The potential of Indian Agriculture

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The government has intended to extend the green revolution to the eastern region of the country comprising Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Eastern UP, West Bengal and Orissa. Pic by -AP

A kind of Arhar dal is being sold in Berhampur (Orissa). The Union Budget stated that in the 60th year of the Republic, it is proposed to organise 60,000 "pulses and oil seed villages" in rain-fed areas during 2010-11. Pic by - Lingaraj Panda

A FCI godown in Jammu. The Union Budget said that the deficit in the storage capacity is met through an ongoing scheme for private sector participation where the FCI has been hiring godowns from private parties for a guaranteed period of 5 years. This period is now being extended to 7 years. Pic by - AP

A food processing unit in Kochi. The Finance Minister in his Budget speech said that in addition to the ten mega food park projects already being set up, the Government has decided to set up five more such parks. Photo by - K.K. Mustafah

 

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The swami who turned barren land into a gold mine​

This Krishi Pandit Award winner, who turned what was barren land a decade ago into a lush green horticulture farm through a mixture of organic and conventional farming is not like any other farmer. He is a swami heading a revered religious math with a large following in the district.

Sri Gurupadalinga Mahaswami, who heads the Virakta Math here, single-handedly converted 25 acres of barren land into a virtual gold-mine. Recognising his contribution in the field of agriculture and horticulture, the State Government awarded him the prestigious Krishi Pandit award this year.

The swami participates in every aspect of agriculture, right from the preparation of the land, tilling, sowing and harvesting of the crop. He spends at least 10 hours in the fields supervising operations and has constructed a small farmhouse in the centre of the horticulture farm to be nearer to his work.

When the swami took charge of the math 25 years ago, after the death of Sri Chennaveera Shivayogi, the math only had five acres of dry land. The young swami, through sheer hard work and dedication, purchased another 20 acres of land.

The agriculture and horticulture farm owned by the math is self sufficient. It has an open well and three high-yielding borewells that provide sufficient water for the farms. The water management techniques followed by him has earned him many laurels. The entire horticulture farm is watered through drip irrigation; not a single drop of water goes waste. To improve the water table in the village, the swami donated five acres of land for constructing a tank and that has helped in improving the groundwater levels in the village.

The farm has its own vermicompost manufacturing unit that produces 200 tonnes of vermicompost from 18 pits a year. “Besides using the vermicompost to enrich the soil, 50 per cent of the compost is sold at the rate of Rs. 300 a quintal to farmers,” said agricultural scientist Raju Teggalli, who is the guiding force behind the success of the experiment of Sri Gurupadalinga Mahaswamigalu.

Dr. Teggalli, who heads the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) and works as an entomologist in the Agriculture Research Centre here, said from time to time the KVK provides technical help to the swamiji for following the correct agricultural practices and water management techniques.

The swami established a grape farm five years ago using technological backup from the KVK. Now the farm is one of the most successful experiments in producing raisins in the district. On an average, the farm produces more than 10 tonnes of qood quality golden raisins which fetches a good price in the market. The farm has one of the biggest scientifically established sheds, which can at a time hold 10 tonnes of grapes a day.

Other crops
The swami has also taken up cultivation of sugarcane on a small patch of land and is experimenting with the “paired row method of planting of sugarcane” which helps in retaining the moisture levels on the land for a longer period resulting in a higher yield. Traditional crops like jowar, red and green gram and vegetables are also grown.

The agriculture activities on the farm also provides employment for the womenfolk in the village, who get a monthly salary of more than Rs. 1,500. The horticulture and agriculture farm is frequented by the farmers from other districts as well.

Source - The Hindu

 

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Forbes India: Gujarat shows way to green revolution

The onset of summer in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat can be a frightening prospect. The rocky terrain of low hills and the semi-arid plains begin to radiate immense heat. Rivers and wells dry up in tandem. Water shortage looms large and the memory of the severe drought of 1999-2000 returns to haunt. God bless the man who tries to indulge in cultivation of crops in these parts.

But that’s exactly what hundreds of farmers do several times a year in the heart of this unfriendly terrain. Wheat, cotton, banana, papaya, sugarcane, tomatoes and a variety of other crops sprout all over, erasing forever the cliché of Saurashtra being a parched expanse.

Today, one can spot crops that weren’t grown in these parts just four or five years ago. In Adtala village, farmer Vallabhai Patel, who was previously cultivating cotton, grows papayas. With a limited supply of water, he got plentiful yield.

In Sarangpur, also in Saurashtra, Swami Arunibhagat is surely a God-blessed man. A leader of the liberal religious group, Swaminarayan Movement, he has converted 175 acres of dry land into a lush haven for sugarcane, tomatoes and genetically modified cotton. He has achieved record yields that have attracted farmers from more fertile lands to come and learn how he did it. It almost looks like a miracle wrought by Lord Hanuman of the famous temple in Sarangpur.

The swamiji is not alone. The entire region of Saurashtra, along with neighbouring Kutch, a half-desert, half-salty marsh region, has become the engine of a farming revolution in Gujarat, propelling the state into one of the fastest growing agricultural economies in the country. Gujarat’s agriculture has grown 9.6 percent per year in the last decade or so, surpassing the national growth rate of 2.9 percent and boosting rural incomes.

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Agriculture in India has been condemned to an annual growth of 4 percent or less ever since the nation’s economic reforms pushed it towards a service-oriented economy. The share of agriculture in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) has fallen to just 16.6 percent from 46.3 percent about six decades ago. Somewhere, policymakers seemed to have ignored the importance of farming to the economy. But Gujarat hasn’t allowed its keenness to promote industry overshadow its farming sector.

“Although widely lauded for adopting an aggressive industrial policy that has made Gujarat a much-favoured destination for investment, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has actually devoted a great deal of energy and resources to accelerating agricultural growth in the state through a broad spectrum of policy initiatives,” say agricultural scientist Ashok Gulati and four others in an article published by the Economic and Political Weekly.

Studying the various points of attack that the state has used to revive agriculture could thus unveil important lessons for the whole country. After all, if the water-starved Saurashtra and Kutch could do it, why not the rest of India?

Fertile Policies

At first glance, the agricultural miracle in Gujarat seems to have been supported by factors such as good monsoon for most of the decade, increasing minimum support prices from the Centre and the spread of BT cotton, a lucrative cash crop. But all these benefits were available to other parts of the country as well and the superlative performance of Gujarat is not explained by them.

Gujarat was early to amend the laws governing the marketing of agricultural produce and allow farmers to sell their output directly to private buyers. Even today, many states haven’t done so and keep the farmer tied to the official procurement hubs. Some have gone back on reforms. But Gujarat has persisted with opening up market access to farmers.

This also opened up contract farming. In 2004-05, Gujarat took an unusual step. It allowed companies to buy crops from farmers a year in advance. This helped the farmers hedge against price upheavals and guaranteed a minimum price. What’s more, there is also some flexibility to allow higher payments if prices rose at the time of transaction. While it reduced market risks for the farmer, it also encouraged companies to invest in farming indirectly.

