Agriculture and Agro Industries

[ChennaiIndian]

Cross-posting from TN thread. Courtesy: தமிழன்

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle4171363.ece



Strong co-operative, pvt sector absorb production
CHENNAI, DEC. 6:
With nearly 70 lakh litres of milk being handled daily by the cooperative and the organised players in the private sector, Tamil Nadu has emerged the second largest dairy player after Gujarat.

Though a far second, with cooperative in Gujarat alone handling 1.2 crore litres of milk, two of the largest players in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation and the private sector Hatsun Agro Product Ltd together procure nearly 50 lakh litres of milk directly from dairy farmers.

According to industry sources, on going flush season is seeing a rapid increase in milk production and the co-operative and private sector has managed to keep procurement going even as in neighbouring States the dairy industry is declaring a ‘procurement holiday’.

Following a review last week, the Dairy Development Department had announced that co-operatives in Tamil Nadu were procuring about 27 lakh litres of milk daily. The milk is sold as liquid, packeted milk and processed into various dairy products. In the private sector, Hatsun Agro procures about 21-24 lakh litres of milk daily and according to the Tamil Nadu Dairy Association, which represents over 100 small dairy companies that sell branded milk in packets, some of them procure up to 25,000-50,000 litres daily. While for the large players this is an opportunity to expand their procurement base to grow the business, the smaller players are also growing though there is some short-term pressure on maintaining procurement.

...

[wO_Ow]

Year of rice for India

During October 2011-September 2012, India, for the first time, positioned itself as the largest exporter of rice, by shipping out 10 million tonnes — from private stocks and by private parties. India went ahead of the world’s major exporting nations — Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan — numerically and qualitatively.

The export performance this time is marked by some special features — not only were Indian prices competitive and Thailand’s recent policies regressive, but perhaps most significantly, old market players were gradually being replaced by new ones. Indian exporters were spreading their wings to replace old players represented by MNCs.

THE PAST (1980-2008)

Historically, Indian basmati rice (fragrant or aromatic variety) export started in 1980-90s when substantial quantities were sent to the erstwhile Soviet Union and the Gulf countries.

The cereal was sourced from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, including the current region of Uttarakhand. Trade with Soviet Union served the purpose of balancing the bilateral trade with India.

Between 1990 and 2008, the country’s rice production increased from 73 million tonnes to 95 million tonnes. Almost 90 per cent of the output is non-basmati rice. Export of basmati and non-basmati rice ranged between 2 million tonnes and 5 million tonnes per annum. Non-basmati was procured both from private and FCI stocks.

For basmati rice, Indian millers and traders like Kohinoor, KRBL, Amira, Shivnath, LT Overseas, Navbharat, BSRK and many others catered directly to Gulf countries, including the most coveted buyers in Saudi Arabia, in break bulk and container shipments.

However, Indian exporters lacked financial muscle, access to the overseas market of non-basmati rice and the ability to sell on C&F basis/charter vessels.

Therefore, business between 1900 and 2005 was done through traders or MNCs based in New York, Geneva, Singapore and Bangkok. Some of these traders are Continental Grains, Glencore, G. Premjee, Louis Dreyfus, Ascot, Cargill, Novel Commodities, ORCO, Agrocorp, Noble Grains, Olam, Concordia, Phoneix Commodities and others, who bought break-bulk (bagged ship loads) cargoes on FOB basis for the Far East (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines), South Asia (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) and Africa (Senegal, Ivory coast, Guinea, Mali, Benin, Tanzania, Kenya, Congo, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and others).

These intermediaries sourced the then popular varieties PR106 and IR64 (long grain) and Pant 4 (P4) of 25 per cent or 100 per cent broken grains, added their margins, freight and carrying costs, before selling to the local trade abroad.

They successfully pitched India against Vietnam, Myanmar, and Pakistan for price advantage, squeezed profitability of Indian shippers and hammered down dollar realisation.

Nigeria and South Africa are premium markets for 5 per cent broken parboiled rice that was serviced by private traders like Kohinoor, Emmsons, Shivnath and millers based in Kakinada (AP).

The clout of miller-exporters of Andhra Pradesh like Sri Ramalingeshwara and Sri Lalitha, who set up modern sortexing facilities for parboiled rice in early 2000 and benefit from adjacent port facilities, has been steadily increasing for top-end specifications. Export from Kakinada is mainly of IR64 and 1001 gene. Kolkata-based traders serviced Bangladesh via land and sea route, some of the prominent names being R. Piayre Lal, LMJ, VK Udyog, PKS Exports for 15-16 per cent parboiled rice.

