Step up water release for irrigation: farmers

Farmers representatives from the Cauvery Delta demanded that the discharge
from Mettur Reservoir be stepped up to 5,000 cusecs.
Farmers associations here have urged the State government to take steps to
release adequate water in the 17 irrigation canals in the Tiruchi region to save
the standing cash crops. Farmers representatives demanded that the discharge
from Mettur Reservoir be stepped up to 5,000 cusecs. About 2,000 cusecs of
water alone is being discharged to meet drinking water requirements. A total of
17 irrigation channels branch off from either side of the Cauvery down Mettur
dam and they all have assured irrigation rights even during the Mettur closure
period, say farmers associations. Crops such as banana, sugarcane, coconut
and betel vine are raised in thousands of acres in the region. The delay in
opening the Mettur Dam for irrigation in the delta has resulted in short supply of
irrigation water on these canals. Farmers representatives said that the standing
crops could wither over the next few days if adequate water was note released.
The standing crops require at least one or two wettings until the Mettur Dam is
opened. It would entail stepping up the quantum of water released from the
dam. Otherwise the crops could wither, said Mahadhanapuram V. Rajaram,
working president, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association. Standing banana,
sugarcane, coconut and betel vine crops on about one lakh acres in Tiruchi,
Karur, Namakkal and Erode districts could wither if the water was not
released quickly, said Puliyur A. Nagarajan, president, farmers wing of the Tamil
Maanila Congress. The continued drought like condition has worsened the
situation. Farmers have invested up to Rs.50,000 an acre to raise cash crops, he
said and said at least 5,000 cusecs of water should be released from the
Mettur dam immediately to tide over the situation. Echoing his views, P.
Ayyakannu, president, Desiya-Thennindia Nadigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam,
said farmers dependent on various channels such as the Ayyan, Peruvalai and
Uyyakondan channels were worried over the prospects of the standing crops.
We have decided to represent the issue to the Public Works Department officials
and if no action was taken we would resort to a stir, he said.

A mini Punjab in Tamil Nadu

Hard working farmers from Punjab are greening dry tracts in the interiors of
Ramnad district.
Ropar in Punjab or Ramnad in Tamil Nadu, it no longer makes a difference to
Jaspal, Harpal, Gagandeep and Rajendra Singh. Wearing colourful turbans, long
white shirts and pyjamas they are out in the fields doing what they love -- tilling
the land. If you love nature and understand the interconnectedness of life, you
can do farming anywhere, says the youngest in the group, Jaspal, in chaste
Punjabi. The sun shines bright in Vallandhai village in Kamuthi taluk of Ramnad
district. The farmers, with smiles on their sun-tanned faces, move around pulling
out bunches of groundnuts. A lady in salwar-suit walks into the fields with a
thermos of chilled lassi (butter milk) and the men take a break. The group of
Punjabis have beautifully blended into the sun-blistered landscape of one of the
driest districts in south Tamil Nadu and shown the locals how a farmers faith and
hard work can yield amazing results. Till about a decade ago the land here was

covered with thorny bushes (kaattu karuvelam) and abandoned by the locals.
Today, a big Iron Gate welcomes you into the area now called the Akal Farm
that boasts of lush green orchards and sustainable green farms. It has not only
become the talking point in the district but also a model example of cultivation
showcased to tourists, agriculturists and visitors. With apt knowledge, experience
and some experimentation, about two-dozen farmers from Moga and Sangrur
districts in Punjab are now successfully growing mangoes, water melons, papaya,
guava, cucumber, pumpkin, amla, carrot, ladies finger, oranges, sapota and
custard apple. We are gradually acquiring more land and increasing our farm
produce, says the soft-spoken Darshan Singh, one of the two group leaderscum-supervisor who can speak a smattering of Tamil and was invited by the
District Collector last month to address local administration staff and farmers
from the region. It was my first attempt at public speaking and I felt humbled,
says Darshan Singh, to share tips because I know every farmer anywhere shares
a special relationship with the real food. I managed to convey my points as I
was asked to motivate the people who had rejected the same land for farming,
he adds. Sab rab di meherbani hain (everything is Gods grace), says Darshan
Singh, who feels the yield is not yet as high as desired. But we all are happy to
have turned the infertile and fallow lands into lush green orchards and fields, he
adds. It all began when Darshan Singh and his friend, Manmohan Singh, left
behind their families and chose to travel more than 3,000 kms to this backward
belt seven years ago. They followed the suggestion of a retired agriculture officer
to explore cultivation in the arid lands of south Tamil Nadu. We migrated for
farming beyond our home State lured by the cheap land that was in short supply
back home, says Sarabjeet Singh, another senior member in the group. We
were discouraged by the locals who were always grudging against the long dry
spells. But we did not mind experimenting because the land was being sold at a
throwaway price Rs.10, 000 per acre, he adds. The friends pooled in money
and jointly bought 300 acres. They also took a house on rent in nearby
Virudhunagar and travelled everyday to the hamlet. It took three years to clear
the land, dig two dozen borewells, instal drip irrigation and make it ready for
plantation. We toiled round-the-clock as cleaners, gardeners, farmers, night
guardsinitially the locals were hostile to us, says Darshan Singh, but
everybodys hard work and patience is bearing fruits now.The results took time
but we did not lose hope, asserts Sarabjeet Singh. Life has taken a new turn
inside this mini-Punjab in Vallandhai. The Akal farm now encompasses 600 acres
and also has a neatly fenced campus with small cottages, dormitory, a common
kitchen, dining area and meditation room. We no longer feel we live outside
Punjab, says Darshan Singh. The farmers and their families celebrate Lohri, holi,
baisakhi, rakhi, teej and diwali. The women cook the daily dal-chawal and rotisubzi together and even feed the visitors. They also join in pongal and Tamil new
year celebrations with their local friends. The villagers have become friendly
now, says Darshan Singh. In fact with the Punjabi farmers setting a trend, some
local farmers have joined them as workers in the Akal Farm. Some have even
returned to them offering to buy the green fields at a higher rate. A retired
Village Administration Officer, Syed Segana, has been with them for the past six
years helping in administrative work and translations. I am trying to teach them
Tamil, he smiles, but our friendship is beyond language, food and boundaries
now. Nature and greenery binds us together and it does not matter where we
belong to and where we stay and work, he adds.

The Akal Farm yields

Amla and guava on 40 acres each, mixed dry fruits like cashew nuts and almonds
on five acres, papaya on 10 acres. The farmers have planted 5,000 mango trees
on 80 acres besides coconut and timber-value trees on 10 acres each and an
assortment of other fruits and vegetables. They also cultivate inter-crop and this
season harvested 15 tonnes of pumpkin, five tonnes of cucumber and 20 tonnes
of water melon on a daily basis.
Keywords: Punjab farmers, greening dry tracts, Ramanathapuram

Inordinate delay in mill modernisation irks sugarcane growers

There is also delay in commissioning power co-generation facility
Sugarcane growers who feed the Arignar Anna Sugar Mills at Kurunkulam are
sore over the inordinate delay in plant modernisation and commissioning of
power co-generation facility in the State Government unit. The mill procures
cane from over 6,000 registered growers commanding an area of over 11,000
acres in Thanjavur and Pudukkottai districts.The plan to modernise the mill and
replace the plant and machinery that was commissioned in 1976 was set in
motion in 2008 when the State Government accorded sanction for the mill
modernisation and establishment of power co-generation facility with an
installed capacity of 115 megawatt at a total estimate of Rs. 115.72 crore. Of
this, the estimate of installing the co-generation unit was put at Rs. 78.66 crore
while the rest Rs. 37.06 crore was to be spent on modernisation.Within the mill
complex, a 20-acre site was identified for the co-generation plant and work
started in right earnest on both accounts. Work commenced in 2010 and took
wings when the Assembly elections came in 2011 and brought about a new
regime.While the Power Finance Corporation was to take care of 90 per
cent of funding for the co generation unit, 90 per cent of the amount required
for mill modernisation was to come through the Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency. The cane suppliers registered with the mill were to pay
up an estimated 10 per cent of the outlay totalling Rs. 11.58 crore of which Rs.
9.60 crore has been handed over to TANGEDCO, the facilitating agency for
the project. The work that was supposed to have been completed in 18 months
has been dragging endlessly. Incidentally, the co-generation plant is seen as the
talisman to turn around the sagging fortunes of the sugar mill. While five
megawatt power would be utilised by the plant itself, the balance power would
be fed into the TANGEDCO grid.

NABARD funds orchard development in Pachamalai

Saplings of mangoes and cashew to be planted under the WADI project.
As many as 643 acres of land had been covered under the WADI Tribal
Development project of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
in Pachamalai benefiting an equal number of families. Pachamalai is located on
the border of Tiruchi and Salem districts. Mango and cashew orchards will
be raised under this.NABARD has taken up the project at an estimate of Rs. 8
crore, which included Rs. 6 crore grants, credit for Rs. 1 crore, and contribution of

labour equivalent to Rs. 1 crore by the tribal people. The project was being
implemented in 41 villages 16 in Tiruchi district and 25 in Salem side of the
hills. The project aims at ensuring livelihood assistance to the tribal
people and planting of cashew and mango saplings on 643 acres formed a
part of this component. On each acre, 94 saplings have been raised 54
mangoes and 40 cashew for ensuring livelihood for the tribal people
on a sustained basis, says S. Sureshkumar, Assistant General Manager,
NABARD, Tiruchi, who conducted a study on the fields on Thursday.He said that
each family would get an annual income of Rs. 12 lakh, once yield commenced
from these crops within a couple of years.
Excellent growth
G. Kannan, Project Director, Hand-in-Hand, the implementing agency for the sixyear project inaugurated in 2014-15. Within a year, the saplings have registered
phenomenal growth, indicating the suitability of the soil for these horticultural
crops, he said. The tribal people familiar with the cultivation practices to be
followed for raising these crops.He said that the VRI 3 had been raised in the
cashew area while the mango saplings included banganapalli, imampasandh,
and malgova.The villages covered in Tiruchi district, included Top Sengattupatti,
Puthur, Nachilipatti, Karuvankadu, N. Puthur, Boothakaal, Thannerpallam,
Kambore, and Solamatthi.On the Salem side, the project is implemented in
Periyapakkalam, Gunavarai, Neyvasal, and Odaikattuputhur.

New facility offers vegetable farmers market price at doorstep

Chandran, a vegetable farmer at Masakkal village near Kotagiri, cultivates
potato, broccoli, ginger and red cabbage on two acres. He used to travel to the
markets in Ooty or Mettupalayam at least twice a week to sell his produce with
the transport bill eating into his meagre profits.Vegetable farmers like him need
not travel to Ooty or Mettupalayam anymore. A vegetable collection centre
was opened at Masakkal, 15 km from Kotagiri, on Wednesday under the
Perimetro Vegetable Cluster Development Project.The project has been
implemented by the Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crop, Tamil Nadu,
on public-private partnership mode. Lawrencedale Estates and Farms has set up
the collection centre with subsidy from the department.P. Vijayaraghavan, chief
executive officer, says the company is involved in the project for the last six
months. It has set up the procurement centre at a total cost of Rs. 70 lakh and
can procure 20 tonnes of vegetables a day.We pay the market price to the
farmers and the amount is either credited to their bank account or given as
cheque. The company will clean, grade and sell the vegetables to retailers and
customers. It has deployed mobile vans (Namma Thottam) to sell the
vegetables in Coimbatore on a daily basis, he says.In Coimbatore, the
department has given the farmers three trucks to transport the vegetables to the
markets. It is aimed at helping the growers get a good price for the produce, a
horticulture official says.Natarajan, another farmer who grows leeks and beans at
Masakkal, says the farmers would lose a day when they travel to the market.
Now, they can sell the vegetables at the collection centre and return to work at
the farm. Exotic vegetable cultivation is high in Masakkal area and the collection
centre would give help the farmers get the market price, he says.In Coimbatore
district, the farmers have formed a company and plan to export vegetables
under this project. The Horticulture Department officials say the project was
launched in Chennai and Coimbatore in 2013 and has now been extended to

other districts too. Farmers also get assistance under the scheme for organic
farming and protected cultivation.

