Tamilnadu Agriculture & Animal Husbandry| தமிழக விவசாயம் & கால்நடை வளர்ப்பு

[madurakarenda]

ஈரோட்டில் மஞ்சளை அரசே கொள்முதல் செய்கிறது : விவசாயிகள் மகிழ்ச்சி

ஈரோடு: ஈரோட்டில் மஞ்சளை அரசு நிறுவனங்களே கொள்முதல் செய்வதால், விவசாயிகள் மகிழ்ச்சி அடைந்துள்ளனர்.

டான்பெட் மற்றும் ஈரோடு வேளாண் கூட்டுறவு விவசாய சங்கம் உள்ளிட்ட நிறுவனங்கள் விவசாயிகளிடமிருந்து மஞ்சள் கொள்முதல் செய்ய உள்ளதாக அறிவித்துள்ளது.

ஒரு விவசாய குடும்பத்திலிருந்து அதிகபட்சமாக 1500கிலோ மஞ்சள், பெற்றுக் கொள்ளப்படும் என்று அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. மேலும் மஞ்சள் விலை கிலோ ரூ.4000ஆக, அரசு விலை நிர்ணயித்துள்ளதால் விவசாயிகள் மகிழ்ச்சி அடைந்துள்ளனர்.


http://sudarnila.com/2012/06/28/%E0%...E%95%E0%AF%8A/

[kannan infratech]

Those who are interested in Organic Agriculture may please read the Book Ini Vidhaigale Perayudham, written by Iyarkai Vignani Nammalwar, published by Iyalvagai Padhippagam.

We have an amazing human being living among us but not recognised and celebrated enough by us.

If our Govts listen to him and follows his native wisdom, we will recover from the present gloom.

[krishnaswamy]

Originally Posted by kannan infratech

Those who are interested in Organic Agriculture may please read the Book Ini Vidhaigale Perayudham, written by Iyarkai Vignani Nammalwar, published by Iyalvagai Padhippagam.

We have an amazing human being living among us but not recognised and celebrated enough by us.

If our Govts listen to him and follows his native wisdom, we will recover from the present gloom.

+100..
He is against artificial fertilizers.. unfortunately no body listens and more subsidy is spent on fertilizer. farmers are arm twisted in a different way to buy these fertilizers.

[krishnaswamy]

[saysenthil]

Delayed monsoon brings water level down in major TN reservoirs



Like many other States, Tamil Nadu too is deficient in terms of rainfall

The signs of the impact of the delayed onset of the south-west monsoon and subsequent poor rainfall are evident. As on date, all major irrigation reservoirs of the State have much less storage than what they had exactly a year ago.

The Mettur dam, which stores the Cauvery water, received about 2.6 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) since June 1. This was 21 tmcft less than what the State should have received under the interim order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

Though the State receives only about 30 cm rainfall, accounting for one-third of its annual rainfall, during the south-west monsoon, the catchment of many reservoirs, irrigation and hydel is benefited immensely.

For instance, Kodagu in Karnataka, where the main catchment of the Cauvery is located, registered 39 cm rainfall until July 4, about 40 per cent less than normal.

Like many other States, Tamil Nadu too is deficient in terms of rainfall with a shortfall of about 50 per cent. It recorded about 2.6 cm as on Wednesday last.

Explaining the severity of the failed monsoon, a seasoned water expert says Karnataka’s four reservoirs across the Cauvery should have got a cumulative inflow of 56 tmcft (as per the 29 year old average) from June 1 to July 9 whereas they received only 16 tmcft. Had Karnataka accepted the distress sharing formula worked out by the Central Water Commission, Tamil Nadu would have been entitled to six tmcft.

CRA should meet

The position of Tamil Nadu is that the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) should meet at least now and adopt the distress sharing formula. Headed by Prime Minister, the CRA, comprising all Chief Ministers of States in the Cauvery basin, is a body to oversee the implementation of the interim award.

The receipt of poor rainfall is telling upon the cultivation of the kuruvai crop.

In the Cauvery delta, around 21,500 hectares have been covered. Under normal circumstances, the coverage would be over 80,000 hectares. To enable farmers having pump sets to draw groundwater for the cultivation, the three-phase power supply is being provided in the delta for 12 hours a day.

Deputy Director General of Meteorology Y. E. A. Raj points out that Tamil Nadu is not suffering from the problem of absolute deficiency. The shortfall can be offset in a couple of good rain spells.

The only district that may run into a serious problem is Kanyakumari, which receives a good amount of rainfall during the current monsoon, he adds. So far, this district has recorded 10 cm against the normal 21 cm.

An official in the Agriculture Department says one can still be hopeful of a few heavy rain spells, given the fact that there are many more weeks to go before the monsoon recedes.

[murlee]

Good initiative!

Spices Board plans to link farmers on mobile tele-network

Spices Board is gearing up to link spice farmers in the State on a mobile tele-network for a direct interface with the Board. The Board is aiming to help farmers discover the price for their produce. This is being done in association with ISKL (IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd ) of Tamil Nadu to provide opportunities for spice farmers to receive voice messages every day informing them on the schemes, projects, prices of spices and announcements from the Board.

The State Manager of ISKL Mr Jinnah, told Business Line that the company has tied up with Airtel and created a server for sharing information with farmers.

“Every member should have an Airtel Sim card to avail the service,” he added.

Besides receiving voice messages about price movement and the Spices Board schemes, farmers will also receive related information such as various aspects of spices cultivation, weather condition, weather forecast, processing, marketing and exports.