THE PRESENT (2011 ONWARDS)

The leanest period of activity was February 2008 to September 2011, when the Government imposed a prohibition on non-basmati rice export. After resumption of exports in September 2011, there has been a huge change. Some of the MNCs of the 1990s, named above, had either ceased to exist long ago or were replaced by new entities.

Some others retained a passive market presence. Meanwhile, Indian private exporters have been trading proactively. Russia or CIS countries are virtually absent as buyers.

Exporters of Delhi, Kakinada, Mumbai, Kolkata and millers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh are vigorously sourcing/bulking well milled rice from the States of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, economising on domestic freight and taking export positions by chartering vessels to destinations in Asia and Africa.

They obtain liberal financial assistance from banks or from central PSUs. This has stabilised paddy prices and kept the millers of the eastern region in business.

The participation of MNCs and international traders has been considerably marginalised. This strategy provides better price realisation and direct contact with end-buyers. The current assertiveness has diminished the share of Pakistan and Vietnam in African and Middle -Eastern markets.

However Vietnam continues to enjoy pre-eminence in the Far Eastern region, with China, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia preferring the produce of the ASEAN region.

India still remains an alternate option for them. Indonesian buying agency BULOG is not at ease with doing repeat business, as some shippers have failed to meet contracted delivery deadlines.

The challenge before the rice trade is to meet the expectations of Far Eastern nations, including China, for non-basmati. (China now buys Indian basmati and Pakistani non-basmati.) China emerged as the second largest importer of rice last year and procured most of its supplies from Vietnam, Pakistan and Myanmar.

India remained a non-entity for China due to political reasons. Pakistan made full use of its political proximity and exported close to 800,000 tonnes. A diplomatic initiative is required for India’s entry in the non-basmati segment of China.

African and West Asian countries are favourably inclined to deal with Indian counterparties like KRBL, Ramalingeshwara, Lalitha Export, Sarla Foods, Emmsons, LT Overseas, Amira, Shivnath, Best Foods, to name a few, and treat them at par with MNCs.

The reason -- local traders can exercise better control on local procurement by aggregating smaller lots competitively and have expertise in dealing with shipping companies and vessel owners. Domestic outfits of MNCs are not able to do the same, despite financial liquidity. African markets (except Nigeria and South Africa) are highly price-sensitive.

The export of 25 per cent broken variety, elimination of third party, and freight advantage vis-a-vis Far Eastern origins, amounts to lower overall cost for Africa.

The grip of Kolkata based parties in Bangladesh continues to be firm. Indian traders have also commenced “stock and sale” operation in Bangladesh and Africa through their local companies or associates — an activity that was absent in the past. 1121 basmati, which is cheaper than traditional basmati by 40-50 per cent, has caught the fancy of Gulf countries, especially Iran, which was earlier seeking fragrant varieties from Thailand. PR106 gene is replaced by PR11 or other modified classes. IR64 and IR8 types, which are cheaper than PR, are treated at par with long grain rice.

Kandla port was the hub in 1990-2007, while the current activity for non-basmati rice is more focused on Kakinada port, which, however, is heavily congested.

With repeat shipments between sellers and buyers, it is easier to settle claims or counterclaims of shortages or demurrage/dispatches. Quality-related claims have declined with better milling and latest sortexing technology.

Policymakers need to keep the trade free, without intervention of outdated ideas of quantitative restrictions, minimum export price, release orders or canalisation. The Indian success story in rice export can be emulated with respect to other commodities.

(Narang is a commodity analyst. Singh is rice trader in Emmsons International Ltd, New Delhi.)

[murlee]

[wO_Ow]

Bumper wheat harvest may push grain stock to 100 mt

[karkal]

From Taran Taran to Tbilisi, in search of a farming paradise

[karkal]

Private sector’s White Revolution

India’s dairy sector growth in the past two decades has been mainly due to the private sector.

India produced over 127 million tonnes (mt) of milk in 2011-12, as against 58 mt recorded for 1992-93. The base year is important, for that was when the dairy industry was de-licensed and the private sector allowed to freely establish capacities, subject to registration and other regulatory requirements under the Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992.

Till that happened, the country hardly had any large organised private dairies, barring the odd Nestle India or Milkfood Ltd. But after 1992, a host of small and medium corporates entered the business.

THE NEW ENTRANTS

Today, apart from the two above-mentioned names, there are at least seven other private sector players — Hatsun Agro, Heritage Foods, Tirumala Milk Products, VRS Foods, Sterling Agro Industries, Dynamix Dairy Industries and Bhole Baba Dairy Industries — each handling 10 lakh litres per day (llpd) or more of milk.

In addition, there are a host of others — including Parag Milk Foods, Prabhat Dairy, Chitale Dairy, Dodla Dairy, Creamline Dairy Products, SMC Foods, Modern Industries and Gopaljee Dairy Foods — doing between 5 and 10 llpd.

