The Committee has reported that as per ‘Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers’ conducted as part of 59th round of National Sample Survey, more than 80 per cent of the farmer household belong to small and marginal farmers. During the last 5 years, bank loans to small and marginal farmers as percent of Adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC) has increased from 3.77 per cent in 2007 to 5.71 per cent in 2011. To increase the credit to small and marginal farmers, Government has taken several measures for enhancing the availability of credit to farmers including small and marginal farmers. These inter alia include interest subvention on short term crop loans and simplification of procedures to avail agricultural credit.

The Committee has recommended a sub-target for small and marginal farmers within agriculture and allied activities, equivalent to 9 per cent of Adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC) or Credit equivalent of Off Balance Sheet Exposure (CEOBE), whichever is higher, to be achieved in stages by 2015-16.

The Report of the Committee is placed on RBI website, seeking views/comments thereon from banks, non-bank financial institutions, etc. other institutions and members of public before finalization of revised guidelines.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Namo Narain Meena in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha

(i)           Provide gainful self-employment opportunities to unemployed agricultural graduates, agricultural diploma holders, intermediate in agriculture and biological science graduates with PG in agri-related courses;

(ii)         Support agricultural development; and

(iii)       Supplement efforts of pubic extension by necessarily providing extension services to the farmers as per local needs of farmers.

Since inception of the scheme, 27,894 candidates have been trained and 9,949 of them have established agri-ventures up to February, 2012.

Salient features of the scheme:

(i)        The National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) is the Implementing Agency for training component of the Scheme. Two months’ free residential training is imparted to the selected eligible candidates on Agri-Entrepreneurship Development followed by one-year handholding support after completion of training, .through Nodal Training Institutes.

(ii)      The Scheme has a provision of credit support (start up loan) upto ` 20 lakhs for individual projects and  `100 lakhs for a group project.

(iii)    There is a provision of credit linked back-ended composite subsidy on the bank loan availed by trained candidates under the Scheme. The subsidy is 44% in respect of women, SC/ST & all categories of candidates from North-Eastern and Hill States;  and 36% in respect of all other categories

(iv)    National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is the Implementing Agency for disbursement of subsidy and monitoring the credit support to agri-clinics and agribusiness centres through the banks.

This information was given by Dr. Charan Das Mahant, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

National e-Governance Plan – Agriculture presently being implemented in 7 States, namely, Assam, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, also has a provision for dissemination of farmer centric information through various modes of delivery including, SMS, IVRS, etc.

Indian Farmers and Fertilizers Co-operatives Limited (IFFCO) have installed about 1000 multimedia-enabled kiosks in rural areas which are integrated with AGMARKNET. They are providing market information as voice messages in the language of the State using AGMARKNET service. Messages are provided free of charge to the subscribers as value added services. During February, 2012, IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd. delivered SMS/voice messages to 14,03,136 subscribers.

“Digital Mandi for Indian Kisan” a project launched by Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur for disseminating AGMARKNET data through SMS/voice messages on Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited mobile platform for the States of Punjab and Haryana on pilot basis, presents a unique web and cell phone based multi modal agriculture commodity pricing retrieval system on a GPRS enabled cell phone for the farmer.

This information was given by Dr. Charan Das Mahant, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

The main objectives of the Central Sector Scheme for Cooperative Education & Training are to create awareness about cooperatives amongst the general public, training to the employees working in the cooperative societies and to apprise the members and non-officials of cooperatives about their rights and duties.

The objective of the Restructured Central Sector Scheme for assistance to NCDC programmes for Development of Cooperatives is development of agriculture and rural development through cooperatives. The scheme has three main components namely i) marketing, processing, storage programmes in cooperatives under the least developed States, ii) share capital participation in growers’ / weavers’ cooperative spinning mills and iii) integrated cooperative development projects in selected districts. Under the scheme, the subsidy is provided by the Government and loan component is provided by NCDC from its own sources.

This information was given by Dr. Charan Das Mahant, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

The programme was launched in 2011-12 as a sub-scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) on pilot basis in 10 states, viz., Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The main features of RADP are:

(i) Farmer centric approach focusing mainly on small and marginal farmers.

(ii) Composite farming to sustain the livelihood and food security at farm level.

(iii) Integrated farming system to help farmers in minimizing the impacts of possible crop failures through supplementary production/income from the remaining production approach.

(iv) Adoption of cluster approach.

This information was given by Dr. Charan Das Mahant, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

 Just a few years ago, Nayak’s family would migrate to brick kilns on the outskirts of cities like Bhubaneshwar andCuttackto keep starvation at bay. Of course, this meant that they were completely at the mercy of kiln owners who would make them work almost as bonded labour.

 Today, instead of slaving in the kilns, Nayak and her husband, Srikant, nurture hopes of their daughter Sabtri, currently pursuing a graduate course inKaranjiaCollege, becoming a teacher. “I want her to fulfill all her dreams and do whatever I could not achieve in life,” says the proud mother.

 Dreams, in fact, had always eluded Nayak. So what is it that brought about this change? A pond. “We live in a hilly area with no proper source of irrigation. So we were always dependent on the rains, which would fail every now and then. But once 12 or so of us women got together as a Self-Help Group (SHG) in the village and had a pond dug, things started changing. With our water problem solved, we could begin vegetable and paddy cultivation on our farms,” elaborates Nayak. She and her husband together earn about Rs 1 lakh (US$1=Rs 50) a year from their one-and-a-half acre holding.

 Reviving agriculture was the turning point for Bhadobeda village. Pradan, a development organisation that has been working in this region since 2000, spearheaded this change. In fact, it has been able to replicate this model in many villages not only across Karanjia block but in three other blocks of Mayurbhanj – Jashipur, Sukruli and Thakurmunda. Presently, there are 693 SHGs like Nayak’s in Mayurbhanj alone.

 Explains Sulakshyana Padhi, a team leader with Pradan, “What struck us was the central role that women were already playing within the family. It is they who bore the burden of managing livestock, caring for the family, and assisting with farming activities. Yet, they had benefited the least from whatever social or economic changes that had come to this region. We felt we needed to empower them.”

Pradan’s interventions thus began with women from very poor families. Since cash was always in short supply, it helped the women to organise themselves into SHGs which put their small savings together. Once this began to benefit family members, the organisation’s engagement extended to the family as a whole. That’s how more ponds and wells started getting built. “Our focus was on building productive assets as well as building people’s capacity to manage those assets effectively. Now we have branched into diversification of crops and developing land and water resources. We have set up dairy and other livestock based enterprises and have introduced forest-based micro enterprises, too,” elaborates Padhi.

 Mayurbhanj’s 693 SHGs have come together in 44 clusters, and in early March all the women from these clusters got together in a ‘mahaadhiveshan’, or mass meeting, that was conducted with great enthusiasm. Around 6,164 women from 150 villages in four blocks – Karanjia, Jashipur, Sukruli and Thakurmunda – congregated for the general body meeting of the district’s SHG federation, aptly named ‘Sampurna’, which means ‘complete’. The mass meeting, held in Karanjia, made public the federation’s annual audit: To date, collectively the SHGs have extended credit of Rs 6,56,70,300, while this year the credit uptake is expected to rise by Rs 78,29,100. Additionally, around 3,000 members have been insured through Birla Sun Life and SBI. Sampurna has also introduced a micro-pension scheme promoted by Nabard from this year.

 The majority of those who took part in this meeting were farmers, keepers of poultry and dairy animals, and collectors of forest produce, but as women they also experienced issues like alcoholism and domestic violence. So, in 2011, Pradan brought in Jagori, the Delhi-based women’s resource group, to help women here understand issues of gender discrimination, inequality and violence through a special training project supported by UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality.

 Today, the women’s ability to express themselves and seek solutions to personal problems is high. But it is their confidence in their income generating capacities that is the most apparent. One only needs to talk to Basanti Hembrum, 60, a widow from Khadi Kudar village, to realise this. Hembrum is widely acknowledged as a successful woman farmer, who cultivates paddy using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method that saves water, uses lesser seeds and gives higher yields. “After the death of my husband – he used to drink too much – a feeling of helplessness overpowered me. There was neither food at home nor work in the village. Finally, I decided to migrate with other villagers toBhubaneswarto work on a construction site. Those were very difficult years, my five children dropped out of school and we hardly had a roof over our head,” she recalls. It was then that Hembrum learnt about the SRI cultivation method that was being encouraged by Pradan in her village and quickly adopted it. The rest, as they say, is history. “I now get enough from my small farm to lead a normal, self-sufficient life in my own village,” she says.

For both Nayak and Hembrum, sustainable farming was the key. Pradan volunteers demonstrated how they could make their limited land holding into a productive unit. With support from the village SHG, they dug a pond on their land and built a new house on the premises itself. Although this dwelling was a little removed from the village, since it stood on their land they could pay full attention to cultivation. On half-an-acre they began to farm vegetables, while on the rest of the land they cultivate paddy using the SRI method. In this way, they have been able to harvest ladies fingers, cauliflower and cucumbers and make a good living selling them, while getting foodgrain for their families. Both women are in constant search of government agricultural schemes and seed support projects in order to maximise their returns.

 There was a time, according to Bhanumati Nayak from Deuli village in Karanjia, when the men in her village would travel out for the whole day to do menial work and their wives would wait for them with their little stock of rice. She recalls, “On most days, the women of the family would starve the whole day in order to feed their children and the men.” Fortunately, those days seem to have gone. Everybody who farms their small patches here now has sufficient food to feed their families.

 In fact, even distress migration, that was a constant feature of life in Mayurbhanj, has declined considerably, although it has not completely ended. This, in turn, has helped local schools retain their students. Jemamani Nayak from Mirgimendi village shares her own experiences as a mother, “My children never got a full year of education when we used to migrate for work, because we had to live outside the village for seven or eight months at a stretch. Now that we can support ourselves right here in the village, things are slowly improving. My elder daughter is appeared for the Class VIII exam, but did not pass it. She is planning to appear again. And my younger daughter is in Class VI. I want them both to be educated, unlike me.”

 Jemamani’s words hold out hope for the future. She dreams of the day when the lives of her daughters will be free of the tensions and traumas that had marked her own.

 (© Women’s Feature Service)

Quantity: MTs,  Value: Rs crore

Source: APEDA

Indian export basket of vegetables and fruits comprises mainly of:

Vegetables: fresh onions, potatoes, tomatoes, green peas, green chillies, curry leaves, bitter gourds, lettuces, cabbages, spinach, cauliflowers, bottle gourds, capsicum, okra, drumsticks etc.

Fruits: Fresh mangoes, fresh grapes, walnuts, banana, pomegranates, papaya, water melon, citrus fruit, pineapple, grapefruit,  sapota etc

            Encouraging exports is a continuous process.  The Government is taking steps to encourage exports of agro products, including banana through measures and incentives under Plan schemes of the Commodity Boards and Export Promotion Councils. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce is also implementing various Schemes to extend financial assistance to the eligible exporters registered with it to boost the overall agri exports.  Besides these measures, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has put in place various schemes namely Market Development Assistance (MDA), Market Assistance Initiative (MAI), Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities(ASIDE), Vishesh Krishi and Gram Upaj Yojana, Focus Product Scheme, Focus Market Scheme, Town of Export Excellence, etc. to provide assistance to encourage exports. Trade delegations are also mounted to penetrate foreign markets and Buyer –Seller Meets are organized to assist the potential exports.

            The efforts of the Government have led to development of state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities for post harvest handling of horticulture produce both in public and private sectors. Exporters have also implemented quality management programs for better quality of produce for the international market. Exporters are also availing of the Marketing Development Assistance for international exposure. All these efforts are leading to regular export of horticulture produce to the global market. The efforts have also led to opening of new markets for Indian agriproduce and arresting of substantial declines in existing markets.

This information was given by Shri Jyotiradiya M. Scindia,  Minister of State for Commerce & Industry   in written reply to a question in  Lok    Sabha

Currently, there is no such proposal to abolish the minimum export price for basmati rice.

The export of Basmati rice in Iraq in last three years is as under:

Quantity in MT

As may be seen from the above data, exports to Iraq show significant increase

This information was given by Shri Jyotiradiya M. Scindia,  Minister of State for Commerce & Industry   in written reply to a question in  Lok    Sabha

A target to create additional irrigation potential of 16 million ha (9 million ha through major and medium irrigation and 7 million ha through minor irrigation projects) was set for XI Plan. This target was reduced during mid-term appraisal to 5.0 million ha through major / medium and 4.5 million ha through minor irrigation respectively.

As per available estimates (2009-10), about 63 million ha (45%) of the net sown area of 140 million ha is irrigated.

This information was given by Dr. Charan Das Mahant, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha

Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, upon receipt of proposals from State Governments implements Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for procurement of agricultural and horticultural commodities, under which losses, if any, are shared between the Central Government and the State Government concerned on 50:50 basis. During the current year, MIS proposal from Uttar Pradesh for procurement of 100,000 MT of potato @ Rs.328 per qtl. was agreed to. No other State Government has approached for implementation of MIS for potato.

Further, Government of India provides assistance under Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) and National Horticulture Mission (NHM) schemes for development of infrastructure for post harvest management including establishment of cold storages and setting up of terminal markets, wholesale markets and rural primary markets/apni mandies to ensure adequate supply of fruits and vegetables to the consumers at reasonable prices and also to provide remunerative returns to the farmers. In addition, National Horticulture Board (NHB) provides assistance for establishment of cold storages for horticultural commodities including potato.

India produces potato crop annually in two harvest seasons, Kharif and Rabi. Kharif produce is available in the market from August to October, which accounts for 15% to 20%. The rabi crop is harvested from mid-December to mid-April, which accounts for 80% to 85%. Only, the rabi potato is stored till November and is made available steadily for domestic as well as export market.

This information was given by Dr. Charan Das Mahant, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha

Government also approved package for development of Kuttanad Wetland Eco-System and package for Mitigation of Agrarian Distress in Idukki district in Kerala, which are under various stages of implementation.

Progress of implementation of Rehabilitation Package is monitored regularly. Number of suicides by farmers due to agrarian reasons, as reported by State Governments, has declined since implementation of Rehabilitation Package.

Since approval and implementation of Rehabilitation Package, Government of India has taken several comprehensive measures aimed at revitalizing agriculture sector, which will lead to increased investment, productivity and production in agriculture and allied sectors and benefit farmers.

This information was given by Dr. Charan Das Mahant, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha

Target for the next financial year beginning 1^st of April 2012 has been fixed at Rs. 5,75,000 crore, increase ofRs. 1,00,000 crore over the current financial year.

Credit disbursement in 2010-11 was of Rs. 4,46,779 crore against the target of Rs.3,75,000 crore.

The flow of agricultural credit since 2003-04 has consistently exceeded the target. Agriculture credit flow has gone up from Rs. 86,981 crore in 2003-04 to  Rs. 3,40,716 crore in 2011-12 (upto 31.12.2011) as given below: -

(Rs. in crore)

MP:SB:CP farmcredit (23.3.2012)

Major schemes in the area of agriculture and allied activities have got substantial boost in Plan outlay.

The target for disbursement of farm loans has been revised upward by over 21 %.

The Plan budget for Central Departments of Agriculture and Cooperation, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and DARE have gone up as follows:

                                                                          (Rs. in crore; rounded off)

Breakup of Plan allocation for major schemes being implemented is as under:

(Rs. in crore; rounded off)

                                                 Quantity: MTs; Value: Rs. lakhs

Source: DGCIS

The export is done by both private exporters and Government agencies, which includes Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing & Processing Corporation Ltd. (HPMC), Shimla and Jammu & Kashmir Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (JKHPMC).

APEDA provides financial assistance to all registered exporters including apple exporters under its plan schemes.

During the last three years APEDA has provided financial assistance to following agencies for setting up infrastructure facilities for export of apples:

Ø HPMC, Shimla for an Integrated Packhouse for apples at Kinnaur at a cost of Rs 184.49 lakhs  with APEDA’s assistance of Rs 129.70 lakhs

Ø HPMC, Shimla for an Integrated packhouse for apples at Jarol Ticker at a cost of Rs 247.27 lakhs with APEDA’s assistance of Rs Rs 153.12 lakhs

Ø HPMC, Shimla for an Integrated packhouse for apples in Oddi, Kumarsain, Shimla  at a cost of Rs 247.27 lakhswith APEDA’s assistance of Rs 163.12 lakhs

Ø HPMC, Shimla for an Integrated packhouse for apples at Gumma at a cost of Rs 260.18 lakhs with APEDA’s assistance of Rs 174.44 lakhs.

Ø HPMC, Shimla for an Integrated Packhouse for apples at Patlikuhl, Kullu at a cost of Rs 249.27 lakhs with APEDA’s assistance of Rs 165.02 lakhs

Ø HPMC, Shimla for a Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Store for apples at Gumma at a cost of Rs.577.1 lakhs with APEDA’s assistance of Rs.506.89 lakhs

Ø HPMC, Shimla for a CA Store for apples at Jarol Tikker at a cost of Rs.580.13 lakhs with APEDA’s assistance of Rs.503.8 lakhs

This information was given by Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia , Minister of State for Commerce & Industry  in written reply to a question in  Rajya    Sabha

Qty in MT, Value in US$ Million

Encouraging exports is a continuous process.  The Government is taking steps to encourage exports of agro products, including rice through measures and incentives under Plan schemes of the Export Promotion. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce is also implementing various Schemes to extend financial assistance to the eligible exporters registered with it to boost the overall agri exports.  Trade delegations are also mounted to penetrate foreign markets and Buyer –Seller Meets are organized to assist the potential exports. Besides, Basmati Development Fund, under APEDA also cater the need of basmati rice trade to promote basmati rice export as and when such situation is warranted.

This information was given by Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia , Minister of State for Commerce & Industry  in written reply to a question in  Rajya    Sabha

 Ø  High demand and lucrative prices in the domestic market

Ø  Lack of cold chain infrastructure facilities

Ø  Poor rail and road connectivity in apple producing states

  Encouraging exports is a continuous process.  The Government is taking steps to encourage exports of agro products, including apples through measures and incentives under Plan schemes of the Commodity Boards and Export Promotion Councils. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce is also implementing various Schemes to extend financial assistance to the eligible exporters registered with it to boost the overall agri exports.  Besides these measures, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has put in place various schemes namely Market Development Assistance (MDA), Market Assistance Initiative (MAI), Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities(ASIDE), Vishesh Krishi and Gram UpajYojana, Focus Product Scheme, Focus Market Scheme, Town of Export Excellence, etc. to provide assistance to encourage exports. Trade delegations are also mounted to penetrate foreign markets and Buyer –Seller Meets are organized to assist the potential exports.  During the last three years APEDA has provided Rs.6.84 crore to Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation Ltd. (HPMC) for Integrated Packhouse in Kinnaur, JarolTicker, Oddi, Kumarsain, Shimla,, Gumma, Patlikuhl, Kullu, and Rs.11.11 crore to HPMC for Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Stores in Gumma and Jarol Tikker.