The result is obvious everywhere, but nowhere more so than in the 500-acre farm of the Patel brothers in Dolpur in the district of Sabarkantha, in the northeast of the state. Jitesh and Bhavesh, both having done masters in agricultural science, have managed to bring together plots owned by family members and friends and grow potato with modern techniques. They contract out their future production to Balaji, ITC and Pepsi. Their high yields have won them admirers. Each week, their farm sees at least 300 visitors from the state as well as Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, keen to learn their key to success. The brothers now act as consultants to other farmers. Very soon, the Patels will be investing Rs. 4 crore on a greenhouse to grow capsicum, tomatoes and muskmelons.

Gujarat has also stepped up its extension services significantly in the last decade, taking knowledge from research campuses to the farms. In the last five years, Krushi Mahotsavs (Farm Festivals) have grown in scope. As many as 18,600 villages host the event on the Akshaya Tritiya day (an auspicious day in the Hindu Calendar falling in May-June). University professors, government officers and even ministers are required to spend time with farmers, listening to their problems and developing solutions. While the quality of work in these fairs needs to improve according to farmers, and the researchers need to gain more practical experience, their impact in spreading awareness about things such as soil quality is undeniable.But the big change in Gujarat has come from the conservation of the most crucial resource for farming – water.

Gujarat started by planning large dam projects such as Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) to achieve a breakthrough in agriculture. To this day, its progress remains limited. Only a small portion of the potential command area has been covered with irrigation facilities. The canal irrigation system of Gujarat, while improving, is not adequate for its needs. To take water to the really dry areas, the Narmada dam’s height must be raised which the government is trying to accomplish. However, even that high-cost strategy will not be enough to fulfil the demand for water. “Agriculture suffered for centuries in Gujarat primarily because it did not have water,” says P.K. Laheri, formerly chief secretary of Gujarat and managing director of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam and now a director with Torrent Power. “It improved when we began taking the waters of the Narmada to irrigate our fields. Then, when the dam was built, more land came under cultivation. But a lot of land continues to be rain-fed.”

That’s why Gujarat has embarked on a major exercise to conserve water and use it more efficiently in the fields. The most important turning point in the state’s agriculture has been the innovative management of its groundwater resources. The state has adopted a combination of rainwater harvesting – that traps water that would otherwise drain away – and micro irrigation – that supplies each drop of water more efficiently and directly to the plant. The movement has been a roaring success and stories abound of conversion of barren lands into fertile farms, rising yields and falling costs of cultivation across the state.

Between 2001 and 2006, Chief Minister Narendra Modi ordered the building of check dams wherever possible. His slogan was that rain water in the fields should remain there and the water in rivulets should remain there too. There was little sense in letting all this water drain into the sea. The strategy worked. And farmers began to see a rise in water tables year after year. Modi also streamlined the supply of electricity to water pumps. Because they were getting subsidised power, farmers had little incentive to save on its use or keep pumps in good order to lower power consumption. As a result, much power was wasted. Also, power theft was widely prevalent. Further, farmers faced the problem of low-voltage power that helped nobody.

Modi, in his second year in power, ordered the uninterrupted supply of quality power to farms for three-phase pumps for at least four hours a day, but only in night. This ensured that farmers could use the pumps only for a limited time and had to make the most of it. During the day, industry got quality power. The scope for power theft reduced. Farmer groups were initially angry with the changes, but came around after some persuasion.

The government was still painfully aware that the key bottleneck would be availability of water. Higher water tables and taller dams could go only so far. The real need was to save water and use it more efficiently. There was a need to champion micro irrigation. That’s when the government formed Gujarat Green Revolution Company (GGRC).

The new company adopted a twin strategy. First, it made the subsidy for micro irrigation available to all farmers, not just the poor ones. The initial investment to install the plumbing for micro irrigation could be prohibitive. Even after the subsidy, it would come to a big sum and poor farmers would hesitate to make that investment. But for the richer ones, the subsidy made it a compelling proposition and they jumped in. This, in turn, showed the way for poorer farmers who followed.

Second, GGRC tightened norms for the subsidy scheme ensuring that companies didn’t sell pipes and move on to clinch more sales. It insisted that micro irrigation technology providers also offer extension services. To ensure compliance, it introduced a series of norms – like how many agronomists must be employed for a given expanse of land, how many field visits the experts must make and even the price at which the systems could be sold. “The farmer needs handholding,” says C.L.N. Rao, head agronomist with Netafim India, market leader for micro irrigation systems in the state. “And once a farmer sees money coming in... [the farmer] becomes the champion for other farmers as well.”

Now there is even talk in Gujarat that the government will order that power connections will be granted only if a farm has micro irrigation facilities. This is so because drip, sprinkling and spraying systems that come under the definition of micro irrigation deliver water very close to the plant or even to the roots. They avoid delivering water where it is not needed, thus reducing the growth of weeds. They don’t allow water to seep too deep into earth.

Gujarat is also studying a policy adopted in Raipur, where electricity tariffs for pumps of more than five horsepower invite the higher industry-level tariffs and the smaller pumps enjoy the subsidised agricultural tariffs. This is to encourage farmers to draw less water. It is also aimed at making sure all farms get irrigated, not only those owned by rich farmers.

Micro irrigation is spreading fast across Gujarat. Back in the Dolpur farm of the Patel brothers, a modern drip irrigation system is at work. They have had to pay the full price for it because they chose to go in for micro irrigation before the subsidy scheme was set in motion. The brothers bring scientific knowledge of soil, water and weather to their farming practices. They have even built a small soil and water analysis laboratory. “We know that while one well would normally irrigate three to four acres, using newer automated techniques, we could irrigate 15-20 acres,” says Jitesh Patel. The modern systems have made sure that the four hours of power are plenty for their large farm. “We sleep better, have saved on labour and also on water,” he says adding, quite proudly, “We now enjoy a higher status in society.”

 

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Narendra Modi's farm miracle

There is a new mood of resurgence on Gujarat’s farms. Farm incomes have more than doubled during the past 10 years, and are likely to grow even more in the coming years. Gujarat’s agriculture is expected to grow by at least 9% year-on-year in the coming years, compared with just 2-2.5% for the rest of the country.



For the first time in India’s history, even farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been flocking to Gujarat just to see what makes the state’s farms so vibrant. Some have even begun purchasing land in Gujarat to grow crops in that state.

The roots of the agricultural revolution in the state lay in 2002-03 when Narendra Modi, Gujarat’s controversial chief minister, decided to revamp the supply of electricity to farms and to industry. Plagued by mounting power losses (caused by lines tripping and also by theft), Modi decided to supply quality power to the farms for at least four hours without any interruption — but only at night. He sold the idea to farmers thus: accessing power at night would allow them to run their pumps on three-phase electricity, thus saving them the cost of diesel-powered pumps.