The effort is aimed at bridging the gap between farmers, traders and exporters, more so by linking the processing facilities with the farmer, particularly when the demand for quality spices is high across the globe, he added.

Dr A. Jayathilak, Chairman Spices Board, rolled out the programme at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University here.

“This initiative would have a positive impact as the reach of the mobile phones in India is much higher than toilets! A member who opts for this service will receive voice message and at the start of the day,” he told this correspondent.

“Farmers would now have to shift to responsible farming practices to sustain, grow and improve their living standards.

We want to tell the farmers that if they follow our instructions prudently, they will not have to be at the mercy of the buyer/exporter. We will help them identify markets,” he said.

Since farmers were at the mercy of the middlemen for marketing the produce, they invariably did not get a fair deal. “We want to break this ice,” he said.

The roll-out marked the launch of a community of spices farmers called the “Tamil Nadu Spices Community”. Farmers queued up at the registration desk, seeking both – an Airtel Sim and community membership.

Sources said that the TN Spices Community would start functioning with around 1,000 farmers initially.

The venture is expected to benefit spices growers in the Western Ghats, lower Palani Hills, Meghamalai Hills, Shevoroi Hills, Sirumalai Hills, Ramnadu, Kolli Hills, Valparai, Cuddallore, Ooty, Nagercoil, Virudhunagar, Erode, Salem, Pollachi and Coimbatore where pepper, cardamom, chillies, nutmeg, curry leaf, turmeric, tamarind and herbs are raised in a big way.

The Board is eventually planning to extend the service to other spice-producing states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Sikkim, North Eastern states, Rajastan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

IKSL is planning to issue green cards to members of the spices communities for free.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...ue&ref=wl_home

[krishnaswamy]

Agriculture operations in the grip of labour shortage
I don't know Hindi and they cannot speak a word in Tamil. But, as I have no other option, I have started getting labourers from Bihar. They manage to understand what I say and are extremely honest . Now they have become part of my family," says Puliyur Nagarajan, State vice president of Bharat Krishak Samaj.

One man's meat may be another man's poison. This is the situation prevailing in the labour scenario of Tamil Nadu. Even as the labour shortage started crippling both agricultural and construction activities in the State with the advent of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), it has paved way for the influx of the labour from north, especially Bihar.

“I don't know Hindi and they cannot speak a word in Tamil. But, as I have no other option, I have started getting labourers from Bihar. They manage to understand what I say and are extremely honest . Now they have become part of my family,” says Puliyur Nagarajan, State vice president of Bharat Krishak Samaj. He employs about half a dozen Biharis in his banana fields and also rice hulling mill.

This reporter could see obvious shortage of labour - be it in the fields of paddy or sugarcane, banana or korai, betel vines or jasmine. Most of the owners have given their fields on lease to their erstwhile workers as carrying out farming on their own has ceased to be remunerative. “The strain and pain are more in involving ourselves directly,” they admit.

And MNREGA has created a silent revolution. With 100 days of employment and Rs.132 guaranteed a day, the bargaining power of labourers has shot up. Thus the daily wage for male workers has skyrocketed to Rs. 250 a day and for female workers Rs.150, virtually double that they have been getting in the early 2000.

Rajachidambaram, State deputy general secretary of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangham, laments that this programme has ruined agriculture by making the labour scarce.

He pleads for proper monitoring of its implementation alleging that hardly anything gets done. “It has achieved only the opposite. Even sincere workers have become lazy and are opting for far easier task of attending to the MNREGA works. Even districts like Ariyalur and Perambalur, known for their migratory labour force, are facing labour shortage. Though the workers are supposed to be paid only after measuring their works, it is rarely done,” he alleges.

Siva Suriyan, Tiruchi district secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangham, does not find fault with the MNREGA per se.

At the same time, he admits that its implementation leaves much to be desired. “Whoever registers with the panchayats should be allocated hands from those seeking work under the MNREGA. While 50 per cent of the wages could be borne by the small and marginal farmers, the rest could be borne by the government. Big farmers can be asked to foot the entire bill.”

He also points out that the shortage of labour is also because even those who have studied only up to standard VIII have moved to urban areas for jobs or are unwilling to take up agricultural works.

These leaders contend that the specific stipulation that the MNREGA works be taken up only after attending to farm operations had been ignored by the Collectors.

The MNREGA has created a transformation among the farm labour of Tamil Nadu what the Land Ceiling Act of 1961 has done to landlords.

A number of persons with considerable land holdings were forced to downsize their property in 1960s because the Act permitted only 15 standard acres.

Thus a number of people, even in the delta, who were originally either tillers or lessee, had become the owners of the lands.

It led to further fragmentation of the property as most of the landholdings in the country are small and marginal which has been the major impediment for mechanising agriculture.

Is farming becoming family-dependent, or a cottage industry? Or will this pave way for corporate farming as S.Ranganathan, general secretary of Cauvery Delta Farmers' Welfare Association, foresees. Corporate sectors would have the wherewithal to deploy modern machinery and also manage the labour force paying higher wages.

[venkyinblr]

Shri Pawar Calls for Priority Sector Status to Food Processing Projects


Srini Mega Food Park Inaugurated Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar today, in addition to existing instruments of duty exemption etc, strongly advocated for giving the status of priority sector lending for the projects involved in processing of perishable products.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Srini Mega Food Park at Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh.

“The Ministry expects that this year another three projects will be completed in the country. This has further enthused me to upscale this scheme in this five year plan so that more and more farmers and entrepreneurs from rural India gets associated in the food processing sector, creating wealth for themselves and for the country. Let me also inform the budding entrepreneurs gathered here that the Government has decided to further incentivize the food processing sector through various windows,” the Minister said.