In 2011-12, cooperative dairies put together procured an average 280 llpd of milk, whereas the organised private industry, covering those handling 50,000 litres and upwards, would have accounted for 350 llpd or more. That works out to a 55:45 ratio in favour of private dairies.

The private sector having overtaken the cooperatives today is a fact implicitly admitted even by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). To quote from its Annual Report of 2010-11 (page 8): “It is estimated that the capacity created by them (private dairies) in the last 15 years equals that set up by cooperatives in over 30 years”.

WITHOUT HANDOUTS

The remarkable thing about this growth of private dairies is that it has come about without any subsidies or Operation Flood programme support. The processing capacities created have largely been on the strength of risk capital and entrepreneurial initiative — and with hardly any investment from multinationals!

As regards the cooperatives, the NDDB data shows that out of their total average milk procurement of 287.06 lakh kg per day in 2011-12, more than 51 per cent was accounted for by two federations: Gujarat’s Amul (104.5) and Karnataka’s Nandini (42.77).

In 2000-01, their share was only 39 per cent, which points to cooperatives facing virtual extinction or stagnation in most other States, especially the Hindi heartland or ‘Cow Belt’.

Two things emerge from this analysis. The first is that the country’s milk output has more than doubled since 1992-93.

Coming on a higher base, it is a spectacular achievement — no less compared to the increase from 22.2 mt to 58 mt registered between 1970-71 and 1992-93. That, of course, coincided with Operation Flood, launched in 1970. But unlike the Operation Flood programme built around cooperatives, much of the production growth and creation of fresh processing capacities after 1992-93 has been powered by the private sector.

STEP-MOTHERLY TREATMENT

What is unfortunate, though, is the refusal of our policymakers to acknowledge this fact. The contribution by organised private dairies to the recent growth of India’s dairy sector is yet to be fully recognised, leave alone incorporated into the official policymaking framework.

It is precisely the inability to reconcile to the new reality that explains why the corporate sector has been left out of the National Dairy Plan (NDP) — a Central scheme aimed at increasing the productivity of our milch animals to keep up with rising domestic milk demand.

This plan, being implemented by NDDB, envisages an investment of Rs 2,242 crore during 2011-12 to 2016-17.

The NDP covers only cooperatives or so-called producer companies, and not private dairies wanting to invest in backend extension and development activity — genetic upgradation of the cows or buffaloes being milked, improving fodder and feeding practices, teaching farmers to take better care of the health and nutrition of their animals, and promoting selective mechanisation to save on labour.

There is no logic to exclude the private sector from any plan that seeks to make dairies work closer with their farmer-suppliers.

Some of us already do it: My company today procures 20 llpd of milk, roughly a quarter of which comes from Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri, two backward districts of Tamil Nadu that were once Naxalite-prone as well.

Yet, the official indifference to private dairies extends even to day-to-day policy decision-making. Take the ban on export of milk powder and casein imposed twice in the last five years, alongside permitting import of up to one lakh tonnes of powder at zero duty.

The export ban especially impacted private dairies, who had worked hard to develop export markets only to find this window closing all of a sudden. And what has been the result?

Only the other day, the Government declared that cooperatives alone are saddled with 1.12 lakh tonnes of powder stocks, equivalent to more than 40 days of their total milk procurement.

To bail them out, the Centre is now giving a subsidy of Rs 20/kg for converting the entire surplus powder into milk, which can then be re-processed back into powder to enable longer shelf-life.

Wouldn’t it have made better sense, instead, to extend the same subsidy on exports, so that surplus powder — whether produced by cooperatives or private dairies — goes out of the country?

That would, then, induce dairies to procure more milk rather than turning farmers down. You can’t really blame dairies for resorting to that, when skimmed milk powder prices have collapsed from Rs 180 to Rs 140/kg in the last one year.

A NEW DAIRY VISION

We desperately need a new vision for Indian dairying today that takes into account all its different stakeholders, including private dairies. All of us will have to work together to develop this sector.

Milk, after all, is one produce that is easily marketable and is a great source of liquidity for meeting the day-to-day consumption needs of rural households. Its price is relatively stable and doesn’t spring surprises compared to the volatility exhibited by most other crops.

Also, it is produced in almost every State, irrespective of the agro-climatic regime, and we have — thanks to the original model developed by Verghese Kurien and tailored to our conditions — systems for collecting milk from millions of fragmented producers.

A new vision for the Indian dairy sector would mean doing away with knee-jerk export bans or skewed policies benefiting only cooperatives, such as doling out a Rs 2/litre subsidy on milk procurement (which the Karnataka Government does) or a Rs 20/kg reprocessing subsidy on powder (as recently announced by the Centre). Neither consumer nor farmers benefit from policies that only protect and preserve inefficient cooperative monopolies.

