shelters, the NCRMP’s scope also extends to putting in

place early warning and dissemination systems through community

involvement, building saline embankments and undertaking underground

cabling of electrical wires to prevent power outages in the eventuality of

cyclones. Swapan Kumar Chatterjee, who teaches at the Pakhirala Free

Primary School, is glad that the government is finally “thinking about us”.

He was the person who led the locals in Pakhirala to take refuge in the

school after the heroic human chain initiative by Mandal and other men gave

way. “There was no room in the school then to sleep; we could only either

sit or stand. Everyone lost their livestock, while managing to save only

themselves. We not only need the cyclone shelters now coming up, but want

even the existing school, government buildings and ICDS (Integrated Child

Development Services) centres to be upgraded to these,” he states. As per

government data, 69 cyclones of varying intensity have struck West Bengal

since 1891, while numbering 98 in Odisha. “NCRMP is the first disaster

management project in India that focuses on risk mitigation through early

warnings systems, safe shelters and improved coordination, enabling coastal

states to respond better to cyclones,” claims Saurabh Dani, Senior Disaster

Risk Management Specialist with the World Bank, which has already

committed $667.40 million for the first two phases of the programme.

NCRMP implementation in Odisha is now five years old. The state has, in

fact, invested in institutionalising disaster management right from the time

of the 1999 Paradip “super cyclone” that claimed some 10,000 lives. “The

sense of ownership of cyclone shelters at community level is very high in

Odisha; so is their level of preparedness,” Dani points out. West Bengal, by

comparison, has only recently started investing in risk mitigation

infrastructure. “There’s a lot they need to do in order to be better prepared.

Also, constructing cyclone shelters in the Sundarbans is a huge challenge,

given the difficulties of transport,” adds Dani.

Ferries are the only means to move men and material between islands in the

archipelago. Within the islands, the primary mode of transport is small

motorised rickshaws. One thing that has, nevertheless, changed for the better

when it comes to disaster preparedness is the ability to predict. In the case of

the 2013 Cyclone Phailin, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) was

accurate in spotting the formation of a depression over the north Andaman

Sea on the morning of October 8 and tracking its intensification into a deep

depression and a very severe cyclonic storm the next day.

It also predicted its movement northwest towards Odisha by October 12

night. All this was enabled by technology — particularly state-of-the-art

Doppler radars. As SC Sahu, direct of IMD’s Bhubaneswar meteorological

centre notes: “The Doppler radars help in detecting extreme weather

conditions, including any hydro-meteorological developments in the sea

between 200 and 500 km. We also remain in touch with the state

governments and pass on information immediately whenever we notice any

depressions or deep depressions.”

These early warning systems, in turn, provide adequate time for the

governments to evacuate people in the coastal belts. Such systems —

including advanced satellite imagery or numerical models for tropical

cyclone forecasts — were non-existent in 1999.

At that time, the IMD could only issue general cyclone alerts across West

Bengal, Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh, without being able to pinpoint

the location of the storm’s landfall. But technology apart, the improved

disaster preparedness of states – again totally lacking in 1999 — has also

made a difference. Almost nine lakh people in Odisha and 1.3 lakh in

Andhra Pradesh were evacuated within 48 hours of Cyclone Phailin striking

through the help of military and paramilitary forces, restricting casualties to

just over a dozen. The multipurpose cyclone shelters and saline

embankments under NCRMP will only enhance the capability to deal with

storms of extreme or severe cyclonic categories.

Allocation of Surplus land to landless: Govt forms fact-finding panel

As per government records, 1,63,808 acres have been allotted to 37,198

landless farmers in Gujarat in the last 55 years; and around 17,000 of them

were from the SC community.

Amid serious allegations of poor implementation of the Agriculture Lands

Ceiling Act (ALC Act) in Gujarat, the Revenue Department has appointed

three nodal officers of deputy secretary rank to ascertain the actual scenario

of the allocation of surplus land to landless farmers in state under the law.

It is noteworthy that the Gujarat government passed a bill in the Assembly

seeking to amend the ALC Act. The legislation was originally meant for

bringing in equality by giving surplus land to the landless, but the proposed

amendments to the Act have opened the surplus land to the industry also.

The amendment bill has been sent to the President for his approval.

The order for appointment of the three officers, a copy of which is available

with The Indian Express, was passed on January 8 by the Revenue

Department, following directions of the Gujarat HC with reference to a PIL

moved by an Ahmedabad-based civil rights activist, Jignesh Mevani.

As per the order, the Revenue Department has distributed all the districts in

three zones and for each zone a deputy secretary rank officer has been

appointed as a nodal officer who will ascertain the actual scenario of the

implementation of the ALC Act in Gujarat. In the first zone, Gandhinagar,

Mehsana, Banas-kantha, Patan, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Ahmedabad, Anand,

Kheda and Mahisagar have been included. Deputy Secretary (Land

Acquisition) of the Revenue department will be nodal officer for the zone.