On account of above efforts, the export of apple has registered 86.10% growth during 2010-11 over previous year.

 This information was given by Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia , Minister of State for Commerce & Industry  in written reply to a question in  Rajya    Sabha

Qty in MT, Value in US$ Million

Encouraging exports is a continuous process.  The Government is taking steps to encourage exports of agro products, including rice through measures and incentives under Plan schemes of the Export Promotion. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce is also implementing various Schemes to extend financial assistance to the eligible exporters registered with it to boost the overall agri exports.  Trade delegations are also mounted to penetrate foreign markets and Buyer –Seller Meets are organized to assist the potential exports. Besides, Basmati Development Fund, under APEDA also cater the need of basmati rice trade to promote basmati rice export as and when such situation is warranted.

This information was given by Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia , Minister of State for Commerce & Industry  in written reply to a question in  Rajya    Sabha

Ø  High demand and lucrative prices in the domestic market

Ø  Lack of cold chain infrastructure facilities

Ø  Poor rail and road connectivity in apple producing states

Encouraging exports is a continuous process.  The Government is taking steps to encourage exports of agro products, including apples through measures and incentives under Plan schemes of the Commodity Boards and Export Promotion Councils. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce is also implementing various Schemes to extend financial assistance to the eligible exporters registered with it to boost the overall agri exports.  Besides these measures, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has put in place various schemes namely Market Development Assistance (MDA), Market Assistance Initiative (MAI), Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities(ASIDE), Vishesh Krishi and Gram UpajYojana, Focus Product Scheme, Focus Market Scheme, Town of Export Excellence, etc. to provide assistance to encourage exports. Trade delegations are also mounted to penetrate foreign markets and Buyer –Seller Meets are organized to assist the potential exports.  During the last three years APEDA has provided Rs.6.84 crore to Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation Ltd. (HPMC) for Integrated Packhouse in Kinnaur, JarolTicker, Oddi, Kumarsain, Shimla,, Gumma, Patlikuhl, Kullu, and Rs.11.11 crore to HPMC for Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Stores in Gumma and Jarol Tikker.

On account of above efforts, the export of apple has registered 86.10% growth during 2010-11 over previous year.

This information was given by Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia , Minister of State for Commerce & Industry  in written reply to a question in  Rajya    Sabha

Under the scheme, the Food Corporation of India would now give a guarantee of ten years for assured hiring to the private entrepreneurs. A capacity of about 151 lakh tonnes is to be created in 19 states under the scheme through private entrepreneurs and Central and State Warehousing Corporations. Out of this tenders have been finalized for creation of storage capacity of about 89 lakh tonnes as on 15.02.2012 by the private entrepreneurs. CWC and SWCs are constructing 5.4 and 14.75 lakh tonnes respectively under the Scheme, out of which a capacity of about 5 lakh tonnes has already been completed by CWC/SWCs.

Various steps are taken by FCI to prevent damage to foodgrains. Prophylactic and curative measures are carried out regularly for the control of insects/pests. Effective rodent control measures are also undertaken. Regular quality checks are conducted to ensure proper preservation of foodgrains in storage. Adequate dunnage is provided for the foodgrain stocks stored in CAP. The dunnage material is cleaned and disinfected. To protect the CAP stocks from rain, sun, etc. each stack is covered with a polythene cover. The polythene covers are tied with nylon ropes. Wheat stocks stored in CAP by the State Govts/Agencies are subjected to joint inspection on a regular basis by officers of FCI and the concerned State Govts./Agencies. Stocks are generally issued on the principle of “First in First Out” (FIFO).

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Prof. K.V. Thomas in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha

To augment productivity appropriate crop rotations like rice-wheat, rice-pulses, rice-oilseeds, pulses-wheat, pulses-maize, etc depending upon the suitability of soil and climate are promoted through various crop development programmes. Shifting cultivation is prevalent in North Eastern Hill States which is unsustainable and less productive. Alternate practice of settled farming is recommended for adoption which is environment friendly and sustainable.

Most of the Agro based industries are established in those areas where concerned crops are grown abundantly and as such do not displace large area under cultivation. For increasing the cultivable area and cropping intensity, utilization of rice fallows and better land use through inter-cropping are also promoted.

This information was given by Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

The research institutes of ICAR and SAUs have taken several steps to enhance their capacity to develop new varieties of different crops. All the institutes are upgraded in their infrastructure facilities particularly for biotech research, specific area of research, specific facilities have been developed for evaluation of germplasm for different traits including biotic and abiotic stresses and their seed quality research has been strengthened. Besides this, the major emphasis is to develop the hybrids particularly in rice and pigeonpea.

This information was given by Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

Government has declared 2012 as the year of horticulture to highlight the significant achievements of the horticulture sector and to give it a renewed thrust. Efforts will be made to create awareness among the masses and various stakeholders by organizing workshops / seminars conferences, Exhibitions, Kisan Melas etc.

During the Eleventh Plan, area under horticulture crops increased from 19.39 million ha in 2006-07 to 21.82 million ha in 2010-11. Similarly, production of horticulture crops increased from 191.8 million MT to 240.43 million MT during the corresponding period. This resulted in higher per capita availability of fruits and vegetables, besides substantial increase in its exports, which helped the country to earn foreign exchange to the tune of Rs.14,000 crore.

Consumers will benefit from enhanced production, reduction of post harvest losses and improved marketing. Thus better produce will be available to consumers at affordable prices.

This information was given by Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

The Bt. cotton hybrids approved till date do not require any herbicide, in addition, to those required by their non Bt counterparts for enhancing the results. Also, Cotton farmers in the country are not required to sign any contract.

This information was given by Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

Estimated & subject to revision

The decline in exports is due to political disturbances in Afghanistan, Egypt and a few other Middle East countries, payment problems associated with exports to Iran, non-tariff barriers regarding exports to Iraq, lesser demand from big importing countries like Russia etc.

       The export target of tea including Darjeeling tea for the current financial  year is 220 m.  kgs. The  targets proposed for the years 2012-13 and 2013-14 are 196 m. kgs. and 199 m. kgs.  respectively and are based on factors like production, import, export and demand for domestic consumption.

        However, the Tea Board has instituted Darjeeling Tea Trade Chain Integrity System to ensure genuineness of Darjeeling tea for exports and to prevent misuse of Darjeeling name in the international market.

This information was given by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia in a written reply to a question raised in Lok  Sabha

 To avoid the export rejection, Spices Board has been implementing pre-shipment mandatory sampling and testing of chilli and chilliproducts for Sudan dye I, II, III, IV, Aflotoxin and other toxic elements from October, 2003 before exports to European Union (EU).  Apart from EU, the chilli and chilli products for export to other destinations including USA, South Africa and Japan are also now within the mandatory pre-shipment quality check.  As such only consignments of chilli/chilli products which are cleared by Spices Board are allowed to be exported to various international markets.   As a consequential effect of the preventive action, 2253 consignments have been detained by the Spices Board from export during last three years, after testing a total of 77409 consignment samples for chilli and chilli products.

        Spices Board is also imparting training programmes for chilli growers in different producing states for pursuing Good Agricultural Practice so as to reduce the level of Aflotoxin from various levels of harvesting/processing.  Similar training programmes are conducted for traders/exporters also for Good Manufacturing Practices such as proper storage and hygienic transportation to avoid moisture and to reduce the level of Aflotoxin.  This is an on ongoing process which help the farmers, traders and processors to export consignments without the issue of Aflotoxin.

Annexure

This information was given by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia in a written reply to a question raised in Lok  Sabha

• Extension programmes and guidance to farmers regarding fertiliser and insecticide uses an alternate cropping pattern based on soil analysis could be undertaken and intensified.

• As a strategy, regular imports of agriculture commodities in relatively smaller quantities with an upper ceiling on total quantity could be considered. The upper ceiling can be decided annually, relatively well in advance, after assessing the likely domestic situation in terms of production and consumption requirements.

• Setting up special markets for special crops in states/regions/areas producing those crops would facilitate supply of superior commodities to the consumers.

• Improved Mandi governance is an area of concern. A greater number of traders must be allowed as agents in mandis. Anyone who gets better prices and terms outside the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) or its farmgate should be allowed to do so.

• For promoting interstate trade, a commodity for which market fee has been paid once must not be subjected to subsequent market fee in other markets including that for transaction in other states. Only user charges linked to services provided may be levied for subsequent transactions.

• Perishable food items could be taken out of ambit of the APMC Act. The Government regulatory mandis sometimes prevent retailers from integrating their enterprises with those of farmers. In view of this perishable may have to be exempted from this regulation.

• Considering significant investment gaps in post harvest infrastructure of agriculture produce, organised trade and agriculture should be encouraged and the FDI in multi brand retain once implemented could be effectively leveraged towards this end.

• The Government should step up creation of modern stories facilities for food grains.

The 100 hectare-sheep breeding farm, comprising 800-odd sheep, is a bone of contention between the wildlife protection department and the sheep husbandry department.

The sheep breeding farm also has some 40 shepherds on it. It has been there since 1961.

The sheep husbandry department is against moving the farm. They point to Mulnar village situated on the national park’s borders which comprises 120 households including 400 humans and 500 domesticated animals like cows, sheep and goat.

The state government has provided solar lighting, gobar gas plants, sanitary fitted toilets, electric supply and safe drinking water to the village.

And interestingly, the only passage to Mulnar village is through the national park!

“If the village can coexist with the wildlife why can’t the flock of sheep?” asks Bashir Ahmad War, a retired senior veterinarian who was posted at the Dachigam sheep farm as manager from 1980 to 1984.

The last Dogra Maharaja of the state, Hari Singh imported the first flock of Merino sheep from Spain and oak trees from England to rear sheep and grow the oaks inside Dachigam, which was a sanctuary till 1990 when it was declared a national park.

The oak trees have since grown to gigantic heights and bears in the park climb the trees to pluck the tender branches and fruits.

Officials maintain that the sheep farm is breeding better varieties.

The state cabinet through its decision on April 18, 2005 decided to shift the farm to a suitable location.

But, later the farm was allowed to continue inside the park with a few riders, which included that no new constructions would be made, the flock would be restricted to less than 1,200 and for grazing the sheep would be taken to the Dagwan meadows and not the upper reaches of the park.

The decision was revisited recently, and the government decided to shift the sheep farm from the national park.

The wildlife protection officials say the decision to shift the farm is important to conserve the Hanguls, yet nobody is sure what actually ails the deer population whose numbers have been dwindling at alarming proportions.

“The number fell to an alarming low of 170 in 1971. In 1994 the number of Hanguls inside the park was just 150, but in last March the population rose to 218.

“Before the outbreak of separatist violence the number had risen to 515 which was the highest in recent times”, said a senior official of the wildlife protection department.

Besides human interference, which has been shrinking the Hangul habitat, encroachments have eaten up the natural borders of the park. The rare deer were victims to extensive poaching during 1990s for their valued antlers and skin.

On the Mulnar village, the official said: “The Mulnar land was allotted to people under the grow more food programme essentially for agricultural purposes and not for residential habitation.

“Over the years the vast agricultural fields bordering the park have metamorphosed into a village,” said the official.

While wildlife protection officials say the sheep farm needs to be shifted, the sheep husbandry officials argue that the farm does not interfere with the Hangul conservation. They maintain they are being targetted though the Hangul population has come due to other reasons.

“It is giving a dog a bad name and shooting him. The farm, the village and the Hangul can and must coexist as humankind has done through centuries.

“If the farm is interfering then the village is a bigger interference and so is the fish farm and the contingent of paramilitary forces posted on counter insurgency duties and VVIP duties inside the park”, said War.

(Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in)

The estimated procurement during RMS 2-12-13 as intimated by the States is 318.9 lakh MTs as compared to 283.34 lakh MT of actual procurement during RMS 2011-12. The meeting discussed State-wise estimates of procurement. Madhya Pradesh has indicated a record estimate of 65 lakh tonnes of procurement for RMS 2012-13.

The period for procurement of wheat during RMS 2012-13 is between 1st April to 30th June, 2012 for majority of States except Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat where it will start on 15th March. In Bihar and Jammu & Kashmit, the procurement will start from 15th April, 2012.

Arrangements for wheat procurement discussed during the meeting include number of purchase centres to be opened in each State, MSP payment arrangements, as possible as through account payee cheques or bank transfers direct to the farmers, quality control measures, storage and movement of foodgrains etc. States assured that they are fully gear up to make record procurement this time and they are in process of setting up control room to monitor it

The farm is an attempt to demonstrate that an elementary way of leading one’s life could also give the happiness people search for in the materialistic world around them. Hari Pant and Richa, a father-daughter duo, call it the Himalayan Farm Project (HFP) in absence of a more appropriate name.

Promoting organic farming, HFP is a community farm in Raila village, some 200 km from this Uttarakhand capital, disconnected from cities and spread across five acres of land, isolated and situated at about 4,500 feet above sea level and has absolutely no electricity.

Still it is “heaven on earth’ for Pant, a 70-year-old retired brigadier, and those who visit it as volunteers from as far as Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Switzerland and the US.

The idea is to live a simple life, where you recycle and harness natural sustainable resources to build a world, grow your own food, and thereby reduce the carbon footprint.

Pant got the idea after returning from a six-month fellowship for studying agro-ecology and sustainable food systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz. So, he started looking for a farm near his family home in Bhimtal.

In June 2011, the father-daughter duo acquired the farm with some financial help from friends who supported them.

The farm had been abandoned by its earlier owner. “It took us a couple of months to restore what all was left there, like turmeric, ginger, potatoes, onions, garlic and mango and lychee trees,” Richa told IANS.

“People practised sustenance farming in mountains. They have small lands. So they grew a range of crops, i.e., from vegetables to pulses for family consumption. But, because people slowly began to find mixed farming insufficient to make ends meet, they shifted to mono agriculture.” explained Pant, who has been attached with the local community through his association with some NGOs in the region.

His experience had also formed the basis of why he decided to take up this project. “Mono farming ruined our food cycles. Farmers began to use pesticides and chemicals to increase the crop yield to sell more and compromised their healthy food for money.”

Another reason he gave for HFP is the increasing disconnect with nature among city dwellers. “They do not even know the source of their food. I want people to experience the joy growing one’s own food could give,” he says.

It is this reason which makes this project globally appealing. Elliot Mercier, a student from France, who learned about this project last August, explained: “In the West where I grew up, people tend to forget their essence and what life is all about. They search for happiness in buying a new car, a new house, a new dog – only to get rid of them a year later. It is sad to see that people don’t know what to do any more to be happy”.

So far, the volunteers (26 foreign and four Indian) who have visited the farm have successfully built up a walled compost toilet (which earlier had no wall) and a new and more spacious kitchen, apart from repairing and maintaining the existing shelter and farming area. All this despite being inexperienced in farming or building any structures.

“I know organic farming is not a profitable proposition and it is difficult for people to leave their existing lifestyles. All we are trying to tell people is that there can be an alternative, yet healthy and happy life” Pant told IANS.

Punjab procured 77,31,325 tonne followed by Chhatisgarh 36,76,614 Andhra Pradesh 34,43,710 and Haryana 19,71,961 tonne of rice. This procurement is 2,00,431 tonne more than the corresponding day of last marketing season.

A study, led by Oxford University scientists, compared the environmental impact of different farming systems.

The researchers found that ‘integrated’ farms that maximised crop yields whilst using environmentally-friendly techniques – such as crop rotation, organic fertilisers, over winter cover crops, and minimal use of pesticides – would use less energy and generate lower greenhouse gas emissions per unit of production than both organic and conventional farms.

A report of the research is to be published in the journal Agricultural Systems.

‘Farming in a way that’s good for the environment doesn’t have to mean accepting a dramatic drop in food production,’ said Dr Hanna Tuomisto, who led the research at Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU). ‘Our research suggests that integrated farming systems, which combine the best practices for producing high yields with low negative environmental impacts, can be more beneficial for the environment than either organic or conventional farming.’

Professor David Macdonald of Oxford University’s WildCRU, who directed the research, said: ‘integrating the needs of food production and wildlife conservation is a major 21st Century challenge – humanity needs both, and it’s only by taking account of all the costs and benefits that the best compromises can be found.’

The research also found that possible alternative land uses should be factored in to any assessment of different farming systems.

Hanna Tuomisto said: ‘If you grow food organically you have to use much more land to grow the same amount of food than you would using other methods, meaning this land cannot be used for something else. Once we factored in the potential alternative land uses, both integrated and conventional farming systems, which produce high volumes of food per acre, began to look much more attractive in terms of overall energy use, emissions, and the impact on biodiversity.’

The study considered three different alternative uses for land not used in food production; energy crop production (growing Miscanthus), managed forest, and natural forest. The researchers assumed that biomass from either Miscanthus or managed woodland would be burnt to generate heat.

“In our inFarming project – which is short for ‘integrated farming’ – we are developing solutions that can be speedily implemented for the urban landscape. Our goal is to grow vegetables atop existing buildings,” says project manager Volkmar Keuter at the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT, Germany.

The benefits: reducing the area required for agriculture, almost no transportation costs and, as a result, lower emissions – not to mention more freshness when the tomatoes grow on the roof top, says Keuter.

Water consumption is minimal, too: in a self-contained system, water used for the plants is circulated back, cleaned and reused. Multifunctional microsieves and photocatalytic and thus self-cleaning coatings keep the water quality high, according to a Fraunhofer statement.

Nutrients for the plants can even be filtered out of rainwater and waste water. “Our concept relies on hydroponic systems or hydrocultures. A thin, controlled film of water is all it takes for plants to absorb needed nutrients,” says Keuter.

“The advantage: the yield is 10 times higher, and soil is too heavy for many building roofs. That is why we are working on systems to supply plants with nutrients,” Keuter adds.

There are around 1,200 million square metres’ worth of flat-roofed, non-residential buildings in Germany alone. Roughly a quarter of this area could provide herbs and vegetables with a place to thrive.

India is likely to produce 250.42 million tonnes of foodgrains during 2011-12 compared to 232.07 million tonnes last year. This is 18.35 million tonnes higher than 2010-11.  Wheat production is expected to reach 88.31 million tonnes, pulses 17.28 million tonnes and cotton 34.09 million bales (of 170 kg. each) this year.

Total production of rice in the country is estimated at 102.75 million tonnes which is an all time record.  Production of wheat estimated at 88.31 million tonnes is also a new record.