But is our Government ready to accept that?

(The author is Chairman and Managing Director of Hatsun Agro Product Ltd.)

[karkal]

President Presents Krishi Karman Awards to States, Farmers for Outstanding Performance in 2011-12

President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee today presented Krishi Karman Awards to eight States for their achievements in foodgrains production in 2011-12. Ten States were given commendation awards.

Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland received the awards for special contribution to total foodgrains production. Bihar received the award for contribution to production and productivity of rice, Haryana for wheat, Jharkhand for pulses and Uttar Pradesh for coarse cereals. Punjab, Uttarakhand, Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh received commendation awards.

The awards were received by Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Manipur and Agriculture Ministers/ Agriculture Secretaries of other States.

For the first time one female and one male farmer from the eight award winning States were also given awards for their outstanding performance.

Congratulating the award winning States and farmers, President highlighted the challenges faced by the agriculture sector, and expressed the hope that the strategies adopted in the recent past and new technologies would further strengthen this sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Minister Shri Sharad Pawar said: “There are two significant developments in production of foodgrains in the country in 2011-12. One, there is broadening of the food production basket, with as many as 18 States qualifying for awards with record production in the year. Second, there is a definite shift in production base with inclusion of hitherto low productivity States like Madhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Nagaland in the award winners list ahead of many better known names in foodgrains production. Krishi Karman Awards are serving their purpose in letter and in spirit by highlighting the good work in relatively unsung places.”


Shri Sharad Pawar also reiterated the government’s resolve to achieve 4% agricultural growth in the 12th Five Year Plan. Explaining the government’s strategy he said: “While primary responsibility of agriculture development is of the State Government, we would fully back their efforts through financial and programmatic support. We would pursue our strategy of diversifying the food production base with special efforts in the Eastern parts of the country and to develop agriculture as appropriate in respective agro ecological regions. Sufficient scope still exists to further increase foodgrains production, as huge yield gaps still persist and there is regional imbalance in agriculture development in the country and within States. We are poised to move ahead with more innovative approaches to reach out to farmers with better technologies and reformed policy measures. There is no reason why we can’t maintain and improve on current levels of production of foodgrains.”

Background

Krishi Karman Awards were instituted in 2010-11 for recognizing the meritorious efforts of States in foodgrain production. The awards announced now - for 2011-12 - will be presented by the President tomorrow to Chief Ministers or Agriculture Ministers of these States.

The awards are given to best performing States in two broad sets, one for the total foodgrain production and the other for individual foodgrain crops of rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals. States for total foodgrains category are further divided into three categories based on total foodgrain production capacity of the State.

Award winning States get a trophy, a citation and cash award. The cash award is Rs. 2 crores for total foodgrain production and Rs. 1 crore for each of the four individual crops. Commendation award winners get a cash prize of Rs. 25 lakh. Individual farmers get Rs. one lakh besides a trophy and citation.

A selection committee headed by Secretary (Agriculture and Cooperation) assessed the performance of States against criteria that took into account production outcomes, implementation of crop production programs and innovative approaches adopted for effective service delivery.

Details of the performance of award winning States in 2011-12 over the best in the previous five years are given below:

http://investinindia.com/news/presid...rmance-2011-12

[hakz2007]

INDIA’S MADURAI MALLI JASMINE FLOWERS RECEIVE RECOGNITION

CHENNAI, Tamil Nadu state, India Jan 19 (NNN-Bernama) -- Madurai Malli, the internationally reputed jasmine flowers grown in and around the south Indian temple town of Madurai, has been awarded the geographical indication (GI) tag.

Geographical indications are traditional products produced by rural communities over generations that have gained a reputation on the markets for their specific qualities.

Read more

[wO_Ow]

Govt okays open policy for export of processed foods

The Government on Thursday decided to allow uninterrupted export of processed or value-added agricultural products in the event of a ban or restriction on shipments of basic farm produce.

The uninterrupted export of such processed food products is expected to be regulated by duty. The list of exportable goods includes processed foods from agricultural commodities, such as wheat, rice, onion and milk.

Exports of processed or value-added products constitute a miniscule portion of overall exports and hence, their continuation would not affect the availability in the domestic market owing to very marginal processing capacity in the country, an official statement said.

“An always open policy of this sector will not only help reduce wastage of perishable products but also encourage value addition,” the statement said.

Exports of agricultural and processed foods have almost doubled to Rs 86,018 crore in 2011-12 from Rs 43,727 crore in 2011-12.

With respect to farm product exports, India’s image has been that of an irregular supplier due to the frequent ban on shipments of grains and milk products in the past few years. The Government has opened up export of rice and wheat since September 2011 and has emerged a large exporter of these commodities since then.