This single move allowed him to authorise the switching off of power supplies to farms during the day when industry, too, could get quality power without frequent breakdowns.Moreover, since most electric pumps would work only for a limited number of hours, it saved on precious groundwater too.

The next was to allow for farmers to integrate with consumers. So in 2003-04, Modi introduced laws permitting contract farming. This helped farmers sell their produce to large purchasers at least a year in advance and also facilitated industry clients to invest in farmers on a long-term basis.

To galvanise the farming community, he began in 2005 an annual month-long event called Krishi Mahotsav (farm festival), where all government officers, vendors (of seeds, micro-irrigation — MI — equipment, fertilisers and pesticides) and even agricultural researchers and professors are required to visit each of the identified 18,600 villages.

This is when farmers meet large consumers, create marketing linkages and even consult agronomists and government officials. Modi monitors complaints from farmers personally, keeping all concerned on their toes, and creating the groundswell — a critical prerequisite for any mass movement.

He then proceeded to set up the Gujarat Green Revolution Company (GGRC) — the pivot around which Gujarat’s future agricultural growth will depend. GGRC focuses on MI. One of its moves was to extend subsidies on MI to all farmers instead of restricting it only to small farmers. The reason: big farmers are the first to experiment with new ideas. Most small farmers follow.

The GGRC masterstroke was to make the subsidy available only to vendors who could offer ongoing extension services in terms of advice on plant nutrition and protection from qualified agronomists. This move affected MI suppliers. One firm, the largest player in the country, saw its market share in Gujarat plummet from 80 per cent to 20 per cent, while an Israeli firm saw its market share rise from around 10 per cent to 60 per cent. The latter’s agronomists are more in demand than researchers from Gujarat’s farm universities.

The shift to MI is critical. Less than 37 per cent of Gujarat’s 95 lakh hectares of cultivable land is under irrigation (canal or tubewell). The rest is rain-fed. When rains fail, so does agriculture. Yet tubewells, which irrigate almost 18 lakh hectares, deplete groundwater reserves. To control this, Modi ordered the construction of check dams so that water from streams and ponds stays impounded and doesn’t flow into drains and the sea. Over the last eight years, almost two lakh check dams have been built which, in turn, have allowed groundwater levels to soar.

But even this water may not be adequate to meet Gujarat’s needs. That is why Modi has been pushing for increasing the height of the Narmada dam and for MI. MI saves on water as it allows for higher productivity using much less water and fertiliser.For example, in cotton, if rainfed land can yield 0.3-0.4 tonnes an acre, canal/tubewell irrigation can yield 0.8-1.5 tonnes. But introduce micro-irrigation (which combines drip irrigation with feeding fertiliser and pesticides directly to plant roots) and yields can rise to 2-2.5 tonnes — a near three-fold increase over regular irrigation. Besides, farmers save on water, fertiliser and pesticides, too. Similar is the case with wheat, sugarcane, potato and green chillies.

In the past five years, almost 1 per cent of the irrigated land has come under MI. Each one has a success story to tell — with yields doubling, often more. The demonstration effect of these farms is beginning to catch on with other farmers, and the conversion rate is accelerating. But Gujarat’s success story is far from over.

 

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Pepsico engages 12,000 farmers in contract farming​

Riding on high sales of its snacks brands like Lays and Uncle Chipps, Pepsico has engaged 12,000 farmers across the country for contract farming of potato. “There are 12,000 farmers doing contract farming of potato for us involving 16,000 acres of land,” Executive Vice-president of Pepsico Holdings (agro-business) Nischint Bhatia told PTI.

He said that out of the 12,000 farmers, 6,500 of them are in West Bengal working 2,600 acres. Bhatia said Pepsico’s contract farming had picked up very fast, adding that the company had procured 22,000 tonnes of potato in the last harvesting season.

He said that with the growing sales of its snacks brands, the company would adopt for more in the country for contract farming. At present, Pepsico is involved in the contract farming for potato only. Bhatia said that farmers were ensured a captive off take even in periods of glut and also a remunerative price. He said Pepsico was buying potatoes at Rs. 6 per kilo from the farmers, which was higher than what others were getting by selling the crop to the intermediaries.

Asked whether the company would enter into contract farming for other crops, Bhatia said that the company was planning to follow a similar line for oats. He said oats were presently being imported for its Quaker Oats brand and the company was in talks with various agricultural universities for cultivating it in the country. “It is still in the research stage and may take three to four year’s time,” Bhatia said. He said oatmeal was becoming a popular breakfast cereal in India due to health reasons.

Source - The Hindu

 

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Pepsico engages 12,000 farmers in contract farming​

Riding on high sales of its snacks brands like Lays and Uncle Chipps, Pepsico has engaged 12,000 farmers across the country for contract farming of potato. “There are 12,000 farmers doing contract farming of potato for us involving 16,000 acres of land,” Executive Vice-president of Pepsico Holdings (agro-business) Nischint Bhatia told PTI.

He said that out of the 12,000 farmers, 6,500 of them are in West Bengal working 2,600 acres. Bhatia said Pepsico’s contract farming had picked up very fast, adding that the company had procured 22,000 tonnes of potato in the last harvesting season.

He said that with the growing sales of its snacks brands, the company would adopt for more in the country for contract farming. At present, Pepsico is involved in the contract farming for potato only. Bhatia said that farmers were ensured a captive off take even in periods of glut and also a remunerative price. He said Pepsico was buying potatoes at Rs. 6 per kilo from the farmers, which was higher than what others were getting by selling the crop to the intermediaries.

Asked whether the company would enter into contract farming for other crops, Bhatia said that the company was planning to follow a similar line for oats. He said oats were presently being imported for its Quaker Oats brand and the company was in talks with various agricultural universities for cultivating it in the country. “It is still in the research stage and may take three to four year’s time,” Bhatia said. He said oatmeal was becoming a popular breakfast cereal in India due to health reasons.

Source - The Hindu

this is good, atleast pepsico is not taking the farmers for a ride since the prevailing procurment price of potatoes from the farmers otherwise is a mere rs1.5-3/kg, which of course latter on gets sold at a staggering price of rs20-25/kg in the retail market with the supply chain making all the money.

 

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For India’s Newly Rich Farmers, Limos Won’t Do

NOIDA, India — Bhisham Singh Yadav, father of the groom, is stressed. His rented Lexus got stuck behind a bullock cart. He has hired a truck to blast Hindi pop, but it is too big to maneuver through his village. At least his grandest gesture, evidence of his upward mobility, is circling overhead. The helicopter has arrived.

Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times
At a wedding on Delhi’s outskirts, the groom, Kapil Yadav, and the helicopter his father hired.
Enlarge This Image

Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times
Girls protected their faces from the dust near Delhi as a helicopter carried the groom to his bride’s village less than two miles away.
Mr. Yadav, a wheat farmer, has never flown, nor has anyone else in the family. And this will only be a short trip: delivering his son less than two miles to the village of the bride. But like many families in this expanding suburb of New Delhi, the Yadavs have come into money, and they want everyone to know it.