As a result of significant increase in production of rice and wheat, the estimated production of total foodgrains during 2011-12 stands at a record level of 250.42 million tonnes which is higher than the target of 245 million tonnes fixed for the year. The estimated production offoodgrains for the year is also higher by 5.64 million tonnes as compared to earlier recordfoodgrains production of 244.78 million tonnesachieved during last year.

The production of pulses and oilseeds is estimated at 17.28 million tonnes and 30.53 million tonnes respectively.

Production of cotton estimated at 34.09 million bales (of 170 kg. bales) is also a new record.  The estimated production of sugarcane stands at 347.87 million tonnes which is higher by 5.09 million tonnes as compared to last year.

As per the second advance estimates of crop production for 2011-12 released here today, the production estimates for major crops for 2011-12 as compared to final estimates for the previous year are as follows:

                                                                                      (milliontonnes)

An inforgraphic on foodgrain production is available at pib.nic.in

 Rice transplanting is in progress.  The total area under rice is 12.8 lakh hectare against 13.41 lakhhectare during the corresponding period of last year, which is slightly lower than last year.  Higher area has been reported from Tamil Nadu (0.29 lakh hectare), Odisha (0.13 lakh hectare) and West Bengal (0.20lakh hectare).

Pulses have been sown in 145.12 lakh hectare as against 146.47 lakh hectare last year. The area under gram which is a dominant pulse crop of rabi season has been reported at 89.31 lakh hectare against 93.32lakh hectare during the corresponding period last year. Significantly higher area has been reported under gram in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Bihar.

Total area under oilseeds cultivation is reported to be 83.80 lakh hectare against 90.36 lakh hectare last year.

The cropped areas as on today are as follows:

lakh ha

So, Polman reckons that food prices will rise 2% to 3% every year. Yet, things might not be so dire after all. In India, a second green revolution is waiting for the right nudges to take off. The first made India self-sufficient in grains; now a grain mountain of over 50 million tonnes towers in government storage. The second green revolution will boost output and productivity of vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and milk.

For further reading:

Chhatisgarh procured 29,43,058 tonne followed by Andhra 24,98,224 and Haryana 197,00,20 tonne of rice. This procurement is 1,11,984 tonne more than the corresponding day of last marketing season.

Chhatisgarh procured 26,19,139 tonne of rice followed by Andhra Pradesh 20,90,594 tonne and Haryana 19,66,167 tonne of rice.

  Rice transplanting is in progress in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Tamil Nada. The total area under rice is 6.61 lakh hectare against 6.35 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year.

Pulses have been sown in 140.66 lakh hectare as against 142.38 lakh hectare last year. The area under gram which is a dominant pulse crop of rabi season has been reported at 87.22 lakhhectare against 92.77 lakh hectare during the corresponding period last year.

Total area under oilseeds cultivation is reported to be 80.96 lakh hectare against 85.5 lakhhectare last year.

             The cropped areas as on today are as follows:

                                                                                                                     lakh ha

The World Bank today approved a $250 million credit and loan to the West Bengal Accelerated Development of Minor Irrigation Project(ADMIP) for increasing agricultural production of small and marginal farmers. About 139,000 hectares (ha) of irrigated area are expected to be developed under the Project, benefitting an estimated 166,000 farm families.

Agriculture serves as the backbone of West Bengal’s rural economy. It accounts for about 20 percent of the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides employment to more than 55 percent of workers in the state. Agricultural growth over the past decade was on average about 3 percent per annum.

Maintaining this growth rate requires infrastructure support, crop diversification and market access. There is, however, very little scope for increasing the current cultivable area with more than 93 percent of landholders belonging to small and marginal farmer categories with land areas of less than one or two ha respectively.

“Average agricultural productivity levels are still low in West Bengal in comparison to that of advanced agricultural states in the country. Given the importance of irrigated agriculture for increasing agricultural growth and providing rural employment round the year, the government attaches high priority to expanding irrigation facilities in the state and optimizing the utilization of available water resources. The Project approved today will focus on investments targeted at strengthening community-based institutions for the management of minor irrigation schemes; development of surface and ground water based irrigation systems; and agricultural development along with improved support services to farmers to enhance agriculture productivity and income in 4,660 minor irrigation schemes to be developed under the Project,” said Mr. Venu Rajamony, Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

“Irrigation will continue to be critical to increasing agricultural production, incomes, and rural livelihood. A recent World Bank study, ‘The Impact of Irrigation on Agriculture Productivity: Evidence from India,’ on the impact of irrigation on India’s agricultural productivity shows that irrigation has a strong and significant impact on land productivity, cropping intensities, and land prices,” said Mr. Roberto Zagha, World Bank Country Director for India. “The study makes the case for continuing support for investments in improving both access and quality of irrigation.” 

The absence of assured irrigation supplies inhibits the use of improved seeds, fertilizers, and other complementary inputs, which in turn affects production levels.  In West Bengal, the average yield of paddy – which accounts for more than half the annual cultivated area in the state — is about 70 percent of the India average and less than half of what is obtained in more advanced agricultural states.  An important reason behind the low productivity is that large cultivated areas are still rainfed and exposed to weather fluctuations.

“The World Bank is well placed to assist West Bengal with an integrated approach that strengthens community-level institutions, develops small-scale irrigation infrastructure, and provides support services for the improvement of agriculture based livelihoods, said Mr. JoopStoutjesdijk, Lead Irrigation Engineer and Task Team Leader for the West Bengal Accelerated Development of Minor Irrigation Project.

The Water Users Associations (WUA) will be the focal point for both organization and implementation of all schemes. They will play an active role in the planning and supervision of the schemes, and the subsequent management, operation and maintenance of the systems. In West Bengal, the state’s commitment to the WUA approach is already very strong. As per a government order, the WUA has the right to charge irrigation service fees that can be kept with the WUA.  

For schemes constructed under the Project, the Government of West Bengal will transfer the responsibility of levying and collecting fees to the WUAs. The WUAs will use the fees for Management, Operation and Maintenance of these minor irrigation schemes. “There is sufficient basis to start the implementation of the Project with the full and active participation of WUAs,” Mr. Stoutjesdijk added. 

The Project will also support training of the WUAs and involve other line agencies (agriculture, horticulture, and fisheries) to implement targeted programs to help farmers get the maximum benefits of the water that will be made available.

The credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm, has a 25 year maturity, including 5 years grace period.  The loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a repayment period of 18 years, including 5 years grace period.

Lab results showed that remains of glutinous millet found at archaeological sites in Cishan village in the city of Wu’an were harvested during the neolithic era between 8,700 to 10,000 years ago, said scientists with the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of China Academy of Sciences.

This means Cishan was the birthplace of the crop, said Xinhua.

They have also found remains of foxtail millet, which could date back to between 8,700 and 7,500 years, said Lu Houyuan, a scientist.

Cultivating small-seeded dry crops was more prevalent than cultivating rice in pre-historic times, especially in China’s semi-arid northern regions, Lu said.

A total of 50,000 kg of grains have been stored in 88 pits for thousands of years at the Cishan site, a Neolithic site discovered in 1972.

In addition to grain remnants, pottery, stone tools, animal bones and bone artefacts have also been excavated from the site.

SB:CP: first advance estimates (13.10.2011)

PM chaired a high level meeting to discuss the FDI policy in drugs and pharmaceutical sector. The meeting was attended by Finance Minister, Sh Pranab Mukherji, Health Minister Sh Ghulam Nabi Azad, Commerce, Industry and Textile Minister Sh Anand Sharma, Pharmaceutical and Chemical Minister Sh MK Alagiri, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Montek Singh Ahulwalia, Member Planning Commission.

The meeting deliberated upon the Maira committee report , which followed a CCEA decision to get greater clarity on the issue of FDI policy governing mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical sector , while striking a balance between larger public health concerns and strengthening domestic manufacturing capacities. The meeting took the following considered decisions:

a) India will continue to allow FDI without any limits(100%) under the automatic route for Greenfield investments in the pharma sector. This will facilitate addition of manufacturing capacities, technology acquisition and development.

b) In case of brownfield investments in the pharma sector, FDI will be allowed through the FIPB approval route for a period of upto six months. During this period, necessary enabling regulations will be put in place by the CCI for effective oversight on mergers and acquisitions to ensure that there is a balance between public health concerns and attracting FDI in the pharma sector. Thereafter, the requisite oversight will be done by the CCI entirely in accordance with the competition laws of the country.

In a letter to Gandhi, Aparna Malikar, 27, narrates how she is subjected to severe mental harassment and injustice after her husband committed suicide in 2008 due to crop failure, leaving behind a huge debt.

‘My in-laws, who are very well to do and have political affiliations, are harassing me as they want the 12-acre piece of land I am cultivating,’ Malikar told IANS.

‘After my husband died, I was forced by his brothers to leave the house. They locked the house and threw me and my two daughters out. I built a hut near the farm and have been staying there with my daughters,’ Malikar said.

She said her in-laws did not even pay off the Rs.50,000 debt of her late husband. ‘They took away the house and want the farm too, then why not the debt too? I am the one toiling hard to pay it off,’ she said.

In her letter in Marathi, Malikar has also narrated the plight of 8,000 other Vidarbha farm widows who are facing similar fate after their husbands committed suicide. Like Malikar, these widows were also denied the right to cultivate their lands.

She urged Gandhi to make a law to protect the rights of farm widows and provide a complete rehabilitation package.

Malikar’s late husband Sanjay was the younger brother of Nagpur-based Congress leader and former deputy mayor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Raghunath.

‘My husband was the official cultivator of the land, but the income was also shared by other brothers Raghunath, Sunil and Raju who didn’t even stay in our village (Varha Kawatha),’ Malikar said.

‘When the debt started rising owing to the agrarian crisis in 2005, harassment from the family members added to the agony of my husband and hence he was forced to kill himself,’ Malikar added.

She also accused Raghunath of using his political contacts to turn the case of suicide into a case of culpable homicide against her father and brother.

‘Raghunath lodged an FIR against my father Arun Tathe and brother Amol Tathe. They were arrested and put behind bars for many days,’ Malikar said.

State-wise allocation of additional funds for increasing crop production and productivity of pulses are as under:

State	Additional allocation (in Rs. crore)
A.P.	8.23
Assam	3.78
Bihar	3.20
Chhattisgarh	8.80
Haryana	5.32
Jharkhand	4.55
Karnataka	8.88
MP	7.56
Maharashtra	7.83
Orissa	7.20
Punjab	2.73
U.P.	11.92

Gujarat and Tamil Nadu will meet the expenses of additional area expansion from their normal allocation under NFSM-Pulses.

                As per the current coverage of area under pulses during Kharif2011, there is a shortfall of 10.89 lakh hectare as against area coverage during last Kharif season. Less acreage during Kharif 2011 may lead to shortfall of 0.70 MT as per 1^st Advance Estimates of Production.

                The production and productivity of pulses have increased during last three-four years from 14.20 MT in 2006-07 to 14.66 MT during 2009-10. Likewise the productivity of pulses has also increased from 612kg/ha during 2006-07 to 630 kg/ha during 2009-10. As per 4^th Advance Estimates of Crop Production, the production of pulses has increased from 14.66 MT (2009-10) to 18.09 MT during 2010-11. Productivity of pulses has also increased from 630 kg/ha during 2009-10 to 689 kg/ha during 2010-11.

MP:SB:CP: contingency plan (26.9.2011)

Rs.in Crore

Source: Ministry of Agriculture

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the RajyaSabha

The key issues discussed at length are:  Is deployment strategy of GM crops scientific?  What should be the role of government on GM crops in the present scenario? Can the Government play a proactive regulatory role in promoting technology access at affordable price? How to protect the interest of the farmers and domestic  industry? What  are the guiding principles in fixing trait value / royalty on GM technology, if it is patented?

The main outcomes and recommendations of the meeting that are arrived at after detailed discussions and consensus among all participants.

1. At the outset, it was agreed that the future agriculture would be a science-driven.  Thus, technology development process should be strengthened both in public and private sector.  In particular, the public investment should be increased to state agricultural universities to face the competition from private sector in development of competitive biotech-based technologies for the modern agriculture.
2. State Government should strengthen core biotechnology research programme in potential crops such as cotton, rice, maize, sunflower, soyabean, vegetables, etc., by creating “core commodity based researchers team” with time-bond task and required resources and infrastructure in ANGRAU and APHU” for developing GM crop technologies of high market value.  This helps to create a healthy competition with private sector including MNCs and protect the interests of farmer, seed producers and domestic industry.
3. In view of the fact that the Gene Revolution of 21^st Century is largely in the domain of private sector-particularly MNCs while the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 70s was in the public domain, it was unanimously agreed that a proactive regulatory mechanism needs to be created at state level to monitor, and regulate quality of technology, pricing of technology (trait value / royalty)  and as a whole to ensure fair trade in gene market-provision of genes/traits of real economic value to seed industry at affordable trait value/royalty.
4. The present AP Cotton Seed Act 2007 should be amended by adding new clauses on royalty rates on patented technologies wherever such technologies are sold to industry. Royalty/trait value of the patented GM technology should always be declined over the period i.e., at initial period of technology introduction, it may be somewhat high, but as technology spreads in large area over the period, the rate of trait value/royalty should come down.  Such provisions and methods  are to be incorporated in AP cotton seed Act 2007 through necessary amendments.
5. As agriculture is a “State” subject in the Constitution of India, the state government should also explore possibility to bring-out a new act / law to regulate various aspects of GM crop technology application lncluding royalty rates / trait value on patent technologies related to agriculture. In general, trait value / royalty on patented technologies related to agriculture

should be about 5 to 15% for the maximum of ten years,  beyond which such technologies will be in the public domain.  Like-wise compulsory licensing provision should be incorporated n the act/law for accessing patented technologies by all interested stakeholders. Further there should be a provision for appointment of regulator for all matters of Bt / GM technologies in agriculture

1. The AP Seeds Development Corporation and/or Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural should apply for license to access presently available Bt technology from the technology provider, and use it for production of Bt-cotton hybrid seed of ANGRAU’s origin own hybrids.  Further, APSSDC / ANGRAU should supply such Bt-technologies to small seed industry to create a healthy competition in the market.
2. The APSSDC and / or ANGRAU should take-up hybrid seed production in non-Bt cotton hybrids / varieties which have a huge yield potential to cater the needs of the cotton farmers, and to preserve biodiversity.
3. State government should explore possibility to create a PPP model between ANGRAU and private sector for accelerating joint efforts to develop need-based GM crop technology for meeting farmers’ needs at affordable prices.

Source : Proceedings of the Brainstorming Session on Technology Policy in GM Crops: The Role of Government-  held at ANGRAU’s Teachers’ Home, Boiguda, Hyderabad.  (01 June 2011)

A Statement showing the State-wise number of landless agricultural workers (men and women) is annexed. The per thousand distribution of female and male workforce in agriculture sector is 463 and 536 respectively.

State-wise male and female agricultural workers

 (Source, Census 2001)

* NOTE:  India and Manipur figures exclude Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul sub-divs of Senapati District in Manipur State as census results were cancelled due to administrative and technical reasons.

As per Economic Survey, 2010-11, the agriculture sector accounts for 12.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009-10.

With a view to providing social security to unorganized workers, including agricultural workers, the Government enacted the “Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008”.  The Act provides for constitution of National Social Security Board to recommend social security schemes viz.  life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection and any other benefit as may be determined by the Government for unorganized workers.

The Government launched the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to provide smart card based cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30,000/- per annum on family floater basis to BPL families ( a unit of five) in the unorganised sector, including agricultural labourers.  The scheme became operational from 01.04.2008.  The scheme is presently being implemented in 25 States/ UTs and more than 2.4 crore smart cards have been issued as on 31.08.2011. Remaining States are in the process of implementing the scheme.

               The Aam Admi Bima Yojana (AABY) was launched on 02.10.2007 with a view to providing insurance cover to the head of family or one earning member of rural landless households between the age of 18 years and 59 years. Under the scheme, the head of the family or an earning member of the family is eligible to receive the benefits of Rs. 30,000/- in case of natural death, Rs.75, 000/- accidental death, Rs. 75000/- for total permanent disability (loss of two eyes or two limbs or loss of one eye or one limb in accident) and Rs. 37,500/- for partial permanent disability (loss of one eye and one limb in accident).  AABY also includes Shiksha Sahyog Yojana (SSY), a free add-on benefit of scholarship of Rs. 100 per month up to a maximum of two children of the beneficiaries studying between class IX and XII.  More than 1.78 lives have been covered as on 31.07.2011

The Government has been implementing Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension which has been expanded by revising the criteria of eligibility.  All citizens above the age of 60 years and living below poverty line are eligible for benefits under the scheme.  For persons above the age of 80 years, the amount of pension has been raised from Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 per month.

The Minister of  Labour and Employment Shri Mallikarjun Kharge  gave this information in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha .

*******

Frozen Shrimp continued to be the major export value item accounting for 44.17% of the total US $ earnings. Shrimp exports during the period increased by 16.02%, 36.72% and 42.90% in quantity, rupee value and US$ value respectively. Fish, has retained its position as the principal export item in quantity terms and the second largest export item in value terms, accounted for a share of about 38.42% in quantity and 20.42% in US$ earnings.

Fr. Cuttlefish recorded a growth of 19.56% in rupee value and 25% in US dollar terms. Unit value also increased by 34.18%, however, there is a decline in quantity (6.84%). Items like dried items, live items and chilled items showed an increase in US $ terms compared to the previous year. Export of Fr. Squid showed a remarkable increase in quantity 42.53%, 62.31% in rupee value & 69.14% in US dollar realization. Unit value also increased by 18.67%.

European Union (EU) continued to be the largest market with a share of 26.78% in US $ realization. Followed by South East Asia 16.43%, China with a share of 15.41%, USA 15.35%, Japan 13.06%, Middle East 5.19% and Other Countries 7.79%. The export to the US market shown an exponential growth of 50% in quantity, 97% in rupee value and 105% in US$ terms, unit value also increased by 8.75% compared to the last year. The Marine Products exports have strengthened India’s presence in Southeast Asia and Middle East where the increase in quantity has been 57% and 26% respectively. There is a significant increase in exports to African countries in comparison to previous year.

The officers at MPEDA are upbeat as the growth was amidst the scenario of continuing recession in the international markets, debt crisis in EU economies, continuing antidumping duty in US and the sluggish growth in US economy, political instability in the Arab world. MPEDA envisage an ambitious target of 4 Billion US$ Marine Products Exports for the year 2011-12. Increased production of L.Vannamei shrimp, increase in infrastructure facilities for production of Value added items and the regaining pace of Japanese arket after tsunami etc. are the helping factor to achieve this target.