Farmers protest demolition of uzhavar sandhai building

Damaged shops, toilet will be rebuilt: Gudiyatham Municipality
Farmers doing business inside and outside the uzhavar sandhai (farmers market)
here blocked the road in front of the market on Thursday protesting against the
demolition of the uzhavar sandhaibuilding including the toilet located close to
the bunds of the Robinson Tank which has been silted up over the years.When
the farmers came to the market on Thursday morning to do business, they were
shocked to find the toilet structure in a shambles. They blocked the road
protesting against what they called the demolition of the structure. Police
officials arrived on the scene and asked the farmers to carry on their business in

the available space and settle their issue through talks with municipal officials.
Later, they gave up the agitation.When the Gudiyatham Municipality took up the
work of desilting the tank last year, portions of theuzhavar sandhai structure
near the tank bund started crumbling. The farmers moved the District Munsif
Court in Gudiyatham pleading against the demolition of the market. The court
stated that the market should not be demolished till it was shifted to an
alternative building. When the municipality decided to shift the market to a new
place three km away, the farmers objected to it, saying that they cannot do
business in the new place. When asked about the problem, Uma Maheswari,
Municipal Commissioner-in-charge of Gudiyatham Municipality told The
Hindu that about two months ago a written agreement was signed by the
municipal officials and the farmers utilising the market that the municipality
would reconstruct the damaged shops and other structures, construct compound
walls on all sides and extend the market lengthwise on the northern side. The
farmers also agreed to the proposal after talks with the municipal chairperson.
The Municipality was currently engaged in desilting the tank and filling it with
gravel. After the gravel was filled, the damaged shop structures (there are 60
shops in the market) and other structures including the toilet would be rebuilt. A
resolution was also passed in one of the municipal council meetings that all basic
amenities would be provided to the farmers in the newly built market, she said.
The farmers are allowed to do their business in the available space. Everything
has been done with the consent of the farmers, and there was absolutely no
violation of any court order, she said.
When the municipality decided to shift the market the farmers objected

Cultivation in Aranmula Puncha to be revived

Kuttanad Development Council offers machines and guidance to famers
A team of farmers from Kuttanad led by Kuttanad Development Council (KDC)
chairman Fr. Thomas Peeliyanickal visited the Aranmula Puncha on Wednesday
as part of preparations for restarting paddy cultivation in the fields. Fr.
Peeliyanickal said the KDC would arrange farming machines and expert guidance
to the peasants in Aranmula for re-launching farming in the fields that have been
lying fallow for the past few years due to prolonged water-logging. The weeds
accumulated in the fields should be removed as soon as the ongoing
Karimaramthodu stream restoration work is completed. Fr. Peeliyanickal said
scientists from the Soil Research Institute at Mankombu in Alappuzha district
would be brought to Aranmula to conduct a study on the change in soil structure,
if any, at Aranmula Puncha due to prolonged water-logging and its implications
on paddy crop. He said a study on the traditional varieties of paddy used for
cultivation in the Aranmula Puncha too should be carried out. The boundaries of
the cluster of paddy fields in the Puncha should be demarcated with the help of
village records prior to launching of cultivation. Fr. Peeliyanickal said a joint
meeting of all farmers and farm workers in Aranmula would be convened soon to
discuss the suggestions for reviving cultivation in the Puncha. As many as 30
experts from Kuttanad would speak on different types of paddy cultivation
suitable for Aranmula at the meet. He said the Aranmula Anti-airport
Coordination Committee (AACC) and the KDC would seek the help of experts
attached to the Paddy Research Centre at Mankombu for reviving paddy

cultivation in the Puncha. The KDC team comprised Gopalakrishnan Muttar, K.V.
Mohanan, Agasti Ramankari, and Sunny Muttar, all leaders of various
Padashekhara Samitis in Kuttanad. AACC leaders R. Sreeranganathan, Shaji
Chacko, P.P.Chandrashekharan Nair, M.M. Daniel, G.Vijayan, and Ramakrishna
Pillai accompanied the team to different parts of the Puncha. The team also
reviewed the progress of the stream restoration work at Aranmula, later.

Deficient
rainfall
district(Karnataka)

hits

paddy

cultivation

in

Udupi

Farmers are hoping that the monsoon will pick up in the coming weeks
Below-normal rainfall in June and in the first week of July has affected cultivation
of paddy, the chief crop, in Udupi district even as farmers keep hoping that the
monsoon will pick up in the coming weeks.According to the figures provided by
the Department of Agriculture here, the area where sowing of paddy has taken
place in the district is just 17,390 hectares against a target of 45,000 hectares
(ha).The 17,390 ha in the district is spread over 5,440 ha in Udupi taluk, 8,050
ha in Kundapur taluk and 3,900 ha in Karkala taluk. Normally, by this period,
sowing should have been completed in 24,000 ha in the district.B. Satish,
Technical Officer in the Department of Agriculture, said that there had been a
shift in rainfall pattern since 2010. Hence, farmers, who were earlier doing
sowing/planting of paddy in the first and second weeks of June, are now doing it
in the third and fourth weeks, he said.Rainfall is deficient by 26.35 per cent in
the district since January. This year, the district received 1,117 mm of rainfall
from January 1 to July 4, whereas, normally, it should have received 1,517 mm
rainfall during the period. But the dip in rainfall in the first week of July has been
quite sharp. Normally, the district gets 371 mm of rainfall from July 1 to 7. But
this year, it has got just 93.6 mm, while last year, the rainfall received was 126.7
mm. According to Bantakal Ramakrishna Sharma, president of the Zilla Krishik
Sangha, the deficient rainfall made it difficult for farmers to take up sowing
operations for paddy, especially in the uplands of the district. Rainwater should
remain stagnant in the fields as this helps in paddy cultivation. So far, it is only
farmers in the lowlands who have taken up sowing operations, he said. Rainfall
was deficient in June; it has been lesser still in the first week of July. We are
praying that there will be rain in the weeks to follow, he added. Farmers can
grow short-duration paddy varieties and make up for the loss of time in the
coming weeks, said Anthony Maria Immanuel, Joint Director of Agriculture. B.V.
Poojary, a farmer from Perdoor village, said that the deficient rainfall in the
district would not affect farmers much. Most of the farmers follow a mixed crop
pattern. They grow arecanut, coconut, black pepper and other crops and are
not dependent on paddy alone, he said.

Seminar on crisis in the farming sector held

The absence of a comprehensive agricultural policy and measures to prevent
suicides of farmers are the major reasons for the prevailing crisis in the farming
sector, Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) leader G.C. Bayya Reddy
has said. He was addressing a seminar on Crisis in Agriculture and Farmers
Suicides at the Gandhi Bhavan here on Tuesday. Janapara Kriya Vedike had

organised the programme. Mr. Reddy has suggested the Governments to

provide at least 10 acres of land to each family of the farmers to stop
farmer suicides. Pro-farmer measures such as providing seeds, fertilizers,
electricity, crop loans and irrigation facilities would uplift the distressed
farming community, he opined. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader M.
Krishnamurthy has underlined the need for promoting scientific farming among
the farming community as, according to him, that could effectively prevent
suicides of farmers. The Governments ruled, both at State and Centre have failed
to provide scientific prices for farm produce. And, the anti-farmer policies have
been forcing farmers to end their lives, he said. KPRS leader T. Yeshwanth and a
few others accused the Governments of ruining the lives and livelihoods of
farmers by acquiring lands in the name of development. C.K. Basavaraju of
Mysore University, writer H.L. Keshava Murthy, G.T. Veerappa, M.B. Naganna
Gowda, Bhumi Gowda, H.D. Jayaram and others were present.

Mobile-based services to help farmers

Mobile based services for farmers and other stakeholders being delivered
through organisations, departments and offices of Central and State
Governments down to the block level (including State Agriculture Universities,
Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Agro-Meteorological Field Units) have been brought
together under a single umbrella, namely, mKisan portal of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Government of India. The URL iswww.mkisan.gov.in. mKisan portal
subsumes all mobile-based initiatives in the field of agriculture and
allied sectors, according to Department of Agriculture Co-operation. It
brings together SMS (both push and pull), interactive voice response system,
unstructured supplementary services of data or USSD (which is
essentially an interactive SMS and can facilitate data entry and query
on web portals without Internet), mobile apps and services.
Keywords: Mobile based services, State Agriculture Universities

Bio slurry pellet method of rice cultivation to increase

production(*)
All the farmers, especially the farmers in the modern generation are interested in
adopting innovative techniques to increase the production of their crops or to
reduce the cost of production. For which either they follow the advise of
agriculture experts or simply emulate the agriculture practices of the progressive
farmers in their area. Though many among them will try to to develop their own
techniques but, very few among them can only succeed in their attempt. Aji
Thomas of Kunnel,42, a marginal farmer at Ambalavayal in Kerala's hill district
Wayanad, is belonging to the latter section of farmers . The innovative method
developed by Mr. Aji is most promising at a time the world is focusing on aerobic
rice production, P.K. Abdul Jabbar, Assistant Professor (Agriculture Extension)
Krishi Vijnan Kendra at Ambalavayal under the Kerala Agricultural University
says. 'This method is a promising one in providing climate resilience to the rice
farming sector, Dr. Jabbar says adding that productivity of many of the
traditional varieties can be increased many fold by applying the unique
technique. Mr. Aji has developed the bio slurry pellet method of cultivation,

a combination of direct way of sowing seeds, and the System of Rice

Intensification (SRI) after conducting nearly 15 trial and error experiments on
his 40 cents of land. He had started the experiments nearly two years ago by
inserting two or three rice seeds in a specially prepared mixture of cow
dung with bio control agent (Pseudomonas) and bio fertilizer
(Azospirillum, a Potassium mobilizing bacteria). The mixture was tied in
small cotton pouches and in turn the pouches were attached to gunny ropes at
definite intervals. But his first attempt was in futile after birds destroyed the
gunny bags laid on the field. Later he conducted nearly 14 different experiments
with a financial assistance provided by the NABARD for the project and finally he
developed the bio-slurry pellet method. In this method he used a rubber mould
with 64 holes to make pellets for the purpose. Wherein each hole was
filled with 25 grams of the enriched bio slurry mixture and inserted one
or two rice seeds on it before it was set. He also added 25 gram
fenugreek paste (for bonding the mixture) as well as 5 gram each of
Pseudomonas and Azospirillum with a kg of bio slurry. He discharged
the dried pellets in the field, after drench it nearly six hours, at a
distance of 25 x 25 cm spacing. He used as many as 64,000 pellets on an
acre of land for the purpose. The pellets can be sown manually. Rows
are made facing east to west so that the germinating plant gets ample
air and sunlight. This method saves both time and money and the need
to prepare a nursery for paddy plants does not arise, he says. 'By
adopting the conventional nursery method, paddy crops take approximately 160
days to mature while using this technique it takes only about 140 days. The
average yield of rice from an acre in the area is 1,400 kg. But under the
innovative method it has increased to 22, 000 kg from an acre, Dr. Jabbar
says. The manual labour have come down to six persons an acre as against 25
manual labour an acre ,including transplanting rice plants and weeding, in
traditional agriculture practices, Dr. Jabbar adds. The pellet method will be a
boon to the members of the Self Help groups of women who cultivating
rice on leased land; Dr. Jabbar said adding that the KVK would train women
Joint Liability Groups under the 'Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana' project to
scale up this technology in leased land rice farming. Mr. Aji was conferred the
best farmer scientist award by the Kerala Agricultural University in
2008 for his invention of a device to tap rubber plants.

Onion stock limit: ban to stay

To curb the rise in onion prices, the Union Government has extended by one-year
the ban on holding of its stock beyond the prescribed limit. The decision was
taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
The validity of the order that empowers States to impose stock limits on traders
for holding onion, and ban hoarding beyond the set limit expired on July 2.
The order has been extended as onion prices in both wholesale and retail
markets have started increasing due to sluggish supply of good quality
onion as the crop is getting damaged in storage in major growing
States. High storage losses are likely to reduce availability of onions in the
market, and put pressure on prices till the arrival of new kharif crop from
mid-September

Theni banana goes global

he trust plans to form a consortium of farmers to bring into the Cumbum Valley
more technology and enhance exports.
A first-of-its-kind venture floated by the John Pennycuick Farmers Trust (JPFT) at
Cumbum in Theni district of Tamil Nadu has proved to be a game changer. In
less than three months time, Aroma Banana, the trade arm of the trust, has
turned the market for Theni banana in favour of Cumbum Valley growers. Started
on April 14 this year, Aroma Bananas objective is to ensure that all benefits
accrued to growers without the involvement of middlemen in the supply chain.
Before the advent of Aroma Banana, we used to sell our banana at prices as
low as Rs.3 a kg. We had to pay 10 per cent commission at all levels,
from procurement to transport. Today, we get a minimum assured price
of Rs.9 to Rs.10 a kg, and also do not worry about harvest and
transport, says K. M. Bharatharaj, a third generation farmer of Kamaya
Koundanpatti, who has grown 10,000 trees, which give an average yield of 40 kg
per loom (thaar in Tamil).The entry of Aroma Banana has changed the market
dynamics. Earlier, farmers used to take the produce all the way to Bengaluru for
sale in the wholesale market using their own transport arrangement. Traders
from neighbouring places and Kerala also descend on Cumbum to pay an
advance to farmers. The banana crop is harvested by farmers and delivered to
traders, who make piecemeal payments.