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Govt to invest more in space tech, meteorology to aid farming

New Delhi, Jan. 22:

The Government plans to invest more in leveraging space technology for meteorology and agriculture use over the next five years.

“The 12th Plan is going to invest more in space technology for meteorological and agricultural use to change the way in which the farmer can do farming and the Government can reach farmers,” said Abhijit Sen, Planning Commission member.

Speaking at an Assocham event, Sen stressed on the need for more investment in research and development.

He called for better co-ordination between the Department of Space, Meteorological Department and Department of Agriculture in areas such as data collection among others.

He attributed the significant growth in agriculture over the past five years to the turnaround brought about by the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), introduced during the 11th Plan in 2007.

The agriculture growth rate has increased to 3.5 per cent, while it hovered between 2 and 2.5 per cent before 2005.

Sen said the Planning Commission would soon add a public-private partnership (PPP) component to the RKVY to allow better and more decentralised decision-making.

Cereals inflation

Speaking to reporters later, Sen said inflation in cereals was still high despite high foodgrain stocks.

Exports should not be a knee-jerk reaction to handle high food stocks, he added. Foodgrain stocks in the Central pool at the beginning of the year stood at 66.6 million tonnes, more than thrice the buffer requirement of 20 million tonnes.

The Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Ramkrishna Kusmariya, stressed on the need to shift to organic farming to handle issues such as low productivity, rising input costs and pests and diseases among others.

From manual to machine harvesting
National Mission on Food Processing at various stages in different states

[Krishnamoorthy K]

‘Geo-info services in agriculture gaining traction ’

Hyderabad, Jan. 22:

Shailesh Nayak, Secretary in the Department of Earth Sciences, has said that the GIS-based agro-meteorological services have taken roots in the country, with over 35 lakh farmers subscribing to the service.

Addressing the inaugural session of the three-day India Geospatial Forum here on Tuesday, he said the growth and environmental management did not have to be in conflict despite the fact that economic growth is based on use of natural resources.

“Some of the key requirements pertaining to natural resource management are, responding to changing water cycles, linking rivers and sustainable climate management,” he said.

The conference is being attended by representatives from Geographical Information systems (GIS) industry. Geospatial Media and Communications, is organising the event in association with Survey of India, Indian Space Research Organisation and National Remote Sensing Centre.

Danam Nagender, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Labour and Employment, asked the industry to evolve solutions that can address the needs of the poor.

Dorine Burmanje, Chair of Executive Board of Cadastre (Land Registry and Mapping Agency) of the Netherlands, said that geospatial information was not just about data collection.

“With technology such as smart phones becoming available to more people, the role and importance of geo-info is undergoing a sea change. People are asking for more transparency in information and there is a greater requirement for public private co-operation,” he said.

kurmanath.kanchi@thehindu.co.in

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Share of agriculture in GDP on decline

Mysore, Jan 30, 2013, DHNS:

The share of agriculture in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has dipped from 36.4 per cent in 1982-83 to 14.2 per cent in 2010-11, said India: Issues and Challenges’ by S Rajendran, professor of economics at Periyar University, Salem.

In his key-note address delivered at the national conference on ‘Inclusive Agriculture Growth in , the challenges and opportunities for agriculture in the country was dealt at length.

Rajendran attributed the decline to a decrease in remunerations in the farm enterprise, increase in farmer migration, farmer suicides and the growth in rural distress of the country.

To revive the situation of farmers and agriculture in the country, he said, “ the marginalised and small farmers, agricultural labourers, women farm workers and Dalit agriculture workers are to be included in realising the benefits from agriculture sector.”

He said that ‘administration disasters’ of the country, coupled with natural and man-made disasters have also contributed to the woes of the farmer in our nation.

Commenting on the much debated Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail, he said that besides economics, there were political and ideological issues that influenced policy making on FDI. “Wider debate is needed to include every stakeholder in this crucial issue,” he said.

India has more potential to improve the efficiency of crops in productivity and animal husbandry, which can be achieved through sustained attempt by the policy, institutional and technological aides, he said.

“To accelerate the pace of farm growth, building rural roads and strengthening market network is essential,” he said. Speaking about farmers who get less price for their produce than the cost of cultivation, he pointed out that unless farmers enjoy remunerative price for their products, they will be excluded from the growth engine.

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Scientists: deliver agrometeorology services at village-level

A national conference has favoured meticulous micro-management of agricultural systems and agrometeorology services to tackle climate change.

The three-day conference on ‘Crop improvement and adaptive strategies to meet challenges of climate change’ that concluded here on Sunday, recommended that agrometeorology services be delivered at the village-level by setting up weather monitoring centres to facilitate micro management to effectively tackle climate change.