The Government announced a policy for new investments in urea sector on 4^th September 2008 which is aimed at revamp, expansion, revival of existing urea units and setting up of Greenfield projects.  The fertilizer industry responded positively to the new investment policy only for revamp projects.  In order to attract investments under greenfield, brownfield and expansion projects, department has proposed amendment to the new investment policy.  Group of Minister (GOM) on fertilizers policy has constituted a committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. SaumitraChoudhuri, Member Planning Commission for formulating amendment to the new investment policy report of the committee is awaited.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Shri Srikant Kumar Jena in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha

Production of foodgrains increased from 212.85 million tonnes in 2001-02 to 241.56 million tonnes during 2010-11(4th advance estimates). The production target of foodgrains for the year 2011-12 has been fixed at 245.00 million tonnes which is likely to be achieved in view of favourable weather conditions so far. To increase production and productivity of foodgrain crops, various schemes/programmes like National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna and Macro Management of Agriculture etc. are implemented in the country.

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha

            Oilseeds have been sown in 173.09 lakh hectare. Compared to last year, sown area is higher by 6.53 lakh hectare. Higher area coverage has been reported in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

            Coarse cereals have been sown in 189.07 lakh hectare. Compared to last year, higher area coverage has been reported from Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir.

Cotton has been sown in 118.05 lakh hectare as against 107.53 lakh hectare last year on this date representing an increase of 10.52 lakh hectare.

The cropped areas as on today are as follows:

FOR MORE READING. . .

FOR MORE READING. . .

The State-wise share of exports and value is not maintained centrally.

The Cashew Export Promotion Council of India under the Department of Commerce has initiated various programmes including participation in International food fairs, International conventions and Seminars, sponsoring trade delegations, market surveys, disseminating trade enquiries and market information, publishing statistics and journals, organizing Buyer Seller Meets etc. It is also implementing schemes to promote cashew exports by assisting the exporters to improve processing technology, quality of cashew kernels etc. under the schemes of Department of Commerce namely, Marketing Development Assistance (MDA), Market Assessment Initiatives (MAI) and Assistance to States for Infrastructure Development of Exports (ASIDE) in addition to its Plan Schemes for the cashew exporters.

Besides, the registered exporters are eligible for other schemes of the Department of Commerce including Duty Entitlement Passbook Scheme (DEPB) and Vishesh Krishi and Gram Udyog Yojana(VKGUY).

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, ShriJyotiraditya M. Scindia, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha

In his Independence Day speech Manmohan Singh has emphasised on the need for a second green revolution and the Food Security Bill. While making these comments, he has completely ignored the Supreme Court’s proposal to distribute surplus food rotting in the open among the poor

Political observers, who watch the Congress-led ruling coalition’s moves with suspicion, are somewhat alarmed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s refrain of launching a second green revolution, as well as the implications of the Food Security Bill. He stressed the need for a second green revolution in his Independence Day speech as well. Baffled commentators have since long been pointing out that before initiating this exercise, which requires enormous investment, policy-makers should try and implement the Supreme Court’s proposal that surplus foodgrains be distributed free or at minimal cost to the poor and hungry, instead of rotting in warehouses or wherever.

FOR MORE READING. . .

AGRISNET envisages promotion of e-Governance by use of Information & Communication Technology (ICT). The objective of the programme is to provide IT enabled services to farmers and also for computerization of various offices in the States in agriculture & allied sectors. Funds under AGRISNET are provided to the State Governments/Union Territories on the basis of specific project proposals submitted by them. The States are given funds for software development, hardware (including system software) and other genuine ICT needs of the State upto district level. Requirements of hardware/software below district level are considered as per justification given by the States in their proposal.

Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Puducherry, Punjab, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand. States have so far availed funds under AGRISNET Project The projects are at various stages of implementation in these States.

Regular follow-up is being done with the States by writing letters and telephonic conversations. Discussions have been held and the States have also been advised to adopt standard packages developed by NIC instead of doing everything ab-initio. Proposals under AGRISNET Scheme from the States, which have not yet availed assistance under this Scheme, have also been sought.

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

The demand for cotton seeds has increased from 1.95 lakh quintals in 2009-10 to 2.30 lakh quintals during Kharif 2011.  The availability position against the requirement in the country is as under:

                                 (Quantity in Lakh Quintals)

Under Technology Mission on Cotton, Government provides assistance for cotton seed production and distribution as under:

(i)         50%  of the cost or Rs.50/- per kg. whichever is less for foundation seed production.

(ii)        25% of the cost or Rs.15/- per kg. whichever is less for certified seed production.

(iii)       Rs.20/- per kg. for certified seed distribution.

(iv)       50%  of the  cost of seed treatment limited to Rs.40/- per kg.

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

The crop-wise productivity of various foodgrains crops and oilseeds from 2006-07 to 2010-11 is as under:

                                 (Yield in Kg/ha)

*     Fourth Advance Estimates.

For enhancing the productivity of various foodgrains and oilseeds crops further in the country, various crop development programmes such as National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Integrated Cereals Development Programmes (ICDP) under Macro Management Mode of Agriculture, Rashtriya Krishi  Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Integrated Scheme of Oilseeds, Pulses, Oilpalm & Maize (ISOPOM) are being implemented. Besides, new initiatives have also been taken by  the Government to enhance productivity of various crops by launching Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India (BGREI), Initiatives for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millet Promotion (INSIMP) and Integrated Development of 60,000 Pulses Villages inRainfed Areas as sub-schemes of RKVY.

 In addition, frontline demonstrations of various crops are also organized by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for transfer of latest technology among the farmers at their fields.

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

Organic farming has the potential to generate over 20 lakh jobs in the state according to independent research study by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) titled ‘Organic Bihar – Way to Agricultural Prosperity.’

Around seven lakh additional jobs can also be generated if on-farm storing, processing, value addition, packaging and marketing facilities are included, considering organic farms provide over 30 per cent more jobs per hectare as against non-organic farms.

“Adoption of organic farming can increase net per capita income of a farmer in the state by a whopping 250 per cent to over Rs 4,445 in next five years,” said chamber’s secretary general D.S. Rawat while releasing the ASSOCHAM study.

“This will also arrest migration of people from Bihar to other states in search of jobs”.

At least 35 per cent of cultivable land can be converted into organic farms in next five years, thereby converting seven per cent of cultivable land annually into organic farming.

Of the total 135 products in organic product portfolio, India exports 86 products worth 100 million dollars to the global market which currently stands at around 60 billion dollars and is growing by five billion dollars annually.

Bihar is an ideal state for organic farming as it is home to unique commodities such as jute, litchi and cosmetic raw materials like herbals, aromatic plants and makhana. Besides, the state has the potential of being India’s export hub for certified organic food to different world markets, said the ASSOCHAM study.

Organic agriculture should be recognised and integrated in main policies of the central government like those on agriculture, food, health and environment. This will ensure all needs of organic sector are properly addressed and considered in government programmes and budgetary allocations.

ASSOCHAM proposed formation of a national commission for organic agriculture with participation of all stakeholders including private sector. Besides, an organic food council can also be set up to institutionalise policy dialogue between the government and the organic sector.

Mapping the status of organic farming and certification along with agro-climatic zones must be carried out to tap the potential of organic crops and understand micro level production potential. Interventions must be carried out to raise production levels.

The area under crops may be increased through cluster approach to generate marketable surplus and provide economy of scale in marketing the production.

Regional action plans should be developed for organic farming stating direction and target for adoption and combination of specific measures including direct income support, marketing and processing support, certification support, consumer education and infrastructure support, said the ASSOCHAM study.

The state government should promote a concept to set up an organic village in each district to encourage usage of organic fertilisers to protect the land from residual affect of chemical fertilisers.

Organic certification is imperative for adding value to default organic system and enable farms to explore domestic and export markets for fetching better prices.

ASSOCHAM supported formation of an institute for training, certification, production, packaging, processing and marketing organic products through PPP model a value chain in consultations with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

The state government must provide information on new technologies and rural credit to farmers through co-operatives, commercial, regional rural banks.

The chamber said it will work along with farmers to promote organic farming at different levels by adopting potential clusters and will convert them into organic farms. Development programmes can be organised to nurture entrepreneurial skills of farmers and help linking them with certification agencies and markets – both domestic and international.

ASSOCHAM also plans to organise product fairs and buyer-seller meetings to enable farmers to get premium pricing for their produce.

              The programme is being implemented as a sub Scheme of RashtriyaKrishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) in seven eastern States namely Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh (Eastern) and West Bengal. Theprogramme is intended to improve the crop productivity of the Region by addressing the underlying constraints.

The State wise funds allocated during 2010-11 and 2011-12 are as under:

                                                               (Rupees in lakh)

                  Green Revolution was launched in India in 1970s specially for  Rice and Wheat crops. The North Western States of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh (Western UP) were the major beneficiary States of Green Revolution. These States have been producing food grains to meet the requirements of the country, which has resulted in over exploitation of the natural resources so much so that the production levels are now stagnating. To meet the growing demand, and sustain the agriculture operations in North Western States, there is need to develop other potential areas in the country to produce additional quantities of food grains. Programs like National Food Security Mission andRashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana were launched to develop the potential districts and revive agriculture sector all across the country.

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

CONTOURS OF 

A NASTY DESIGN

Though India admitted at Stockholm that endosulfan is a hazardous chemical, it sought exemptions and utilising some loopholes it wanted to postpone the banning for up to 11 years. The affidavit filed by the central government, the latest report of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), subsequent to the one day field study in the affected areas of Kasargod and the legal action initiated by Excel against the Calicut Government Medical College scientist who had conducted a study on the health hazards of endosulfan are indicators of a nasty design.

The centre’s much repeated argument is that no scientific study has found endosulfan as the root cause of health hazards in Kasargod. Another vicious argument from the central government is that its impact is evident only in some areas of Kasargod, which does not necessitate a national ban. These arguments are ridiculous. At least 10 studies have concluded that endosulfan is causing health hazards. Further, its disastrous consequences are being witnessed in many countries and acknowledged by them. It was by neglecting the findings of the earlier studies that the ICMR ridiculously suggested to conduct one more expert study to find out the health hazards in the affected areas. It is like adding insult to injury.

On this issue, the Congress party in Kerala is caught between the devil and the deep sea, as it was union food minister K V Thomas who sparked off the controversy by his public support to the chemical. Expecting an outcry, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee did not support him while chief minister Oomen Chandy is vociferous about banning endosulfan. But the party’s national leadership is unmindful. The Kerala government and KPCC are in a dilemma due to their own party spokesman in Delhi and high profile lawyer, Manu Abhishek Singhvi, is batting for the endosulfan in Supreme Court. Many top leaders of the party in Kerala have sought his ouster from the position of Congress party’s spokesman. Earlier the same Singhvi had appeared before Kerala High Court for the powerful lottery lobby in the controversial lottery case — against the KPCC’s official stand in the issue. Due to the influx of complaints from Congress leaders of Kerala, Singhvi was then prevented for some time from conducting Congress briefings. Now too, the Congress high command is facing similar situation.

THREATS: AN

OLD TACTIC

It may be noted that the Department of Community Medicine, Calicut Medical College had conducted a study on the health hazards endosulfan poses in the cashew plantations in Kerala and Karnataka and its findings were alarming. (It was funded by the Kerala government’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) However, Excel Crop Care, the producer of endosulfan, sent a legal notice to the researchers, asking them to withdraw their findings or face legal action. The doctors who have been sent these notices are T Jayakrishnan, C Prabhakumari and Thomas Bina, as well as C Ravindran, the principal of the college.

The notices were sent on July 20 and the company has asked the college to withdraw its report and apologise publicly by July 28. “It is a government report. We just conducted the study and submitted it to them. Now it is the prerogative of the government to withdraw it or keep it,” said Ravindran.

The company has also sent a legal notice to S Muralidharan, a scientist at the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), in Kerala. Muralidharan had analysed the data that were sent to SACON by the Calicut Medical College. He said it was unethical, unfair and unheard of and if some people have a problem with a scientific study, they should challenge it with another study rather than sending legal notices and asking for withdrawal of the study.

“This is an old tactic of the endosulfan manufacturers. They always try to attack scientists who indict endosulfan. They know that this study will be cited by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) in the Supreme Court. As it is against them, they want to apply all kinds of pressure,” said P Karunakaran, CPI(M) leader and a member of parliament from Kasaragod. It should be the State’s responsibility to stand up for the doctors and take cognisance of the legal notice, he added.

This, in fact, is not the first time the endosulfan manufacturers have used such scare tactics. The Centre for Environment and Agrochemicals (CEA), started by the endosulfan manufacturers, had previously sent notices to the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) in 2006, asking for an unconditional apology in writing and withdrawal of its report with immediate effect. In the same year, another organisation, the Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI), sent a legal notice to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a non-profit organisation based in Delhi, demanding immediate withdrawal of the study that probed the health hazards endosulfan had been posing.

But the legal notices sent to the Calicut Medical College are ill timed. The ICMR has been heavily relying on this study to prepare its interim report for the Supreme Court. Along with the agriculture commissioner, the organisation is part of the joint committee appointed by the Supreme Court, which has to file an interim report before the Court when it summons them on August 5. The Supreme Court had imposed an interim ban on the pesticide on May 13 and will take a decision on either imposing a permanent ban or lifting the ban on the basis of the report the joint committee would file. The leader of opposition in Kerala assembly and the former chief minister, V S Achuthanandan, is seeking to persuade the present chief minister, Oomen Chandy, to stand up for the doctors and scientists.

Following the study, the ICMR team visited Kasaragod once in May and again in July end. An expert team headed by Viswa Mohan Kadoch, DG ICMR, conducted a field study in the affected regions of Kerala and Karnataka. Their visit was fascinating because they hardly spent one day in Kasargod. In fact, the people in the affected regions are getting tired of the incessant study tours of the so called experts. After spending few hours in this region, the committee submitted its report on August 4. Their suggestions were pre -determined. By dancing to the tune of corporate giants, the committee denounced the demands for a country wide ban of endosulphan and suggested to confine the banning to only Kerala and Karnataka – as though the lives of people elsewhere in the country do not matter!

STOCKHOLM

CONVENTION

On the other hand, April 29, the last day of the Stockholm convention at Geneva brought some good news for those crusading against endosulfan in India. Endosulfan was finally brought under the Annex A of the convention, which means it should be banned globally. But the caveat is that a country can ask for exemptions from the global ban on its production and use for five years and that this period can be extended to ten years, following which it will take another one year for the ban to be executed. India, China and Uganda, are the only three countries that have asked for exemptions. For the majority of countries that have not asked for exemptions, the ban will come into force in a year.

India now has to ratify its decision in a cabinet meeting and convey it to the Stockholm convention so that the exemptions and financial support are granted to India. From the global ban, India has asked for an exemption for pests affecting 14 crops, which in effect means it is for all the crops for which endosulfan has been registered with the Central Insecticides Board. Later, India softened its stand but only after it had earned notoriety for having opposed a ban on endosulfan in the international arena ever since it was introduced as a persistent organic pollutant in the fourth Stockholm convention in 2008.

“The efforts also assure that the Stockholm convention POP Review Committee will work with parties and observers to come up with alternatives. Further, it is also decided that the convention will provide financial assistance to the developing countries to replace endosulfan with alternatives,” said C Jayakumar who attended the convention as an observer from India.

Back home, after the union agriculture ministry wrote on April 27 to all the states seeking their views on the use of endosulfan, theFarmers Welfare and Agriculture Development Ministry of Madhya Pradesh, in its reply on April 28, registered its support to the Kerala ban on the pesticide. On his part, the then Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan appealed to all the other chief ministers to support a ban on endosulfan and write to the centre.

On April 28, talks opened on the continuation of DDT that is listed under Annex B of the Stockholm convention. A listing in Annex B means that a chemical or pesticide has to be phased out gradually; it would continue with certain exemptions and till such time that an alternative can be found. In India, DDT is being used as a vector disease control. On its part, India reported that it is producing DDT under strict control and that its use has come down by half — from 10,000 metric tonnes in 1997 to 5,500 metric tonnes in 2010.

On the other hand, endosulfan is now moving towards a global ban.

The Indian delegation that had been claiming that FAO reports said endosulfan was not hazardous, received a jolt when the FAO refuted India’s claim and stated that endosulfan is a hazardous pesticide.

Addressing the Consultative Committee attached to his ministry, Shri Pawar said that one of the interventions could be an integrated approach with effective forward and backward linkages through production chain to marketing. He said “the existing Fish Farmers Development Agencies and Brackish water Fish Farmers Development Agencies also need to be revamped; large scale adoption of culture based capture fisheries in reservoirs and larger water bodies should be encouraged for optimizing the productivity of aquatic resources.”

Shri Pawar said that keeping in view the importance and growth of inland fisheries sector, the Government has formulated several centrally sponsored and central sector schemes which are being implemented through the respective State Governments and Union Territories. Rs. 300 crore was allocated for the inland fisheries development scheme during the XIth Plan. In addition, Rs. 215 crore has been provided for welfare, training and strengthening of fishery database. A National Mission for Protein Supplement has been launched with an outlay of Rs. 100 crore for inland fisheries sector.

The Minister informed the Committee that some major initiatives has been undertaken for the development of fisheries sector. These include introduction of high value commercial species, pilot projects on cage and pen culture, guidelines for modern bill on inland fisheries and aquaculture and guidelines for development of seed certification and accreditation system.

India is one of the leading producers of fish, contributing to 5.54% of global fish production. Out of total fish production of 8 million tonnes in the country, contribution of inland sector is 5 million tonnes which is about 63% of total fish production. Total value of output from fisheries sector during 2009-10 is estimated at nearly Rs. 68,000 crores which is about 5% of the total production of agriculture and allied sectors. During 2010-11, 7.5 lakh tonne of fish and fish products worth Rs. 12,100 crore were exported.

Ministers of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries, Shri Harish Rawat and Dr. Charan Das Mahant were present in the meeting.

MPs who participated in the meeting are: Shri Sharief-ud-din Sharif, Shri Dhruva Narayana Rangaswamy, Shri M. Krishnaswamy, Shri K. Sugumar, Shri K.P. Dhanapalan, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Shri Kunvarjibhai Bavalia and Smt. Santosh Chowdhary of Lok Sabha, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Shri Govindrao Adik, Dr. K.P. Ramalingam, Shri T.M. Selvaganapathi and Ms Mabel Rebello of Rajya Sabha.

The Minister said that based on this analysis and criteria laid down in the scheme, State wise capacity requirement and locations were identified. Under the scheme, the Food Corporation of India would now give a guarantee of ten years for assured hiring to the private entrepreneurs . A capacity of about 152.97 lakh tonnes is to be created in 19 states under the scheme through private entrepreneurs and Central and State Warehousing Corporations. Out of this tenders have been finalized for creation of storage capacity of 52.32 lakh tonnes by the private entrepreneurs. CWC and SWCs are constructing 5.31 and 15.49 lakh tonnes respectively under the Scheme, out of which a capacity of about 3.5 lakh tonnes has already been completed by CWC/SWCs.