Padayatra by farmers for farmers

In a bid to prevent suicide by farmers, the Karnataka State Sugarcane
Cultivators Association will launch a padayatra to reach out to their fellow
community members from Monday. The padayatra will commence from the
Mahatma Gandhis statue in front of the Mysuru Court complex premises at 10
a.m. and reach Ganada Hosuru in Pandavapura taluk where a farmer recently
committed suicide. Association general secretary Atihalli Devaraj said in a
release that en-route farmers will visit all villages and conduct awareness
meetings and camps to infuse confidence in them and urge them not to take the
extreme step.

Trap crops in insect pest management(*)

Trap crops are the plant stands that are grown to attract insects or
other organisms to protect target crops from pest attack. Protection may
be achieved either by preventing the pests from reaching the crop or by
concentrating them in certain part of the field where they can economically be
destroyed.The principle of trap cropping rests on the fact that virtually all
pests show a distinct preference to certain crop stage. Manipulation of
stand in time and space so that attractive host plants are offered at
critical time in pests and the crop phenology leads to the concentration
of the pests at the desired site, the crop. Farmers are being motivated to

utilize trap cropping because of the difficulties in cropping with the pest
situations in other ways. Some times the cost of chemical pesticides and the
number of treatments required is so high that more economical ways have
to be developed, additionally; the pests have often evolved resistance to
commonly used pesticides, which requires some alternative control
strategies. Further, motivations to use trap cropping are economical and
environmental benefits are often associated with this strategy. Besides, its
potential role in improving the environmental soundness, trap cropping
techniques may have special preference of conventional agriculture to
sustainable farming in developing countries. Additionally, the increasing sector
of organic farming also could exploit this strategy of pest control. Yet
another function of trap crop is their use of attracting natural enemies of pest
insects to the fields and concentrating them there to enhance naturally occurring
biological control`. The essential features of the trap cropping are that the trap
crop must be attractive to the pest then the main crop, it should occupy small
area as far as possible and it should be established an early or later or along with
the main crop. The important trap crops commonly used in pest management
included bhendi/okra in cotton to trap bollworms at the ratio of 1:10 and
marigold at the boarder of the field. Sesamum is commonly being used as
trap crop to attract Diamondback moth in both cabbage and cauliflower.
Two rows of sesamum for every 25 rows of cabbage or cauliflower can be planted
to trap the pest. In groundnut, castor or sunflower can be used to attract leaf
eating caterpillar on the boarder of the field. In tomato marigold or
cucumber is commonly used as trap crop for every 15 rows of the main crop to
attract tomato fruit borer. In case of field beans, chrysanthamum acts as a
trap crop against leaf minor. Marigold is a potential trap crop in potato and
rice against nematodes and snails, respectively. To trap corn stalk borer in
maize sorghum has been exploited as trap crop. Bihar hairy caterpillar in
cowpea can be trapped by planting Gingelly. Trap cropping has indicated a
great benefit interms of economic returns on an average of 10-30 per cent
increase in net profits mainly resulting from reduced insecticide use and
pest attack. Trap cropping is a useful strategy in the management of several
pests in various cropping systems. It offers significant economic and
environmental benefits and it can successfully integrated with cultural,
biological and chemical control methods.

Success saga in inland farming

Farmers in the country usually follow the agricultural practices only after
successful practices and inventions set by scientists of government and public
sector research institutes and Universities. K. Saseendran, a progressive farmer
at Thekkumthara in Kerala's Wayanad district has distinguished himself by
setting a model in conserving the endemic and endangered fish varieties of the
district to be emulated even by the government institutes.
Saseendran set up the first, and only, hatchery in the district in 2011 to provide
fingerlings of edible and ornamental fish to other farmers. He now sells
fingerlings of various species of edible and ornamental fishes. Ornamental
fisheries has become a lucrative venture for farmers in the recent times. While
the Fisheries department and research institutes keep away from efforts to
conserve the endemic and endangered fish wealth of the State, Saseendran, a

national award winner in inland fisheries in 2013, has taken the bold initiative to
breed and propagate the rare fish varieties. He also bagged the state award for
the best inland fish farmer in 2011.
When I first set up the hatchery, some tribal fishermen brought my notice the
dangerous extinction of various species of fish endemic to Wayanad, especially
of the River varieties. They claimed there were nearly 62 species till a decade
ago, but the number has now shrunk alarmingly due to the unethical application
of pesticides on banana and ginger crops, the two major cash crops in
Wayanad,he says.
At first he was able to collect the breeding stock of only one of the species,
locally called Cherumeen (Channa marulius), two years ago. Chrumeen grows up
to 7 kg a year. He could produce nearly 2,000 fingerlings in a year from the
original stock, and started selling to the farmers. This year he also could collect a
breeding stock of 200 fingerlings of Varaal (Channa striatus), another
endangered species of fish. Inspired from the success of Mr. Saseendran, the
Fisheries department in Wayanad is now planing to set up an aqua park of
endemic and endangered fish varieties of the district, at Pookode Lake at a cost
of Rs.20 lakh.
A major issue to faced by the fish farmers of the district is the high cost of fishfeed, which takes up nearly 60 percent of the production cost in fish farming,
according to B.K. Sudheerkishan, Assistant Director, Kerala Fisheries Department
told The Hindu. Saseendran has successfully developed a low- cost feed made
from locally available materials (rice, wheat, millet and Kassava etc) to help
reduce the production cost in fish farming.
The Aquaculture Development Authority of India has selected four farmers for a
trial plot to cultivate Genetically Improved Farm Tilapia (GIFT)project and Mr.
Sasidharan is one among them, Mr. Sudheerkishan, says. His hard work,
enthusiasm to learn the new technologies, and the interest to share his
experience to novices to enter in to aqua culture make him differ from other
farmers, Mr. Sudheerkishan added. Mr Sasidharan also runs a free farm school
titled 'Shyam farm school' near his house to impart his knowledge on aqua
culture to other farmers, especially novices to the sector. Saseendran entered in
to the venture of inland fish farming when the Kerala state Fisheries Department
had launched the People's Fish Culture Programme in 2002.In that year he
started fish farming by depositing nearly 150 fingerlings of Cyprinus carp(locally
called Chembally), Labeo rohita (rohu), and the common grass carp (Pul meen)in
a small pond made on one and a half cent of land.
However he failed in his first stint, primarily due to lack of technical know-how.
But he did not give up. The very next year he deposited nearly 200 fingerlings of
the same varieties of fish, this time with the help and direction provided by the
fisheries department officials. He could harvest nearly 3 quintals of fish that
was his first taste of success. Gradually he started to expand, and now he rears
seven spices of edible and 14 species of ornamental fishes in 16 ponds spread
over his five acres of land.

I harvested nearly four tons of edible fishes and sold hundreds of ornamental
fishes last year. Marketing is not an issue, as the demand for the fresh water fish
is very huge in the hill district of Wayanad,affirms Saseendran. This year he has
purchased one hectare of marshy land near his house, and has constructed a
huge pond covering an area of two acres in it, at a cost of Rs.14 lakh.
He feels confident that he can get back the investment within two years. Farmers
in Wayanad are taking to inland fish farming for better income, inspired by the
increasing number of success stories in the sector. When the Department started
'Matsya Samrudhi' project in 2009 there were only 400 farmers to pick up the
venture. But now there are around 4000 farmers ready to try their luck in fish
farming. The farming area also has gone up, from 20 to 190 hectares, Mr.
Sudheerkishan said.
Keywords: fish farmers, Aquaculture Development Authority of India, Matsya
Samrudhi project
Farmers bear the brunt of monsoon fury
200 acres of paddy fields inundated due to a bund breach
Heavy rains that lashed the district since Saturday has brought disaster to the
farmers in Kuttanad. Paddy fields have been inundated at several places.
Poonthuram Padasekhara Samithy secretary Bhuvanachandran told The
Hindu that over 200 acres of paddy fields in the North Punnapra panchayat have
come under water due to a breach in the bund. Water from the Pampa gushed
into the fields through the breach, immersing the entire area under cultivation.
Paddy was sown 20 days ago and the entire crop has been lost. More than
Rs.10,000 per acre has been spent so far for the cultivation and the entire effort
and money have been lost, he said.
It will not be possible for farmers to begin farming operations afresh after the
water gets drained out, primarily due to lack of finance. Unless the government
comes up with immediate relief measures, the farmers will be forced to skip the
current crop, again resulting in loss of their sole revenue source, he said.
The farmers have always been at the receiving end of the vagaries of nature. The
government agencies too have added to their woes by delaying the payment of
procurement price of paddy. Arrears amounting to several lakhs of rupees have
not been paid to the farmers.
The government machinery has not been able to disburse the sums on time and
farmers have been demanding a revolving fund to meet their requirements.
Despite promises, the farmers do not get the funds on time, causing delay in
farming operations.
East should lead next Green Revolution: Modi

PM lays foundation stone of Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Hazaribagh,

says eastern India can take the lead in launching a second Green Revolution.
Calling for second Green Revolution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on asked the
farming community to adopt scientific methods to enhance foodgrain production
particularly of pulses which India has to import because of shortages.
He said Indian farmers are still lagging behind in terms of availability of good
quality seeds, adequate water, power, availability of right price and market for
their produce.
Unless we prepare a balanced and a comprehensive integrated plan, we will not
be able to change the lives of farmers, he said in Hazaribagh while laying
foundation stone of Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
Emphasising the need for use of scientific methods for farming to increase
productivity, Mr. Modi said it was high time that the country goes for the second
Green Revolution as the first such revolution took place long back.
Noting that eastern India has the potential to bring about the second Green
Revolution, Mr. Modi said, It can take place in eastern U.P., Bihar, West Bengal,
Jharkhand, Assam, Odhisa.
Pitching for per drop, more crop, Mr. Modi stressed the need for research in the
field of agriculture to determine the health of soil and its needs in terms of
seeds, water quantity, amount of fertilisation etc.
He said the government was taking steps to train youth in soil testing so that
such labs could be set up on the pattern of pathological labs for humans. This
will also lead to job creation, he added.
Turning to pulses, he said India has to import these because of shortfall in
production and noted that a special package has been given to farmers engaged
in cultivation of pulses.
The production of pulses in the country is very low and I urge farmers that if
they have five acres of farming land, use four acres for other crops but cultivate
pulses on at least one acre, Mr. Modi said.
High production would help in reducing pulses import and availability of the
commodity to poor people of the country, the Prime Minister said.
His appeal assumes significance as output of pulses is expected to be lower this
year as against growing demand.
India imports about 3-4 million tonnes of pulses annually to meet domestic
demand. The country produces about 19 million tonnes of pulses.
The production of pulses is estimated to have fallen to 17.38 million tonnes in
2014-15 crop year (July-June) from 19.25 million tonnes in the previous crop year

due to deficient monsoon last year and unseasonal rains and hailstorms during
March-April this year.
Mr. Modi also emphasised on the need to focus on enhancing food grain
production by adopting scientific methods.
Research is important in the agriculture sector. And this cannot happen only in
one place... We have to see how can we make our agriculture more scientific and
increase productivity and solutions are there for these issues, Mr. Modi said.
He said the condition of the agriculture sector was not good in India as it was left
on farmers fate. So, while farmers world over have made progress, in India they
are still lagging behind because of this attitude, the Prime Minister said.
Unless we make a comprehensive integrated plan for all the things including
fishery, dairy production, bee keeping and honey production, we would not be
able to change the economic situation of villages and lives of farmers, he said,
adding That is why the central government is taking steps to make agriculture
modern and scientific.
He said the issue of concern is how to increase the per hectare production. Its
not that we do not have solutions or we cannot have solutions. Through
government policies, through training, resources should be provided and we can
make agriculture modern and scientific.
Noting that population is increasing and land is declining, Mr. Modi said, In this
situation, if we do not increase the productivity, then neither will we be able to
feed the country adequately nor provide income to farmers... That is why there is
a need to change the conventional and traditional way of farming and do more
research.
A scientific field assistant measures crop growth in a wheat field inside the
campus of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi, March 20,
2015. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to promote a "per drop, more crop"
approach to farming to make better use of scarce water, and aims to have a new
satellite crop monitoring system working in time for the peak of this year's
monsoon in July. Picture taken March 20, 2015.
Keywords: Indian
Agricultural
Revolution, Narendra Modi

Research

Institute-

Hazaribagh, Green

Tips for viable, sustainable dairying

Empowering women with technical power for dairy farm management can prove
revolutionary.
Major part of milk is produced by landless, marginal and small landholders of
rural India. It is also consumed by urban people. It is major source of income and
employment of milk producers. To consolidate this income and supply of quality
milk to urban population, viable and sustainable production in dairying is the
need of the hour.