Incidentally, weather gauges have still not been set up in all hobli centres.

The conference, organised by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, to develop protocols for conducting research to mitigate the impact of climate change on agriculture, stressed the need to provide agrometeorology data at the village-level to meticulously plan agriculture operations.

‘Redefine agroclimatic zones’

As weather patterns are changing, the conference also recommended redefining of agroclimatic zones and developing revised criteria to demarcate these zones. It may be noted that Karnataka has 10 agroclimatic zones.

The conference also stressed the need for evolving local-specific strategies to effectively mitigate the adverse impact of climate change on agriculture. It also suggested the need for evolving a comprehensive land use policy, and an action plan that provided for involvement of all stakeholders, including scientists. The need for effective utilisation of germplasm in crop improvement was also stressed.

Delivering the presidential address at the valedictory, UAS-B Vice-Chancellor K. Narayana Gowda mooted the idea of forming a committee of experts to take forward the recommendations of the conference. He stressed the need for adopting an interdisciplinary approach to tackle the impact of climate change by involving scientists working in different areas of agriculture.

Chairman of Karnataka Agriculture Mission and agricultural scientist S.A. Patil called for an attitudinal change among agricultural scientists. “It is normal for all of us to have our own style of functioning. But, it is essential for agricultural scientists to have an attitude where the farmer is the focus of their research and approach,” he said.

Over 200 agricultural scientists from across the country took part in the conference.

[Krishnamoorthy K]

A lot in the budget for agriculture

M. S. Swaminathan

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s budget for 2013-14 will be remembered not only for its strategies to stimulate economic growth and control fiscal deficit, but also for the importance given to the needs of the underprivileged sections of our society.

In the field of agriculture, he has adopted the following three pronged strategy:

1. Defend the gains already made in the original green revolution areas like Punjab and Haryana: For this purpose he has proposed crop diversification in a manner that both farm ecology and farm economics are safeguarded. It is well known that in this region, the water table is going down and soils are getting salinised. The budget provides Rs.500 crore to start the programme of crop diversification. I hope this will be used by the concerned State governments to introduce ecologically desirable practices like cereal-legume rotation.

2. Extend the gains to new areas: Mr. Chidambaram has provided Rs.1,000 crore for extending the yield revolution to eastern India, particularly in Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, where the schemes introduced by Pranab Mukherjee are making their impact felt.

3. Make new gains: He has provided Rs. 200 crore to start on a pilot scale a major initiative for marrying nutrition and agriculture by establishing Nutri-Farms. Nearly 60 per cent of the consumers are also farmers. The widespread malnutrition prevailing in our country can be overcome only if farm families are also enabled to have a balanced diet. The new programme proposed will involve introducing in the cropping system, bio-ortified crops which are rich in iron, zinc, vitamin A, Vitamin B 12 and other micronutrients as well as those which are rich in protein like quality protein maize. It will be taken up in the districts which are suffering from a high burden of hidden hunger caused by micro-nutrient deficiencies.

In the area of technology development, the Finance Minister has provided funds for a National Institute of Biotic Stress Management at Raipur and for a Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Biotechnology at Ranchi, Jharkhand. He has also proposed the replanting and rejuvenation of coconut gardens in the whole of Kerala. Among other initiatives, mention may be made of the emphasis given to farmer-producer organisations, including farmer-producer companies for the purpose of increasing income and market share of small farmers. Livestock and livelihoods are closely related in our country. He has proposed the organisation of a National Livestock Mission and provided Rs. 307 crore for this Mission. The Mission will pay particular attention to animal nutrition by increasing the availability of feed and fodder.

I particularly welcome the initiative for the provision of foodgrain storage godowns at the level of panchayat. I hope that the waste into energy project will cover agricultural biomass which is often wasted in rural India.

Obviously every aspect of farming and every problem of the farmer cannot be dealt with in the budget particularly since agriculture is a State subject. I only wish Mr. Chidambaram had also included in his allocation a programme for farm mechanisation. There is already a scheme with the Ministry of Agriculture in this field, but it needs to be strengthened particularly since after the advent of MGNREGA, farmers are having difficulty in getting labour at the right time and place. We need also gender sensitive farm equipment since the role of women farmers in agriculture is increasing.

Finally, he has rightly placed emphasis on translational research for converting scientific findings into field application. For this purpose he has provided Rs.200 crore for conversion of innovation into practical use. For example, there are enormous opportunities for improving the efficiency of the use of urea by placing the fertilizer at a few centimetres below the soil. There are special equipment available for this purpose and such innovations need popularisation. Rural India affords immense untapped opportunities for the integration of innovation and machinery in field operations.