Elaborating on the importance of food processing sector and the initiatives being taken by the government for its growth, the Minister said:

“Some studies have revealed that we might be loosing around 40 to 50 thousand crores of rupees for the lack of post-harvest facilities. With adequate processing facilities, much of this waste can be reduced with increasing remunerative price to the producer as well as ensuring greater supply to the consumer at appropriate price.

“A strong and dynamic food processing sector plays a significant role in diversification of agricultural activities, improving value-addition opportunities and creating surplus for export of agro-food products. To achieve the objectives of maximizing value addition, minimizing wastage and for generation of employment opportunities the Government has taken a number of initiatives.

“Keeping this in mind, my Ministry has launched a National Mission of Food Processing and the initial feedback from various state governments is extremely encouraging. This mission is launched with a philosophy of decentralization, greater participation of the state governments, convergence of various programmes in this sector and implementing the schemes in the mission mode instead of routine vertical programmes. This scheme has adopted all the flexibility of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, which has been vehicle of agriculture growth during the 11th plan and has been one of the model schemes with maximum participation of state governments and flexibility with no tailor-made schemes imposed by the central government on the states. I am also happy to announce that we have already started the admission process for the National Institute of Food Technology and Entrepreneurship Management, located in Haryana, very close to Delhi. This NIFTEM with IICPT in Tanjore are expected to fulfill the requirement of industry for the skilled manpower in this sector.”


http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=85254

[kongutamizhan]

Source: Vikatan

பொள்ளாச்சி தென்னை சீக்ரெட்!

மயில் தோகையாய் மட்டைகளை அசைத்து, பார்வை படரும் தூரம் வரை மனதை வருடிக்கொடுக்கும் பொள்ளாச்சி தென்னந்தோப்புகள் வெகு பிரபலம். தென்னந் தோப்புகள் மட்டும் அல்ல; பொள்ளாச்சியின் இளநீருக்கும் ஏக கிராக்கி. சென்னையில் 50 ரூபாய் கொடுத்தால்கூட பொள்ளாச்சி இளநீர் கிடைப்பது இல்லை. ''இந்தப் பெருமை எல்லாம் பொள்ளாச்சி அருகில் உள்ள ஆலாம்பாளையம் கிராமத்துக்குத்தான் சொந்தம். பொள்ளாச்சி தென்னந் தோப்புகளுக்கான 80 சதவிகிதம் தென்னங்கன்றுகள் அந்தக் கிராமத்தில்தான் உற்பத்தி ஆகின்றன'' என்ற தகவலை என் விகடன் 'வாய்ஸ் ஸ்நாப்’ பகுதியில் தெரிவித்து இருந்தார் ஆலாம்பாளையத்தைச் சேர்ந்த வாசகர் தனபால். அவரைச் சந்தித்தேன். ''கறுப்பு - வெள்ளை காலத்து சினிமாவிலேயே பொள்ளாச்சி தென்னை மரங்கள் இடம்பெற ஆரம்பிச் சுடுச்சு. அதுபோக ஜமீன் மற்றும் மிராசுதாரர் கதைகள் பெரும்பாலும் பொள்ளாச்சி பகுதியில்தான் படமாக்கப்பட்டு இருக்கு. இந்தப் படங்கள்ல, பொள்ளாச்சி தென்னைமரங்கள் ஒரு காட்சியிலாவது வந்திடும்.

இப்படி சினிமாக்காரங்களையும் இயற்கையை நேசிப்பவங்களையும் வெகுவாகக் கவரும் இந்தப் பொள்ளாச்சித் தென்னைமரங்களில் முக்கால்வாசி எங்க ஆலாம்பாளையத்தில் உற்பத்தியான தென்னை நாற்றுகள்தான், ஆயிரக்கணக்கான ஏக்கரில் இங்கே நடவு செய்யப்பட்டு இருக்கு. இங்கு உள்ள வடக்குத் தோட்டம், கல்லாங்காடு, முத்துக்கவுண்டர் தோட்டம், ஊர்க்கவுண்டர் தோட்டம், கணபதி தோட்டம், ஜல்லித்தோட்டம், சாமிசெட்டியார் தோட்டம் உள்ளிட்ட பத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட இடங்கள் தென்னை நாற்று உற்பத்திக்குப் பெயர் போனவை. இங்கே வாழுகிற மக்கள் தென்னங்கன்று உற்பத் தியில் 100 வருடம் அனுபவம் கொண்டவங்க.