“People will remember that his son went on a helicopter for his marriage,” a cousin, Vikas Yadav, shouted over the din. “People should know they are spending money. For us, things like this are the stuff of dreams.”

The Yadavs are members of a new economic caste in India: nouveau riche farmers. Land acquisition for expanding cities and industry is one of the most bitterly contentious issues in India, rife with corruption and violent protests. Yet in some areas it has created pockets of overnight wealth, especially in the outlying regions of the capital, New Delhi.

By Western standards, few of these farmers are truly rich. But in India, where the annual per capita income is about $1,000 and where roughly 800 million people live on less than $2 a day, some farmers have gotten windfalls of several million rupees by selling land. Over the years, farmers and others have sold more than 50,000 acres of farmland as Noida has evolved into a suburb of 300,000 people with shopping malls and office parks.

That has created what might seem to be a pleasant predicament: What to do with the cash? Some farmers have bought more land, banked money, invested in their children’s educations or made improvements to their homes. In Punjab, a few farmers told the Indian news media they wanted to use their land riches to move to Canada. But still others are broke after indulging in spending sprees for cars, holiday trips and other luxuries.

“They go for Land Rovers,” said N. Sridharan, a professor at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi. “They buy more televisions, and quite a lot of money also goes into drinking. They try to blow it out.”

Much of this conspicuous consumption is bad financial planning by farmers who have little education or experience with the seductive heat of cold cash. But some sociologists say such ostentatious spending, especially on weddings, is rooted in the desire of lower castes to show off their social mobility, partly by emulating the practices of the upper castes.

In India, as in many places, a wedding has always been equal parts religious ceremony, theatrical production and wealth demonstration project. For the country’s elite, the latest matrimonial trend is destination weddings in Bali or palaces in Rajasthan. For the new rich, hiring a helicopter is motivated by the same impulses for excitement and one-upmanship.

“Everyone wants to be better than the others,” said Subhash Goyal, whose travel company handles three or four helicopter weddings every year in the Delhi region. “This is how the new rich behave. They want to show off and say, ‘I have more money than you.’ ”

On the morning of his son’s wedding, Mr. Yadav sat in the shabby brick courtyard of his village home, finalizing the last details of a ceremony that seemed to straddle different centuries. He had earned about $109,000 selling three acres of his ancestral land. He banked some of the money, renovated his house, bought a small Hyundai and purchased three more acres farther out to continue farming.

He estimates that his share of the wedding — the bride’s father pays a bigger share — will cost him $13,000, including $8,327 for the chopper. “It is for my happiness, for the happiness of my son,” said Mr. Yadav, 36. “In my marriage, I went in a car. But that was a different era.”

As the family began the traditional procession through the village, his son, Kapil, 19, was dressed in embroidered finery atop a white horse. Mr. Yadav’s rented white Lexus finally got around the bullock cart; he was taking it to the bride’s village while his son rode in the chopper. As another touch, Mr. Yadav also had hired a truck — the Reenu Rock Star 2010 Hi-Fi DJ — to lead the procession. It was playing Hindi pop so loudly that the brick homes of the village seemed to shake.

Then a problem arose: The truck was stuck at a tight corner, and the procession was pinned between the truck and a herd of water buffaloes. As people slipped around the marooned Reenu Rock Star, another problem materialized: The helicopter was already circling above.

Usually, the procession is a slow parade to wave to neighbors. But the Yadavs had rented the helicopter by the hour, so everyone started running, sidestepping the piles of water buffalo dung and the channel of open sewage. The corpulent mother of the groom, her flesh spilling out of her sari, giggled as she barreled toward the arriving aircraft.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “We are so happy!”

The helicopter landed in a clearing. In the distance, the concrete skeletons of new apartment towers were clouded in a haze. Hundreds of villagers surrounded the small blue helicopter, which was guarded by a detail of local police officers. Then the groom and two relatives jumped in, and the blue bird rose over the village, as Mr. Yadav hopped in the Lexus and roared toward the bride’s village.

The ride took five minutes, and Mr. Yadav barely beat the arriving chopper. When the son stepped onto solid ground, he was wearing a garland made of 100 rupee notes. The helicopter was to return in the morning, after the wedding ceremony, to deliver the newlyweds back to the groom’s village and the rest of their lives.

But as the white-haired pilot prepared to depart, the father of the bride, Davinder Singh Yadav, pulled him close. “Please take it over the village a few times before you leave,” he shouted. “The village is so big. Everybody needs to see it.”

A moment later, as the copter circled above the small farming houses, the father said: “The whole village will remember. The whole world will remember.”

 

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An engineer from IIT, now a farmer

Off-beat is in. The oft beaten track, not so.
One of the most interesting themes at this year's Pan-IIT event was the session on rural transformation. IITians who have chosen an offbeat career hogged the limelight at the event. In this series, we feature some of the IITians who preferred to be different, rather than get into a corporate rat race.

The star at the event was R Madhavan, an alumnus of IIT-Madras. This is Madhavan's success story as a farmer. . .

Passion for agriculture

I had a passion for agriculture even when I was young. I don't know how my love for agriculture started. I only know that I have always been a nature lover.

I used to have a garden even when I was a teenager. So, from a home garden, a kitchen garden, I gradually became a farmer! My mother used to be very happy with the vegetables I grew.My family was against my ambition of becoming an agriculturist. So, I had to find a livelihood for myself.
I wrote IIT-JEE and got selected to study at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. I enjoyed studying mechanical engineering.

My intention was to transform what I study into what I love; mechanisation of farming. I felt the drudgery in farming is much more than in any other industry, and no one had looked into it.

Working for ONGC after IIT

I started my career at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). My father refused to give me any money to start farming. So I asked the officials to let me work at the offshore sites, on the rigs.

The advantage was that I could work on rigs for 14 days and then take 14 days off. I chose to work on the rigs for nine years, uninterrupted.After 4 years, I saved enough money to buy six acres of land. I bought land at Chengelpet near Chennai.
I chose that land because the plot had access to road and water. Back in 1989, a man in a pair of trousers aroused curiosity among the farming community. That was not the image of a farmer!

Tough beginning as a farmer

I became a full fledged farmer in 1993. It was tough in the beginning. Nobody taught me how to farm. There was no guidance from the gram sevaks or the University of Agriculture.

I ran from pillar to post but couldn't find a single scientist who could help me. I burnt my fingers. My first crop was paddy and I produced 2 tonnes from the six acres of land, it was pathetic.

When I lost all my money, my father said I was stupid. I told him, it didn't matter as I was learning. It was trial and error for me for three years. Until 1997, I was only experimenting by mingling various systems.

In 1996, I visited Israel because I had heard that they are the best in water technology. Take the case of corn: they harvest 7 tonnes per acre whereas we produce less than a tonne.
They harvest up to 200 tonnes of tomatoes, whereas here it is 6 tonnes, in similar area of land. I stayed in one of the kibbutz, which is a co-operative farm for 15 days.