The second zone includes Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Chhota Udepur,

Valsad, Vadodara, Navsari, the Dangs, Dahod and the Panchmahals with

Deputy Secretary (Urban Land Ceiling) as nodal officer.

Deputy Secretary (Land Reforms) will be a nodal officer for Amreli,

Bhavnagar, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Somnath, Botad, Morbi,

Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Kutch districts. In his petition,

Mevani has produced voluminous government records while alleging that

thousands of acres, declared surplus under the ALC Act, have not been

given to landless farmers of the Schedule Caste and the Schedule Tribe

communities.

As per government records, 1,63,808 acres have been allotted to 37,198

landless farmers in Gujarat in the last 55 years; and around 17,000 of them

were from the SC community.

However, Mevani disputed these figures, alleging that those were misleading

and thousands of people are yet to get physical possession of the land since

statutory provisions like measuring the land have not been fulfilled, and the

allocation has remained only on paper, and the official claims on the

allocation are required to be verified. The petitioner also claimed that 59,012

acres which have been declared surplus still remain to be allocated to the

landless. HC passed several orders on the PIL and following a direction from

the court, the Revenue Department appointed the three nodal officers.

Ghosts Of Ship-To-Mouth

Price spikes, production fluctuations challenge us, not insufficient food

production

Having inherited an unsustainable farm economy, made worse by bad

monsoons and low international commodity prices, the government is

struggling to show progress in the face of farmer suicides. To its credit, the

government is consulting farmers for the preparation of a budget that not

only addresses their concerns but also appears to do so.

In the recent pre-budget consultations on agriculture attended by the finance

minister, the head of a multinational commodity trading house suggested

that “international commodity prices are low and so it is time to import food

to build stocks for food security”. I was aghast not just by his statement but

also at his presence at the meeting. A desperate commodity firm looking for

foolish nations to accept subsidised food for which there are no buyers

today. Cheap imports artificially drive down commodity prices, leading

farmers into a cycle of perpetual poverty and, as a result, rural-urban

migrations.

First, the conversation on the farm sector needs to radically shift from

focusing on fears of insufficient production to issues of nutrition and safety.

The ghosts of decades of food shortages, “ship-to-mouth” horrors and Lal

Bahadur Shastri’s appeal for skipping a meal continue to haunt us.

Technology input companies and commodity firms are scaremongering us

into a narrow tunnel of fear. But for long, India has moved on to greener

pastures. Outdated fears are being reinforced by allegedly insurmountable

new challenges posed by population growth, changing dietary patterns and

climate change inhibiting food production. Even after taking into account

these underlying anxieties, we farmers, on the contrary, feel India has

entered an era of marketable surpluses — but there are no buyers for our

produce. The challenges India faces are price spikes and production

fluctuations, not insufficient production. Onions and pulses, etc, augment the

anxiety, but these are the consequences of lopsided farm support

programmes and detached policymaking.

Why am I sticking my neck out in the face of widespread pessimism? For

one, we farmers are an optimistic lot. Second, as a farmer, I recognise our

potential. Consider an example of plenty from my own farm, where an acre

can yield approximately two trucks of onions, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots or

citrus fruit. If just one village (about 3,000 acres) cultivated the same crop

— god forbid, but let’s assume this for the sake of analysis — it could

produce 6,000 trucks of a particular crop. There are over six lakh villages in

India. Not all are bestowed with the same bounty of circumstances, but just

imagine the possibilities.

India is already among the largest producers of foodgrain, pulses, sugarcane,

tea, spices, eggs, meat, fruit and vegetables in the world. These milestones

have been reached even though we lag behind in crop yields. Investments in

research for better farm technology and applications hold endless

opportunities for yield improvement.

Additionally, there is a difference in yields within villages, as well as

between a research centre and even the best farm. These differences can be

bridged by improved extension services. Other than research-induced

increases, productivity can be enhanced by a quarter across the spectrum

without adding extra inputs (and with fewer seeds) if we simply upgrade

sowing machinery. While farmer-ownership of machinery will lead to debt,

service leasing will lead to prosperity. Merely defining objectives is half the

work done; the fine print holds the key to achieve the objectives.

India is the largest milk producer in the world, but cooperatives are

collapsing because of just the interest burden of unsold stocks and

competition from cheap, imported, subsidised and substandard milk

products. Milk production in the country will rise by a third if a preventive

health programme of the National Dairy Development Board could be

standardised countrywide. Better handling of food, right from the time it is

harvested till it reaches the table, would reduce wastages and make an extra

15 per cent of produce available for consumption.

Farmers’ biggest concern isn’t insufficient production. In irrigated areas,

farmers worry about markets and, in rain-fed areas, they worry about water

availability. Only time will tell if the consultations are seeking to validate

existing ideas or if they accept the new rationale.