Economic feasibility

A dairy farm unit is economically viable and feasible with 305 days of milk with
high production and a calf crop in a year (12-14 months) and lactation from 7075 per cent cows and 60-65 per cent buffaloes of a herd. Proper recording of
body weight gain, milk production and physiological activities can be judged by
the performance of individual animals. This judging will certainly be helpful in
identifying the poorly producing dairy animals.This will also provide future
guidelines for increasing production (through productive remedial measures) well
in time.
Record keeping
Records act as lifeline for economical and effective handling of a dairy farm.
Records provide effective and accurate information for selection of dam and sire
in efficient breed improvement and dairy development programme. Records are
a reflection of productivity and profitability of a dairy farm and also of good
management practices. Records provide history of an individual animal which is
required to decide about its continuity in the herd. Ultimately records help in
future planning of a dairy farm. Nowadays the herd records can be maintained on
computer for getting quick information and immediate decisions.
General

Management

Empowering women with technical power at village level for dairy farm
management in day-to-day activities and managing dairy livestock farm
activities scientifically can prove revolutionary. Providing comfortable shelter
especially tail to tail system will be helpful in reducing labour cost and will
provide better supervision.
Adopting proper selection of superior dam and sire in breeding with special
emphasis on artificial insemination, heat detection, P.D. and control of endo-ecto
parasites should be given due importance. Feeding balanced and economical
ration fortified with minerals and special diet to counter seasonal stress and
inclement weather is very important for increasing quality and quantity of
production along with reproduction.Following vaccination schedule on prevention
is better than cure philosophy, by maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in the
shed and milking place with grooming and washing of animals cannot be
ignored. Netting is equally important for protecting the dairy animals from
mosquitoes and flies. Adopting proper milking method especially full hand
method, avoiding knuckling will certainly reduce the production losses. Culling of
uneconomical, especially unproductive stock, by maintaining record of all
activities mentioned above with effective and regular good managerial skills and
management will surely provide sustainable production and will also help in
conservation of environment making the dairy business economically feasible.
Rajinder Singh, Senior Extension Specialist (Animal Sciences) Rohtak Lala Lajpat
Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS, Hisar) & Varishti, MSc.
Tech BITS Pilani

Keywords: dairy farm, milk producers, dairy production

Enriched soil enhances productivity
An enriched soil has withstood the vagaries of monsoon and a depleting ground
water table to provide an enviable sugarcane yield in a farm in Puliangudi of
Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. Sustained attention given to soil health using
organic inputs has enabled V. Antonisamy reap 65 to 70 tonnes of sugarcane per
acre in his farm.
Explaining the methodology adopted to enhance soil quality, Mr. Antonisamy,
who has been raising sugarcane in the same field for the past 23 years, says that
trenches of 1.5 foot depth are created in the field soon after harvest and filled
with organic waste. The sugarcane shoots are cut to uniform size and water is
supplied to the compost through drips.
Legume seeds are planted along the margins of the trench at the rate of 30 kg
per acre and watered for 45 days using drips. The legumes grow to a height of
around four feet and prevent sunlight falling on the shoots, stunting their growth.
Besides absorbing nitrogen in their roots, the legumes also bring down the
temperature by 4 degree Celsius, says Mr. Antonisamy. Low temperature and
high humidity prevent the entry of maggots. This obviates the need to use
pesticides.
One-time weeding is adopted to remove the legumes, which are then mixed with
soil and placed supportive of the bunds along the row of sugarcane shoots. The
mix of soil with legume creates an atmosphere conducive for the growth of micro
nutrients. Water is again supplied through drips to strengthen the support
provided by uprooted legumes. Now, sunlight falls on the sugarcane, facilitating
its growth.
After 120 days, the hanging leaves are removed from sugarcane and left to
compost near the root. Besides retaining soils moisture, this practice also
enhances multiplication of micro organisms. The internode of the sugarcane has
an average length of 15 cm and the sheath is not rough.
Mr. Antonisamy does not claim that no pest attacks his farm. The good ones
take care of the bad ones. For example, the Mealybug is eaten by another pest
which is not harmful. But the robust nature of the crop has ensured that there is
no migration of pests or insects from abutting farms. A normal sugarcane in the
farm has over 20 internodes and weighs three kg. It grows up to 10 feet in
height. Ten shoots grow in a pit, separated by two feet from the other. The airy
aisles enable a person to walk in between rows of sugarcane without any
hindrance. The difference in temperature in the aisle and outside is tangible. The
drippers ensure that the soil is always kept wet.
Mr. Antonisamy does not sell the cane to sugar mills but produces jaggery for
sale through various outlets, including the ones dealing with organic products.
Soil and jaggery samples are sent to laboratories in various places for testing
annually. Results from the tests conducted at the Central Food Technological
Research Institute, Mysuru, and Shri M. M. Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre,

Chennai, show a higher content of soil organic carbon, against the desired level
of one to 1.5 per cent, and 80 per cent of sucrose content in sugarcane. The
results say that presence of metals and organochlorine pesticides are below
detectable limit and coliform or yeast is zero.
Endorsing Mr. Antonisamys claim of higher yield, the Joint Director of Agriculture,
Tirunelveli, C. Chandrasekaran, says that it is possible by enhancing the soils
carbon-nitrogen ratio through use of the right agents. According to him, the
maximum yield of sugarcane in the district reported elsewhere is 35 tonnes per
acre. The Department of Agriculture rewards and recognises record yield in
paddy, millets and oilseeds but that is not the case with sugarcane. P.
Gomathinayagam, a recipient of Srishti Samman and an expert in natural
farming, cautions that higher productivity and income could be achieved only
through sustained hard work over a period. Beginners should have an alternative
source of income before plunging into organic or natural farming.
More details can be had from Mr. V. Antonisamy at 53 Chinthamani, Puliangudi,
Tirunelveli District, 627 855. Phone: 9942979141.
Keywords: Farmer's
Notebook, soil
cultivation, organic waste, soil fertility

health, soil

quality, sugarcane

Forest Department to restore green cover in Coimbatore

To plant 2.20 lakh saplings in the district
The Forest Department is implementing a project to plant 2.20 lakh saplings in
the district as part of Massive Tree Planting campaign. It has joined hands with
the Coimbatore Corporation and the Highways Department to identify suitable
places along Tiruchi and Avanashi Roads.
District Forest Officer M. Senthil Kumar told The Hindu here on Tuesday that one
of the main objectives of the initiative was to restore green cover that has been
lost due to development projects such as road-widening. The project is being
given a thrust now on account of the recent showers and the Department was
looking to increase the saplings planting now.
Avenue plantation, done along the roads, was being given priority now in
coordination with the civic body. The Forest Department has tied up with
volunteers and non-governmental organisations to maintain these saplings.
Apart from the public locations, he said that commercial establishments, schools,
colleges, and industries have also come forward to maintain saplings in public
places, as well as plant saplings on their own premises. They are given saplings
free of cost.
In Coimbatore Forest Division, the sapling planting has been taken up in all the
six
Ranges
of
Coimbatore,
Mettupalayam,
Karamadai,
Sirumugai,
Periyanaickenpalayam and Booluvampatti, covering both urban as well as the
rural district areas, the District Forest Officer said.

Indigenous species
Only those indigenous species that can thrive in local soil and climate conditions
were being planted in this campaign.
Those include shade-giving and flowering species such as gulmohar, copper pod,
bauhinia, pungan and neem.
Further, Mr. Senthil said that these species were not water-intensive and required
watering just once in a week or 10 days.
The recent spell of rain will also help them thrive in the initial stages.
The Department has joined hands with
Bt Cotton responsible for suicides in rain-fed areas, says study
uicides decrease with increasing farm size and yield, but increase with the area
under Bt Cotton.
The cultivation of Bt cotton, a genetically modified, insect-resistant cotton
variety, is a risky affair for Indian farmers practising rain-fed agriculture,
according to a latest study published by California-based agricultural scientists in
the journal Environmental Sciences Europe.
Annual suicide rates of farmers in rain-fed areas are directly related to increase
in Bt cotton adoption, say the studys authors Andrew Paul Gutierrez, Luigi Ponti,
Hans R. Herren, Johann Baumgrtner and Peter E. Kenmore, who are associated
with the University of California, Berkeley, and the Centre for the Analysis of
Sustainable Agricultural Systems, California.
Revisiting the raw annual suicide data for Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka,
and Maharashtra during the period 20012010, the authors found 86,607 of
549,414 suicides were by farmers, and 87 % were males with the numbers
peaking in the 3044 age class. Total suicides per year per state were regressed
singly on states averages of proportion of area seeded to rainfed cotton, average
farm size, cotton growing area, area of Bt cotton, proportion of area with Bt
cotton, and simulated average yield/ha that includes the effects of weather.
Excluding the proportion of area seeded to rainfed cotton, linear multiple
regression shows suicides decrease with increasing farm size and yield but
increase with the area under Bt cotton, the authors note.
The study is significant for two reasons: first, most cotton cultivation in India is
rain-fed. Second, between 2002 and 2010, the adoption of Bt cotton hybrid went
up significantly to 86 per cent of the total cultivated area of cotton in India,
according to International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications.
Though cultivating the Bt cotton variety may be economic in irrigated areas, the
costs of Bt seed and insecticide increase the risk of farmer bankruptcy in lowyield rain-fed settings. Further the inability to use saved seed and inadequate

agronomic information trap cotton farmers on biotechnology and insecticide

treadmills, the authors note.
The study also challenges the common assumption in economic analyses that
cotton pests must be controlled to prevent monetary losses, thus encouraging Bt
cotton adoption. The annual emergence of the key cotton pest pink bollworm in
spring is poorly timed to attack rain-fed cotton and large populations of the pest
fail to develop in non-Bt rain-fed cotton, the authors note. This reduces and
usually prevents the need for Bt cotton and disruptive insecticides. The authors
recommend that high-density short-season cottons could increase yields and
reduce input costs in irrigated and rain-fed cotton.
Bt cotton has been shown to improve cotton yields by past studies, such as the
one conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute in 2012. This
study, examining the contribution of Bt cotton adoption to long-term average
cotton yields in India in nine cotton-producing States from 1975 to 2009, showed
that Bt cotton contributed 19 per cent of total yield growth over time, since its
introduction in 2002.
However, experts have responded to the new Berkeley study with concern.
Former Union Environment and Rural Development Minister and Rajya Sabha
member Jairam Ramesh told The Hindu that India, now being the second largest
country in the world cultivating Bt cotton, cannot afford to ignore the findings of
this new study. These findings call for serious discussion relating to the GM
crops long-term sustainability in Indian agriculture, he said.
Agricultural expert M.S. Swaminathan said the merits of Bt cotton adoption
remain debatable as some have approved it for giving better yield, while some
question the claim. However, I support the adoption of higher yielding crop
varieties as most of our cotton farmers are small farmers who need better yields
to earn profits. Back in 2004, I had advised seed companies selling hybrid cotton
to farmers to also sell insurance schemes alongside, so that if crops fail for
reasons beyond the farmers control, they can recover losses. But these
recommendations remain to be adopted widely.
Keywords: Bt Cotton, rain,
State Government initiative to make Arunachal an organic state
The programme aims at proper documentation of soil health and preparation of
soil map.
In a bid to make Arunachal Pradesh a hundred per cent organic state, the State
government decided to launch State Soil Health Mission.
The programme envisages proper documentation of soil health and preparation
of soil map besides, distribution of Soil Health Cards to farmers so that they are
guided for scientific nutrient managements, Government Spokesperson Bamang
Felix said.