I understood what we do is quite primitive. It was an eye opener for me. They treat each plant as an industry. A plant producing one kilo of capsicum is an industry that has 1 kilo output.

I learnt from them that we abuse water. Drip irrigation is not only for saving water but it enhances your plant productivity. We commonly practice flood irrigation where they just pump water. As per the 2005 statistics, instead of 1 litre, we use 750 litres of water.


Imet Dr Lakshmanan, a California-based NRI, who has been farming for the last 35 years on 50-60,000 acres of land.
He taught me farming over the last one decade. Whatever little I have learnt, it is thanks to him.

I knew a farm would give me much better returns in terms of money as well as happiness. Working for money and working for happiness are different. I work and get happiness. What more do you need?

No guidance in India

I said at one platform that we have to change the curriculum of the agricultural universities. What they teach the students is not how to farm, but how to draw loans from a bank!

What they learn cannot be transformed to reality or to the villages. The problem in the villages is not mentioned in the university. There is a wide gap and it is getting worse.

After burning my fingers for four years, from 1997 onwards, I started making profits.
Even though it took me four years, I did not lose hope. I knew this was my path ven though I didn't have any guidance from anyone.

In those days, communication was slow. Today, I can get guidance from Dr Lakshmanan on Skype or Google Talk, or through e-mail.

I send him the picture of my problem and ask his guidance. In those days, it took time to communicate. There was no Internet or connectivity.

That was why it took me four years to learn farming. Today, I would not have taken more than six months or even less to learn the trick!

I started crop rotation after 1997. In August, I start with paddy and it is harvested in December.
I plant vegetables in December itself and get the crops in February. After that, it is oil seeds like sesame and groundnut, which are drought-resistant, till May.

During May, I go on trips to learn more about the craft. I come back in June-July and start preparations on the land to get ready for August. In 1999, I bought another four acres. My target is a net income of Rs 100,000 per annum per acre. I have achieved up to Rs 50,000.

Selling the products

I sell my produce on my own. I have a jeep and bring what I produce to my house and sell from there. People know that I sell at home. I don't go through any middle man.

I take paddy to the mill, hull it and sell it on my own. In the future, I have plans to have a mill too. These days, people tell me in advance that they need rice from me. I have no problem selling my produce.

More than any other education, engineering helps in farming because toiling in the soil is only 20 per cent of the work. About 80 per cent of farming needs engineering skills.
Science is a must for any farming. I have developed a number of simple, farmer-friendly tools for farming areas like seeding, weeding, etc. as we don't have any tools for small farmers.

If I have 200 acres of land, I can go for food processing, etc. My next project is to lease land from the small farmers for agriculture. The village will prosper with food processing industries coming there. My yield will also be more with more land.

Dr Abdul Kalam visited my farm when he was the President, after hearing about what I was doing. He spent around two hours on my farm.
During his visit, he said: "We need not one, but one million Madhavans!"

If I am able to inspire or create even one entrepreneur, I will be very happy, because that is what Dr Kalam wished me to do.

Experimental farming

Every acre of my land has ten cents of experimental farming. I have done this for the last 15 years.

This is a part of my research and development. Some of it may fail, but even if I succeed at one thing, that is enough for me.
The United Nations says 65 per cent of the world population suffers from food deficiency, and India ranks first in the list.
About 49 per cent of our children are undernourished. This means our future generation will be affected.

If we are not going to give attention to this area, we are in for real trouble. Food insecurity is more threatening than an atom bomb!

 

[san]

Inequality should be a great worry to Indian Agriculture sector. I am not going to provide any statics on it but rather I will writing from my own experince. Once I have chance to visit some villages near Kholapur, Maharasta. To my astonishment, seen that every household has atleast one tractor & all the fields have irrigation pumping sets ( Increase the motor size to run bigger pump at free electricity). Also met some villagers and seems all of them earning good money. Later have a chance to visit some villages near Wardha. Incomes are lesser than earlier but seems ok to me. Then visited Anuppur, Satna, Umaria etc places in MP. No irrigation, no rain , one or 2 tractors in a whole village mostly uses bull for cultivation. Situation in tribal villages are very bad in this part of MP. The same situation in North East. Able to cultivate only one crop in a whole year. Reason no irrigation though a lot of water is passing by & mixing with Bay of Bengal. I think with only proper irrigation we have very good chance to double our food production. Combine with scientific technologh & method, it can be triple

 

[ajtr]

A rice variety that can be eaten without cooking

NEW DELHI: At a time when India is pushing hard to save energy, scientists in Orissa are doing their bit by popularising a rice variety that can be eaten without being boiled.

Aghonibora, a new rice variety being developed at the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack, requires only half-an-hour soaking in water to render it fit to be eaten.

The 'komal saul' or soft rice variety, which was obtained originally from Assam's Titabar Rice Research Station, has very low amylose content -- about 4.5 per cent.

Other rice varieties have up to 20-25 per cent of amylose content that is responsible for hardness of the grains, CRRI scientists said.

"As this rice contains very less amount of amylose, it does not require any boiling. It can be eaten straightaway after just half-an-hour of soaking in water. If the water is lukewarm, it will be prepared within 15-20 minutes," said Srigopal Sharma, Head of Division of Biochemistry, Plant Physiology and Environmental Sciences at CRRI.

Significantly, the rice variety shows no major change in productivity or taste, he said.

"We have done extensive research on the rice variety at the CRRI farm at Cuttack to find out whether it retains the 'soak and eat' characteristic in the hot and humid climate of Orissa," Sharma said.

"The results were positive indicating that it could be promoted in parts of India where parboiled rice is consumed.

"In the preliminary testing, the rice variety took between 140 and 145 days to mature, measured 90 cm in height and yielded about four to five tonnes per hectare of land," said Sharma, who spearheaded the research at CRRI.

The scientist said the variety was one of the major achievements in the field of rice research and added that if they could manage to promote the rice across the country, it would help save fuel and consequently the environment as well.

"Promotion of such rice would save fuel, time, and above all it would help maintain a cleaner environment. It would be very useful for the poor in general, who find it difficult to afford firewood, coal or cooking gas," he said.

 

[ajtr]

solar water pump can be nice solution for irrigation in power hungry villages.