Allocation of Surplus land to landless: Govt forms fact-finding panel

As per government records, 1,63,808 acres have been allotted to 37,198

landless farmers in Gujarat in the last 55 years; and around 17,000 of them

were from the SC community.

Amid serious allegations of poor implementation of the Agriculture Lands

Ceiling Act (ALC Act) in Gujarat, the Revenue Department has appointed

three nodal officers of deputy secretary rank to ascertain the actual scenario

of the allocation of surplus land to landless farmers in state under the law.

It is noteworthy that the Gujarat government passed a bill in the Assembly

seeking to amend the ALC Act. The legislation was originally meant for

bringing in equality by giving surplus land to the landless, but the proposed

amendments to the Act have opened the surplus land to the industry also.

The amendment bill has been sent to the President for his approval.

The order for appointment of the three officers, a copy of which is available

with The Indian Express, was passed on January 8 by the Revenue

Department, following directions of the Gujarat HC with reference to a PIL

moved by an Ahmedabad-based civil rights activist, Jignesh Mevani.

As per the order, the Revenue Department has distributed all the districts in

three zones and for each zone a deputy secretary rank officer has been

appointed as a nodal officer who will ascertain the actual scenario of the

implementation of the ALC Act in Gujarat. In the first zone, Gandhinagar,

Mehsana, Banas-kantha, Patan, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Ahmedabad, Anand,

Kheda and Mahisagar have been included. Deputy Secretary (Land

Acquisition) of the Revenue department will be nodal officer for the zone.

The second zone includes Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Chhota Udepur,

Valsad, Vadodara, Navsari, the Dangs, Dahod and the Panchmahals with

Deputy Secretary (Urban Land Ceiling) as nodal officer. Deputy Secretary

(Land Reforms) will be a nodal officer for Amreli, Bhavnagar, Porbandar,

Rajkot, Surendranagar, Somnath, Botad, Morbi, Devbhumi Dwarka,

Jamnagar, Junagadh and Kutch districts. In his petition, Mevani has

produced voluminous government records while alleging that thousands of

acres, declared surplus under the ALC Act, have not been given to landless

farmers of the Schedule Caste and the Schedule Tribe communities.

As per government records, 1,63,808 acres have been allotted to 37,198

landless farmers in Gujarat in the last 55 years; and around 17,000 of them

were from the SC community.

However, Mevani disputed these figures, alleging that those were misleading

and thousands of people are yet to get physical possession of the land since

statutory provisions like measuring the land have not been fulfilled, and the

allocation has remained only on paper, and the official claims on the

allocation are required to be verified. The petitioner also claimed that 59,012

acres which have been declared surplus still remain to be allocated to the

landless. HC passed several orders on the PIL and following a direction from

the court, the Revenue Department appointed the three nodal officers.

Modi calls for strict action on grievances related to customs, excise

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took strong exception at

complaints and grievances from people related to the customs and excise

sector and asked for strict action against concerned officials.

Modi, who chaired his ninth interaction through PRAGATI - Pro-Active

Governance And Timely Implementation - urged all secretaries whose

departments have extensive public dealing, to set up a system for top-level

monitoring of grievances immediately.

Later in the day, Modi held a meeting of his council of ministers to review

progress on schemes related to some ministries and laid thrust on faster

delivery of government initiatives.

According to the sources, the meeting reviewed schemes and government

initiatives related to ministries such as agriculture, chemical and fertilizer

and water resources.

Such meetings were likely to be held every month, added the sources.

The meeting with to review implementation of schemes came a day after the

government completed 20 months in office. The coming year was crucial for

the government as it will be completing half of its term.

The opposition has accused the government of being high on promises and

low on delivery.

It has also slammed the government over rise in prices of some food items

such as pulses.

BJP leaders have dismissed the allegations of the opposition and said that

the slew of initiatives government were already showing impact and will

show greater results in the coming days.

In his interaction through PRAGATI, Modi reviewed the progress of vital

infrastructure projects in road, railway, coal, power and renewable energy

sectors spread over several states including Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar

Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh,

and Rajasthan.

An official release concerning the PRAGATI said that among the projects

reviewed were the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link, the Delhi Mumbai

Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and the Jal Marg Vikas Project from Allahabad

to Haldia.

Modi also reviewed the progress of the Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana

(UDAY).

He reviewed implementation of the National Old Age Pension Scheme and

emphasized the need to ensure that beneficiaries receive the payment on

time.

Japan, UAE, Germany teams share $5-m grant for rain enhancement

project

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JANUARY 27:

Research groups from Japan, UAE and Germany emerged as winners of the

$5-million grant awarded by the inaugural cycle of the UAE Research

Programme for Rain Enhancement Science.