The programme shall also check overuse of fertilizers and its adverse effect and
help in increase of crop production through its sustainable soil management
programme paving way for organic farming, he said.
Arunachal Pradesh government which is among the top five states for devolution
of powers to Panchayati Raj, has initiated steps to strengthen the urban local
self-governance to enhance revenue base of urban local bodies.
The state Cabinet in a recent meeting decided to authorise urban local bodies to
collect taxes, user charges, levy fees and fines as per provisions under various
sections of the Arunachal Pradesh Municipal Act 2007, Felix said.
The state with 82 per cent forest cover is considered as one of the richest
resource-based state in terms of aromatic and medicinal plants. Taking into
consideration this potential, the Cabinet adopted Arunachal Pradesh Medicinal
and Aromatic Plants Policy 2015.
Keywords: Arunachal Pradesh, organic farming, State Soil Health Mission, Soil
Health Cards, organic state, crop production
Changing dietary preferences push demand for small grains
Trend encouraging for farmers to take up pearl millet cultivation
Change in dietary preferences, rapid urbanisation, growing demand for
processed foods and poor procurement price have scaled down production of
small grains, especially pearl millet and shrunk the area under cultivation sharply
in the district in the last decade.
But now, the same change in food habits, people growing more health conscious
and realising the importance of consuming nutritious food have increased the
demand for small grains and thereby encouraged progressive farmers to start
cultivating pearl millet.
The Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Gandhigram Rural Institute, has been encouraging
such farmers by offering quality hybrid seeds, extending technologies and
assistance to raise pearl millet.
Once a poor mans staple food, pearl millet was forgotten even by people in the
rural areas. The area under cultivation has been dwindling year after year owing
to poor returns to farmers. Now, the total area under cultivation of pearl millet in
the district is just 902 hectares. It was 2,038 hectares three years ago and
15,278 hectares, a decade ago, says Dr. Udayakumar, Programme Coordinator
(incharge), KVK.
Now, this coarse grain has been gaining popularity among rural and urban
people, thanks to growing health awareness.
To promote pearl millet, the KVK has distributed seeds of high yielding variety to
a group of farmers at Marambadi panchayat. Now, growth and ear head size of
the crop is impressive. The height of the plant is also over six feet. The length

and girth of the ear head and high tillering indicate that the yield will be around
1,500 to 2,000 kg, says A Arockiam, who has raised pearl millet in half an acre at
Perikulathupatti village at Marambadi Panchayat.
Marketing is not an issue. Present procurement price is Rs.30 a kg. I can sell
them locally. Production cost is also very less because I reduce the use of
fertilizers to the minimum and increase organic manure to enrich soil and plants.
Water requirement for irrigation is also less. Previously, I had raised fox tail millet
(Thinai) and sold it to the Agriculture Department. With adoption of new
technologies and crop management practices, I hope that the yield will be
more, he says.
Low investment and better procurement price will certainly rope in more farmers
towards cultivating Cumbu. The KVK will encourage more farmers to take up
pearl millet cultivation, the coordinator added.
Rahul visits family of farmer who committed suicide in Punjab
Surjit Singh had met the Congress vice president recently to talk about the
agrarian crisis in Punjab.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi met the family of Punjab farmer Surjit
Singh, who had committed suicide on June 11, on Thursday morning and
expressed solidarity with crisis-affected farmers in the state.
Mr. Gandhi who took an early morning flight from New Delhi to Chandigarh
reached Mr. Singhs village Daddu Majra in Fatehgarh Sahib around 9.30 am and
spent time with his family and offered prayers at the Bhog ceremony (memorial
service) of Mr. Singh. Mr. Gandhi was not accompanied by any other Congress
leaders except the area MLA and Congress Secretary Kuljit Singh Nagra. Sources
close to Mr Gandhi said he wanted this to be a personal visit rather than a
political one.
Surjit Singh, 60, had reportedly consumed poison and killed himself because he
was unable to pay the debt he accrued due to mounting losses in farming. He
died on June 11. Earlier, on April 28, when Mr. Gandhi visited grain markets in
Punjab and spoke to farmers whose winter crop was damaged due to unseasonal
Spring rains, Mr. Singh had spoken with him and explained the crisis. Mr. Gandhi
came back from the visit and raised the issue in Parliament. The local Congress
unit announced an assistance grant of Rs. 2 lakh to the family.
The visit is also significant because it comes a day after the Centre announced a
marginal increase in the Minimum Support Price of the Kharif crops, with paddy
prices increasing by Rs 50 per quintal to Rs 1410, a less than four per cent
increase over last years MSP. Mr Gandhi has been planning a Congress-led
agitation against the government on the ongoing agrarian crisis.
Meeting

Sardar

Surjit

Sahibpic.twitter.com/iwFuJXyTNx

Singh's

family

in

Fatehgarh

 Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG)June 18, 2015

Keywords: Rahul Gandhi, Punjab farmers, farmer suicide, Surjit Singh
Legumes increase soil fertility, yield of commercial crops
hese crops can fix atmospheric nitrogen through their root nodules. This reduces
the use of chemical fertilisers like urea and ammonium nitrate.
At a time when decreasing soil fertility especially due to indiscriminate use of
chemical fertilisers and prolonged cultivation of commercial crops has become a
cause for concern among farmers, legume vegetables have turned out to be a
boon for addressing this issue.
Scientists feel that growing the legume vegetables at least once in a season will
help in increasing soil fertility as they have the capacity to fix atmospheric
nitrogen through their root nodules. This reduces the use of chemical fertilisers
like urea and ammonium nitrate.
Of course, growing legume crops for the natural fixation of atmospheric nitrogen
was an age-old practice of traditional farmers.
But the process has now been discontinued mostly by those growing commercial
crops due to lack of awareness.
Dr. T. S. Aghora, principal scientist at the Indian Institute of Horticultural
Research located at Hessarghatta near Bengaluru who has been working on
legume vegetables, says various studies have shown that growing legume
vegetables can increase soil fertility that will in turn increase the yield of regular
crops by a range of 10 to 15 per cent.
A study by IIHR has showed that growing legume vegetables along with coconut
plantation can help increase coconut yield by about 10 per cent, he says.
Similarly separate studies by various institutes and organisations too have
indicated an increase in paddy yield by over 10 per cent when legume
vegetables are grown as a rotational crop and an increase of 10 to 12 per cent in
sugarcane yield when legume vegetables are grown as an intercrop.
Cultivation of all the crops including cereals and regular vegetables will get
benefitted if the legume vegetables are grown once a season, Dr. Aghora notes.
Apart from fixing atmospheric nitrogen, the legume vegetables also help in
increasing the organic content of the soil as they produce huge quantum of
foliage that gets added into the soil. In addition to this, they also enhance the
water-holding capacity of soil, he points out. They have a positive impact on
human health too as these protein-rich legume vegetables can help fight protein
and energy-deficiency induced malnutrition.
The advantage of legume vegetables is that they are all short-duration crops
whose life cycle will get completed within 70 to 75 days. Hence they can be

grown either as a rotational crop or as an inter-crop between the regular

commercial crops depending upon the requirements.
In fact the legume vegetables start yielding within 45 to 50 days of sowing and
fit into any cropping systems, the scientist points out.
Of late the scientists are focussing on developing high-yielding
diseaseresistant varieties which can fetch good incomes to farmers.

and

These short-duration varieties help enhance the incomes of farmers not just
because of increase in their yield, but also due to the fact that they reduce the
spending in terms of application of fungicides and pesticides.
The IIHR itself has released 24 different improved varieties of legume vegetables
in the crops of French bean, garden pea, dolichos bean, and cow pea while
various other research institutes and agricultural universities too have come out
with their own varieties.
In fact some of the legume vegetable varieties go beyond the conventional
concept that they are meant for the consumption of common people residing
mostly in rural areas as they are gaining popularity in niche urban markets.
Such popular varieties include the whole pod edible variety of garden pea.
Named as Arka Apoorva (Arka stands for river Arkavathi on whose banks the IIHR
is located), the varietys entire pod is edible as the pod walls do not have fibrous
layers. This reduces wastage.
The pods of Arka Apoorva can be eaten either as fresh salad or after cooking and
frying. The agricultural scientists feel that these whole pod edible peas present
an opportunity for Indian farmers to explore their potential in the countrys niche
urban markets.
Similarly there are garden pea varieties which have resistance to rust and
powdery mildew diseases. Also, there are yard long beans varieties like Arka
Mangala which is a climber that produces pods with a length of 75 to 80 cms that
are extremely popular in niche market.
(For details contact Dr. T.S. Aghora, Principal Scientist, Division of
Vegetable Crops, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR),
Hesaraghatta Lake Post, Bengaluru-60089, Phone 080-28446140-43,
Mobile 9986100079; email: tsaghor@gmail.com)
Keywords: soil fertility, chemical fertilisers, organic soil, legumes
Management of potato early blight
Early blight, caused by Alternaria solani, is a very common disease of potato and
is found in most potato growing areas. The disease occurs over a wide range of
climatic conditions and depends in a large part on the frequency of foliage
wetting from rainfall, fog, dew, or irrigation, on the nutritional status of foliage

and cultivar susceptibility. Yield losses up to 79 per cent from early blight
damage have been reported from India.
Foliar symptoms of early blight first appear as small, irregular to circular dark
brown spots on the lower (older) leaves. As the spots enlarge, they become
restricted by leaf veins and take on an angular shape. Early in the growing
season, lesions on young, fully expanded succulent leaves may be larger up to
half an inch in diameter and may, due to their size, be confused with late blight
lesions.
Extensive chlorosis of infected foliage develops over time. By the end of the
growing season, the upper leaves of infected potato plants may be peppered
with numerous small early blight lesions and subsequently lesions may coalesce
to cover a large area of the leaf. Severely infected leaves eventually wither and
die. Severe infection of foliage by the early to mid-bulking period can result in
smaller tubers, yield loss and lower tuber dry matter content.
Tuber symptoms of early blight include circular to irregular lesions that are
slightly sunken and often surrounded by a raised purple to dark brown border.
These lesions reduce the quality and marketability of fresh market tubers.
Management:
*

Diseased

plant

parts

should

be

destroyed

properly

* Avoid irrigation in cool cloudy weather and time irrigation to allow plants time
to

dry

before

nightfall.

* Trichoderma harzianum, T. viride, and Pseudomonas fluorescens are effective

against

the

disease.

* Protectant fungicides (e.g. maneb, mancozeb, chlorothalonil, and triphenyl tin

hydroxide)

are

also

effective.

* Protectant fungicides (e.g. maneb, mancozeb, chlorothalonil, and triphenyl tin

hydroxide)

are

also

effective.

Dr. Utpal Dey and Dr. Anup Das, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam793

103,

Email

Meghalaya
ID: utpaldey86@gmail.com

Mobile no: 8119934883

Keywords: potato, early blight, disease
Breather for three units
Alternative sources are to be used until the availability of gas through the
pipeline
In order to ensure a smooth supply of urea to the southern States, the Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs, on Wednesday, approved the continuation of

production of urea using naphtha or any other means in three plants Madras
Fertilizers Ltd. (MFL), Mangalore Chemical and Fertilizers Ltd. (MCF), and
Southern Petrochemicals Industries Corporation (SPIC).
These alternative sources are to be used until the availability of gas through the
pipeline.
* Indias urea imports are already far higher than they were last year,
according to data from the Department of Fertilizers.
* Urea imports grew almost six-fold to 9 lakh tonnes in March 2015 compared
to the amount imported in the same month the previous year.
* The continuation of urea supply from these three plants will substantially
ease the problems of urea supply in the southern States during the ensuing
kharif season.
* MFL officials began the spade work for commencing production of urea.
* Fertilizer stocks surges up to 13 per cent.

The
decision
has been taken to ensure smooth supply of fertiliser in the southern States. The
total requirement of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala is 23 lakh tonnes, and the
annual production of these three units is 15 lakh tonnes per annum, said
Fertilizers Minister Ananth Kumar.
Apart from these three urea plants, the entire southern region of the country only
has two other plants. The closure of these three plants would have meant that
the entire southern regions urea requirement would have had to be imported.
Indias urea imports are already far higher than they were last year, according to
data from the Department of Fertilizers. Urea imports grew almost six-fold to 9
lakh tonnes in March 2015 compared to the amount imported in the same month
the previous year.