இங்கே நாற்று உற்பத்திச் செய்றவங்க 'நெத்து’ தேங்காய் தேர்வில் ஆரம்பிச்சு, அதைப் பறிக் கிறது, முளைப்பு போடுறதுனு எல்லாத்துலயும் சில நுட்பங்களைக் கடைபிடிப்பாங்க. நாற்றுக் காய் பறிக்கத் தகுதியான மரங்களை அதுக்கா கவே ஒதுக்கிடுவாங்க. அந்த மரங்களின் காய் களை வெட்டும்போது மரத்தின் கீழே சேற்று மண் நிறைய இருக்கும்படி பார்த்துக்குவாங்க. ஏன்னா கெட்டியான தரையில் நெத்து விழுந்தா முளைப்புத் திறன் பாதிக்கும். இப்படிப் பறிச்ச பிறகு அதுல இருந்து தரம் மிக்கக் காய் களை மட்டும் தேர்ந்து எடுத்து அதை நிழலில் குவிச்சுவைப்பாங்க. அடுத்து குழைவான மண் ணும் மணலும் கலந்து நாற்று நடுகிற இடத்தைத் தயார் செய்வாங்க. மணல் கலந்தால்தான் எந்த நேரமும் ஈரப் பதம் இருக்கும். மிதமாக வெயில் படும் வகையில் தோப்பு நிழலில் இந்த நாற்ற டியை அமைப்பாங்க. தினசரி தண்ணீர் பாய்ச் சுறது மட்டும்தான் இதுக்கான பராமரிப்பு. பத்து மாசம் வளர்ந்த தென்னங்கன்றுகளை எடுத்து நடவு போடலாம். அதில் இருந்து அதிகபட்சம் ஆறு மாதங்களுக்குள் நடுகிற கன்றுகள்தான் ஆரோக்கியமான மரங்களாக வளரும். இப்படி ஆண்டு முழுக்கத் தென்னை நாற்றுகளை உற்பத்திச் செய்ற தொழிற்சாலையாகவே எங்க ஆலாம்பாளையம் இயங்குது'' என்கிறார் பெருமையுடன்!

[krishnaswamy]

Playing cards for big money+Kallu,Beer+chicken,mutton,egg side dish is big gamling going on Pollachi Area. Even the "kilu, kiluppu" beats Vegas.

[geico2000]

Originally Posted by krishnaswamy

Playing cards for big money+Kallu,Beer+chicken,mutton,egg side dish is big gamling going on Pollachi Area. Even the "kilu, kiluppu" beats Vegas.

Many rich families have come down to earth because of this. Also betting is getting popular in many places.

[geico2000]

This should be brought to TN. We are no way great than Punjab.

BARNALA: Aiming to save water at Punjab countryside, where water table is depleting fast due to paddy sowing, MNC PepsiCo India is promoting directing seeding of rice(DSR)methodology which has helped reduce water consumption in paddy cultivation by 30-percent and has also cut down green house gas emissions. The technique also results in reduction of cultivation costs of Rs. 1500 per acre and 50% labour.

PepsiCo is supporting the farmers who adopt this methodology with free access to direct seeding machines, technical support and extension services. Having started in 2006 with mere 20 acres at small village Sekha near Barnala, now Pepsi has made farmers go in for DSR in 10,500 acres in about 6 years. Pepsico India authorities on Wednesday visited village Sekha farmers, from where it has started the endeavour.

Pepsico India vice president agronomy Jaideep Bhatia said "the consistent efforts and dedication by farmers have brought about the many-fold success in DSR that we are witnessing today. At PepsiCo, we hope to continue the endeavour of being farmer's friend and help transform the practice of agriculture in the country."

Bhatia said over 80% of water in India is consumed in agriculture and of this about 50% is used in cultivation of paddy alone. India's water efficiency in paddy cultivation is as low as at 4 KL / kg as compared to the international average of 3 KL / kg and with Punjab being the big paddy growing state, it is causing problems with water scarcity state. Here traditionally, paddy is grown by planting seeds in small nursery and manually which causes lot of water and Pepsico has started saving water by DSR."

PepsiCo India carried out trials in their own R&D farms in Jallowal in Jalandhar in 2004 using direct manual seeding of paddy. In 2005, PepsiCo carried out trials with more paddy varieties and started DSR in Punjab in 2006 in the fields of 12 farmers covering 20 acres through seeding machines, which ensured production cost lower by about 30%.

In 2008 the land covered under direct seeding was increased to 500 acres. Presently, the company has brought over 13,000 acres of land under direct seeding in India.







http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...w/15044774.cms

[murlee]

Bang on target
Innovation in agriculture: Precision farming can solve farm ills

At first glance, Nimbol, 400 km away from Mumbai, seems like any other agrarian village in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district . It has narrow, dusty lanes. Its houses are simple, tin-roofed affairs. And its farmers turn out in white, from the topis on their heads to their kurtas and trousers. Go further inside the village, however, and you enter a different world - one with big bungalows, big cars and modern amenities. This is new Nimbol. B.V. Patil, a village leader and President of the All India Banana Growers' Association, explains how the village acquired its split personality. "Until a few years ago, we, too, used to live in tin-roofed houses. And then, precision farming happened. Our incomes rose and we built large houses on the other side of the village." Cross the Tapti river, which cuts through the district, and the story is pretty much the same.

Most Jalgaon's farmers owe their prosperity to precision farming, an agricultural method first tried out in the district in 2002/03. This technique focuses on utilising resources optimally to improve the quality and quantity of crops while lowering the cost of production. It reduces fertiliser and pesticide use, prevents soil degradation, utilises water optimally and raises productivity. Globally, this is done with the aid of modern, eco-friendly farming practices and technology, including satellite imagery and information technology. "This innovation can go a long way in tackling many of our country's farm ills, including excessive use of water and other inputs, which has hurt soil quality apart from making farming unprofitable as a profession," says leading agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. "Precision is a desirable quality that has been missing."

Indeed, traditional Indian farming has at best been ad hoc. Seeds are strewn across fields in random fashion with no consideration as to how many plants will grow in a given area. Irrigation depends mostly on the monsoon, and where water is available, it is flooded into the fields. Fertilisers and crop protection chemicals are used excessively, killing the soil's productivity.