(M.S. Swaminathan is a Member of the Rajya Sabha)

Budget: Rs. 27049 cr outlay for Ministry of Agriculture
Govt to kick off Nutri-Farms in select dists to fight malnutrition

Signals decisive shift to high-value agriculture

The budget signals a decisive shift to high-value agriculture with allocations for crop diversification in the Indo-Gangetic belt, nutri-farms for growing fortified food crops, Farmer Producer Organisations to facilitate contract/lease farming, ‘green revolution’ in eastern India and setting up of Indian Institute of Agriculture Bio-Technology that will research among other things genetically modified crops.

There has been a 22 per cent hike in the planned budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector — Rs. 27,049 crore in 2013-14. Of this Rs. 3,415 crore will be for farm research.

Farm credit has been enhanced to Rs. 7,00,000 crore from Rs. 5,75,000 crore. As part of the interest subvention scheme, for timely repayment of short-term crop loans, farmers will get credit at four per cent not only from public sector banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative banks but also from private sector scheduled commercial banks within the branch’s service area.

To wean Punjab and Haryana farmers off water-and-labour-intensive paddy crop to maize, cotton, vegetables and fruits, an allocation of Rs. 500 crore has been made for crop diversification. A programme will be launched to promote technological innovation and encourage farmers to choose crop alternatives. Declining water table, soil salinity and stagnation in productivity in the Indo-Gangetic belt are the reasons for this initiative, The Hindu has learnt.

The loss in paddy yield in this region is sought to be offset by enhanced cultivation of the crop in eastern India specifically in Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. For enhanced rice production in this belt, an allocation of Rs. 1,000 crore has been made.

In districts most affected by malnutrition, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has set aside Rs. 200 crore for launching pilot projects in nutri-farms with new crop varieties rich in micro-nutrients such as iron-rich bajra, protein-rich maize and zinc-rich wheat. According to agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan, this programme will help districts suffering from a “high burden of hidden hunger caused by micro-nutrient deficiencies.”

The Finance Minister also proposed matching equity grants to registered Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) up to a maximum of Rs.10 lakh per FPO to enable them to leverage working capital from financial institutions with an outlay of Rs. 50 crore. At the same time, an initial corpus of Rs. 100 crore has been set aside for a Credit Guarantee Fund under the Small Farmers’ Agri Business Corporation. However, the programme is incumbent on amendments to the Agriculture Produce Marketing Act by the State governments.

Recognising that the improvement in foodgrains production in the last two years is largely due to the flexible Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna and the National Food Security Mission, the Finance Minister provided Rs. 9,954 crore and Rs. 2,250 crore respectively for the two programmes.

Institute at Ranchi

He announced the setting up of the Indian Institute of Agriculture Bio-Technology at Ranchi, Jharkhand, as well as a National Institute of Biotic Stress Management for addressing plant protection issues at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

A pilot project to replant and rejuvenate coconut gardens in some districts of Kerala will be extended to cover the entire State for which an additional sum of Rs. 75 crore has been allocated.

The National Livestock Mission which awaits the concurrence of all States has been provided Rs. 307 crore with a sub-mission for feed and fodder.

The integrated watershed programme got a fillip with an allocation of Rs. 5,387 crore from Rs. 3,050 crore in 2012-13 budget estimates.

“Why no support for mechanisation?”

The budget, however, did not provide the expected support for farm equipment and mechanisation, a point commented upon by Dr. Swaminathnan. He said: “I wish Mr. Chidambaram had allocated something for farm mechanisation particularly since after the advent of MGNREGS, farmers are having difficulty in getting labour at the right time. We also need gender sensitive farm equipment since the role of women farmers in agriculture is increasing.”

Keywords: Union Buget 2014, P. Chidambaram, agriculture allocation, Agriculture Ministry, Agricultural credit, Green Revolution

Farmers get credit guarantee backing
Budget 2013: Higher agriculture allocation to boost growth
Nothing for our benefit, say farmers
Union Budget 2013: No sops for agriculture

[Yagya]

Rajasthan turns to technology to chart path through food security maize

Hybrid maize produced by a US biotech company is increasing Indian farmers' yields – but not without controversy

Jeevraj Roat is delighted at the results from hybrid maize supplied by Monsanto, the US biotech company. A farmer from the village of Virat, in the severely drought-affected region of southern Rajasthan, Roat saw his crop almost double to 250kg after sowing 5kg of hybrid seeds, given to him for free by Monsanto.

Roat, looking much older than his 35 years, said he realised the Monsanto seeds were expensive and that only two or three people in the village could afford to buy them on the market. He said he was also unhappy at having to use diammonium phosphate (DAP), a chemical fertiliser.

"I know it's dangerous but we don't have enough cow dung or other organic fertiliser," he said amid the lengthening cacti shadows as the sun set over the hills.