Solar pump promises higher crop yields in power-hungry Bangladesh

DHAKA (AlertNet) - Farmers in Bangladesh's northern Naogaon district are anticipating higher yields thanks to a solar-powered pump that will irrigate around 50 acres of land in area that previously had no access to electricity.
In Ashrand village, scarce water and a lack of power meant farmers could harvest only one crop a year from their land. They hope the new solar pump will make their fields more productive.
"The area where our lands are situated is a little bit higher than the lowlands, so getting water here is very tough other than in the rainy season," explains Alauddin Mahalat, president of the local farmers' group.
"There was no pump in this area, not even a diesel-run pump, so we had no choice but to produce one crop and to wait for the rainy season to cultivate our lands."
Only around half of Bangladesh's population receive government power supplies, and in rural areas that do have access to grid electricity, frequent and prolonged power cuts are common due to the wide gap between supply and demand.
This is a key reason why renewable energy is becoming popular very fast, particularly among rural communities where solar, wind and biogas are the only source of power.
In Ashrand, farmers are now looking to harvest two rice crops and one vegetable crop annually, says Mahalat, who also teaches agriculture at a local madrasa, or religious school.
"We will be able to get two to three crops a year from our lands with irrigation from the pump," says the father of two sons who also runs a fish-farming business and will soon receive training in vegetable growing in India.
Fazlur Rahman is one of the village's richer farmers with children in secondary and higher education. He hopes irrigation from the pump will enable his three acres of land to produce up to 12 tonnes of rice a year as well as vegetables.
MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE
The pump and the village's new solar system - which has a capacity of 11.2 kilowatts - have been set up by Grameen Shakti, a non-profit company that is pioneering the provision of renewable energy to rural Bangladeshis through micro-finance. It has so far installed 326,500 solar home systems with a monthly installation rate of 12,000 panels
At present the pump lifts 400,000 litres of water each day from 100 metres below ground, which will increase to 500,000 litres during longer summer days. It allows farmers to irrigate their lands for a reasonable price.
"We have plans to set up 10 pumps across the country where farmers can't cultivate their lands due to lack of water and there is no electricity coverage," says M. A. Gofran, a biogas consultant who works for Grameen Shakti.
Grameen Shakti, which was established in 1996 and has won two Ashden Awards for sustainable energy, also plans to introduce a drip irrigation system that will prevent wastage of water.
In Bangladesh's coastal belt, which is vulnerable to extreme weather and rising sea levels, the organisation is working to introduce a solar drier for fish, which will help fishermen work more efficiently. And in areas devastated by Cyclone Sidr in 2007, it has distributed 15,000 improved cooking stoves.
Gofran says the organisation is ready to launch a mini solar-power grid that will provide electricity to 100 households affected by river erosion in Mankganj district, some 65 kilometres from the capital city of Dhaka.
The clean energy specialist notes that Grameen Shakti's work is supporting low-carbon development in Bangladesh by offering alternatives to the use of fossil fuels, which produce carbon dioxide when burned. "Our solar and biogas projects are helping offset climate change," he says.

Robison BL40D Solar Water Pumps from Connexa Energy

Connexa Energy supplies a diverse range of solar water pumps. The Robison BL40D solar water pump is a dual piston model that has been designed to provide water in small pastures or other areas with minimal water requirements. This solar pump is available in a four inch casing and operates in 75 watt power. The maximum lift that is achieved by the Robison BL40D solar water pump is 185 feet.

The Robison BL40D solar water pump creates 85 pounds of pressure that facilitates its usage in homes or remote cabins. This solar water pump can pump water from ponds or creeks. The Robison BL40D solar water pump system consists of components such as solar modules, wiring harness and aluminum mounting hardware. The mounting hardware facilitates easy installation of the module. The solar pump is available with a 100 feet wire.

The solar pump from Connexa Energy is available with a Solar Boss Controller that provides power boosting. This controller facilitates better operation even in low light conditions. The Solar Boss Controller of the solar water pump from Connexa Energy comprises an inbuilt tank level sensor and the capability to charge batteries. It functions by switching the pump off, when the tank is filled with water and switches it off in case the water level decreases.

 

[RAM]

He set up a dairy farm at Leh

The oft-repeated story about `Kuttappan Nair’s tea shop that shocked Neil Armstrong when he landed on the Moon’ took a new avatar at Leh a few years ago. When the Indian Army decided to set up a dairy farm there at an altitude of 10,500 ft and at a freezing temperature of - 32 degrees Celsius, a Malayali officer was there as its architect.N.K.K. Nair, who retired on March 31 as senior manager of Military Farms, has several achievements, including the dairy farm at Leh, to his credit.The mission to set up the farm at Leh began in 1996. I worked there for four years. By 2000, we were rearing 400 cows,’’ said Nair, who came back to his home city after retiring from Secunderabad.The farm, which has been feeding hundreds of soldiers who guard the border with milk, cheese, butter and ghee, is still a wonderland for researchers.There were many hurdles.The first one was to acclimatize the cattle to the hostile temperature.The batches of cattle which were transported from plains were given days of halt at strategic points so that they got used to the low temperature.Hence, it took several weeks to take one herd of cattle from the plains to Leh,’’ said Nair.

Solar system is used to maintain the heat at the farm. Like the farm in Leh, there are several farms in forward areas.The mission of the military farm is to make the Army selfsufficient in all areas where there is a scarcity of food and milk,’’ said Nair who, incidentally, was the first Malayali to be a part of Military Farms. ``Men from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh dominate the service as they have special skill and interest in the area,’’ he said. Nair joined the Army 40 years ago as a 19- year-old with a diploma in farm science. Later, he was trained in the advanced farm management course and deputed to the Military Farms. Since then, he had worked with the Farm in its various missions.

The stint in North East as a member of Operation Good Samaritan team was another assignment which still lingers in Nair’s mind. ``In Nagaland and Manipur, we encouraged locals to learn farming and start their own enterprises. It was an effort to defeat growing trends of terrorism there,’’ he said. He was honoured with a President’s medal in 1978. Nair plans to lead his post-retirement life in the city. He lives at West Fort with his wife Beena Nair. Nair’s elder son Captain Rajat Govind is a doctor with the Army and younger son Rishab Govind is at Microsoft.

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/he-set-up-a-dairy-farm-at-leh/164556.html

 

[ajtr]

Farmers training centre in Ganjam to boost farming sector

Farming sector in Orissa’s Ganjam was likely to get a boost with establishment of a farmers training centre by Punjab National Bank near here.

Free training to the farmers at the centre located at the Regional Institute of Technology and Extension (RITE), a building of the agriculture department at Rangeilunda, about 15 km from here started on Tuesday.

The farmers training institute started functioning on the occasion of the 116th anniversary of the nationalised bank, B.P. Ray, Head of PNB’s Orissa circle, said.

The bank made an agreement with the State government to run the centre at the RITE building till the completion of its building at Karapalli, he said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid foundation stone for the Rs. 60 crore project at Karaplli, near Gopalpur last year. The State government has provided about 7 acres of land free of cost for the project. The FTC was set up by PNB Farmers Welfare Trust, a sponsored organisation of the bank to train farmers in various agricultural activities.

Not only the borrowers of PNB, but borrowers of other banks including cooperative banks can join the institute to get training on the latest technology to increase the productivity of the crops, Ray said.

Besides agriculture activities, FTC would also provide free training on computer courses, cutting, tailoring and embroidery.

The resource persons from other institutes like Orissa University of Agriculture and Training (OUAT) and College and Fisheries would be roped to provide training to the farmers, Ray said.

The FTC is the first of its kind in the state and among nine such centres in the country. The bank had already set up eight FTC in different States and the response of the farmers in these States was very good, he claimed.