The programme chose to honour projects that offered creative and path-

breaking ideas on cloud forecasting and modification, modelling and the use

of advanced cloud seeding agents.

Water security

It seeks to accelerate water security through international cooperation in

scientific research and development in the field of rain enhancement.

Following its launch in January 2015, it drew the participation of 325

scientists, affiliated to 151 organisations representing a diversified pool of

governmental and non-governmental, private and public, domestic and

foreign entities and individuals.

Registrations are currently open for the 2016 cycle at www.uaerep.ae.

The three prize-winning scientists leading the research teams in the

inaugural cycle include:

Masataka Murakami, visiting professor from the Institute for Space-Earth

Environmental Research, Nagoya University (Japan), for his work on

precipitation enhancement in arid and semi-arid regions.

Cloud seeding

Murakami’s project focuses on innovative algorithms and sensors dedicated

to identifying the clouds most suitable for seeding.

Linda Zou, professor of chemical and environmental engineering from the

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, UAE, for her work on using

nanotechnology to accelerate water condensation.

Zou explores the different ways of employing current knowledge of

nanotechnology to develop cloud seeding materials and make rain droplet

formation more efficient.

Volker Wulfmeyer, managing director, professor, and chair of physics and

meteorology at the Institute of Physics and Meteorology in the University of

Hohenheim (Germany), for his work on cloud seeding optimisation.

His work aims to specifically study convergence zones and land cover

modification to enhance precipitation.

Indian contribution

Alya Al Mazroui, programme manager, said that the programme has

completed a successful first year, and attracted research proposals from

across the world.

The contribution of India has been particularly significant, with its

innovative approaches to rain enhancement research and six ground-

breaking projects submitted this year.

“We believe that further cooperation between the UAE and India can lead to

promising outcomes in our common quest for water security.

“To this end, we would like to see even more proposals by Indian scientists

and technologists in the second cycle, for the benefit of the people facing

water security issues all around the globe.”

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Global meet on sustainable blue economy from Feb 4

KOCHI, JANUARY 27:

The international conference on Sustainable Blue Economy organised by

Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) will be held here

on February 4 to 5.

The conference will focus on framing a Blue Ocean Policy.

The meet will discuss the ways and means to frame the policy for a

sustainable utilisation of ocean resources and for developing the blue

economy.

Eminent fishery scientists, researchers and oceanographers from across the

world will lead the discussion.

Ricardo Haroun from Spain, Ola M Johannessen from Norway, Lasse H

Pettersson from Norway, Kadamb Patel from Singapore among others will

be the chief guests.

In addition, around 25 invited speakers will deliver lectures on relevant

topics.

The conference will award for the Best Research Papers in six themes, in

order to promote young researchers in the area.

The meet will bring together ocean researchers, fishery scientists, policy

makers and legal experts to facilitate exchange of knowledge and ideas.

Sustainable utilisation of living resources; exploitation and sustainable

exploitation of non-living resources; climate resilient fisheries and ocean

resource management; ecosystem based management of resources; framing a

Blue Ocean Policy; and strategies for delivering a Blue Economy are the six

major themes to be discussed at the meet.

Around 120 technical papers will be presented at the conference.

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Mustard output may rise 10% this year on cold spell

l

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 27:

Mustard production in the country may rise by 10 per cent to 5.5 million

tonnes (mt) this year on account of favourable weather conditions in last few

days.

The cold weather conditions have picked up in the northern and central

India, which is good for standing mustard crop.

Some winter showers have also given a breather to the farmers, as a drop in

temperature benefits the standing crops.

Favourable weather

Currently, the mustard crop is at flowering stage and the flowering in

mustard is higher by 10-15 per cent compared to last year, Puri Oil Mills

Managing Director Vivek Puri said.

“The development of crop and output would be better if the chillness in

winters continues and conditions remain favourable,” he added.

Output may rise

Last year, rain and hailstorm affected the mustard crop output by 10-20 per

cent.

This year, in spite of lesser mustard sowing, the crop output may be a little

more as compared to last year if the conditions and circumstances are

favourable, he added. “Last year, the production was around 5 million

tonnes, this year it could reach 5.5 million tonnes due to favourable weather

conditions in last few days,” industry body Solvent Extractors Association’s

Executive Director BV Mehta told PTI.

National crop

Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are the few

main mustard producing States, wherein Rajasthan alone contributes to the

50 per cent production of mustard crop.

Puri also said that mustard oil has the potential to reduce edible oil imports,

if mustard is declared a national crop by the Indian government, on the lines

of what the Malaysian government has done for palm oil.

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

WTO: Farm Ministry asks Centre to go slow on liberalisation

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Commerce Secretary Rita

Teaotia at a recent media interaction .PTI

Commerce Ministry discusses Nairobi meet outcome with 3 ministries

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 27:

The Commerce Ministry has held consultations with other ministries

including agriculture, finance and industry on the implications of the

outcome of the World Trade Organisation’s Nairobi ministerial meet and the

way ahead, said Rita Teaotia, Commerce Secretary.