In the 11th Five Year Plan an allocation of Rs.154.82 crore has been made to FCI for construction of storage godowns . This is likely to result in the construction of about 1.2 lakh tonnes capacity.

He said to tide over the problem of shortage of storage space, FCI hires storage space from CWC/SWCs/Govt. agencies and private parties etc. Executive Directors(Zones) and General Managers (Region) of FCI have also been given full powers for hiring of private godowns for short term usage to store the procured foodgrains as per their requirement if the capacity available with FCI is not sufficient to store the foodgrains .

It is also not a fact that a large quantity of foodgrains are rottening in the precincts of Food Corporation of India. However, a meagre quantity of 366.33 MT during 2011-12 (upto 01.06.2011) accrued as damaged. The details are at Annexure.

No report has been received regarding large quantity of foodgrains rottening and generating widespread discontentment among masses in Orissa Region, the minister added

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reported that the total amount of loan given to priority sector during the year 2009-10 was Rs.11,38,406.35 crore.  The target of Rs.3,75,000 cores was approximately 33% of the total priority sector loans for 2009-10.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri NamoNarain Meena in written reply to an Unstarred Question in Rajya Sabha

Government has a National Policy on organic farming which seeks to promote technically sound, economically viable, environmentally non-degrading and socially acceptable use of natural resources in favour of organic agriculture. To encourage and facilitate organic farming in the country, the Government has launched a National Project on Organic Farming during 2004-05.

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

Through the conscious efforts of the Government, the investment in Agriculture and Allied sectors as a percentage of agriculture sector Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased from 13.5% in 2004-05 to 20.3% in 2009-10 at constant prices. Annual plan allocation for the agriculture sector has increased from Rs 7058.50 crore in 2007-08 (actual) to Rs. 17122.87 crore in 2011-12 (BE). Further the flow of agricultural credit has been considerably increased and is targeted at Rs. 4.75 lakh crore in 2011-12. The minimum support prices of crops have been significantly increased. Several schemes are being implemented with a view to increase public investment in agriculture and allied sector to increase farm growth rate in the country.

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture & Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha

Oilseeds have been sown in 157.92 lakh hectare. Compared to last year, sown area is higher by 4.86 lakh hectare.

Coarse cereals have been sown in 163.38 lakh hectare. Compared to last year, higher area coverage has been reported from Madhya Pradesh, Uttrakhand.

Cotton have been sown in 109.92 lakh hectare as against 104.36 lakh hectare last year on this date.

The cropped areas as on today are as follows:

India is the second largest producer of fish in the world contributing to 5.5 per cent of global fish production. India is also a major producer of fish through aquaculture and ranks second in the world after China. The total fish production achieved during 2010-11 (provisional) is at 8.03 million metric tonnes and the contribution of fish from inland sector alone is at 5.07 million metric tonnes which is about 63% of overall fish production. As per the estimates of Central Statistical Organization (CSO), the values of output from fisheries sector at current price during 2009-10 was 67,913 crore which is 4.9 per cent of the total output of Agriculture and allied sectors. It is one of the major contributors to India’s exports. During 2010-11 (Provisional) the volume of fish and fish products exported was 7,52,791 tonnes worth 12,100 crore.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector with an annual growth of around 7 per cent. It has been estimated that by the end of XI Five Year Plan (2011-12) the demand for fish and fish products would be around 9.74 million tons, and this increase has to be mostly met from aquaculture and culture based captured fisheries in reservoirs. Taking into consideration the vast aquatic resources in the country, the target seems achievable.

Although, it has long been recognized that fish production from inland waters can play a definite role in mitigating the protein deficiency in India, this resource is not contributing to the nutrition requirement of Indian masses to the extent that it should have been .This has been mainly on account of more emphasis on marine fishery in the past and due to lack of awareness and proper training skills for fishing community.

Recognising the economic, social, nutritional, environmental and aesthetic importance of inland fisheries and aquaculture, the Government through several measures have aspired to introduce buoyancy in the inland fishery sector .Therefore, to draw the economic, social and nutritional benefits from inland fisheries and aquaculture in a sustainable manner, it has been perceived to adopt a judicious combination of implementation and effective regulatory framework, eco-friendly fishing and aquaculture practices with the larger involvement of the fisher communities and fish farmers.

With this objective in mind, the Government recently drafted model guidelines on Inland fisheries and aquaculture, which has been circulated to all State Governments for effective implementation. Through these guidelines, the Government intends to ensure sustainable fish productive to meet the needs of food and nutritional security, generation of gainful employment in rural sector and to improve the socio-economic condition of the target groups.

The Government recognizes the need for availability of quality seed and feed if the growth in inland fish production has to be sustained in the long run. Therefore, the Government circulated guidelines to all the State Governments for establishment of a seed certification and accreditation system in their respective States. These guidelines, inter-alia, provide procedures for accreditation of hatcheries and seed farms, quality benchmarks, seed certification process and the structure of the implementing agency.

It has been observed that inland fishery today is dominated mainly by the freshwater fishery. In order for enhanced production, there is a need for diversification of fish production in other areas like integrated fish farming, cold water fisheries, riverine fisheries, capture fisheries, brackish water fishery etc. The recent measures therefore have targeted Intensive Aquaculture in ponds and tanks through integrated fish farming, carp polyculture, freshwater prawn culture, running water fish culture and development of riverine fisheries. The reservoir fisheries is being promoted through cage culture and pen culture and by setting up fish rearing units on large scale.

The Centrally Sponsored Scheme –“Development of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture” provide assistance to fish farmers through State Governments, with the objective of developing various components of inland fisheries and aquaculture that include development of freshwater, brackish water, cold water, reservoir fisheries and also to encourage integrated fish farming.

A new mission mode scheme called “National Mission for protein Supplements (NMPS)” was launched very recently with an outlay of Rs 100 crore for undertaking cage and pen culture in reservoirs and for intensive aquaculture in ponds and tanks in 12 identified States with an objective of enhancing the fish production and productivity of reservoirs and ponds and tanks.

All these measures are expected to improve the fisheries and aquaculture sector further and will consolidate the position of India in the Global fish production and aquaculture. (PIB Features)

*Inputs from the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries

In view of the emerging challenges and threats to agriculture sector, vis-à-vis national food security, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed a strategic framework to improve food security, enhance opportunities for inclusive growth, augment competitiveness of Indian agriculture and create adequate and quality human resources to address the concerns. Some of the major concerns include, natural resources degradation, increasing biotic and abiotic pressures, declining input use efficiency, post-harvest losses, decreasing profitability in farming, quality human resource and farm extension. To deal with the challenges effectively, ICAR is coordinating, guiding and managing research, education and extension in agriculture, including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences, in the country. It has a vast network with 97 ICAR institutes, 54 state agricultural universities; five deemed universities and one Central Agricultural University and 592 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) spread across the country. The research programmes under umbrella of the ICAR are designed and undertaken for harnessing power of science that ensures food, nutrition and livelihood security for all.

The comprehensive initiatives taken by the Council have led to notable accomplishments in natural resource management, input use efficiency, climate resilience, secondary agriculture and economic transformation of farmers through technological interventions. The year 2010-11 has been agriculturally rewarding as we have observed record food grain production touching 242 million tonnes in farm season (July-June) according to the 4^th advance estimates released recently. The food grains comprise rice, coarse-cereals and pulses. The record output was largely because of a sharp rise in production of wheat to 86 million tonnes against 81 million tonnes in the year before. The record high oilseed production of 31 million tonnes is another notable accomplishment to cheer. Further, a high production in horticulture, 234.4 million tonnes could also be achieved through policy and technological support.

The bygone year has thrown many challenges also. These include perceptible climate change, as seen by the dry spells in the Eastern India, despite normal rainfalls across the country; degrading land and water environment; need for quality inputs; emerging problem of agricultural labour; and post-harvest losses across the commodities. It was here that the ICAR provided, both directions and solutions, in terms of crop varieties suitable for both drought and submergence; defined elements of fertilizer application, based on the nutrient deficiencies; farm mechanization for both field and horticultural crops; and developed clear estimates of post-harvest losses of various crops and commodities, as the basis for formulating future approaches. The paradigm shift from ‘primary to secondary agriculture’ was focused in our discussions and research process, as was demonstrated through the projects in the value chain component of the National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP); that is planned to be further enlarged in the coming years. A parallel development has been the establishment of agri-incubators, a new concept in the Indian agriculture; expected to develop entrepreneurship in a big way. In our efforts at institutionalizing the research extension continuum, the ‘Farm Innovators’ meet held during the year, the second in the series, added a new dimension to our approach of innovative agriculture.

Among new projects, a National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture is a noteworthy one launched with the objective to assess impact of climate change on the agriculture and allied sectors, and for evolving cost-effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. The Project has a budget outlay of Rs 350 crore for XI Plan; out of which Rs 200 crore is allocated for 2010-11, and Rs 150 crore for 2011-12 on the research infrastructure, capacity-building and on-farm demonstrations of available climate-resilient technologies.

During the year 2010-11, 60 varieties/hybrids of crops including major food crops of rice, wheat, maize, pearl millet and pulses were released/ recommended for cultivation in different agro-climatic regions of country. During the year, 629 tonnes of nucleus seed, 9,554 tonnes of breeder seed, 7,745 tonnes of foundation seed, 3,471 tonnes of certified seeds and 10,443 tonnes of truthfully labeled seed were produced for large scale multiplication to ensure timely supply of quality seeds to farmers.

To address the problem of decreasing soil and water productivity, the GIS based soil fertility maps, using soil-test data was prepared for 500 districts spread over 21 states of India. The data have revealed that soils of most of the districts have low to medium amount of nitrogen and phosphorus and medium to high amount of potassium. Existing ridge-and-furrow system of irrigation was modified for in-situ rain water harvesting (10% than the earlier 1% of rain), which increased castor yield by 30%. A decision support system was developed for facilitating location specific nutrient management.

With a view to enhance profitability and livelihood security, integrated farming is being promoted in all the ecological regions with the desired technological backstopping. An Integrated Farming System Component Selection Model is found useful for selection of the components of the integrated farming system based on the expected profit under the prevailing constraints, and also for suggesting beneficial components from profit as well as land and water productivity point of view.

To improve the quality and productivity of livestock population, artificial insemination is being standardized and adopted in field situations. Successful pregnancy from artificial insemination with extended semen is reported for the first time in Indian dromedary camels. The first mithun calf was born at farm-gate level through artificial insemination using cryo-preserved semen from genetically superior mithun bulls. Semen collection by ‘Gloved Hand Method’ and AI technique were standardized for pigs, and by using AI technology, highest litter size (15 piglets) at birth was recorded from a Ghungroo sow in the farm.

With repositioning of its approach towards entrepreneurship and livelihood security, the ICAR has made a strong commitment for socio-economic transformation of the Indian rural population. The research programmes, educational initiatives and extension activities have been reoriented to meet the objective. Efforts are being made to ensure free flow of knowledge, crossing all barriers on the way. The ICAR has adopted open-access policy for its highly-rated research journals and other literature of importance. The website (www.icar.org.in) has transformed into a treasure house of agricultural information and knowledge for various categories of stakeholders. On an average, more than 2, 00,000 visits are recorded per month from around 166 countries reflecting the global presence of Indian agriculture. Consortium for e-Resources in Agriculture (CeRA) is providing free online access to more than 2,900 international journals and 124 libraries of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). During the year 2010-11, 64 patent applications were filed and 10 were granted making the total as 481 and 58 respectively.

As a special thrust to North-East region, Knowledge Information Repository in Agriculture for North-East has been launched by the ICAR with a mission to empower the agricultural production system of North-East region with right technology and methodology emphasizing innovative approach and solutions. It will act as a platform to foster linkages among partners and collaborate with public, private, state and regional organizations functioning in the region.

Partnerships grew at the national level and also across the globe with the projected Borlaug Institute for South Asia and enhanced Indo-African and India-Afghanistan Fellowships in Agricultural Universities. An ICAR–Industry meet was also convened in New Delhi in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) which received an overwhelming response from the private sector. Twenty-five new Units were added to the existing 220 Units in 49 universities to develop entrepreneurship skills among students. Niche Area of Excellence was also supported at 30 locations to achieve global competence in agricultural research and education.

Under the ICAR award scheme, two new prestigious awards have been instituted, namely ICAR Norman Borlaug Award and ICAR Challenge Award. The total numbers of awards to be given annually in specific categories have been increased from 13 to 22. Similarly the award money has also been enhanced in most of the categories.

The ICAR has repositioned its approach in the formulation of 12^th five year plan to bring a demand driven and technology led revolution in the country. The Council will focus more on the commodities and the areas where private sector would be reluctant to venture. Secondary and specialty agriculture and the strength inter-departmental platforms will be harnessed to sustain the benefits of agricultural research and development. At national level, initiatives such as National Agricultural Education Project, National Agricultural Entrepreneurship Project, National Agricultural Science Foundation and National Agricultural Innovation Foundation have been envisaged to further strengthen and accelerate the process of transformation. However, in all these initiatives the Council is making a forward march with Farmers First approach.

The research and development programmes during the year have armed ICAR with preparedness to meet future challenges, especially of prospective global climate change vis-à-vis depleting and degrading natural resources. We envision that innovations in agriculture would transform existing slowdown in agriculture sector into a vibrant and competitive sector by harnessing untapped opportunities in domestic and global markets. The Council firmly believes that agricultural research and development would augment farmers’ income, generate employment opportunities, conserve natural resources, restrict imports, promote exports and increase value addition for higher and inclusive agricultural growth.

Appropriately backed by frontier sciences and techniques, a surge in production and productivity of major commodities is on the way to realize the dream of rainbow revolution.(PIB Features)

*Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research

The famous saffron-coloured Kesar variety of mango, largely grown around foothills of Girnar mountains in Gujarat’s Junagadh district, has got global recognition as ‘Gir Kesar’ mango after being granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

The Kesar mango is the second variety of mango in India to get GI registration after the Dussheri mango variety grown in Uttar Pradesh.

“GI registration will help the farmers of Junagadh and Amreli district immensely. From now onwards, no other Kesar mango variety, grown in other parts of Gujarat like Kutch, Valsad…can be sold as ‘Gir Kesar’ mango,” Junagadh Agriculture University (JAU) Vice Chancellor N C Patel said.

After the GI registration, mango growers in 18 talukas of Junagadh and Amreli districts, located on the periphery of the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, will be able to reap the benefits of added value attached to their produce, a JAU officials said.

Nearly 20,000 hectares of area is under mango cultivation in both these districts and close to two lakh tonnes of production per annum is estimated, they added.

“As per the GI laws, if anyone, apart from Junagadh and Amreli farmers, are found selling Kesar mango as Gir Kesar, then they could be put behind bars for 1-2 years and a fine of more than Rs 50,000 could be imposed as penalty,” Patel said.

The JAU University had filed for the GI application last year.

The GI registration of this luscious fruit will convey assurance of quality and distinctiveness essentially attributed to the place of its origin in a defined geographical locality.

Talala, Keshod, Vanthali, Una, Kodinar and Mangrol talukas are the main production centres of Kesar mango in Junagadh district, while for Amreli, the centres are Dhari, Khambha, Rajula and Jaffrabad.

Throwing light on the history of the Kesar variety of mango, a JAU official said, “The Kesar mango was first spotted by Junagadh Wazir Sale Bhai in Vanthali taluka of Junagadh.”

Subsequently, it was sent to Mangrol’s Sheikh Jehangir Mia, who, after having the delicious fruit sowed the kernel in his garden and named it as ‘Saale ki Aambdi’, he added.

Coming to know about the fruit, the Junagadh garden superintendent A S K Iyengar gathered information about this king of fruits from Jehangir Mia and visited Vanthali to prepare few grafts for planting them in the district, the official said.

“Later, around 75 grafts prepared by him were planted at the Junagadh Laal Dori farm situated on the foothills of Girnar mountains and after three years Junagadh Nawab Babi Mahabat Khanji-III was offered the fruit to taste,” he said.

“The nawab liked the taste of this delicious fruit and gave it the name of Kesar in around 1934,” he said.

A hand-written note of the garden superintendent, documented with the government, narrates the trail of events which eventually led to naming of this Junagadh mango variety as Kesar, the official said.

Coarse cereals have been sown in 151.88 lakh hectare. Compared to last year, higher area coverage has been reported from Madhya Pradesh and Uttrakhand.

Oilseeds have been sown in 149.73 lakh hectare. Compared to last year, sown area is higher by 7.6 lakh hectare.

Sugarcane has been planted in 51.81 lakh hectare so far.  Higher area has been reported from Karnataka, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Cotton have been sown in 105.56 lakh hectare as against 101.43 lakh hectare last year on this date.

The cropped areas as on today are as follows:

Black pepper prices have risen by a whopping 33 per cent from Rs 22,980 to Rs 30,500 during March-July without much local and international demand except artificial future demand created by speculators and trader cartels on NCDEX, said a report released by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

In a communication to minister of state for consumer affairs K.V. Thomas, ASSOCHAM called for an appropriate and stern action against such cartels in the interest of original traders, farmers and the common man.

“Large investors are indulging in misuse of narrow commodity contracts as rules and regulations at present are not strict enough to stop such malpractices,” said Mr D.S. Rawat, secretary general of ASSOCHAM.

An extreme price volatility and price hike in commodities like channa, guargum, guarseed, dhaniya has been witnessed during May-July as depicted in the table given below:

Source: ASSOCHAM

Future contract for black pepper have never been in negative in the history of NCDEX but have been closing at a negative badla of minus one per cent and above since February, said the report.

“Black pepper trade must be monitored closely to keep prices in moderate range and check food inflation.”

Hoarders and speculators get attracted to commodities as they are believed to move in an opposite direction to equity market thereby providing a hedge against inflation.

“Resultantly, original traders are not able to hedge their risk, farmers are not getting benefits of price rise while, manipulators make merry,” said the report.

Speculative activities are a primary source of volatility in commodity prices and controlling these activities through regulations would bring more stability to the commodity market.

Futures trading in food items distort price signals and encourage speculation and hoarding, thereby contributing to food inflation.

ASSOCHAM has suggested the central government to co-ordinate with state governments while taking measures against hoarding and black-marketing.

FOR MORE READING. . .

The case of non-Basmati rice is no different. Not only has the export ban been lifted too late but it has come with riders that will deter potential exporters. Given relatively low world prices of rice, Indian exports will perforce be relatively low. On the other hand, the government has not been able to find takers through the public distribution system (PDS) for the stocks of wheat and rice it holds.   The overall foodgrain inventories, consequently, have bulged to an unsustainable level of nearly 65 million tonnes, far in excess of the buffer stocking norm of 27 million tonnes and higher than the previous peak stockholding of 64 million tonnes in June 2002. Finding itself in similar predicament in 2002, the then National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had chosen to export grains at highly subsidised prices, incurring heavy losses.