The nationalised bank has already set up FTCs in states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. All these centres were set up with the active cooperation of the respective State governments. The FTCs have imparted training to over 2 lakh farmers and youths, including over 40,000 women so far.

As 80 per cent people of Orissa depend on agriculture and farm produce is the main source of income, the farmers need to be trained well to boost agriculture production in the State, sub collector Berhampur Ajit Mishra said.

The FTC would definitely extend help to boost the farm production in the State, said the Deputy Director of Agriculture (Ganjam) Damodar Polai.

Keywords: farming, Ganjam, farmers training centre

 

[ajtr]

Sunflower farming in Jharkhand

Farmers of Jharkhand’s kolavadiya village are making good profit out of sunflower cultivation. Sunflower is a fast growing crop and takes only three months to grow, depending on production practices and weather conditions.

Sunflower has a huge demand; many oil mill companies from West Bengal, Gujarat and Maharashtra are looking for it and ready to pay good prices.

The farmers began with cultivation on a small area and made good profits.

“This is the first time we have started sunflower cultivation and we are further working on it. We first tried it on 8-10 acres of land. Agriculture department has also helped us in the cultivation of sunflower and we are expecting good profits out of this.” said Prasad Mehti, a farmer.

The farmers plan to extend the area of operations next year.

“We are working on bigger projects and we will next time start sunflower cultivation on 250 -300 acres of land so that we can expand it and make good profits” said Sadanand Raut, another farmer.

 

[ajtr]

Fight against yield loss leads to wilt-resistant pepper variety

The grafted vines come to commercial harvest after two years

When the yield improves, so does the farmer's income. But a drop in the yield affects a farmer's livelihood.

"To rise from a loss like a phoenix requires fortitude, sagacity, scientific temperament and an innovative mind," says Dr. T.N. Prakash Kammardi, Co-ordinator, Honey Bee network and Editor, Hittala Gida (Kannada version of Honey Bee).

ECONOMIC LOSS

Mr. Ravishankar, from Dakshina Kannada district, suffered severe economic loss in pepper due to infestation a decade back. But today, a new pepper variety resistant to wilt infestation owes its success to the same farmer who lost his entire yield.

The farmer had cultivated some local pepper varieties such as Panniyur, Karimunda, and Vayanadu and suffered severe loss due to wilt infestation.

NEW VARIETY

"Initially I thought that pests caused the damage but later learnt that it was a wilt disease, a common infestation in pepper, which affected my vines. Continuous search for a superior wilt resistant variety did not fetch a satisfactory result. I decided to develop a new variety by grafting a local spice plant called Hippali (endowed with a smell similar to pepper) and Panniyur variety," he explains.

Mr. Ravishankar selected both plants of the same age and grafted them. He planted 6 -7 grafted plants in the field. All the plants grew well and exhibited resistance to wilt infestation.

COMMERCIAL YIELD

"The new grafted pepper variety is wilt resistant and has high phenolic content. The number of spikes in a vine ranges from 30-40 and the berries, 100-165. The dry yield is 1.5 kg/year/vine. The variety takes eight months to fruit after flowering and yields economically after two years," explains the farmer.

The leaves are dark green in colour compared to Panniyur variety bearing moderately green coloured leaves.

REQUIRE SHADE

He also observed that after grafting, the plants required to be kept under shade to ensure a healthier growth. Flowering in all the plants started during month of June and harvesting done once a year. For better root growth, he encourages the careful use of V-notch method during grafting.

Scientists from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, and Agriculture Research Station, Thirthahalli, visited Ravishankar's farm and found the phenolic content was higher - the reason for its wilt tolerance.

CEMENT BEEHIVES

In addition to pepper, the farmer also makes beehives from cement. In India hive boxes are usually made of teak wood. During monsoon the wooden hives get damaged quickly.

To overcome this problem and to save trees from being cut the farmer says he developed cement hive boxes.

"Cement hives solve the problem of hornets attacking bee hives. The heavy weight of the cement hive makes it less prone to theft and is better adapted to vagaries of weather such as rain and sun.

SEVERAL BENEFITS

"Unlike wood, cement provides protection from termites, bush fires, worms, and pests," explains Mr. Ravi.

Regarding the cost of the hives he says:

"These cement boxes cost less than wooden boxes and are long lasting. Bees readily occupy the hives." They are easy to handle and cost Rs.250 per box.

 

[Pintu]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...res-wheat-buys-up-136/articleshow/5842207.cms

Centre's wheat buys up 13.6%
22 Apr 2010, 0317 hrs IST,ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Wheat buys by the Centre up to April 20 this year have gone up by 13.6% compared to the same period last year, with Punjab contributing the most to the state procurement.

Buys from UP, where there have been widespread reports of farmers selling produce way below the minimum support price of Rs 1,080 per quintal and at border areas attempting to sell their wheat in Haryana, where the commodity fetches a better support price, are only 4.2 lakh tonnes compared to a massive 75 lakh tonnes (7.5 mt) from Punjab.

Government agencies have procured 152.55 lakh tonnes wheat during the current rabi marketing season so far against the arrival of 163.67 lakh tonnes wheat in the mandis in major wheat growing states.

As per the data received from the department of food and public distribution, it represents an increase of 13.61 lakh tonnes over the procurement on 20th April last year. Wheat procurement was 138.93 lakh tonnes on this date in the last marketing season. With 75.16 lakh tonnes, Punjab is the largest contributor followed by Haryana, 53.15 lakh tonnes.

 

[ajtr]

This farmer earns Rs. 22 lakh a year from 2.1 acres of land

profitable venture:Innovative drive and constant experimentation with multi-cropping methods have helped H. Sadananda of Tapasihalli in Doddaballapur taluk to reap a rich harvest.


BANGALORE: At a time when there is a strong perception that farming is not a profitable venture, this farmer from Tapasihalli in Doddaballapur taluk has created waves by earning a profit of about Rs. 22 lakh a year from merely 2.1 acres of land.

It is his innovative drive and constant experimentation with multi-cropping methods that have helped 51-year-old H. Sadananda to reap a rich harvest.

He cultivates nearly 30 varieties of crop on his land, including tomato and areca on half an acre each which yield him Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 50,000 respectively.

Ginger is cultivated along with areca in the plantation, and it yields him about Rs. 70,000 a year. Mr. Sadananda has also made space in his areca plantation for rearing 250 Giriraja hens which he sells every three months to earn about Rs. 1 lakh a year. The poultry droppings are valuable manure for the areca plantation while agricultural waste is used as feed for the birds. He has planted about 2,000 rose cuttings on three-fourth of an acre, which fetches him about Rs. 4 lakh a year, and has set up a greenhouse on one-fourth of an acre for cultivating capsicum and high-quality rose alternatively. Capsicum, cultivated for about six months, yields him about Rs. 5.4 lakh while the rose variety that replaces capsicum for the next six months gets him about Rs. 2.5 lakh a year.

A small vegetable garden, a fish-rearing pond, coconut and jackfruit trees on the periphery of his land, in addition to coffee plants, papaya, sapota and lime trees also find a place. His cows produce 80 to 100 litres of milk a day.