The Agriculture Ministry, which was given a special presentation on how

the WTO rules and negotiations affected the farm sector, has asked the

Commerce Ministry to go slow on future liberalisation commitments taken

in the area.

“We have discussed the Nairobi package with all line ministries in detail, its

implications and how we should move ahead from here. It was chaired by

the Commerce Minister. We also made a presentation to the Agriculture

Ministry,” Teaotia told reporters on the sidelines of an interactive session on

the Nairobi Ministerial organised by the CII and the Centre for WTO Studies

on Wednesday.

Seeking protection

The Agriculture Ministry pointed out at the meet that it would want higher

degree of protection for agriculture items and it does not want liberalisation

too fast.

“We asked the Agriculture Ministry to point out what its red-lines were and

the areas where it is not comfortable,” said Arvind Mehta, Additional

Secretary, Commerce Ministry.

A number of decisions were taken at the Nairobi Ministerial that have

bearing on the agriculture sector.

WTO members decided to phase out all export subsidies, with India

agreeing to do away with the flexibilities in transport and marketing

subsidies by 2023.

The developed countries agreed to allow developing countries to protect

farm items against import surges through a special safeguard mechanism,

but the all important issue of the price and quantity triggers that would

enable a country to use the mechanism is to be negotiated.

Responding to a question on a recent claim made by the US on a growing

consensus at the WTO over negotiating on new issues (issues other than

those being negotiation under the current Doha Round), the Secretary said

that India was clear on the fact that no new issues can be taken up at the

WTO without the nod of all members.

The Secretary said that India would keep pushing for the Doha development

agenda (DDA) of the WTO that developed members including the US and

the EU are seeking to bury. The DDA, launched in 2001, is important for

India and other developing countries as it provides for special and

differential treatment that allows them to take on lower liberalisation

commitments compared to those taken on by developed members.

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Post Comment

Bayar’s Coffee bags award

BENGALURU, JAN 27:

Bayar’s Coffee, a leading coffee manufacturing company from Bengaluru,

has bagged the ‘Best Roasters Platinum Award-2016’ instituted by the

Coffee Board of India and the India Coffee Trust.

The award was presented for adoption of food safety standards,

implementation of new technology, and for producing high quality coffee

blends.

The award was given at a glittering ceremony held at Mumbai, presided over

by Leena Nair, Chairperson of the Coffee Board. R K Krishna Kumar,

Trustee of the Tata Trust, felicitated R Nagaraja Rao, Executive Director,

Bayar’s Coffee, with the “Best Roasters Platinum Award-2016”.

Expressing his happiness over the award, Nagaraja Rao said, “We have

introduced a variety of speciality coffee blends in tune with customer needs.

We are happy that Bayar’s Coffee has bagged the award four times in a row.

Our responsibility to provide high quality coffee to our customers has

increased.”

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Crop cover

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Sugar steady as stockists stay away

MUMBAI, JANUARY 27:

Sugar prices on the Vashi market ruled steady on routine demand –

supply. Naka and mill tender rates were also unchanged as stockists stayed

away on back of enough stocks on hand.

Arrivals to the Vashi market was 58-60 truck loads while local dispatches

were about 58-60 loads. Freight rates were steady.

On Monday, 11-12 mills offered tenders and sold about 23,000-25,000 bags

(of 100 kg each) at ₹ 2,980-3,050 (2,980-3,050) for S-grade and ₹ 3,000-

3,130 (3,000-3,130) for M-grade.

The Bombay Sugar Merchants Association’s spot rates: S-grade ₹ 3,100-90

(3,100-92) and M-grade ₹ 3,182-3,302 (3,182-3,302). Naka delivery rates:

S-grade ₹ 3,080-3,150 (3,080-3,150) and M-grade ₹ 3,150-3,225 (3,150-

3,225).

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Refiners raise imported oils’ rates

MUMBAI, JANUARY 27:

Edible oils market extended gains tracking firm futures amid weak rupee and

renewed demand. Local refineries raised their rates by ₹ 4-5, which lifted

prices of palmolein and soya oil by ₹ 4 and ₹ 6 for 10 kg each. Liberty’s

rates: palmolein ₹ 488, super palmolein ₹ 506, soyabean refined oil ₹ 619.

Ruchi traded palmolein for ₹ 490, soyabean refined oil ₹ 615 and sunflower

refined oil ₹ 740. Allana quoted palmolein for ₹ 493, soya refined oil

₹ 620 and sunflower oil ₹ 745.

BCE spot rates (₹ /10 kg): groundnut oil 970 (970), soya ref. 615 (609),

sunflower exp. ref. 665 (660), sunflower ref. 740 (730), rapeseed ref. 860

(890), rapeseed exp. ref. 830 (860), cottonseed ref. oil 590 (587) and

palmolein 477 (473).