The continuation of urea supply from these three plants will substantially ease
the problems of urea supply in the southern States during the ensuing kharif
season.
In an earlier meeting of the CCEA in December, it was decided that the State
governments concerned that is, the governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
will not charge VAT or entry tax on the naphtha that enters their state.
Answering a question in the Rajya Sabha during the Budget session, Mr. Ananth
Kumar had said that India had 30 urea manufacturing units, of which 27 were
gas-based and three naphtha-based. As per the modified New Pricing Scheme
(NPS) III, notified on April 2, 2014, the naphtha units were to be subsidised up
to the end of June 2014 or till they converted to a gas-based source, whichever
was earlier. Before Tuesdays announcement, the government had twice allowed
these plants extensions.
One of the three plants is government-owned, while the other two are private
units.
Keywords: agriculture, fertilizers, urea, Ananth Kumar
Grow your own veggies all through the year
Major thrust needs to be given to vegetable production in small plots
Kerala is a small state with high population density. The number of small families
(with 4-5 members) is increasing in the state in urban as well as rural regions.
Farm lands are being rapidly converted into housing plots and this causes a
severe reduction in crop grown area. Especially for vegetables, a reduction in
their yield has a severe impact on the economy.
The market share of vegetables cultivated in Kerala is less than 33 per cent.
About 67 per cent of vegetables coming in Kerala market are from neighbouring
States. Moreover, it is evident that the agricultural commodities coming from
outside can contain hazardous pesticide residues in them.
The growth of conventional system of vegetable cultivation has its limits in the
light of farm land unavailability and labour shortage in Kerala. Hence, major
thrust needs to be given to the technological development and proliferation of
vegetable production in small plots, says Dr. C.P. Robert, Programme
Coordinator, ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Pathanamthitta district.
Vegetable farming in homes is an approach to address this concern. The
proposed project ensures production of minimum 50 per cent of the family
demand of vegetables. This could effectively make the rural and urban
household self sustained in vegetable consumption.
The existing system and practice is insufficient to produce enough quantities of
vegetable for the households. So, modern cultivation practices with adoptable
precision farming techniques are incorporated through introduction of ultra

density vegetable production systems. The major objective set by us was to

promote eco-safe vegetable production unit through this technology based
farming to overcome the limitations of vegetable production due to lack of land
and labour, says Dr. Robert.
The system is meant to ensure regular availability of vegetables for every family
by increasing the productivity through the optimization of space and time.
The institute was keen to make it possible to ensure self sufficient, safe and
sustainable vegetable production in every rural and urban household in
Pathanamthitta district.
In short, this method is an innovative and unique one for enhancing the nuclear
family to produce their own vegetables from a limited area round the year.
It is a modern farming system in which the vegetable crops are grown in an
intensive manner taking care to see crops get sufficient amounts of sunlight
through transparent poly sheets, irrigation through drip and essential elements
and micro nutrients through fertigation.The crops are grown in 18 sq. metre
space inside the rain shelter in grow bags. The All India Coordinated Research
project on pesticide residues conducted at Kerala Agricultural University revealed
that the vegetables like amaranthus, chilly, curry leaf, cowpea etc coming from
outside states contain pesticide residues in severe amounts.
This technology encourages the family to produce vegetables in a hassle free
manner. Different vegetables can be cultivated in batches accordingly with the
season of corresponding crops. The project provides a portable rain-shelter with
grow bags, fortified growing media and drip irrigation system to 100 households
across the district. Members of the selected household will be given training in
ultra density vegetable cultivation under rain shelter. Regular management of
the drip irrigation system, fertigation facilities, identification and remedy of major
pests and diseases, crop calendar etc are the foremost topics for the training,
explains Mr. Sreekanth, agriculture engineer at the institute.
When polyhouse cultivation promoted with huge subsidies does not lead to break
even in 3-5 years, if people are given 75 per cent subsidy (the total cost of the
unit is Rs. 33,000) of the total cost this can cover more people and enables per
capita vegetable production with a motto grow your own vegetables.
For details contact Dr. C.P. Robert, Programme Coordinator, ICAR-Krishi Vigyan
Kendra -Pathanamthitta District, (Farm Science Centre, Indian Council of
Agricultural Research(ICAR), Kolabhagam P.O., Tiruvalla (Via),Pathanamthitta
Dist., Kerala, Phone:0469 2662094/2661821, mobile: 09447139300, web:
www.kvkcard.org and Mr. Sreekanth, mobile:09995005751.
Keywords: vegetable production, polyhouse, agriculture, crop cultivation
Plant health clinic established in Kerala

The major problem faced by the farmers for low productivity of crops in Kerala is
the crop loss caused by the attack of various pests and diseases in cultivated
crops.
It is known that the incidence of pest and diseases varies with the weather, soil
and ecology and a clear understanding of this variation is inevitable for providing
proper advisory.
By the continuous monitoring of the pest situation and weather parameters, it is
possible to forecast the incidence of pests and diseases. This will help the
farmers in taking up prophylactic management measures even before pest
population crosses the threshold level.
Along with these farmers can be advised to improve the plant health status
based on soil nutrient status so that the requirement for chemical based pest
management can be further reduced. The Department of Agriculture had
formulated a project Crop Health Management for filling the gaps in sound crop
health management and to adopt scientific plant health management. Plant
Health Clinics were also established under the scheme for providing adequate
diagnostic and advisory facilities to farmers on time and also to facilitate eco
friendly and scientific pest management strategies to increase production and
productivity. A Plant Health Clinic was established at Krishibhavan,
Vadakkenchery in Alathur Block of Palakkad district during 2013-14. In the initial
phase the functioning of the Plant Health Clinic was mainly on pest and diseases
diagnosis but when the pest surveillance progressed the functions of the Clinic
extended beyond diagnosis to advisories and various field activities for the
benefit of farming community.
The Clinic is now promoting various sustainable technologies such as Ecological
Engineering, Agro Ecosystem Analysis, Onfarm production of biocontrol agents
etc along with regular pest and diseases diagnosis and surveillance based
advisories. The activities and outreach activities of the Plant Health Clinic are
acting as a total solution which strengthens the whole plant health system.
(Resmi M.V., Agricultural Officer, Krishibhavan, Vadakkenchery, Kerala)
Keywords: agriculture, crop loss, crop cultivation
CPI(M) to set up forum for landless peasants in Bengal
he Communist Party of India (Marxist) had decided to set up a separate
organisation for landless peasants in West Bengal. There are at least 40 lakh
landless peasants in the State.
The organisation of landless peasants will be formally launched in 2016 in the
State conference of the Paschim Banga Pradeshik Krishak Sabha [CPI(M)s
farmers wing], said Madan Ghosh, the chairman of the Krishak Sabha.
Asked why such an organisation was not formed when the party was in power,
Mr. Ghosh said that around 1982, the Krishak Sabha decided to set up a separate

organisation of landless peasants at its State conference in the then undivided

Medinipur district.
But then it was told from the State [party leadership] that if such an
organisation was set up then it would weaken the ongoing land agitation in
Bengal, he said. Between 1977 and 1982, the names of share croppers with the
Left Front-led panchayat were being registered across the State to ensure they
could not be evicted, he said.
A bus driver masters the art of hiving wild honey bees
Udayan, a temporary bus driver with the Kerala State Road Transport
Corporation (KSRTC) was finding it difficult to make both ends meet.
All agriculture universities across the country have Krishi Vigyan Kendras with
them to reach out to the farmers and act as a bridge of knowledge transfer from
the lab to the land and vice versa.
But in the present scenario, more than knowledge sharing or imparting, it is
becoming increasingly important to help a farmer earn more, so that agriculture
is sustainable both for himself and to the society at large.
Challenge
It is not necessary for a farmer to own large areas of land to earn better income.
In fact revenue generation is possible even from a few cents. To make it possible
is both a challenge and an art which only few kendras have been able to achieve
and one among them is the one attached to the Central Plantation and Crops
Research Institute in Kasargod (CPCRI), says Dr. T.S. Manoj Kumar Programme
Coordinator.
Mr. Udayan, a temporary bus driver with the Kerala State Road Transport
Corporation (KSRTC) was finding it difficult to make both ends meet as his
monthly income was only around Rs. 8,000.
Maintaining a family of four in todays economic situation is no easy task. His 60
cents of ancestral land is densely packed with diversified crops such as coconut
palms, pepper, banana, betel leaf and different vegetables along with a milch
cow.
Racking his brain as to how to earn some extra income he accidently happened
to read in the local dailies about training programmes on stingless bee keeping
(Meliponiculture) being organized by the Kendra.
Curious and excited he contacted us to explore the possibility of starting
meliponiculture as a microenterprise since land was one of the major barriers in
taking up agri enterprises involving cultivation of crops, says Dr. Manoj.
Usually bee keeping means rearing bees with stings in wooden boxes and
training is given on the art of handling the insects and honey extraction.

No easy task
Once completed the participants can collect the queen bee and the box paying a
amount and start establishing the colonies in their field or garden.
But collecting bees from the wild called hiving is not so easy. It is an art which
requires patience and skill and only some gain mastery over it.
Immediately after attending the training programme, Mr. Udayan started his
venture with the confidence that he can practice hiving. He had noticed small
bees going in and out of bamboo poles in a nearby forest land. He wanted to hive
natural colonies from the forest areas and contacted a former trainee of the
Kendra for help. He arranged bee boxes of standard specifications and started
hiving natural colonies.
Enterprise
Together they initiated their enterprise with five colonies. They started locating
colonies first by observing bees and later hiving it at weekly intervals. From their
experience, they found that in large areas with wild vegetation, small bees prefer
to colonise in dried bamboo poles as compared to hollows or cavities of wild
trees.
Now, they are able to collect five to seven colonies a week. At present, there are
around 95 colonies in their unit. They have sold 65 colonies at Rs.1200 per
colony and around 25 kg of honey at rate of Rs.1,500 per kg thereby earning
Rs.1,15,000 in the last six months, explains Dr. S. Leena, Chief technical officer.
The honey is marketed under brand name called Unique honey and is quite
popular since it is extracted from from stingless bees (also called dammer bees)
is natural and medicinal in quality.
Their duos success of hiving bees from the wild was widely reported in local
media which inspired several youth in the region to approach the Kendra for
similar training.
Kasaragod has been declared an organic district by the government and under
organic cultivation; initially it takes three to four years for the yields to stabilise.
The only way to encourage better yield is by raising honeybees. It has been
recorded by us that honey bees in a garden have been helping to get 30 to 40
per cent more yield over a period of time,explains Dr. Leena.
Proposal
The Karadka panchayath has submitted proposal for a project on creating honey
village with the objective of establishing one colony in every homes which is a
similar idea like every home must grow a sapling.
To know more about this interested readers can call Mr. Udayan, Panoor kochi
house, Karaduka P.O., Muliyar (via), Kasaragod 671 542, mobile: 8547994801

and Dr. S. Leena, Chief Technical Officer ( Entomology), mobile: 09446062182,

phone: 04994-232993.
Keywords: agricultural research, honey bees
Mulching in tuberose for weed management
Tuberose is an important traditional flower of India. It is used both as loose flower
and cut flower. The major constraint in tuberose cultivation is weed management
and about 70-80 per cent of cultivation cost accounts for weeding.
Plastic mulching is recommended for weed management, if planted under drip
and fertigation system.
Raised beds should be prepared at a height of four feet and lateral drip laid out
along the centre of the raised beds. Plastic mulch sheet of 40 micron thickness
top silver and bottom black should be spread on the raised beds.
Recommended spacing
Bulbs are planted in the holes made at recommended spacing. Use of the plastic
mulch reduces the weed management cost to a tune of 80 per cent.
It prevents the evaporation of irrigation water which reduces the irrigation water
requirement by 30 per cent.
The cost towards plastic mulching per acre is about Rs 20,000. The crop period is
for two to three years and the life of mulch sheet almost extends for the period
of 15-20 months. If plastic mulching sheet is not used then weeding must be
done once in 20-25 days.
The mulch sheet reduces the weeding cost by 80 per cent. The furrows between
the raised beds alone need to be weeded. The furrow space is used for daily
harvest of the flowers and hence the need for weeding in that area is also lesser.
Harvesting
Flowers are harvested daily and about 20 kilograms of flowers can be obtained
per acre per day.
The average cost per kg of flower is about Rs.40 which leads to an income of Rs.
24000 per month.
If plastic mulching is not used, about Rs. 6,000 per month will be spent for
weeding, which is now saved by the use of plastic mulching.
As a result, the net returns increases by 40 to 60 per cent compared to an
unmulched field. The quality of the flowers is also improved since the soil
moisture is maintained and the plants are of vigour physiology.