"This type of imprecise farming has affected productivity," says Alok Adholeya, Director of The Energy Research Institute's (TERI) Biotechnology and Bioresources Division. He mentions a single statistic. "Farmers in the United States produce seven times more wheat per acre than those in India." However, it is difficult for Indian farmers to adopt precision farming because of the high cost of technology and because, for the most part, farm holdings in India are highly fragmented. What Jalgaon's farmers have done over the last decade, with some help from companies such as Jain Irrigation Systems, is adapt precision farming practices without depending on satellite imagery and the like. Jugaad, if you will. "The Indianised form of precision farming basically tackles input issues," says Adholeya.

For instance, Vasantvishwanath Mahajan, a farmer from Tandalwadi village in Jalgaon district, makes it a point to ascertain how much fertiliser the soil will need before planting his banana crop. "We must know the quantum of nutrients the soil has. The amount of fertiliser I use will depend on the test results. I only replace nutrients used up by the previous crop,'' he says. In Chinchkheda village, 25 km from Jalgaon town, Kiran Sriram Patil takes great care while planting BT cotton seeds over his 16-acre farm. "We need to know how much to plant in an area to get the best yield. For BT cotton it is 4,000 plants per acre. Spacing between plants is also important," he says. Precision makes the difference. "Each crop has a different geometry. You plant less, the yield is less. You plant more, the yield still falls due to crowding," says Anil Dhake, Vice President, Agri Research and Development, Jain Irrigation Systems.




Raju Ramdas Patil, a native of Neri village near Jalgaon, spends a lot of time assessing the threat to his crop from pests. "Earlier I would spray pesticide without taking the kind of pests into consideration. It was a waste," he says. "Now I look at the leaves and stem for symptoms and spray pesticide depending on the extent of the attack. I have saved money and my farming has become eco-friendly." The money saved, along with his added income has enabled him to build a large farmhouse and fulfil his long-cherished dream of owning a house in Pune.

In India it is the soil rather than the crop that is irrigated. As a result, 70 per cent of the water is wasted, says TERI's Adholeya. Precision farming, however, relies on drip irrigation. "With drips, we just wet the soil near the roots. How much water we use is determined by the climate, soil type, crop type and age," says Mahajan. The drip system is also used to "fertigate" the crop - disseminate soluble fertiliser - and the extent of fertiliser used depends on the soil's need.

Increased output

When he did things the traditional way, Sriram Patil harvested eight quintals of cotton per acre. Today, thanks to precision farming, his output has risen to 35 quintals an acre. Patil has built a 1,500 sq. ft. house, purchased a tractor, and leased 25 acres of farmland. Mahajan's banana yield has more than doubled, and so has his income. He has bought 30 acres of land, built a threestoreyed house, and indulged in a four-wheel-drive jeep. The story is the same across many parts of Jalgaon district.

Hundreds of miles away in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, precision farming over 1.75 lakh acres has delivered significant improvements in yield and income (see Profitable Farming). Initially, the concept was introduced to the region through a Tamil Nadu Agricultural University project (TNAU). After a detailed study of the TNAU project, the London School of Economics termed it India's second green revolution. The new farming method also addresses another challenge, the diminishing presence of youngsters in the field. The National Policy for Farmers, placed in Parliament in November 2007, says "making farming intellectually stimulating and economically rewarding" is a priority. "A National Sample Survey done a few years ago indicated that 45 per cent of the farmers want to quit agriculture as the next generation is disinterested. Precision farming can help to change this," says Swaminathan. Indeed, it is already helping.


For instance, Vaibhav Patil, a 26-year-old business administration graduate from Nimbol, has taken to farming. "I earn more than my friends, who work in IT companies. This form of agriculture is quite challenging and satisfying." Given its benefits, precision farming should have spread like wildfire across the country. But it still has a long way to go. Rough estimates suggest that only 2.5 million of India's 120 million farmers practice it. The need is all the greater given the pressure the farming sector will face in coming years. It is estimated that India will need to produce 480 million tonnes of foodgrains by 2050. That is double the 241 million tonnes produced in 2010/11.

A more enabling environment could help, say experts. "Incentives to tackle initial capital costs and flexibility in the banking system to provide the higher working capital precision farming needs is critical,'' says TERI's Adholeya. The government also needs to create an enabling environment that will trigger development and adoption of technology, he adds. "Technology can help take precision farming to the next level." Swaminathan, acknowledged as the father of India's Green Revolution, puts it best: "Precision farming is a way to achieve an evergreen revolution."

http://businesstoday.intoday.in/stor.../1/186624.html

[murlee]

WONDER FUNGUS

It is about as thick as a strand of human hair. But its presence in the soil increases crop yield by up to 25 per cent. It also re-energises dead soil. It helps plants assimilate water, minerals and other nutrients. Mycorrhiza, as it is called, is a fungus which once occurred naturally in Indian soil, but the rampant use of chemical fertilisers has almost wiped it out.

In the last decade, however, scientists at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Delhi, after years of research, have succeeded in cultivating Mycorrhiza. Their process has since been commercialised and six Indian companies now produce and market the fungus. It can be used to stimulate the growth of a variety of crops such as wheat, potato, onions and garlic. Its use is already making a difference. In Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, for example, farmers in a 30,000 acre area - supplied Mycorrhiza by KCP Sugar and Industries, one of the companies licensed to market it - have registered a two tonne per hectare increase in yield, while their use of chemical fertilisers has fallen by 25 per cent.