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Turmeric pales despite poor inflow

ERODE, JANUARY 27:

Only 70 bags of new turmeric arrived for sale on Wednesday. Because of the

medium quality, traders quoted decreased price and procured all the bags.

Regarding the price of the commodity, the new turmeric decreased by ₹ 650

a quintal and the root variety by ₹ 800. But the old finger turmeric was up

₹ 400-900 and the old root turmeric by ₹ 900.

At the Erode Turmeric Merchants Association, new finger variety went for

₹ 8,855-9,241; the root variety ₹ 7,609-8,541.

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Pepper stays steady

KOCHI, JANUARY 27:

Pepper markets on Wednesday stayed steady on matching demand and

supply. On the terminal market, 45 tonnes of farm grade pepper were traded

at ₹ 625-632 a kg.

Outside it, 30 tonnes of exchange released pepper were traded at ₹ 620-622.

Spot prices remained unchanged at ₹ 62,400 (ungarbled) and ₹ 65,400

(garbled) a quintal.

February and March contracts on the IPSTA also remained steady. Export

prices were at $9,650 a tonne c&f for Europe and $9,900 for the US.

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Tur rally ends on slack buying

INDORE, JANUARY 27:

Rally in tur continuing for the past few days ended today on decline in

buying support and rise in arrival of new crop with tur (Maharashtra) today

declining to ₹ 8,800 (down ₹ 300), while tur (Madhya Pradesh) ruled at

₹ 8,000 (down ₹ 300).

Tur dal traded low on decline in spot tur with tur dal (sawa no.) being quoted

at ₹ 10,800-11,200, tur dal (full) at ₹ 11,800-12,300, while tur marka

quoted at ₹ 12,500-13,600 a quintal. Urad and its dal ruled flat on subdued

demand with urad (bold) being quoted at ₹ 10,500, while urad (medium)

ruled at ₹ 9,200.

Urad dal ruled stable on slack buying with urad dal (medium) being quoted

at ₹ 11,300-11,700, urad dal (bold) at ₹ 11,800-900, while urad (mongar)

ruled at ₹ 12,100-12,700.

(This article was published on January 27, 2016)

Cardamom gains by 0.9% on rising demand

Speculators enlarged their positions amid rising demand in the spot market

Cardamom prices advanced 0.91% to Rs 771 per kg in futures trading today

as speculators enlarged their positions amid rising demand in the spot

market.

At the Multi Commodity Exchange, cardamom for delivery in February

gained Rs 7 or 0.91% to Rs 771 per kg in a business turnover of 350 lots.

The spice for delivery in March rose by Rs 4.50 or 0.59% to Rs 764.90 per

kg in 31 lots.

Analysts said fresh positions built up by speculators on the back of rise in

demand in the spot market against restricted arrivals from growing regions,

mainly influenced cardamom prices at futures trade.

Technology can help increase agricultural productivity: Experts

AHMEDABAD: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry

(FICCI) organized a one day workshop on 'Sustainable Agriculture:

Harnessing Technologies - Harvesting Prosperity' here on Wednesday. The

workshop outlined the core issue of increasing agriculture productivity,

which is vital to meet India's food security.

Attended by national and international experts in the fields of sustainability

and agriculture, the workshop focused broadly on the following three

themes: Meeting the Challenges for Food Security, Biotechnology

revolution and Agricultural technology and Economics. "Food is key (for the

future generations of the world)! If we do not have sufficient food, then we

will have socio-economic problems. And that [problems] will destabilize the

entire political system of not only our country but the entire world," said Dr

Kirit N Shelat, executive chairman, National Council for Climate Change -

Sustainable Development.

Stressing on climate resilient agriculture, Dr Shelat mentioned about

providing sustainable livelihood to farmers, as they are key in producing

food. He also stressed that by 2030 India would need to produce an

additional 100 million ton to feed the growing population and the growth

rate of agriculture needs to be sustained at 8%-9% as compared to the

current 2%-3%. BT Cotton helped Gujarat farmers to increase their income.

India has enough safeguards to protect the farmers if GM technology fails.

Like Gujarat in cotton, many other states have used technology in

agriculture for sustainable livelihood of farmers.

Rajiv Vastupal, chairman, FICCI Gujarat State Council emphasized that

higher R&D spend is required in agriculture sector for sustainability.

Experts at the workshop discussed innovative solutions like biotechnology to

meet sustainability challenge of agriculture. Dispelling some of the myth

associated with biotechnology, Dr. RS Fougat, Head of Department of

Biotechnology, Anand Agricultural University, said that the technology is

not limited to genetic modified crops only and has potential to foster

sustainable agriculture practices through improving yields. "Biotechnology

is good for the environment also," said Fougat.