(Dr. K. Indhumathi, Asst Prof (horticulture) and Dr. P. S. Shanmugam, Krishi

Vigyan Kendra, Papparapatty, Dharmapuri district 636 809, email:
nilaadoss@gmail.com, mobile: 09994672204, Phone : 04342-245860.)
Keywords: agricultural research, weed management
Moringa seedlings fetch better income than just pods and leaves
Though there are more than a dozen and odd varieties, many are area specific,
which thrive well in that particular region alone.
Tamil Nadu is well known for Moringa cultivation in different districts. Though
there are more than a dozen and odd varieties, many are area specific, which
thrive well in that particular region alone.
For example a variety called sugarcane moringa (named after sugarcane
because of its sweetness and taste) is specific to Paramathy, near Karur.
Moringa is one crop which is still not commercially exploited fully. The oil from
its pods serves as a good lubricant for watches, clocks and aircraft, but how
many really know about this?
Open

fact

Commercially there are no machines available for the oil extraction. A tree
which requires practically no expense for its care, yet gives back multifold
returns in terms of leaves, pods, stem, bark etc needs to be popularised among
farmers to make them take up its cultivation on a larger scale. The fact that from
one acre this tree can generate more than Rs. 1 lakh during peak season a year
is something which farmers need to experience personally, says Mr. N. Madhu
Balan, agriculture extension adviser and administrator of Vivasayam karkalam on
face book.
Madurai Valaiyapatti moringa is one such variety. Nearly a decade back not much
information was available on it. Today thanks to farmers like Mr. K.P. M.
Sadaiyandi of Pallipatti, Dindugal, this variety has become quite popular among
farmers in the region.
What is so special about this Valaiyapatti variety?
When cooking it, there is a pleasant mouth-watering odour. The quality and taste
of leaves and pods are good. The trees are resistant to pest and diseases. Pod
length is quite lengthy and the number of seeds per pod is also higher up to
22-25 numbers than other varieties.
Only

problem

It is a perennial bearer and can be maintained for more than 25 years either as a
monocrop or as intercrop in coconut gardens. The only problem is during

monsoon or heavy winds the trees tend to break since their stem is not strong to
withstand the heavy wind flow.
For an acre as a monocrop, about 160 seedlings are required to be planted at 5
metre distance between individual seedlings. As an intercrop about 80 seedlings
are sufficient.
The farmer has planted 80 trees as intercrop in his 10-acre coconut garden. The
trees are watered through drip lines and grown organically. Vermicompost, sheep
manure, panchagavya, practically any natural input is used as manure. Plant
extracts like ginger paste diluted in turmeric solution are sprayed for controlling
caterpillar menace common in this tree. Though small in size the variety is fastgrowing. The farmer has trained the variety in such a way it produces several
branches from the bottom unlike other varieties where branches grow on the top.
Training the tree is important to get many branches. The trees are allowed to
reach a height of 25 feet and bear 30-35 branches. They grow quickly even in
poor soil. Like other varieties this also does not require sophisticated and
expensive farming methods, says Mr. Sadaiyandi.
Option
Farmers can opt for harvesting either the leaves or pods. If leaves are harvested,
one cannot get pods and vice versa. The Madurai Valaiyapatti produces at least
100 kg of pods per tree during three seasons annually.
The farmer sells each kg of pod from Rs.10 to Rs.150 at the local market
depending upon the demand. He was able to get a net income of Rs.1.6 lakhs
from an acre during the 18 months of planting the trees.
Though the income was quite sufficient from this crop I wanted to increase it. I
noticed that there was a vast scope for seedlings and decided to switch over to
developing and selling good seedlings than just as leaves and pods.
Though moringa trees grow easily from seeds or stem cuttings, it takes a long
time for them to get established and also mortality percentage is more in them.
Suppose you need about 160 trees for an acre. While planting them about 30- 40
seedlings die.
Air

layering

To avoid this I preferred a technique of air layering and started this method of
propagation before six years. When tree starts flowering, I tie the branches by
using moist coco peat with panchagavya called air layers. The layers develop
roots in a month. They are then separated from the mother tree and transferred
to polythene bags, kept in the shade for a month for hardening, he explains.
In a year three batches of seedlings are produced which are sold at Rs.40 each to
farmers of Dindugal, Theni, Salem and Madurai.

Till now, four lakh seedlings (one lakh seedlings a year) have been developed,
generating a net income of Rs. 4 lakh. About 20 trained women and three men
work in his farm doing the air layering, separating rooted air layers, then
transferring to polythene bags.
For details contact Mr. K. P. M. Sadaiyandi, Karthikeyan moringa nursery,
Pallapatti, 624 201, Nilakottai taluka, Dindugal district,Tamil Nadu,
mobile:9791374087 and 9865078101 and Mr. N. Madhu Balan on mobile:
9751506521 Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu.
Keywords: sugarcane moringa, moringa seedlings
Impact of urban areas on agriculture
Many water channels like rivers are loaded with domestic sewage and industrial
pollutants are the main source of irritation for irrigation. Polluted water pollutes
the crops grown. Especially in the periurban areas and those close to urban areas
high intensive agriculture of leafy vegetables, vegetables, grass as fodder for
milch animals, etc. becomes a big problem.
In recent years, small rivers or sewages have become perennial and the total
flow of pollutants has tremendously increased.
Leafy vegetables
Farmers in the periurban areas are cultivating throughout the year i.e.,
harvesting three to four crops a year. The heavy metal contaminants from these
polluted waters are reaching the consumers through the food chain. Especially in
the leafy vegetables the heavy metal contaminants and biological pathogens are
finding their way into them.
As the domestic sewage systems have heavy loads of phosphates and nitrogen
apart from other nutrients the farmers need to invest very little on the fertilizer
inputs. The overall yield of some of the crops grown is very high. Some grasses
are highly adapted to these polluted waters, but loaded with pollutants affecting
the quality of milk and other products.
Also the demand for water in the urban areas is very high. The farmers
dependent on the groundwater are having great difficulty. The ground water, as
they go deeper, is saline and when applied to the fields over a period increases
the alkalinity of the soil.
Recent times
The leachates from the solid waste dumpyard sites pollute ground water. In
recent times people are producing compost from city waste. The city waste
compost has highest number of the pollutants including plastics which are
carcinogenic.
Some farmers buy these materials for soil amendment / growth regulator for
getting high yield of the crops. But these pollutants find their way into the food

chain and finally in the products consumed by people. There are no regulatory
mechanisms.
There is an urgent need to explore the possibilities of how urban areas could also
support the farmers than instead of seeing urban areas affecting agriculture.
(Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy, Coordinator, ClimaAdapt Project, Walamtari, email:
saibhaskamakka@gmail.com, Mobile:09676799191.)
Keywords: urban areas, agriculture, sewage
Farmers fear delay in distribution of seed, fertilizer
Even as the administrative machinery has geared up for keeping ready the seed
and fertilizer for coming kharif on time, the farming community is gripped with
the fear of not getting them before the onset of monsoon given the past
experiences.
Since long queues, jostling, police lathicharge and laying siege to distribution
centres by farmers for seed and fertilizer has been common in every kharif
season, the present situation suggests that these would not be unavoidable this
season also. Farmers in the district sowi soya immediately even after one rain, in
the kharif season.
However, the seed has not arrived yet.
Preparations on
According to Joint Director, Agriculture, K. Narsimha, like in previous years the
net sowing area in the coming kharif could be 4.50 lakh hectares and
preparations are on to meet the requirement of seed, fertilizer and other inputs
for such a giant size of cultivation. Therefore, the department had put an indent
for 85,000 quintals of seed.
Soya constitutes a major portion followed by maize (14,000), green gram and
black gram (600 quintals each) and red gram (500 quintals).
Soya is expected to be sown in 1.50 lakh hectares equal to that of paddy and
maize in 45,000 hectares.
An indent was placed for 1.32 lakh tonnes of urea, 18,000 tonnes of DAP and
68,000 tonnes of complex fertilizer besides 13,500 tonnes of green manure and
they would start coming in the first week of next month.
As far as seed was concerned in a next of couple of days it would be reaching to
the district headquarters town, said the Joint Dierctor.
Expressing confidence that the department would be able to meet with the
demand of seed and fertilizer among farmers this season, he said that the
machinery would ensure their smooth distribution.

On the other hand, the DCC president Taher Bin Hamdan, who is also a farmer by
occupation, criticised that even though the monsoon season was fast
approaching there were no signs of preparedness from the Agriculture
Department.
He said till now, no seed and fertilizer were made available by the department.
The CPI (M) Rythu Sangham leader Gangadharappa said that the government
failed to prepare a plan on the basis of demand and supply of agriculture inputs
which in fact should have been in place by this time.
Paddy growers in distress as prices hit a low
Virupakshi, a small farmer at Haravi village in Manvi taluk, Raichur, had grown
about 80 quintals of paddy in his three acres of lands and sold the crop at Rs.
1,500 a quintal last year. This year, while the yield dropped to 50 quintals, the
price crashed to Rs. 900.
The entire heap of his harvested paddy, covered with plastic sheets, is now lying
in an open ground outside his village for the last one month.
"The price was around Rs. 1400 a quintal even in February, but suddenly
dropped to below Rs. 900 in May after the unseasonal rains damaged the
standing crop. If I sell the crop at current price, I won't even get Rs. 70,000 that I
have spent," Virupakshi told The Hindu, standing beside the unsold heap.
Thousands of similar stories unfold in the rural areas of Raichur and Koppal
districts that are irrigated by Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal (TLBC), where
summer paddy crop is cultivated on around three lakh acres.
Around 50 per cent of farmers in TLBC irrigated belt have already sold their crop
at drastically dropped prices because they cannot keep the harvested crop
indefinitely. They are not sure of getting better price later either.
"The unseasonal rainstorm and rains flattened the standing crop and waterlogged it for many days, affecting the quality of the crop and resulting in fallen
price," Shashidhar Gowda, another farmer said.
Anna Bhagya blamed
Chamarasa Malipatil, a farmers leader, blamed Anna Bhagya scheme as one of
the reasons for paddy price crash. "The government's supply of rice at Re. 1 per
k.g. to people has played an undeniable role in bringing down the demand for
rice in the market," he observed.
While the farmers here buy the more expensive sona masuri variety of rice, the
rice given through PDS outlets is a less expensive variety bought mostly from
outside the state.

He lashed out at government for not opening paddy procurement centres to buy
the crop at Minimum Support Price (MSP) and rescue the paddy growers in
distress.
However, the farmers opined that the procurement centres would not help them.
"Over 90 per cent of the paddy crop currently available with farmers would
surely be rejected during quality-check process in the procurement centres,"
they said.
Accepting farmers' apprehensions, Mr. Malipatil hoped that the commencement
of paddy purchase at government procurement centres at MSP would
automatically raise the price in open market.
In numbers:
Area of paddy cultivation along TLBC: 3 lakh acres
Paddy price in February: Rs. 1,400 a quintal
Inculcating agricultural skills in younger generations
An ambitious programme called Mukulam from CARD-Krishi Vigyan Kendra in
Pathanamthitta district has been inaugurated as an educational tool to create
awareness among school children to grow crops in their school gardens as a
supplemental instruction to their regular studies.
The programme, launched in the year 2010, aims to provide a platform for
students for showcasing their talents in nurturing nature and building awareness
of their role in contributing to the nation's food security.
Last

two

years

Upper primary, high school and higher secondary levels that have eco-clubs
functioning for the last two years with 25-30 members each and 5-10 cents of
cultivable land formed the part of the programme. The best school is awarded a
cash price of Rs. 5000 and a rolling trophy and citation.
It was conceived mainly to create awareness among school children about need
for promotion of biodiversity conservation and food security. It provides an
atmosphere that includes hands-on activities and strengthens academic,
personal, and social skills, says Dr. C.P.Robert, Programme Coordinator at the
institute.
The institute organised a variety of programmes such as seminars, students
meet, quiz competition, drawing cum painting competitions and traditional food
fest.
It also supported the participating schools with technology training, planting
materials, seeds, organic inputs and garden tools, so that school clubs put in
their effort to develop a garden in five cents of land.