FOR MORE READING. . .

According to data released by the Department, Bt. cotton constitutes nearly 90% of total area under cotton cultivation. Out of total area of 111.42 lakh hectares under cotton cultivation, 98.54 lakh hectares are under Bt. Cotton. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh are the top producers of cotton.

State-wise break up of estimated area under cultivation and production is as under: -

cotton estimates (25.7.2011)

Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd. (AIC) is the Implementing Agency. The main objective of the scheme is to protect the farmers against the crop losses suffered on account of natural calamities, such as, drought, flood, hailstorm, cyclone, pests and diseases etc. The scheme is available to all the farmers – loanee and non-loanee – irrespective of their size of holding. The scheme is operating on the basis of ‘Area Approach’.

Due to some limitations/shortcomings in the existing scheme, Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS) was approved for implementation on pilot basis in 50 districts from Rabi 2010-11 season in the country. It has been notified by the 12 States in 34 districts for Rabi 2010-11 season. Administrative approval for implementation of MNAIS during 2011-12 (Kharif and Rabi seasons) has already been issued. Six States have already notified the scheme in 19 districts.

During the Rabi 2010-11, about 3.66 lakh farmers have been covered over an area of about 3.64 lakh hectares insuring a sum amounting to Rs. 71921 lakh. Most of the claims are being worked out by the implementing agencies.

One of the major improvements made in MNAIS is that the unit area of insurance has been reduced to village panchayat level for main crops. The other improvements are actuarial premium with subsidy in premium at different rates i.e. 40% to 75% depending upon the slab is provided to farmers, all claims liability to be settled by the insurer, indemnity for prevented sowing/planting risk & for post harvest losses due to cyclone, on account payment up to 25% advance of likely claims as immediate relief, more proficient basis for calculation of threshold yield, minimum indemnity level of 70% instead of 60%, participation of private sector insurers with adequate infrastructure. Central and State Governments share upfront premium subsidy on 50:50 basis and claims are the liability of the insurance companies.

With food and agriculture exports totalling 15.6 billion dollars, India’s share is a meager 1.6 per cent of the total global trade. The trade index by Food and Agriculture Organisations (FAO) of the United Nations positions India’s exports in quantity terms at 222nd place and in value terms at 237th place.

Agriculture and related activities account for employment to 60 per cent of the population in the country, 19 per cent of the GDP and nine per cent of total exports, said The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.

“It is critical to have consistency in export promotion policies,” said ASSOCHAM secretary general D.S. Rawat. “The focus should be on commodities where India has marketable surplus and competitive strength in global markets.”

The country produced 90 million tonnes of rice last year, over 80 million tonnes of wheat, 34 million tonnes of coarse cereals, 15 million tonnes of pulses, 25 million tonnes of oilseeds and 278 million tonnes of sugarcane.

India is the largest producer of fresh fruits and vegetables, and ranks as the second in production of cashew, cabbage, cotton seed, garlic, cardamom, onions, sugarcane, tomatoes, coconut, ground nut, tea, green peas, cauliflower, potatoes and inland fish.

Total investments in AEZs across 20 states so far have been worth Rs 1,098 crore with exports valued at Rs 10,690 crore.

“Indian exporters have not succeeded in establishing direct linkages with consumers in importing countries,” said Mr Rawat. “A large proportion of exports are being further processed and re-exported by other countries.”

He said the agriculture sector has vast opportunity for employment generation and trade. There is need to have a long-term sustainable policy which attracts more investments and increase private sector’s participation in remote rural areas, said Mr Rawat.

“The government should introduce fresh initiatives to boost post-harvest and processing technologies so that farmers can get good returns.”

The AEZ concept has the potential to improve agriculture output and quality besides reducing post-harvest losses and upgradation of technology, farmers’ skills and income. “It can result in development of internationally competitive production base and increased private investments, leading to increased employment and overall economic development,” he said

As per the latest estimates, India has produced 241.56 million tonnes of foodgrains during 2010-11 compared to 218.11 million tonnes in the previous year. This is highest ever foodgrainsproduction, surpassing the earlier record of 234.47 million tonnes achieved in 2008-09.

It may also be noted that the production of wheat, estimated at 85.93 million tonnes, is an all time record. Similarly, production of pulses, estimated at 18.09 million tones, is an all time record.

Despite a setback in the production of kharifrice due to drought in some of the major rice producing areas in the country, significant improvement in production of rabi rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals has resulted in the higher ever production of foodgrains. Estimated production of maize stands at record level of 21.28 million tonnes which is significantly higher than the earlier record production of 19.73 million tonnes achieved during 2008-09. The production of  nine oilseeds estimated at 31.10 million tonnes is also an all time record.

Cotton production has increased from 24.23 million bales in 2009-10 to 33.43 million bales in 2010-11.

The production of sugarcane, which had attained a record level of 355.52 million tonnes during 2006-07 and declined in subsequent years, has again started witnessing increasing trend with an estimated production of 339.17 million tonnes in the current year.

The production estimates for major crops for 2010-11 are as follows:

Foodgrains  –  241.56 million tonnes:  highest ever

Rice  –  95.32 million tonnes

Wheat  –  85.93  million tonnes: highest ever

Coarse Cereals  –  42.22 million tonnes: highest ever

Maize  –  21.28 million tonnes: highest ever

Pulses  –  18.09 million tonnes: highest ever

Tur  –  2.89 million tonnes

Urad  –  1.74 million tonnes: highest ever

Moong  –  1.82 million tonnes: highest ever

Gram      –  8.25 million tonnes: highest ever

Oilseeds  –  31.10 million tonnes: highest ever

Soyabean  –  12.66 million tonnes: highest ever

Groundnut  –  7.54 million tonnes

Rabeseed & mustard – 7.67 million tonnes

Cotton  –  33.43 million bales (of 170 kg each): highest ever

Sugarcane – 339.17 million tonnes

Nevertheless, the challenges that India’s agriculture faces in the coming years remain enormous. Though we have achieved self sufficiency in cereal production, we continue to depend on imports for pulses and edible oils. We continue to face the problem of under-nutrition, particularly among our children and women. Ensuring food and nutritional security and eliminating hunger, including hidden hunger, remain a high national priority.

The inclusive strategies of development that we are pursuing should further increase the incomes of the poorer sections of our society. This will further increase demand for not only foodgrains but also fruits, vegetables and animal products. The total demand for foodgrains is projected to touch 280 million tonnes by the year 2020-21. Meeting this demand will necessitate a growth rate of nearly 2 per cent per annum in food production. The enormity of the task ahead is indicated by the fact that during the 10 year period 1997-98 to 2006-07, our foodgrain production grew at an average annual rate of only 1.00 per cent. Although foodgrain production has since regained the requisite momentum and the agriculture sector as a whole is set to grow at 3% per annum during the Eleventh Plan, we cannot be complacent. We must note that this is less than the targeted 4% and a consequence in recent years has been unacceptable levels of food price inflation. I expect the Twelfth Plan to contain all measures that are required to accelerate our agricultural growth rate.

We all look back proudly to our green revolution, which helped us overcome food shortages and banish the specter of starvation, or living from ship to mouth. But, today we find that the regions of the country which witnessed the green revolution are suffering from problems of environmental degradation. In many other regions of the country, particularly in eastern India, yields continue to be much lower than what is attainable. More generally, it should concern us that productivity in Indian agriculture has plateaued over the years.

We clearly need a second green revolution that is more broad-based, more inclusive and more sustainable; we need to produce more without depleting our natural resources any further, and we look towards our agricultural scientists for ushering this green revolution. India currently spends about 0.6 per cent of its agricultural GDP on agricultural Research and Development. This needs to be enhanced at least 2 to 3 times by 2020, since a substantial portion of our agricultural growth would come through the application of new technologies and new knowledge to production processes. But spending more on research is not enough unless this improves the quality of human resources in all areas of agriculture.

Today there are more than 50 State Agriculture Universities and institutions and one Central Agricultural University imparting higher agricultural education. All these institutions need to provide the best of academic inputs along with hands-on training to the students. I am very happy that the ICAR has been alive to these evolving needs and has recently revised syllabi to improve the quality of agricultural education. But much more has to be done. the ICAR and our State governments to ensure that our Agricultural Universities produce enough new scientists with the requisite skills. I also suggest that we re-examine the architecture of agricultural extension services so that our scientists, our administrators and the private entrepreneurs can together better help farmers to bridge the gap between yields that are possible and those which are actually achieved. I continue to hear that our agricultural services are not upto the mark in many of our states. I suggest further that the Krishi Vigyan Kendras which cover all the districts of our country, have a very important role to play a very important role in encouraging, what Jawaharlal Nehru used to call the growth of scientific temper for the management of India’s agricultural economy. I urge you all to pay particular attention to this aspect of managing India’s agricultural economy.

Rainfed agriculture continues to play a very important role in our economy, contributing about 60 per cent of the cropped area and 45 per cent of the total agricultural produce. Rainfed areas contribute more than 80% of the pulses and oilseeds grown as well as a substantial part of horticulture and animal husbandry produce. The second Green Revolution, that I have been talking about must therefore explicitly embrace dryland farming. Though many new technologies have been developed for our rainfed regions, yield gaps continue to be very large and not enough is being done to identify the most suitable farming systems and to ensure that they are effectively integrated with our watershed development projects. Our scientists must therefore work intensively to accurately assess the felt needs of our country, and develop new methods, new technologies and new knowledge for better soil and water management practices, improved cropping systems and better crop management.

The area that needs most attention is the management of water, which is going to be probably the most scarce factor in the twenty-first century. Our irrigation efficiency is estimated to be around 30% which needs to be raised to at least 50%. This could contribute considerably to increase in agricultural production. Resource conservation technologies that improve input use efficiency, and conserve and protect our natural resources need to be aggressively promoted. We must also recognize the risks of an excessive reliance on hydrocarbon inputs in increasing agricultural production and we should explore more systematically, organic alternatives like algae, for example.

Climate change has emerged as a major challenge to our agriculture, indeed to the management of our economy as a whole. The immediate problems that our farmers face relate to intra-seasonal variability of rainfall, extreme events and unseasonal rains. These aberrations cause heavy losses to our crops every year. There is therefore an urgent necessity for us to speed up our efforts to evolve climate-resilient crop varieties, cropping patterns and management practices. I am very happy that the ICAR is implementing a major scheme, the National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture and has set up the state-of-the-art National Institute on Abiotic Stress Management. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, which is one of the eight Missions under our National Action Plan on Climate Change also seeks to devise appropriate adaptation and mitigation strategies for ensuring food security, enhancing livelihood opportunities and contributing to economic stability at the national level.

we need to focus on for accelerating our agricultural performance. The first is the protection of crops, animals and farm produce against new and emerging diseases and pathogens. The second is careful application of biotechnology to improve productivity, enable better resilience to stress and also enhance the incomes of our farmers. I hope our agricultural Research and Development institutions will pay the required attention to these areas in the coming years.

Our government, in the last seven years has taken several new initiatives in the agricultural sector.Many of these initiatives have shown encouraging results. But we need to build upon this achievement in the Twelfth Five-Year Plan. The Twelfth Plan must ensure further progress in areas of achievement and also remove the deficiencies in areas where our achievements have fallen short of expectations or objective potential of our economy. I urge all our scientists, and technologists, and extension experts to share their experiences and personal assessments of these new initiatives with the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture so that the Twelfth Five-Year Plan can tackle the many new challenges that have emerged in the last few years. I urge you to introspect on how your own research can contribute to the achievement of higher goals for these initiatives.

As the country’s apex organization for coordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences, the ICAR carries an enormous responsibility on its shoulders. Unfortunately there is an impression among many that the National Agricultural Research System has become somewhat insular over time and responds less well to specific demands from those in the field. You must never lose sight of the fact that your main client is the Indian farmer. Unless you engage with farmers and their problems, you will not succeed in transforming new knowledge into higher productivity and better incomes for our farmers. You must get your research questions primarily from the farmers. This is perhaps the most difficult of the challenges that you must overcome in the years ahead and which can test your commitment and ability.

the ICAR is already putting in place robust mechanisms to strengthen interaction between agricultural scientists and our farmers and also to ensure better convergence between research and development needs. I hope that you will use this occasion of the foundation day to reflect on your work and on your achievements. Such reflection, I am sure would spur you to look far and wide, look at the best research organizations in the country and abroad and adopt new, and more democratic systems and processes for organizing research free from the usual bureaucratic hierarchies and excessive rigidities.

Source : The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, addressed the 83rd Foundation Day of ICAR in New Delhi

Bulk of the people engaged in agriculture is also our targeted population under the Public Distribution Scheme. Recently food procurement and storage has been under immense media scrutiny. At this stage, the issues are complex and the government is working out the most judicious solution for feeding the nation and especially it’s poor.  Price inflation of food articles has also been a matter of great debate and concern. We have taken many steps to insulate the common man from the burden of rising prices, especially for essential commodities.

Coming to agriculture first, over the last few years been channelizing our efforts through effective policy instruments and programmes to ensure higher investments – both public and private. We have concentrated on enhancing production and productivity both by bringing in high yielding varieties, hybrids and efficient farm equipments. Our efforts towards increasing soil nutrients have seen to the new fertilizer subsidy regime. The Cabinet clearing the new Seeds Bill which we propose to introduce in the ensuing session of the Parliament. The provisions of the Bill will prove an effective check on the spurious and substandard seeds being sold in the market.  Simultaneously, the strategy has also been to provide the necessary infrastructure such as soil testing laboratories; water harvesting and micro irrigation structures; storage and processing facilities; sophisticated pest surveillance and monitoring systems; and IT-enabled knowledge dissemination systems for the farmers.

These strategies have clearly worked.  The country achieved record food production of 234 million tons in 2008-09; a substantial jump from the production of about 198 million tons of food grains in 2004-05.  That the interventions have worked was also borne out last year when, despite the severest drought in the past four decades, the production of food grains stood at about 218 million tons.  This year, overall rainfall has been good and we are estimating record production in Kharif pulses, sugarcane and cotton. However, due to deficit rainfall in Bihar, Jharkhand and parts ofWest Bengal there is likelihood of some loss in paddy area. Due to the good South West monsoon, reservoir levels are very comfortable and soil moisture levels are high, promising a record production year.

Some of the measures.

Investment plays an important role in achieving higher growth rate.  In recent years there has been an increase in the gross capital formation in agriculture as a proportion of agricultural GDP which has gone up from 14.1 per cent in 2004-05 to 21.3 in 2008-09.   The plan outlay for the agriculture & allied sector has increased substantially from Rs.7, 431crore in 2006-07 to Rs.19, 070 crore in 2010-11, an increase of about 156%.

The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), launched in August 2007, has become the principal instrument for increasing the States’ investment in agriculture and allied sectors.  Outlay under RKVY for 2010-11 have been substantially increased to Rs. 6,722 crore, which includes Rs. 400 crore for “Extending Green Revolution to the Eastern Region of India” and Rs. 300 crore for the ‘Special Initiative for Pulses and Oilseeds in Dry-land Areas by Organising 60,000 Pulses and Oilseeds Villages in rainfed areas. States have taken up major programmes for increasing production and productivity and made investments across all sectors of agriculture and allied sector comprising Crop Development, Watershed Development, Pest Management & Testing Labs, Micro / Minor Irrigation, Agri. Mechanization, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.

Another path breaking programme has been the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) which was launched in 2007-08 to enhance the production of rice, wheat and pulses by 10 million tons, 8 million tons and 2 million tons respectively by the end of the 11^th Plan.  The Mission has helped to widen the food basket of the country with significant contributions coming from the NFSM districts.  During 2008-09 nearly 50% of the NFSM rice districts, 50% of NFSM pulses districts and 33% of NFSM wheat districts have recorded 10-20% increase in productivity compared to 2006-07.

water resource development, utilization and management for sustainable food grain production in the country, a Task Force was constituted in December, 2009 to make recommendations for efficient management of water, power and other inputs, as well as subsidy to maximize agricultural production on a sustainable basis.  The Task Force has observed, inter alia, that Eastern India receives 2-3 times more rain compared to North Western States and it has tremendous opportunities to utilize good quality untapped ground water for enhancing productivity which is in fact is the fulcrum around which the recently launched programme of ‘Extending Green Revolution to the Eastern Region’ revolves.

India is the second largest producer of fruits and for vegetables.  My Ministry is promoting Horticulture in mission mode for improving farm incomes and livelihood security and enhancing employment generation.  Due to interventions under the National Horticulture Mission and Technology Mission for North Eastern States the production of fruits, vegetables and spices has increased by 27%, 22% and 12% respectively during 2009-10 over 2005-06.

The Terminal Markets Complex (TMC) Scheme of government has finally taken off.  We have approved the proposal for setting up TMC in Bihar and the proposals for Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are also expected to be approved shortly.  These markets would provide state-of-art facilities for electronic auction, storage, handling and providing offline backward and forward linkages to agriculture produce.

Price signals are an extremely effective tool for increasing agricultural production and productivity.  Government has increased the MSP of major crops such as paddy, wheat and pulses by as much as 78.6%, 75% and 124.8% respectively between 2004-05 and 2010-11.  The increases in MSP of paddy and wheat have resulted in record production and procurement of wheat and rice during the last two years.  The substantial hike in MSP of kharif pulses is showing results this kharif season with increase in estimated production of kharif pulses from about 4.3 million tonnes in 2009 to 6 million tonnes in 2010.

Another necessary input for enabling farmers to increase their production is agricultural credit. A decision was taken by the Government in June, 2004 to double the flow of agriculture credit in three years with reference to base year 2003-04. The flow of agriculture credit since 2003-04 has consistently exceeded the target. From the level of Rs 86,981 crore credit flow in 2003-04, the agriculture credit disbursed in 2009-10 has touched Rs. 3,66,919 crore. The target of credit flow for 2010-11 is Rs. 3, 75,000crore. From this year onwards credit is available @ 5% rate of interest for those making timely repayment.

Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries sectors play a significant role in supplementing family incomes and generating gainful employment in the rural areas, particularly, among the landless labourers, small and marginal farmers and women.  Livestock is the best possible insurance against the vagaries of nature like drought, famine and other natural calamities.  The value of output from livestock and fisheries sectors together accounts for about 27 per cent of the value of the output from Agriculture & allied Sector during 2008-09.

India continues to be the largest producer of milk in the world. The estimate of milk production for 2009-10 was 112 million tons.  Egg production during the same period were 59.8 billion nos., wool production was 43.2 million kgs.  Fish production during 2009-10 was 78.52 lakh tons comprising of 29.89 lakh tons from marine resources and 48.62 lakh tons from freshwater resources.