With agricultural productivity in India still comparatively low, Mycorrhiza can be of immense help to farmers in raising output. The country also has 55 million hectares of fallow land and wasteland which can be reclaimed with its help. Mycorrhiza has even been adopted overseas - it is one of the first bio-system technologies that went to the United States from India. Indeed farmers in the US and Europe have been a lot quicker than those in India in using it on their farms.

http://businesstoday.intoday.in/stor.../1/186624.html

[murlee]

Tamil Nadu farmers grow chocolates on trees

S.Dhanapal in Pattukottai grows chocolates on trees. Thanks to a MoU between the chocolate major Cadbury and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, this 41-year-old economics graduate has made Rs 61,000 just these past six months selling high-grade cocoa beans he had grown as an intercrop under the coconut trees in his eight-acre groove.

There are about 200 farmers like him earning good money growing cocoa between their coconut trees and earning as much as Rs 140 per kilo.

Beaming with joy, Dhanapal says he is thrilled becoming a model cocoa farmer in the district.
“I get so many visitors wanting to know about cocoa.

I tell them this is an easy crop as cocoa does not need much time and attention. The beans grow amid my tall coconut trees. There is definite profit”, he told DC.

Earlier, Dhanapal grew groundnut and urd dhal but could not make profits because groundnut and dhal did not thrive under the shade of the tall coconut trees.

“I also had problems getting paid for the produce as the intermediaries and brokers pocketed half of my profits as their commission. Now I send bags of ripe beans in a bus and my profits are credited to my bank account within a week,” he said.

The TNAU is happy with the quality of the beans. “Cadbury wants to extend the MoU for five more years”, said P.Paramaguru, head of the department of spices and plantation crops, TNAU.

He is confident more farmers would turn to cocoa. With a little over 15000 hectares bearing the beans, Tamil Nadu now stands third in coco production after Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Researcher M.Kavitha of the government coconut research station in Veppankulam in Thanjavur district told DC that she got many farmers to choose cocoa as a coconut intercrop.

“Coco and coconut grow well together. Pollachi was the only place where cocoa cultivation was popular in the early 1980s.

Now it has spread across Salem and Thanjavur districts as well. We allay the fears of farmers who think cocoa is a foreign crop”, she said.

Interested in turning a cocoa farmer? Call Kavitha’s office at 04375 260 205.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chann...ates-trees-127

[thillai_selvan]

Cross Posting

Originally Posted by thillai_selvan

A right solution to acute labour shortage problem

At a time when the farmers are struggling to find manpower to work in their fields after the free rice scheme and National Rural Employment Guarantee Programmes were introduced, the power weeder introduced by the Department of Agriculture in this agrarian district have become a boon for landowners.

Power weeder, a new intervention by the Department of Agriculture to help farmers practice System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in an easy manner, has become handy for paddy cultivators. Demonstration is being organised to familiarise power weeder with farmers. Power weeders are being distributed to farmers as one of the components of SRI demonstration scheme under National Agricultural Development Programme that aims at achieving 4 per cent annual growth in agriculture sector during 11th Plan period by ensuring holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors.

A total of 147 power weeders, each costing Rs. 27,400, were distributed for free to farmers in Tirunelveli district last year. SRI demonstrations had been organised as clusters by the Department of Agriculture and one power weeder is distributed to a SRI cluster of 20 hectares. The farmers of the SRI cluster use the power weeder among themselves on rotational basis.

Under SRI method of cultivation of paddy, 14 days old, single paddy seedlings are transplanted at a spacing of 22.5 cm X 22.5 cm. The weeds grown in the field are puddled in to the soil by use of cono-weeder or power weeder on 10, 20, 30, and 40th days after transplantation of paddy. Timely labour availability is one of the rarest resources in agriculture today and the farmers face severe shortage of timely labour for their cultivation. The only way to tide away the labour shortage is to engage machinery and equipment in all stages of cultivation.

Weeding in paddy cultivation is a high labour-consuming inter-cultivation activity and costs approximately Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 5,000 per acre. The paddy power weeder that runs on petrol covers an acre of weeding in 2 to 2.5 hours by consuming 1 litre of petrol per hour. A skilled labourer can cover 5 to 6 acres of paddy weeding in a day depending upon the soil texture and field conditions. Engaging a power weeder saves the farmer nearly Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000 per acre of paddy cultivation and hence it is becoming popular among the farmers.

Joint Director of Agriculture, Tirunelveli, K. Soundararajan, who inaugurated the power weeder demonstration at Papanasam in Ambasamudram block, said that it had been planned to distribute 90 power weeders at 50 per cent subsidy (limited to Rs. 15,000 per power weeder) to SRI farmers in the district under Integrated Cereals Development Programme during current fiscal. He has appealed to the farming community to engage mechanisation in all stages of cultivation to tide away labour shortage, and increase productivity and production of food crops.

Source

[vivasayee]

நாட்டின் மொத்த வாழைப்பழ உற்பத்தியில் 25 சதவீதம் தமிழகத்தின் பங்கு உள்ளது. இந்தளவிற்கு உற்பத்தி இருந்தாலும் நமக்கு பெரியதாக பயன் ஒன்றும் இல்லை என்றுதான் சொல்ல வேண்டும். காரணம்... வாழைப்பழங்கள் மிக குறுகிய நாட்களில் பழுத்துவிடும் என்பதும், அதற்குமேல் அதை
பாதுகாத்து மீண்டும் உபயோகப்படுத்தும் அளவிற்கு தேவையான குளிர்சாதன வசதிகள் ஏதும் இல்லாததுதான்.