Manure comes from vermicompost and the slurry from a gobar gas plant. A tiny pond is filled with azolla plants which is a good cow feed.

Mr. Sadananda, who depends on borewell for irrigation, has installed drip irrigation system for the entire land at a cost of Rs. 50,000 (excluding subsidy). "Drip irrigation allows me to irrigate my entire land even with four hours of three-phase power," he says. Besides, it prevents weeds and also saves him about Rs. 400 a day in labour costs.

Interestingly, he also breeds Rottweiler and Great Dane breeds of dogs to earn Rs. 1.2 lakh a year.

He has been honoured with prestigious awards by the Union Ministry of Agriculture. Several agricultural scientists, farmers and VIPs from India and abroad visit his farm.

Mr. Sadananda says that his farm income increased after he adopted innovative ideas provided by the Department of Biotechnology's Bio-Resource Complex project taken up in his village. He can be contacted on 9342022146.

 

[ajtr]

More mills in South opt for mechanical cane harvesting
Look to technology on growing paucity of labourers.
Harish Damodaran

New Delhi, April 25

Sugar mills – particularly in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra – are taking to mechanical cane harvesting in a major way, in the context of rising costs as well as scarcity of manual labour.

"We are getting good orders. By the year-end, I expect about 150 of our machines to be on the fields," said Mr Gaurav Sood, Deputy General Manager (Sales & Marketing), New Holland Fiat India Ltd.

'Good Orders'

The 100 per cent subsidiary of the $15 billion Illinois-headquartered CNH Global has so far supplied 20 of its 'Case IH Austoft 8000' harvesters to mills in Tamil Nadu, which include Sakthi Sugars, Thiru Arooran Sugars, Bannari Amman Sugars and Dharani Sugars.

"The 350-horsepower (hp) 8000 Series machines are well suited for Tamil Nadu, where cane yields average over 40 tonnes an acre. These can harvest 40-50 tonnes an hour", according to Mr Sood.

For Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, where yields are around 30 tonnes, the company is mainly marketing its lower 170-hp '4000 Series' machines, capable of harvesting 20-25 tonnes an hour.

Overflowing enquiries

"In Karnataka, we have supplied or received orders for 60 harvesters from Shri Prabhulingeshwar Sugars & Chemicals, Nirani Sugars, Jamkhandi Sugars, Shree Kedarnath Sugar & Agro Products and Bilagi Sugar Mill (all in Bagalkot district). In Andhra, the main buyers are GMR Industries and Sree Rayalseema Sugar & Energy," Mr Sood added.

In Maharashtra, the company has already tied-up with Purti Sugars Mills in Nagpur, promoted by the Bharatiya Janata Party President, Mr Nitin Gadkari.

"We have been holding demonstration trials in the State and many mills have shown interest," he claimed.

Customs duty cut

New Holland is currently importing all its machines from Brazil.

The landed cost of an '8000 Series' harvester is about $300,000 (cost and freight Mumbai), while being $150,000 for the '4000' machines.

After adding roughly 12 per cent towards import duty, port handling, road freight and other charges, the delivered cost to mills would range from Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore.

The latest Union Budget has reduced the basic customs duty on imported cane harvesters from 7.5 to 5 per cent, making them somewhat cheaper.

Indigenous harvester

"Our mills are trying to bring down costs further by inducing more competition and not getting tied to a single manufacturer. Apart from New Holland, we are talking to John Deere India, Mahindra & Mahindra and Talon (a Chinese farm equipment supplier).

There is also an indigenous cane harvester being jointly developed by Rane Agro Industries, Pune and the Vasantdada Sugar Institute," said Mr Prakash Naiknavare, Managing Director, Maharashtra State Cooperative Sugar Factories' Federation.

 

[ajtr]

SRI technique gaining popularity in Thanjavur

G.Srinivasan
Farmers raising summer paddy crop at many places

Photo: M.Srinath

A farmer removing weeds from a farm near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district.

THANJAVUR: System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of farming has become popular among farmers of Thanjavur district.

With less water and seed requirement, early transplantation, increased yield, SRI is the most sought after agriculture technology in the district.

At present, farmers are involved in raising summer paddy crop at many places. Out of total area of 7,500 hectares to be covered under summer crop, they have raised paddy under SRI on 2,200 hectares.

At Ariyapadaiveedu village in Kumbakonam agriculture division, summer paddy crop has been raised on 30 hectares.

The total area of cultivation in the village is 38 hectares out of which 30 have come under SRI and conventional method of cultivation has been taken up on eight hectares only.

There are 52 farmers who have raised paddy under SRI in the village.

R.Balakrishnan, a farmer of the village said, "expenditure is less in SRI method. Crop is good. Less quantity of seed is required. We have used conoweeder to remove weeds in the field when SRI method is followed." Farmers say that rat menace is less when SRI method is followed. SRI is the answer to farmer at a time power cut is in peak as the crop requires only less water.

According to P. Loganathan, Joint Director of Agriculture, Thanjavur district, and K.Nedunchezhiyan, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Kumbakonam division, 40 per cent of water is saved in SRI method per hectare. Seedlings can be raised using mat or on a raised land and they can be plucked and planted within 15 to 20 days. In the conventional method, the seedlings are transplanted only after a month. Thus water requirement becomes less.

With respect to seeds only five to six kg of seeds is required for a hectare while in conventional method farmers have to use 70 kg of seeds. As conoweeder is used for removing weeds, it presses the soil around the root of the seedlings planted. The crop matures early also.

With respect to yield, a farmer can take nearly 8050 kg per hectare under SRI method while the yield will be only 5000 to 6000 kg under conventional method. During samba this year, paddy under SRI was raised on 48,000 hectares out of the total area of 1,38,000 hectares. During kuruvai, it was raised on 8500 hectares under SRI out of the total area of 22,000 hectares, Mr.Loganathan said.

 

[RAM]

Ten-year-old turns grain farmer in Bihar

Gaya (Bihar), Apr 29 (ANI): Ten-year-old Jayjeet, a resident of Bihar's Gaya District, has used new methods of cultivation to increase his yield.Buzz up!"Our production is doubling, even tripling, using general (methods). In general, the yield is one and a half tonnes when we do it through. We are getting straight three to four tonnes," said Jayjeet, child farmer."I got awards on Bihar Day from the District Magistrate, Sub-Division officer and all the officers and scientists of our district. I got a pesticide spraying machine, one shawl and a certificate," he added.Other farmers have also taken to following his methods and are getting good results, with production of wheat going two or three times higher than usual and costs remaining the same.

"Previously we used to produce crop with our methods but now with this (Jayjeet's) method our production has gone two to three times higher," said Kesar, a farmer.

Jayjeet has been awarded the Young Farming Certificate by the state government for introducing innovative methods of cultivation in the in the village. (ANI)

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/04/29/tenyear-old-turns-grain-farmer-inbihar.html