To build a resilient agriculture and allied sector research plays a pivotal role. While ICAR through its network of institutions has done a commendable job over the last few decades, more recently their success has been in :

• Releasing eight varieties of wheat for different eco-systems;
  • Releasing three Maize hybrids and 2 composites.  Maize cultivation technology in upland fallows of Bastar region was introduced that enhanced productivity by 3-4 times.
  • Poultry breeds with 300 eggs/year has been developed;
  • In Animal biotechnology under cloned buffalo, two female calves Garima I&IIand male calf Shresth, have been successfully born at NDRI, Karnal. The technique will enable faster multiplication of highly productive animals with desired sex;
  • Appropriate stress-resistant varieties of crops are being developed. Research on protected horticulture is also being undertaken.
  • A state of the art National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Maharashtra has been established during XI Plan.
  • National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture along with the ongoing ICAR network on Climate Change that involves 25 centers across the country has been launched. The initiative is an attempt to develop and popularize climate resilient technologies in agriculture.

The rising demand coupled with higher purchasing power with the rural poor coupled with some supply side constraints saw 2009-10 witness a spurt in the prices of food articles.  However, the overall availability of essential commodities has generally remained satisfactory.  Inflation in food articles has been a matter of concern and the Government of India have taken several steps to arrest the increase in prices of essential commodities and improve domestic availability of essential commodities -

• Reducing/waiving import duties for rice, wheat, pulses, edible oils, sugar, maize and refined/hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils;
• Allowing import of raw/white/refined sugar at zero duty without levy obligation;
• Banning export of edible oils and pulses;
• Provision of Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane to provide reasonable margin to farmers on account of risk and profit.
• Permitting Public Sector Undertakings to import and sell pulses under a scheme in which losses would be reimbursed by the Government;
• Distributing imported pulses to State Governments for supply through PDS at a subsidy.

Main concern is to ensure the availability of food grain for the public distribution system so that the impact of inflation on the common man is minimised.  There has been increased procurement of food grain in the recent years.  We will be able to fully meet the demand of the public distribution system and other welfare schemes. Our procurement of food grain this year has been a record high of 57.4 million metric tons.

There has been significant criticism from various quarters mainly on the issue of storage of food grains. Though it has been our endeavour to achieve zero damage, some constraints stop us from achieving this. The biggest constraint has been the lack of adequate covered storage space with FCI and the State Governments. Right this wrong the government has initiated a public private initiative for building of godowns all across the country. We expect to create 150 lakh metric tons of storage space all across the country for which the tenders have already been floated and are receiving tremendous response.

The silver lining however has been on the food production and procurement side.  The advances in agriculture production & productivity. Coupled with it, the procurement level which had stagnated at some 35 million tons has increased to an average of around 55 million tons over the last couple of years.  This is of great significance in view of the forthcoming Food Security Act. The NAC has been deliberating on the Act and we are awaiting a formal communication from them in this regard.  I have read about the recommendations in the press but at this stage it will be presumptive on my part to say what shape this Act will finally take. However, irrespective of the fine print, it is certain that our outgo from the PDS will increase substantially from its current level once the Act is implemented.  The distribution of food grains through PDS which was just 120 lakh tons in 2001-02 has already jumped to 438 lakh tons today, mainly on account of the increased population as well as the favourable pricing policy under the PDS. We have as you very well know, not increased the Central Issue Price of rice and wheat since 2002 despite the huge jump in our procurement cost.  Our social commitment can be best seen through the 80% subsidy element in the food grain distributed under AAY and approx 73% and 60% in case of BPL and APL. This has had a sobering influence on the prices of wheat and rice which today, are perhaps, the lowest in the whole world. Hand in hand with procurement we have also launched a drive to streamline the delivery system under the PDS in collaboration with the State Governments. The Smart Card pilot has been successfully tested in Haryana and is ready to be rolled out nationwide. We are in consultation with the UID to effectively dovetail the “Aadhar” numbers with our ration cards. This may take some time, but once done it will go a long way in checking diversion and ensuring the delivery of food grain to the targeted population.

On the sugar front too, the news this year is good with record plantation of sugarcane, 250 lakh tons of sugar production this sugar year. Over the last few years worked and successfully delivered good returns to the sugarcane farmers. The introduction of FRP has ensured a minimum 20% return to the farmers besides covering their costs and risks. The response from the farming community has been overwhelming and I am happy to announce that like wheat and rice, the price of sugar in India is amongst the lowest. For the first time India is producing sugar in surplus while there is a shortage world over.

The interest of the weakest section shall always remain foremost in our heart and uppermost in our mind.

Source: Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution addressed the Economic Editors Conference, 2010.

For More Reading on Agriculture. .

Maharashtra has closely followed Gujarat registering almost 10.50 per cent of agri growth during the last decade, leaving behind many front running agricultural states.

“Revolutionary steps like investment in agricultural infrastructure to improve irrigation system, employment of latest technologies and establishment of a dedicated power grid to ensure regular power supply for agri sector together with a committed leadership are certain significant reasons behind high agricultural growth rate that Gujarat has achieved,” said Mr D S Rawat, secretary general of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Chhattisgarh has ranked 3^rd with 6 per cent of agricultural growth compounded annually followed by Orissa which registered 5.28 per cent and Andhra Pradesh ranked 5^th among top 5 states with 5.2 per cent CAGR, says the chamber’s analysis.

“Innovative and efficient management of state’s groundwater resources is a major turning point in Gujarat’s agricultural miracle which has converted barren lands into fertile farms thereby raising yields and resulting in fall of cultivation costs,” said Mr Rawat.

Revolution in agriculture has converted around 15 lakh hectare additional lands in largely semi-arid Gujarat fit for farming thereby, establishing the state on top in systematic and scientific development of farm sector.

Improved diffusion of technology and better utilization of water through various unconventional initiatives have helped expand area under cultivation and enhanced the crop productivity, highlights the ASSOCHAM analysis

“Current leadership in the state has immensely devoted a great deal of energy and resources to accelerate agricultural growth, thereby propelling the state as one of India’s fastest growing economies surpassing original green revolution states which have been lagging behind on agri growth due to laxity in developmental efforts together with over-exploitation of natural resources, including groundwater,” added Mr Rawat.

Reasonable monsoon season throughout the decade along with rising minimum support prices from centre and extension of profitable cash crop BT cotton are factors that lead to superlative performance byGujarat, says ASSOCHAM.

Farmers in the state are adopting more technology and value addition of agricultural produce to supplement their income.

Increased agri production has not only increased the state farmers’ income but it has also discouraged them to migrate to urban areas in search of jobs, points out ASSOCHAM analysis.

ASSOCHAM recommends other states to focus on small, minor irrigation projects and watershed facilities which are cheap and affordable considering, irrigation is a major bottleneck in agri sector across majority of states in India.

“Innovative initiatives carried out by Gujarat government must be followed by other states to disseminate technical knowledge and expertise to farmers for better productivity and increased income,” added Mr Rawat.

Full text of the Minister’s address is as follows-

Due to efforts of our farmers, the wheat production during this year has been an all-time record of 842 lakhtonnes. Similarly, wheat procurement during this year has reached an all-time record of 278 lakh tonnes and is expected to touch 280 lakh tonnes.

Stock position of wheat and rice in central pool as on 01.06.2011 has reached an all time high level of 654.73 lakhtonnes.   378.32 lakh tonnes of wheat and 276.41 lakh tonnes of rice are now available in the Central Pool.  Thus a total of 654.73 lakh tonnes of foodgrains are available in the Central Pool against a buffer norm requirement of 319lakh tonnes as on 1st July. It may be noted that the central pool availability was 604.28 lakh tonnes on 1.6.2010 and 535.25 lakh tonnes on 1.6.2009.   The Central Pool stocks as on 1.6.2011 are highest ever recorded level of stocks. The last time when we had similar high stock was 647.18 tonnes (wheat – 413.17 lakh tonnes and rice – 234.01 lakhtonnes as on 01.06.2002).  A good monsoon, adequate MSP and bonus given by the Government of India for both wheat and rice over the last several years, and even additional bonus announced by some of the State Governments have contributed to such a high level of stocks this year.

Against this scenario, the total storage capacity with FCI and state agencies as on 1.6.2011 is as follows  :

Figures in Lakh MTs

*Approx. Capacity on 31.03.2010 used for foodgrains. Storage capacity of State Agencies may not be very accurate.

Steps being taken to deal with the situation are as follows:-

Allocation and lifting

• Due to current high level of stocks of foodgrains in the Central Pool, in addition to normal annual allocations of foodgrains under TPDS and other welfare schemes, the Government has allocated an additional quantity of 50 lakh tonnes of foodgrains for BPL families in the month of May and another 50 lakh tonnes of foodgrainsfor APL families in the month of June.  Another 50 lakh tonnes of foodgrains will be allocated shortly for 150 poorer districts, as mandated by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, modalities of which are being worked out.
• To ensure that these additional allocations reach the targeted groups, the Government of India has been repeatedly emphasizing to State Governments to lift the additional allocated food grains and distribute the same expeditiously.
• The Government of India has also been continuously monitoring the lifting by State Governments and is also considering six months’ lump-sum allocation at a time for distribution to the targeted groups.
• This will help in faster evacuation of stocks from the Central Pool, particularly in States which have seen much higher level of procurement of wheat than was earlier expected, e.g., Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• Instructions have also been given to FCI that FCI depots in various States should have adequate quantity of stocks for being utilized by the State Governments.  For this purpose, optimum movement of foodgrains to different States, particularly to the deficit States is being ensured.

Proper upkeep of stocks

• The Government is taking all necessary steps to ensure that stocks are safely kept and proper quality control measures are taken for the same.
• State Governments have also been requested to issue suitable instructions for safe upkeep of stocks.
• FCI has also been directed to hire as much additional godown space from private sources as possible to supplement its efforts for proper storage of foodgrains.

Creation of storage capacity

• Government is taking steps to create new additional covered storage capacity of more than 152 lakh MTs across 19 States under the Private Enterpreneur Guarantee (PEG) Scheme with the help of privateenterpreneus, CWC and SWC with a 10-year guarantee by FCI.
• By March 2012, 40 lakh MTs of new covered storage capacity will be created under this scheme.
• The State Governments are also being requested to introduce similar guarantee scheme for their own storage needs through similar PPP model.
• An additional new capacity of 5.4 lakh tonnes is proposed to be created in the North Eastern States by Government of India under a special plan scheme.  This will ensure that at least four months’ stocks are kept in North Eastern States at any point of time.
• Instructions have also been given to FCI for introducing mechanization of foodgrains handling and optimum utilization of existing storage space with FCI and Government agencies.

Movement Plan

• The Ministry is in constant touch with Railway authorities to ensure that timely movement of foodgrains takes place to consuming/deficit States and to also free up storage space in the surplus States.

Revamping of Public Distribution System

• There is an ambitious programme for the revamping of PDS system currently on the anvil. The computerization of Public Distribution Data and making the PDS data ADHAR compatible are already afoot in various States. States like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chattisgarh are going ahead in this regard.

Foodgrains losses and damages

• Due to large handling of foodgrains undertaken by FCI and other Government agencies, some storage and transit loss do occur due to various reasons.  However, due to constant efforts being undertaken to reduce such losses, the storage and transit losses of FCI have come down over the years.  Furthermore, quantity of damaged foodgrains with FCI has also been continuously coming down.
• The damaged foodgrains with FCI, which was 2.12 lakh tonnes in 1999-2000 came down to 0.34 lakh tonnes in the year 2007-08 and only 0.07 lakh tonnes in the year 2009-10 and 0.06 lakh tonnes during 2010-11.

***

Since he started farming in 2002, Dhamala has relied on organic farming techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests. Organic farming excludes or strictly limits the use of manufactured fertilizers, pesticides (which include herbicides, insecticides and fungicides), plant growth regulators such as hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and genetically modified organisms.

He came to the notice of the State Horticulture Department when the then State Agriculture & Horticulture Minister, Somnath Poudyal visited his farm and was much impressed with his work.   From 2007, Dhamala started acquiring seeds of cucumber, bitter gourd, beans and ladyfingers along with other requirements like organic manure and pesticides from the Department.

The vision of State Government to make Sikkim an Organic State has helped his land acquire greater fertility. Earlier, not familiar with the organic farming methods resulted in the problems of pests and insects in the corps, but after embracing organic farming method,Dhamala says that production   of his farm has enhanced.

Dhamala is putting all his efforts to help the Government for achieving the goal of making Sikkim as an Organic State by 2015.  If it could happen then it would be an encouragement for the farmers and the production will automatically increase, he believes. He also opined that there should be security for the crops.

Besides horticulture,  livestock management and dairy farming helps him on two fronts-providing him steady supply of homemade organic manure and additional income. He has 10 cows of holiesten variety out of which five are milching that produce daily 50 litres of milk. He has also added a number of goats of Australian species to his livestock.

While the young farmer is doing well in horticulture, he is also facing the problem of marketing. But he remains satisfied with his annual profit of more than Rs.One lakh after meeting all the expenses. He has committed himself to farming and sharing about  hisknowledge and experience about organic farming with others. (PIB Features)

Sugarcane has been planted in 48.96 lakh hectare so far as compared to 45.65 lakh hectare at this point of time last year.

Cotton has been sown in 7.22 lakh hectare as compared to 6.5 lakh hectare last year.

Jute and Mesta have been sown in 7.74 lakh hectare (6.25 lakh hectare at this time last year).

Growing Area

Organic farming in India started receiving focused attention from 2004-05 when National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) was launched.  In 2004-05, area under organic farming was 42,000 hectares.  By March 2010 area  under  farming  had increased to 1.08 million hectares.  In addition, 3.40 million hectares is wild forest harvest collection area.  Thus total area under organic certification process by March, 2010 was 4.48 million hectares which is 25 fold increase in last 6 years.  In  cultivated organic land 7.56 lakh hectares is certified while 3.2 lakh hectare is under conversion.

The States doing well in organic farming are Madhya Pradesh(4.40lakh hectares), Maharashtra (1.50 lakh hectares) and Orissa (95,000 hectares), having largest area under organic.  Among crops cotton is the single  largest crop accounting for nearly 40 percent  of total area followed by rice, pulses, oilseeds and spices.  India is the largest organic cotton grower in world, and accounts for 50 percent share of total world organic cotton production.

Nearly 6.00 lakh  farmers under 920 grower groups produce 18.00 lakh tonnes of  different organic commodities valued  at Rs. 56-40 crores at farm gate price.  Out of 18 lakh  tonnesorganic produce, 54000 tonnes of produce valued at Rs. 561 crores was exported. Export of organic products has also grown steadily over the years.  Value of exports which was Rs. 301crores in 2006-07 has increased to 525.5 crores in 2009-10.

States Adopting Organic Farming

Nine States have drafted organic farming policies.  Out of these, four States viz;Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram have  declared  their intention to go 100 percent organic.  Sikkim has already converted nearly 40 percent of its total cultivated area under organic and has set target to convert entire State to organic by  2015.  Other States have also defined schemes to promote organic  farming.  Recently Bihar  has sanctioned a scheme worth Rs. 256 crores for promotion of organic farming for period 2010-11 to 2014-15.  This scheme is 100 percent State Plan Scheme and entire funds shall be borne by State Government.  The Scheme funded by  the Central Government will be in addition  to this scheme.

Promotion of Organic Farming

Organic farming is being promoted under National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF), National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

Regulatory Mechanism

For qualify assurance country has internationally acclaimed certification process in place for export, import and domestic markets.  Foreign Trade Development and Regulation Act for exports and Agriculture Produce Grading, Marketing  and Certification Act for domestic.

Assistance

Important components of assistance being  provided under NPOF inter-alia include assistance  to input production (large compost plants and bio-fertilizers),  Quality control of organic inputs,  Human resource development through trainings, PGS facilitation, Biological soil health assessment and awareness creation.

Main components under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and National Horticulture Mission (NHM) to assist organic farming are financial assistance to States for adoption and certification and financial assistance to States for vermin-compost production.

While need to maximize crop yield to meet the growing demand for food grains is critical, agricultural productivity has to be sustained in long run.  There has been a deterioration in soil health due to removal of crop residues and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers, aided by distorted prices.  To address these issues, the Government proposes to promote organic farming, methods, combining modern technology with traditional farming practices like green manuring, biological pest control and weed management.  These measures will give further push to organic farming. (PIB Features)

India’s population is estimated to touch 1.4 billion by 2020 and thus agricultural sector must grow by 4 per cent each year to support this huge number, according to a study on “Second Green Revolution: Role in Transforming Indian Agriculture” released by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and ICRISAT at a Global Summit on ‘Green Revolution II: Growth Engine for Transformation’ in Hyderabad.

“Indian agricultural sector needs to be revamped to meet future demand and nutritional security of this huge population. Next green revolution with a focus on holistic development of agri sector is imperative to support small, marginal farmers in sustaining their livelihood,” said Mr. Dilip Modi, President, ASSOCHAM.

“Provision for end-to-end services, solutions to problems faced by farmers and providing a linkage to market is significant to facilitate access to better technology and other resources,” added Mr. Modi.

Introduction to new technologies is required to realize the business potential and employment opportunities in agri sector to boost income from agri sector together with growth and development of the sector, says ASSOCHAM study.

“An inclusive market oriented approach can revolutionise India’s agricultural sector, lure youngsters to take it as a business venture and shun conventional career options and come up with better agricultural practices to improve productivity and quality,” said Mr. D.S. Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.

“Suitable technological advancements is the need of the hour to achieve new breakthroughs in agriculture. Besides, improving farmers’ skills will help diversify the sector and minimize risks involved and foster an ecosystem for innovations from within the agri community,” added Mr. Rawat.

The next green revolution should be focused on a convergence strategy involving significant roles for civil society, public sector and private sector to devise a mechanism together to sustain enhanced productivity, provide opportunities for agricultural growth and boost the economy.

Thus, revolution can leverage on strength of each sector to support almost 60 per cent of India’s population dependent on the sector as principal source of their livelihood, says the ASSOCHAM-ICRISAT study.

Investments in research and development (R&D) process enhances agricultural growth by a great extent and provides over 50 per cent return in research and extension process. The government has been under investing in agri sector considering only 0.5 per cent of India’s agricultural GDP is invested in R&D.

Investments in agricultural research and development process can be increased through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. A cost-sharing strategy can help minimize the financial woes of R&D in agri sector and encourage various stakeholders like local government, private sector to conduct agricultural research programs to inform and educate small-marginal, poor farmers about good production, says the study.