Roat is from an area populated by marginalised Bhil tribal people. In its efforts to improve food security for some 200,000 farmers living below the poverty line, state authorities are encouraging them to plant hybrid maize and Bt cotton, a variety also supplied by Monsanto that requires less pesticide.

Rajasthan's agricultural officials say traditional seeds cannot cope with higher temperatures, hence the need for hybrid varieties that need less time to grow and increase yield. The claims are strongly contested by civil society groups, who also question the long-term viability of hybrid maize.

Rajasthan's director of agriculture, GS Katara, is an ardent advocate of the new varieties, however.

"Bt cotton has had a big impact, it has been a success and given good results," he said in his office before rushing off for a round of appointments. "It has helped stopped the migration of men who go to work on cotton fields in Gujarat [next door] leaving their families behind."

Monsanto India is quick to sing the praises of its Bt cotton: "Indian farmers' choice to plant hybrid cotton seeds with insect-protection Bt cotton technologies on over 90% of cotton acres, and increased cotton production, is testament to the value created by better seeds, technologies and farming practices, when compared with the alternative of non-Bt cotton varietal seeds and insecticide spraying."

Besides their opposition to Bt cotton, civil society groups are particularly concerned about Rajasthan's "golden rays" project, a public-private partnership with Monsanto, to roll out hybrid maize. Rajasthan has the largest maize cultivation area in India (about 16%). The maize area in Rajasthan is about 1.10 million hectares, with the productivity being around 18.60 quintals (1 quintal is equivalent to 100kg) per hectare. In a state that has been a battleground for genetically modified crops, Dungarpur district is a region with large areas of maize cultivation.

A report last year by the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (Asha), an umbrella group of 400 NGOs, identified several problems with hybrid maize. The most obvious is whether farmers can afford seeds for hybrid maize once they have to buy it.

"Records from elsewhere do show that corporations increase prices of seed quite exponentially year by year, apart from the fact that control over the most critical input in agriculture will go away from the hands of our farmers," said the report.

Asha also questioned the suitability of hybrid maize in the dry conditions of Rajasthan compared to the more durable traditional desi maize. Hybrid maize also has a shorter shelf life and can only be stored for two months, after which it turns into powder. On a fundamental level, Asha asked why the state authorities were promoting private sector seeds through taxpayer funds rather than strengthening the state seed corporation to produce high quality maize seed of traditional varieties to distribute to farmers. Hybrid maize is the latest area of contention between Indian NGOs and the state of Rajasthan.

In 2011, NGOs and farmers' groups forced the state government to drop memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with seven biotech seed companies. Considered a landmark in public-private partnerships, the MoUs granted private companies, including Monsanto and other Indian biotech companies, access to the state's research facilities to test and market their hybrid seeds. But such was the public furore, Rajasthan backed down after 10 months.

Some agricultural experts say Bt cotton has been a success, although they worry about the issue of control.

"It has revived the industry and it has helped farmers so much in the country," said the expert, who did not want to be named, given the sensitivity of the issue. "The technology is great, but if there is a problem, it's that it is a monopoly of the private sector."

Another expert, however, was more wary of the use of hybrid crops.

"Not enough investigation has been done," said the scientist, who also preferred to remain anonymous. "We don't know the impact on the ecosystem, the birds, rats and frogs. We don't know what's happening with them, but the farmers are not listening to us because they are making money with these crops."

In Rajasthan, half of the maize sown is now hybrid maize, although Asha wonders whether poor farmers will stick with hybrid once they have to buy the seeds instead of receiving them for free.

Roat, the farmer from Virat, is a convert to hybrid, however.

"If I have enough money I will buy hybrid seeds from the market," he said. "If not, I will go back to the traditional variety."

source

[Kokoity]

Originally Posted by karkal

From Taran Taran to Tbilisi, in search of a farming paradise

Indian farmers are welcome in Georgia.







Greetings from Georgia . Especially young georgians welcome farmer from other countries, because they bring a lot of experience in the field of agriculture (and of course modern technology ). The older georgians however, are somewhat critical, but I think this will subside. The most important is that our government makes sure that the Indian farmers be integrated quickly so that no subculture is formed. I hope that our government will create courses that the Indians quickly feel home . Maybe you can tell me in this thread what opinion the Indians have to Georgia? What are their goals? And maybe you know in which areas except agriculture the Indians still invest in?

You can find more informations here:Boers and other foreign farmers in Georgia | ბურები და სხვა საგარეო ფერმერებს

And here you can find more informations about Georgia:Georgia / საქართველო

[Kokoity]

Petani India Menemukan Lahan Lebih Hijau di Georgia



Dairy Farming project in Georgia