இதையே முறையான குளிரூட்டல் மூலம் வாழைப்பழத்தை பாதுகாத்து ஏற்றுமதி செய்தால், மாநிலத்தின் மொத்த வருமானம் ஆண்டுக்கு ரூ.6000
கோடி கிடைக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளதாக ஆய்வு முடிவுகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளன.

http://www.dinakaran.com/Medical_Det...t=500&Nid=1488

[madurakarenda]

Nice share TFS

[vivasayee]

தர்ப்பூசணி சாகுபடியில் அதிக லாபம் பெற...

சிதம்பரம்: வெப்பமண்டலம் மற்றும் மிதவெப்ப மண்டலப் பகுதிகளில் தர்ப்பூசணி பயிரிடப்படுகிறது. இப்பயிரில் உள்ள பல ரகங்கள் பல்வேறு தட்பவெப்ப நிலைகளிலும், மண் வகைகளிலும் குறைந்த செலவில் சாகுபடி செய்து அதிக லாபத்தை தரக்கூடியதாகும். ÷விவசாயிகள் நெல் தரிசு நிலத்தில் தர்ப்பூசணி சாகுபடி செய்து அதிக வருவாயைப் பெறலாம்.

இது குறித்து அண்ணாமலைப் பல்கலைக்கழக வேளாண்புல தோட்டக்கலைத் துறைத் தலைவர் பேராசிரியர் முனைவர் கே.மணிவண்ணன் தெரிவித்தது:

தர்ப்பூசணி டிசம்பர் முதல் செப்டம்பர் மாதம் வரை உள்ள நெல் தரிசு நிலத்தில் விவசாயிகள் சாகுபடி செய்யலாம்.

அர்கா மானிக், அர்கா ஜோதி, டி.கே.எம். 1, சுகர்பேபி, அசாகியமாடோ, சார்லஸ்டன் கிரே, அம்ரூத், பூசா பேடானா மற்றும் விதை உற்பத்தி நிறுவனங்களால் வெளியிடப்படும் ரகங்கள் மற்றும் வீரிய ஒட்டு ரகங்களை விவசாயிகள் சாகுபடி செய்யலாம்.

விதையும், விதை நேர்த்தியும்: 3 முதல் 4 கிலோ வரை நல்ல தரமான விதைகளாக தேர்வு செய்து பயன்படுத்த வேண்டும். விதைகளையும், இளம் செடிகளையும் நோய் மற்றும் பூச்சிகள் தாக்கமலிருக்க ஒரு ஹெக்டேருக்கு விதையுடன் 4 கிராம் டிரைகோடர்மா விரிடி அல்லது 10 கிராம் சூடோமோனாஸ் புளோரசன்ஸ் என்ற பூஞ்சாணக் கொல்லி அல்லது 2 கிராம் கார்பண்டாசிம் அல்லது திரம் என்ற பூஞ்சாண மருந்தில் ஏதேனும் ஒன்றை கலந்து விதை நேர்த்தி செய்யலாம்.

நிலம் தயார் செய்தல்: நெல் தரிசு நிலத்தில் தர்ப்பூசணி சாகுபடி செய்ய உழவில்லா குழி நடவு முறையைப் பின்பற்றலாம். இம்முறையில் நெல் தரிசு நிலத்தில் உள்ள நெல் பயிர் அடித்தாழ் மற்றும் உளுந்துப் பயிரின் அடிச்சக்கையை நன்று சேர்த்து சுத்தம் செய்ய வேண்டும்.

இவைகளை தர்ப்பூசணிக்கு மண் போர்வையாக அல்லது மண்புழு உரம் அல்லது மட்கு தயார் செய்ய பயன்படுத்தலாம். இவ்வாறு சுத்தம் செய்யப்பட்ட நிலத்தில் 15ஷ்15 மீட்டர் இடைவெளியில் 50ஷ்50ஷ்50 செ.மீ. குழிகளை அமைக்க வேண்டும்.


இங்ஙனம் தயார் செய்யப்பட்ட குழிகளில் அடிஉரம் இட்டு குழிக்கு 5 விதைகள் வீதம் நடவு செய்ய வேண்டும். ஒவ்வொரு குழிக்கும் நட்டவுடனும், நட்ட மூன்று நாள் இடைவெளியில் மூன்று நீர்ப்பாசனம் முழுமையாக தர வேண்டும்.

உர நிர்வாகம்: ஹெக்டேருக்கு 25 டன் தொழு உரத்துடன் 30:65:85 கிலோ தழை, மணி மற்றும் சாம்பல் சத்துகளை இட வேண்டும்.

இதில் பாதியளவு தழை, முழு அளவு மணி மற்றும் சாம்பல் சத்துகளை உழவில்லா சாகுபடி முறையில் குழியமைக்கும் போதும், மீதமுள்ள தழைச்சத்தை இரண்டு பகுதியாக நட்ட 30 மற்றும் 60 நாள்களில் இட வேண்டும்.

தொழு உரத்துக்கு பதிலாக 25 டன் மக்கிய அல்லது சாண எரிவாயுக்கு பயன்படுத்திய கரும்பு ஆலைக்கழிவு அல்லது 2.5 டன் மண்புழு உரம் அல்லது 12.5 டின் செரிவூட்டப்பட்ட தாவரமட்கு அல்லது 2.5 டன் செரிவூட்டப்பட்ட தென்னை நார்க்கழிவு மட்குகளை பயன்படுத்தலாம்.

இத்துடன் ஹெக்டேருக்கு 2 கிலோ அசோஸ்பைரில்லம் மற்றும் பாஸ்போ பாக்டீரியாவை கலந்து பயன்படுத்த வேண்டும்.