Such a mechanism would result in enhancing production of goods, services and technologies which cannot be produced alone by either of the sectors. PPP would effectively utilize global resources for development of sustainable agri system across India and good researchers for solving agricultural related problems, further points out the study.

Failed distribution system together with crippled post-harvest infrastructure leads to rotting of food grains. Thus, the next green revolution should focus on ensuring food and nutritional security to the masses especially, people living below poverty line constituting almost 30 per cent of India’s aggregate population, says the study.

Cropping pattern also needs to undergo transformation and to ensure nutritionally oriented cropping pattern, production technologies government should collaborate with nutrition and agricultural scientists, suggests ASSOCHAM-ICRISAT study.

Agency-wise, Commercial Banks with disbursal of Rs. 3.14 lakh crore are on the top followed by Cooperative Banks with 69 thousand crore and Regional Rural Banks with 43 thousand crore. Break up of credit financed by different agencies is as under:

(Rs. in crore)

The credit flow target for the current financial year ( 2011-12) has been fixed at Rs. 4.75 lakh crore. Banks have been asked to step up direct lending, especially to small and marginal farmers.

The Government has been providing crop loans at concessional interest rates since 2006-07. In the current financial year (2011-12), the government is providing interest subvention by 3%, thus bringing down the effective rate of interest to 4% per annum. This interest subvention is provided to those farmers who repay their short term crop loans on time. In 2009-10 the subvention rate for timely repayment of crop loans was 1% which was raised to 2% in 2010-11 and further to 3% this year.

Over the years, agriculture credit flow has registered significant jump. It has gone up from Rs. 86,981 crore in 2003-04 to Rs. 4,26,531 crore in 2010-11 which may be seen in the graph below:

Click here to see details

Land being the means of economic sustenance as well as emotional bedrock of the peasant, the moral dimension of its acquisition must not be ignored.

Rabindranath Tagore’s poem “Dui bigha jomi” (no connection with Bimal Roy’s classic film Do Bigha Zameen) poignantly expresses the anguish of a marginal farmer at losing his small farm of two bighas to an extortionist landlord. Having been forced to part with his land, the farmer migrates to a distant city. Returning after many years, he gets nostalgic about his land, which has since become a mango grove. He sits in the shade of a big mango tree to reminisce the good old days, when two ripe mangoes fall next to him. The farmer is overcome with emotion for he thinks the tree has gifted him its fruits in recognition of their old bonding.

FOR MORE READING. ..

Aided by higher wheat output, Punjab has set a new record in wheat procurement for the central pool, with crop purchases touching 107.43 lakh metric tonnes (MT) in the ongoing rabi marketing season.

Punjab had previously recorded an all-time high in wheat procurement for the central pool at 107.36 lakh MT in 2009-10.

The total crop procurement in Punjab has reached 107.70 lakh MT, out of which the contribution to the central pool is 107.43 lakh MT.

Procurement by private traders and for the Punjab state pool has reached 25,282 MT and 1,797 MT, respectively, a FCI official said in Chandigarh on Monday.

Punjab has kept a target for 110 lakh MT of wheat procurement this season, amid a foodgrain storage crisis.

“As about 26,000 MT of wheat is still arriving in the grain markets, the total procurement may reach 109 lakh MT,” an official said.

The record wheat procurement has been possible due to bumper wheat output prospects, with the state anticipating the highest-ever wheat production of 160 lakh MT this season on account of favourable weather conditions.

Notably, the highest-ever wheat output achieved by the state in the last 10 years was in 2008-09, at 157.33 lakh MT, followed by 157.16 lakh MT in 2007-08.

Because of extended cold conditions, wheat growers this year witnessed an increase in wheat yield by up to 2 quintals per hectare, which has boosted overall ouput, an official of the Punjab Agriculture Department said.

Meanwhile, wheat procurement for the central pool in the neighbouring state of Haryana has touched the 67.09 lakh tonne-mark, short of the record of 69.24 lakh MT in 2009-10.

Total wheat procurement in the state has reached 67.13 lakh MT, out of which 67.09 lakh MT is toward the central pool and rest was bought by private traders, an official of the Haryana Food and Supply department said.

Punjab has led the States by making record procurement of 108,47,828 tonne wheat followed by Haryana with 67,84,124 tonne. Madhya Pradesh have also surpassed the previous marks by procuring 40,04,477 tonne wheat. This year Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have also made significant procurement by purchasing 17, 04,338 tonne and 9,49,065 tonne respectively

Rice procurement in the Kharif Marketing season 2010-11 has also crossed the last year mark on the day. As on 20.5.2011, the procurement is 280,80,570 tonne while procurement last year on the day was 278,68,159 tonnes.

Studies on benefits and usefulness of bio-fertilizers on agriculture production reveal that on an average 10-20% increase in production can be realised by use of bio-fertilizers. In terms of nutrients, bio-fertilizers can provide 10-20 kg Nitrogen and can solublize 10-12 kg of P2 O5 per hectare per cropping season. Use of bio-fertilizers also improves soil health by helping other beneficial micro-organisms to grow.

Use of bio-fertilizers is being promoted through Integrated Nutrient Management, enhancing awareness and field demonstration.

Financial Support for establishment of bio-fertilizer production units is also provided under the National Project on Organic Farming as back-ended subsidy of 25%, restricted to Rs. 40 lakh, through NABARD.

Bio-fertilizers are products containing living micro-organisms which are agriculturally useful. Most commonly produced and marketed bio-fertilizers are Rhizobium, Azotobacter and Azospirillum and one such bio-fertilizer is phosphate solubilizer, called Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria (PSB).

With SIMFED (Sikkim State Cooperative and Marketing Federation), a State Government subsidiary and NERAMAC (North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited), a Government of India enterprise partnering in procuring and marketing of oranges from Sikkim, the value return that the producers could get has been very much encouraging.

Mandarin orange has been one of the important commercial fruit of Sikkim being cultivated since time immemorial. According to a rough estimate, Sikkim has nearly 6 thousand hectares of area under orange plantation which produces on an average of 1667 kg/hectare.The advent of Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan State, a centrally sponsored scheme, rapid area expansion has been initiated with a set target to double the area under orange cultivation. Orange farmers/producers are being provided with financial assistance for maintenance and area expansion of orange orchards.

Apart from the financial assistance, the Department of Horticulture and cash crop, Government ofSikkim, has also been providing the enterprising farmers and producers with planting materials, bio-pesticides and fungicides, tools and equipment, intensive training and exposure visit to National Research Centre for citrus at Nagpur and other progressive farmers’ field. With a remarkable progress made in terms of area expansion and ray of hope coming in the direction of high returns, a number of nurseries have been established for producing healthy and quality planting materials, while tissue culture laboratories in the private sectors has also been supplementing the requirement of quality planting materials.

The Department of Horticulture and cash crops has also identified areas best suited for area expansion under the mission for rejuvenation of orange cultivation and production. Concentrated focus to provide missing link taking into account the entire gamut for its enhancement has been put to practice. And with the Government declaration of making Sikkim a fully organic state by the year 2015, emphasis is being laid on providing bio-organic input for cultivation and production of this fruit.

It is interesting to note that in the last quarter of the year 2009, Export Import Bank of India (EXIM) had recommended to the State government for rejuvenation of orchards of about 20 years of age, gradual replanting of the older ones, soil reclamation and manuring around the tree and planting of new orchards with saplings from certified nursery that can go a long way in helping to realize the untapped export potential of mandarin orange.The report also had pointed out that processing of mandarin oranges in the form of juices, squash, marmalade and jam is critical as it results in increased shelf life and a far higher per unit value realization. Such processing lends itself to easy transportation thereby facilitating its exports.

The Bank had summed up its study on mandarin orange export potential of Sikkim by concluding that a facility needs to be established for sorting, grading and processing of mandarin oranges and other horticulture products which could be simultaneously used so as to achieve optimal utilization of the unit. This would entail creating an enabling environment for private sector investments in the State, it said.

The Bank also noted in its report that Sikkim is ideally suited to the extension of acreage under orange as the State has favorable topography and climate.The Bank had in its recommendation also called for setting up an autonomous board for mandarin growers which would act as a nodal point for extension work, help in farmer education and work closely with farmers’ cooperatives to improve farm management practices and the quality of farm produce. The board could also help with credit, marketing and information on the market, the bank had suggested.

With all such positive indicators in all the areas of orange cultivation and production, and projected drastic fall in the exports of mandarin oranges from China, it is for sure that with guided policy intervention and development of required infrastructure, Sikkim can initiate to exploit this void in the global market.(PIB Features)

*Freelance Journalist

The workshop deliberated on the challenges faced by agriculture and allied sectors in the North East with the following aims:

• to establish a network of farmers’ field schools, rural labour group enterprises and women SHGs for the introduction and diffusion of ecologically and socially just practices of sustainable agriculture
• formulate a plan for the preparation and production of learning materials for cultivators and rural labour
• deliberate on the policy interventions to be undertaken for advocacy on the subject with the central and state governments and
• plan for a jatha for environment building to be taken up with the help of the network proposed to be set up for the diffusion of the idea of establishment of farmers’ field schools, rural labour group enterprises and women SHGs in the states of North East.

UNIQUE

INITIATIVES

A field trip was organised for the delegates to the paddy fields where the system of rice intensification (SRI) is being practiced and to the land developed and handed over to the tribal people as well as other traditional forest dwellers under the Forest Rights Act. Under the SRI with better agronomic practices, Tripura has managed to enhance productivity sustainably and 76,000 hectares of cultivable paddy lands have been brought under this method of cultivation. This is 31 per cent of total paddy area. More than 7 lakh farmers are engaged in this method of cultivation. In 2011-12, it is to be expanded to one lakh hectares. This system has enhanced productivity from the 3 tonnes/hectare under conventional method to more than 5 tonnes/hectare. Some farmers have also managed to get around 9 tonnes/hectare. The policy of developing seed villages and certified seed growers or seed guarantors has also ensured that Tripura which was dependent on outside agencies for paddy seeds is now seed surplus as far as high yielding varieties of paddy is concerned and also exporting to other states.

Under the Forest Rights Act, an area of about 1, 77,000 hectares has been distributed to 1,17,000 tribal beneficiaries. While a part of this land will be brought under zero tillage for agriculture a large part is being developed with horticultural crops to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the beneficiaries. This will retain their symbiotic relationship with the forest and also ensure their socio-economic development while conserving the ecological balance of the area. The Tripura government has taken up a programme to develop the lands given to tribals and other traditional forest dwellers under the FRA with horticultural crops like guava, papaya, pineapple, mango intercropped with leguminous crops which naturally fix nitrogen and providing irrigation facilities. Bamboo cultivation is also being encouraged on these lands. Tripura has been acclaimed for its excellent effort at implementation of the FRA. The delegates from other North Eastern states were impressed by the unique initiatives of the Tripura government on these fronts.

Representatives from the AIKS, the All Mizoram Farmers’ Union, the Naga Farming Association, Gana Mukti Parishad, Rashtriya Gramin Viksa Nidhi, Manipur Rongmei Naga Baptist Association, Manipur Kisan Sabha attended the workshop. The representatives of the Naga Farming Association traveled all the way from Tuensang in eastern Nagaland by road and reached Agartala after six days to take part in the workshop. The organic products like soyabean, rajma, jobs-tear, millets and ginger cultivated by them were also brought and exhibited. The huge size of the Nadia ginger evoked curiosity from all the delegates and the Tripura horticulture department took the Naga delegates for a live demonstration of their cultivation method at the research station.

Another important highlight of the workshop concerned experience sharing by the people’s science movement (PSM) groups on bio-farming, non-pesticide management of crops like cotton and chilly. The delegates deliberated on the challenges facing the ICAR, agricultural universities and government departments. The response offered by the ICAR scientists, agricultural universities and government departments to the proposals made on the basis of experience of PSM experiments was extremely positive. It was heartening to note that they were ready to collaborate with the farmers’ organisations and people’s science movements to build a movement which is active on the ground for the introduction of location-specific practices of sustainable agriculture.

INTEGRATED AGENDA

FOR AGRICULTURE

The workshop recommended that in order to institutionalise the practices of sustainable agriculture, it would be worthwhile for the state governments and local self-governing institutions to switch to area based development strategies. The state governments were called upon to take to strategies that are ecologically and socially just and sustainable and are embedded in the area specific common action plan. The workshop asked the state governments to develop area development based plans that also integrate the components based on the goal of meeting the local demands of nutrition, food self-sufficiency, sustainability and exportability within the North Eastern region. It was noted that if the true aspirations of peoples are to be currently addressed by the governments, the efforts of all line departments/developmental agencies should be coherently integrated. In the twelfth Five Year plan the state governments were advised to work on the basis of an integrated agenda for agriculture and allied sectors. The governments were asked to give up on the mindset of working in silos. It was noted that to bring this change in their mindset the Governments should forbid the line departments from working separately. They should make the departments to work on mainly those targets that have been derived from collectively prepared area development based plans. Inter-sectoral linkages should be built up by strengthening the process of preparation of area specific action plan and by abandoning the practice of depending on a individually worked out department wise target for that area.  It was noted that as rural development department is at the moment shouldering the responsibility of rural development but in essence it is not working on the basis of area based development plans in most of the North Eastern states. The governments should ensure the incorporation of components as per the people’s demands from the sectors of agriculture/horticulture/ARDD/ fisheries etc while framing an action plan for a specific area.  In the event of selection of beneficiaries, a line department as an experimental basis should have the freedom to choose 25 per cent of beneficiaries for developing demonstration plots / units in that area so that a comparative study with regards to the applicability and utility of this approach can be made.

It is further planned to collaborate with the ICAR and universities and government departments to build a movement which is active on the ground for the introduction of location-specific practices of sustainable agriculture. It has been decided to hold another workshop on shifting cultivation and redeveloped jhum in June involving practicing Jhumias from the different North Eastern states. State-wise workshops are also planned to disseminate the recommendations of the workshop. A jatha programme is planned in 2012 to take forward the suggestions of the workshop. The workshop undoubtedly was a significant beginning. The gains have to be consolidated and efforts have to be made to disseminate the best practices to the widest possible sections of the cultivating peasantry. The proposed workshop on shifting cultivation and redeveloped jhum as well as state-wise workshops and development of learning materials in regional languages and its dissemination is a step forward in the direction of promoting sustainable agricultural practices and making agriculture viable in the North East.

Conditions for allowing foreign investment for production and development of seeds and planting material have been liberalised. The government has granted unjustifiable concessions to the MNCs and has allowed 100 per cent FDI in development of seeds, horticulture, planting materials and services related to agro and allied sectors where the entry route is automatic and unrestricted. Floriculture, horticulture, vegetable cultivation, mushrooms, pisciculture, aquaculture and animal husbandry including poultry and rearing of animals under intensive farming systems under controlled conditions have been fully opened up for foreign agribusinesses that are purely driven by profit motive. This is bound to seriously compromise the interests of millions of peasants engaged in dairying, poultry and other such activities for their livelihood.

The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) is of the opinion that the latest government’s move will lead to an accelerated dismantling of the National Seeds Corporation and the system of making quality seeds available to the peasantry at affordable rates. Indian seed manufacturers will be adversely affected and peasants would be at the mercy of the MNCs for the supply of seeds. There will be no control over seed prices or royalty and seed monopolies will be further strengthened. Dangerously, FDI has now been permitted in the development and production of seeds and planting material, without the stipulation of having to do so under “controlled conditions.” This could have serious implications and the possibility of contamination of strains in the case of open field trials as well as compromising our biodiversity cannot be altogether ruled out.

In the plantation sector also in tea plantations, 100 per cent FDI has been allowed. This could spark a wave of takeovers of small plantations and the possibility of future land use change to indulge in real estate speculative activities is also open. The lives of millions of small players and plantation workers (a large number of them tribals) will also be put into peril. States like Kerala, Tamilnadu, Bengal, Assam, Tripura and other north eastern states will be adversely affected by this move.

This premier organisation along with the state agricultural education universities (SAUs) plays a critical role in determining the quality of agricultural higher education in the country.

However, the ICAR and the SAUs are in deep crisis and questions are being raised over their abilities to cope with the new challenges.

The higher education goals in agriculture and its allied disciplines do not reflect the potential it enjoys in an agricultural country like India. At present, there are only 30,000 students in the 50-odd university-level agricultural institutions and there are hardly any institutes that offer courses on agri-entrepreneurship.

FOR MORE READING. .

FOR MORE READING. . .

In the first half of 2010-11, farm sector has achieved growth of 3.8%, rebounding from -0.1% and 0.4% in the preceding two years.  The full-year growth in farm sector is estimated to be 5.4%. Substantial expansion in area and production of major crops has been witnessed in both kharif and rabi seasons.  In the Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture), the Department has expressed satisfaction over the growth of investment and capital formation in agriculture in the recent past. As per the Annual Report, the total expenditure in the first four  years of  the  Eleventh Plan is estimated
to be Rs. 44,413 crore, up from Rs. 14,952 crore in the entire 5 year period of the Tenth Plan.  The Gross Capital Formation, or investment, in agriculture sector related to GDP in this sector has shown a substantial increasing trend from 15.8% in 2005-06 to 22.3% in 2009-10. In absolute terms, the capital formation in agriculture and allied activities in 2009-10 was over Rs. 1.3 lakh crore.  As per the Central Statistical Organisation’s estimates, the share of agriculture in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen from 17.4% in 2006-07 to 14.2% in 2011-11.  Agriculture Ministry feels that the falling share of agriculture in GDP is an expected outcome in a fast growing and structurally changing economy.

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Government has been implementing National Food Security Mission-pulses in 16 major pulses producing states in the country to enhance the production and productivity of pulses in the country.

Besides, Accelerated Pulses Production Programme (A3P) was also launched from Kharif, 2010 as a part of NFSM-Pulses for demonstration of Production and Protection Technologies as Village Level Compact Blocks for enhanced production and productivity of pulses as well as motivating farmers for increased investment in promoting pulses production. Assistance is also being provided to the farmers under other crop development programmes such as Integrated development of 60,000 villages of Pulses, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Macro Management of Agriculture (MMA) & “Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India” (BGEI) for enhancing agricultural production including that of pulses.

In 2010-11, in addition to above mentioned schemes, two new programmes relating to bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India and integrated development of 60000 Pulses and Oilseeds Villages in rainfed areas have been initiated under RKVY. National Food Security Mission has been strengthened with the merger of pulses component of ISOPOM and inclusion of two new potential States of Assam andJharkhand for Pulses production. A new programme Accelerated Pulses Productionprogramme (A3P) in the form of block demonstrations has been started to cover 1000 unit of 1000 hectare each of five pulses crops in 16 pulses growing States of the country.

Government has approved following crop production targets (Kharif/Rabi) for the year 2010-11.

(Million Tonnes)