Tran Trong Chien, Consultant, AGS Co, Vietnam, Prof Poornima Verma,

Faculty, IIM-A, and Roger Navarro, Farmer and President of Philippines

Maize Federation (PHILMAIZE) were some of the participants at the

workshop.

Agricultural development is our top priority: Jharkhand Guv

RANCHI: Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said

development of agriculture was the top priority for her government though

industrial progress was also necessary to make the state progress.

Unfurling the national flag during her 67th Republic Day address, Murmu

said development of agriculture was the state's priority.

Industrial development was also necessary to make the state prosperous, she

said adding, the government was focused to provide a balanced, inclusive

and environment-friendly development.

All possible efforts were being taken to develop education, health and

finding solutions to unemployment, she said.

"...Efforts are on in setting up ITI and two development centres each in 10

naxal-affected districts of Chatra, Hazaribagh, Bokaro, Palamau, Latehar,

Garhwa, East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Lohardaga and Gumla," she

said.

To make the state investment-friendly, she said labour laws were being

simplified and the state had already put in place Jharkhand Industrial Park

Act 2015, Food Processing Industry Act, 2015 and Jharkhand Feed

Processing Industry Act, 2015.

These efforts, she said, resulted in the World Bank ranking Jharkhand third

among the three states in the country in the category of 'Ease of Doing

Business'.

For women self-sustenance in villages, the government is providing cows

with 90 per cent grant, she said.

The government has already completed 810 of the 1,110 km road network

target for 2015-16, she said.

The Governor said a total of Rs one crore would be given under the 'Chief

Minister Panchayat Encouragement Prize Scheme' to encourage Swacch

Bharat Mission, eradication of superstitions like witchcraft and abstaining

from alcohol to the best Panchayat/Panchayat Samiti/district.

Farmer takes artistic route to harvest thoughts

BENGALURU: Born in a farmer family in Mysuru, 27-year-old Dayananda

N had always been close to nature. The days he spent knowing the texture of

the soil, aroma of paddy and cracked mud, and learning intricacies of

weaving baskets were the raw material that later ignited his creative spirit.

His first solo exhibition, First Harvest, at Art Houz in Vasanthnagar,

bespeaks more than a nostalgic longing for childhood, but of life of the

farming community. On display are paintings, installations and the live

laboratory of germinating paddy seeds.

"Unlike urban children who spend most of their time watching television

and playing video games, I was brought up amid heaps of paddy and farm

animals. I did not have a chance to get acquainted with art, neither did my

parents. However, one day my father brought me a painting which showed a

village mother tending to a cow in the courtyard of her mud house. Though

my fa ther knew nothing about art the sketch struck me and since then I

began using art as a me dium to depict tales of farmers, the challenges they

go through while making every grain of food,"says Dayanand.

The artworks include his father's sickles, saris of his mother and

grandmother and chawtis (whips) that his family used while navigating

cattle on the field. He has woven a mat using his mother's silk sari to stress

the importance of a spouse in a farmer's life which is often overlooked.

"I want to showcase the culture and tradition of India which was once

known as the golden bird in the west, largely because of its promising

agriculture that was driven by the blood and sweat of farmers. It is also like

the harvesting of my very first thoughts in the field of art,"he adds.

The exhibition will be on till January 30.

India needs home-grown GM food to stop starvation

Indian scientists must develop domestic genetically modified crops rather

than rely on unsuitable foreign technology, saysAnurag Chaurasia.

At the beginning of this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a

road map to guide India’s science and technology over the next two decades.

Launched during the Indian Science Congress at the University of Mysore,

the plan signalled a cautious approach to techniques such as genetically

modified (GM) crops, noting that “some aspects of biotechnology have

posed serious legal and ethical problems in recent years”. That is true, but a

different and much larger problem looms for India. According to the 2015

United Nations World Population Prospects report, India will surpass China

by early next decade as the most populous country on Earth, with the most

mouths to feed. India is already classed as having a ‘serious’ hunger

problem, according to the 2015 Global Hunger Index of the International

Food Policy Research Institute. There is a danger that many of these new

Indians will not have sufficient food.

Where can additional food come from? Grain production is stagnant, and

rapid urbanization is reducing available land. To increase food production,

India needs to invest in modern agricultural methods, including GM crops.

Indian researchers have shown that they have the expertise to generate GM

plants, most obviously the pest-resistant cotton that is now widely grown in

India. But almost all of this work has relied on molecular-biology research

done elsewhere — India has in effect borrowed or been given the genes.

This leads to complications, usually conflict over intellectual property (IP)

rights.

Most high-profile was the insecticide-producing GM cotton variety that was

released by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in New Delhi in

2009. It was based on aBacillus thuringiensis gene to which the agricultural

biotechnology company Monsanto, based in St Louis, Missouri, owed the IP

rights. The ensuing controversy has seeded confusion among Indian

researchers, scientific managers and administrators over IP rights, patents

and the related rules and regulations.