நீர்ப்பாசனம்: தர்ப்பூசணி சாகுபடிக்கு தகுந்த நீர்ப்பாசன முறையை பயன்படுத்துவது மிகவும் முக்கியம். ஏனெனில் அப்பருவத்தில் பாசன நீரின் அளவு மிகக்குறைவு. ஆழ்துளை கிணற்றுப் பாசன வசதியுள்ளவர்கள் நல்ல முறையில் தர்ப்பூசணி சாகுபடி செய்ய முடியும்.

இவர்கள் பாத்தி பாசனம் அல்லது சொட்டு நீர்ப் பாசனம் அல்லது தெளிநீர்ப் பாசனம் என வசதிக்கேற்ப பயன்படுத்தலாம். கிணற்றுப் பாசன வசதியில்லாதவர்கள் அருகிலிருந்து வடிகால் வாய்க்காலில் இருக்கும் தண்ணீரை குடிநீர் பாசன முறையில் பயன்படுத்தலாம்.

வளர்ச்சி ஊக்கிகள்: எத்தரல் என்னும் பயிர் வளர்ச்சி ஊக்கியை 250 பி.பி.எம். (2.5 மி.லி எத்தரல் மற்றும் 10 லிட்டர் தண்ணீர்) கரைசலாக தயார் செய்து, விதை முளைத்து செடியில் 2 இலை மற்றும் நான்கு இலை உற்பத்தியாகும் சமயத்திலும், அடுத்து 15 நாள் இடைவெளியில் 2 முறை தெளிப்பதால் பெண் பூக்களின் உற்பத்தியை அதிகரித்து மகசூலை அதிகரிக்கலாம்.

புகைமூட்டம் போடுதல்: எத்தரல் கரைசல் தெளிக்க இயலாதவர்கள், நட்ட 15 நாள்களிலிருந்து, 15 நாள்களுக்கு ஒருமுறை வயலில் ஒரு ஓரமாக காற்றடிக்கும் திசையில் புகைமூட்டம் போட்டால், அதிக பெண் பூக்கள் உற்பத்தியாவது அறியப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இது ரசாயன முறை சாகுபடியில் தெளிக்கும் எத்திலீன் என்ற வினையூக்கி தெளிப்பதற்கு சமமானது.

களை நிர்வாகம்: செடி வளர்ந்து படரும் இடங்களில் உள்ள களைச் செடிகளை அவ்வப்போது நீக்கிவிட வேண்டும்.

பயிர் பாதுகாப்பு: இலை வண்டு மற்றும் புழுக்களை கட்டுப்படுத்த மாலத்தியான் 50 இசி 1 மிலி அல்லது மிதைல் டெமடான் 25 இசி 1 மிலி தெளிக்கவும், சாம்பல் நோயை கட்டுப்படுத்த 1 மிலி டினோகாப் அல்லது கார்பண்டாசிம் 0.5 கிராம் லிட்டர் என்ற அளவில் நட்ட 10 நாள்கள் இடைவெளியில் இரண்டு முறை தெளிக்கவும்.

அறுவடை: பூ மகரந்த சேர்க்கையடைந்ததிலிருந்து 40 நாள்களில் பழங்களை அறுவடை செய்யலாம். நன்குப் பழுத்த பழங்களை மட்டுமே அறுவை செய்ய வேண்டும்.

பழக்காம்பு காய்தல், பழத்தைத் தட்டினால் ஏற்படும் சப்தம் மற்றும் பழம் மண்ணில் படும் இடங்கள் பச்சை நிறத்திலிருந்து வெள்ளை அல்லது வெளிர் மஞ்சள் நிறமாக மாறுதல் போன்றவற்றை கணித்து பழமுதிர்ச்சியை அறிந்து அறுவடை செய்யலாம்.

தமிழக விவசாயிகள் நெல் பயிரிடாத காலங்களில் நெல் தரிசு நிலத்தில் தர்ப்பூசணி சாகுபடி செய்து ஹெக்டேருக்கு 50 முதல் 60 டன்கள் வரை மகசூல் பெற்று அதிக லாபம் பெறலாம் என்கிறார் பேராசிரியர் கே.மணிவண்ணன்.

தர்ப்பூசணி டிசம்பர் முதல் செப்டம்பர் மாதம் வரை உள்ள நெல் தரிசு நிலத்தில் விவசாயிகள் சாகுபடி

செய்யலாம். அர்கா மானிக், அர்கா ஜோதி,

டி.கே.எம். 1, சுகர்பேபி, அசாகியமாடோ,

சார்லஸ்டன் கிரே, அம்ரூத், பூசா பேடானா மற்றும் விதை உற்பத்தி நிறுவனங்களால் வெளியிடப்படும் ரகங்கள் மற்றும் வீரிய ஒட்டு ரகங்களை
விவசாயிகள் சாகுபடி செய்யலாம்.

http://www.dinamani.com/edition/stor...86&SEO=&Title=

[kannan infratech]

There was a Workshop at Besant Nagar on Sunday on Organic Farming for Urban Households..

My wife attended and got lots of tips for maintaining a kitchen garden / terrace garden (which we already have).

They had invited some eminent scientists & experts on Food Issues to talk on related topics.

The present UPA Govt has almost finalised the Food Security Bill & Natural Resources Bill and MMS may sign at any time.

If passed, then the Farmers of India will have to depend on the Govt & MNCs for their seeds, water and marketing. They have to grow only those crops as guided by them.

The worst is that Farmers have to purchase Irrigation water.

No TV Channel / Media House even talks about this Basic (Vazhvadharam) needs.

I am being reminded of a situation similar to the one explained by Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged.

Can we stop this from happening ?