In response, India is turning to research based on old discoveries, including

genes that are in the public domain or no longer protected by patents. The

problem here is that insects have already developed resistance to the toxins

produced by such genes: the companies that developed first-generation GM

crops with these genes are already on second- and even third-generation

versions of the same plants. Increased use of this old technology in India can

only accelerate resistance and make the situation more difficult. Other

developing countries (including Pakistan) are also turning to such redundant

technology.

India should stop trying to build the Taj Mahal with borrowed bricks. We

need a concerted effort at home to discover and manipulate relevant genes in

indigenous organisms and crops (such as chickpea and rice). Indian

microbial institutes should take up projects in this direction, because most of

the currently used genes for transgenic generation are of microbial origin.

That requires a change in direction from an Indian GM-food strategy that

has traditionally aimed at quick product development instead of careful

assessment of the underlying science.

“Some GM crops designed abroad need more water than is usually available

in some parts of India.”

Such home-grown GM crops would also reduce reliance on transgenic

technology produced by multinational companies, which is expensive and

rarely optimized for the conditions of specific regions. Some GM crops

designed abroad need more water than is usually available in some parts of

India, for example, putting great stress on farmers.

Indian scientists need better training in IP issues, especially when our

researchers join foreign collaborations to examine and exploit the molecular

biology of our natural resources. Otherwise, Indian researchers may get the

scientific credit for discoveries but fail to claim the right to commercialize

the products developed.

Indian regulators should exert tighter controls on IP rights. At present, they

focus only on the export of physical material, such as seeds and tissue. They

need also to monitor, and make claims on, molecular information drawn

from this material, down to the level of genes and promoter regions.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, India is the

largest donor of crop germplasm to the world. Without realizing its

importance, we are giving away the rights to exploit one of our most

precious assets.

Agrarian India is excelling in space science, but it needs to focus closer to

home as well. It needs to follow the example of China, which is slowly but

steadily building a GM-food market that is based on domestic discoveries.

Compared with China, India has three times as much land planted with GM

crops, but whereas India’s plants were mostly created with technology

bought from abroad, China’s fields contain crops that were developed, tested

and commercialized by Chinese scientists. India does not have to reject the

expertise of international companies, but it must do more to build knowledge

and skills at home.

Mahatma Gandhi only wore clothes that he had woven himself. He gave

India the slogan “from swadeshi to swaraj”, which means “be indigenous in

order to self-rule”. The Indian government should take this message on

board when planning future investment in biotechnology. The theme of this

month’s science congress, after all, was “science and technology for

indigenous development in India”. Indigenous development needs

indigenous research.

Onion prices fall 41% in last 2 months on account of bumper crop

The maximum wholesale price of onion at Maharashtra’s Lasalgaon market

declined from Rs 21/kg in November to Rs 12/kg in January.

PUNE: Onion prices have fallen by 41% in the last two months on account

of a bumper crop, but a government move to open up exports of the

commodity is seen cushioning the blow to farmers and traders.

The maximum wholesale price of onion at Maharashtra's Lasalgaon market,

the country's largest wholesale hub for the commodity, declined from Rs

21/kg in November to Rs 12/kg in January — a fall of 41%. The price

decline from August to January was 73% — dropping from Rs 41/kg to Rs

12/kg. In August, the maximum wholesale price of onion at Lasalgaon

APMC had crossed Rs 60/kg, pushing its retail price to close to Rs 90/kg.

Last month the government removed the minimum export price (MEP)

restriction on onion, a step that has helped exporters sell more overseas at

competitive rates and reduce the glut in the domestic market.

Domestic prices of the commodity could have dropped more sharply had the

government not taken this step. Good arrivals across the country have

brought prices down in all the major markets. Delhi is now getting its onions

from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, reducing the pressure on

Maharashtra, which is serving local markets, apart from the southern states

and to some extent, Kolkata and Bihar.

"As the kharif crop was sown late on account of drought, the arrival of

kharif and late kharif crops overlapped in December and January," said RP

Gupta, director, National Horticulture Research and Development

Foundation ( NHRDF), Nashik.

However, the removal of restrictions on exports on December 24 helped

boost exports in January. "We have exported 1.50 lakh tonnes in the last one

month and may export another 3 lakh to 4 lakh tonnes in the current fiscal,"

said Ajit Shah, president, Onion Exporters Association of India. "Indian

onion is priced at $150/tonne to $170/tonne, beating competitors like

Pakistan, China and Iran." Traders expect prices to remains stable till March

after declining by another Rs 2/kg. As the rabi sowing is expected to be

higher, there is likely to be record higher-than-normal onion production in

the current agricultural year (June-May).