In this five-year journey through Mukulam, we could instil a culture of safe

farming among more than 10,000 families through 1,500 school children from 46
schools, who participated in this programme. The schools' eco clubs
demonstrated their commitment towards the cause by working in the school
garden even on holidays, explains Dr. Sindhu Sadanandan, specialist at the
Kendra in charge of the project.
Garden

maintanence

Besides participating in every activity, the school gardeners cultivated a variety

of vegetables, fruit crops and medicinal garden all grown organically. Club
members in relay maintained the garden and attended to the plants in a
scheduled manner before and after school hours.
The programme instilled a sense of responsibility in the younger generation to
conserve nature and contribute to food security.
Participating schools on an average harvested over 500 kg of vegetables, part
of which was shared for school mid-day meal purpose. Besides this, the clubs
also earned Rs.10,000 from the sales of vegetables each year contributing to a
turnover of Rs. 4,60,000 in these five years, which added colour to the
programme called earn while learning, says Ms. Sadanandan.
Eco

safe

programme

Seeing the success of the programme, the institute introduced eco-safe

sustainable vegetable production through ultra density portable rain shelter in
the schools in 2014.
Portable rain shelter with drip irrigation system for ultra density vegetable
cultivation in the schools proved to be unique for growing safe vegetables from a
limited area round the year, says Ms. S. Leelamma, Headmistress of N.S.S
English Medium School which bagged the first prize and won the rolling green
trophy this year.
According to Mr. V. Sreejith, a teacher, the programme is unique and inspired
the children to understand need for growing healthy food without chemicals.
The programme is one of its kind with a focus on school children to enable them
to acquire skill and knowledge in agriculture.
Made

aware

Programmes like this can be conducted across the several hundreds of schools
across the country. Students should be made aware about the importance of
agriculture and from where they get their food. If we fail in this most important
task, then future of agriculture and food security is a bog question, says Dr.
Robert.
For more information please contact Dr. Sindhu Sadanandan on mobile:
09946090961, email: sindhu@kvkcard.org, CARD-Krishi Vigyan Kendra-

Pathanamthitta District, (Farm Science Centre, Indian Council of Agricultural

Research(ICAR), Kolabhagam P.O., Tiruvalla (Via),Pathanamthitta district, Kerala,
phone: 0469 2662094 and 266182, Extn-11/12, website: www.kvkcard.org
Keywords: Mukulam, CARD-Krishi Vigyan Kendra
Rahul Gandhi meets families of farmers in Adilabad
uring his padayatra, Mr. Gandhi will also meet the families of Shatam Gangadhar
and Paspula Laxman, who ended their lives due to mounting debt.
All India Congress Committee vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday morning
commenced the eagerly-awaited Kisan Sandesh Yatra from this village in Nirmal
revenue division of Adilabad District in Telagnana.
Launching his 15-km padayatra to call on the families of distressed farmers, Mr.
Gandhi accompanied by hundreds of party cadres and leaders reached the
residence of Velma Rajeswar, a marginal farmer, who committed suicide earlier
this month. Mr. Gandhi met Gangavva, widow of Rajeswar and handed over a
cheque of Rs.2 lakh to the family.
The AICC vice-president spent few minutes with the family and enquired about
the debt Rajeswar had taken. He asked Gangavva, as to how the incident took
place. After handing over financial assistance, he set out on his onward journey
in the bullet proof SUV due to security reasons.
A km from Koratikal, he got off the vehicle and began his padayatra towards
Laxmanchanda, where he is expected to meet two families Soodi Lasmanna and
Bondla Linganna.
The small village apparently could not cope up with the heavy rush of Congress
workers, who crowded all available lanes and bylanes. The convoy of Mr. Gandhi
could not move into the lane where Rajeswars house was situated. SPG
personnel had to whisk him away into the house for an interaction with the
family.
Outside the village, euphoric scenes were witnessed as the enthusiastic
Congress workers sporting party caps and carrying huge flags marched ahead of
Mr. Gandhis convoy. Equal number of workers also trailed the Congress vicepresident, as he briskly walked to Laxmanchanda mandal headquarters.
During his padayatra, Mr. Gandhi will also meet the families of Shatam
Gangadhar and Paspula Laxman, who ended their lives due to mounting debt
and crop failure. He will wind up his tour by addressing a rally at Vadial village
and travel to Hyderabad for his journey to Delhi on Friday night.
AICC general secretary Digivjay Singh, AICC secretary R.C.Khuntia, TPCC
president N.Uttam Kumar Reddy, working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and
other top State Congress leaders were present.

Keywords: Rahul Gandhi Padayatra in Adilabad, Rahul Gandhi

Only 'bure din' for us, say farmers
ovt. accused of backtracking on promise of loan waiver
Farmers in Maharashtra are using the phrase bure din (bad days) to describe
their condition.
Akshay Tale last spoke to his close friend Neelesh Walke at around 2.45 p.m. on
December 30 last year. Neelesh, who faced a Rs. 2 lakh debt, seemed anxious
but showed no signs that he was considering any extreme step.
At around 4 p.m., Neelesh, barely 23, killed himself by consuming pesticide.
Since then, over 600 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra due to
sustained debt, drought and crop failure.
If a literate person [like Neelesh, who worked in Pune for a year] can commit
suicide, what hope does an uneducated farmer have? asked Mr. Tale, still
haunted by the loss.
When Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi went on a padayatra in Amravati
recently, the Walke family was the first household he visited. Among the
enthusiastic crowd was Mr. Tale, who managed to shake hands with the Gandhi
scion but was shoved away by security personnel before he could say anything.
Cotton farmers like Mr. Tale, who suffered devastating losses in the kharif season
last year, had pinned their hopes on the rabi season. But with the unseasonal
rain and hailstorm earlier this year, they have been dealt a crippling blow.
If this year the rain fails, it will be my turn to commit suicide, said Mr. Tale, who
owes banks Rs. 4.5 lakh.
Though farmer suicides has been a common phenomenon in the States Vidarbha
and Marathwada regions, experts say the situation has worsened in the recent
past.
BJP has not kept promise
Though farmer suicides have been a common phenomenon in Maharashtras
Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, experts say the situation has worsened in the
recent past. Across the Amravati division, the worst hit, one will struggle to find a
farmer who is not under debt.
The BJP ran a high-pitched Assembly election campaign against the CongressNCP regime on farm suicides last year. In his Lok Sabha rallies in Maharashtra,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised farmers that he would fix the minimum
support price (MSP) to ensure 50 per cent profit on investment to farmers.
However, farmers in the States Vidarbha region are growing increasingly
frustrated and impatient with the BJP governments (Centre and State) for failing
to keep their lofty promises.

Explaining the agrarian crisis, farm activist Vijay Jawandhia from Wardha said not
only was the produce short of expectation, even the prices the farmers were
getting were significantly lower. The minimum support price for cotton has fallen
from Rs. 5,500 last year to Rs. 4,000. In the market, the crop is being sold much
below the MSP. The BJP is now totally bypassing the issue of loan waiver or
MSP, Mr. Jawandhia said.
Under debt and unable to secure further loans to recover losses, farmers are
facing a severe credit freeze, said Kishor Tiwari, farmer activist. The BJP has
backtracked on the assurance of loan waiver and considering higher MSP. Now all
we are asking for is credit restoration. The farmer is crying for a bailout package
but there is no talk of that, said Mr. Tiwari, who supported the BJP in the Lok
Sabha polls.
Under fire from all quarters, including its ally the Shiv Sena which on Tuesday
warned the BJP against inviting the wrath of farmers, the Fadnavis government
has taken steps to ward off criticism. The government on Tuesday announced Rs.
1600 crore worth crop damage compensation to 35 lakh out of 45 lakh farmers in
the State who participated in the insurance scheme.
This comes on the heels of Mr. Fadnavis last week announcing that compensation
to farmers would be increased from Rs. 4,500 to Rs. 6,800 per hectare while the
loss percentage would be brought down to 33 per cent from 50 per cent, thus
expanding compensation coverage. Mr. Fadnavis has also ordered a survey to
find the reason behind the high incidence of suicides. But farmers are not
impressed. Many farmers affected by last years drought are yet to receive full
compensation.
Keywords: Maharashtra farm crisis, Fadnavis government,
Govt ready with contingency plan to overcome poor monsoon
The government on Wednesday said it has put in place a contingency plan for
580 districts to tackle any situation arising out of below-normal monsoon.
As per the weather department forecast, monsoon would be below normal this
year due to an impact of El Nino.
Monsoon rains are expected to arrive on time this year, hitting Kerala on June 1.
Last year, the country had received 12 per cent less rains, affecting production of
grains, cotton and oilseeds.
We are ready with the contingency plan for 580 districts, Minister of State for
Agriculture Sanjeev Kumar Balyan told reporters.
The Centre is also planning to come out with new crop insurance policy for
farmers, he said.

The Minister expressed confidence that the Centre, with co-operation from all
states, would be able to overcome the situation if the country receives belownormal rains.
Earlier this week, Agriculture Secretary Siraj Husain had said that the state
governments have been asked to fully gear up to implement the contingency
plan in 580 districts.
In some districts, we are updating contingency measures as per the local
needs, Mr. Husain had said.
State governments have been asked to use television channels for dissemination
of agro-advisories.
States have been asked to come up with strategies based on the monsoon
forecast. They have also been directed to keep ready adequate quantity of seeds
besides other inputs such as fertilisers, micro nutrients and pesticides.
After a poor monsoon in 2014, untimely rains during March-April this year have
already put farmers in distress and there have been quite a few cases of farmer
suicides.
As per the second advance estimates released on February 18 this year, the
countrys foodgrain production is estimated to decline by three per cent to
257.07 million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year (July-June) over last year.
The production may fall further as various states received unseasonal rains and
hailstorms during March-April this year, affecting rabi crops, including wheat.
Agriculture, which contributes only 15 per cent to Indias Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) but employs about 60 per cent of population, is heavily dependent on
monsoon as only 40 per cent of the cultivable area is under irrigation.
Keywords: Monsoon forecast, farming, agriculture, Monsoon rains
Windfall for farmers as neera begins to sparkle

Farmer producer companies engaged in tapping and processing neera across the
State have had a sales turnover of more than Rs. three crore since their
operations began about three months ago.
Figures for the latest week from Coconut Development Board shows that
Malappuram coconut producer company leads the way with a sale of nearly
93,492 litres of neera so far, earning Rs. 1.08 crore. The sales turnover is from
neera and neera derivatives like palm sugar, palm honey and other value-added
products.
Kaippuzha producer company in Kollam district comes a close second with a sale
of nearly 89,525 litres and a turnover of more than Rs. 77 lakh. Palakkad
company tapped a total of 57,201 litres of neera and sold the produce for more
than Rs. 60 lakh.
The Malappuram company employs 148 neera technicians for tapping 984 palm
trees. The Kaipuuzha company taps 790 palms using 80 technicians. The
Palakkad company taps 471 palms using 37 technicians.
Coconut producer companies in Kuttiady, Kozhikode, Kochi and Thejaswini in
Kozhikode are among the other leading companies in the business, a list from the
Coconut Development Board said.

Coconut Development Board sources said that farmer producer organisations

had succeeded in reviving the coconut economy through neera tapping and
value addition.
They said that farmers, who have subscribed to equity in the producer
companies, received a fair amount of their investments in return. It is
estimated that about Rs. 50 crore have been invested by farmer producer
companies in setting up neera processing facilities across the State.
A Board statement said that it was only three months since the 173 Coconut
Producer Federations received their licences to start tapping neera. The licences
were issued after Excise regulations were amended to bring the sweet sap of
coconut flowers out of the purview of the more than 100-year-old Excise rules.
Forage crops which are still popular among dairy farmers
Among the forage varieties /hybrids released by the Tamil Nadu Agriculture
University, Coimbatore varieties like Cumbu Napier hybrid CO (CN) 4, Guinea
grass CO (GG) 3, Multicut fodder sorghum CO (FS) 29 and Lucerne CO 1 are still
popular among the farmers of Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states.
These varieties have heralded a new era in fodder research and development at
the National level. The varieties are a boon for dairy farmers of Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Cumbu napier hybrid
The stem of Cumbu Napier Hybrid grass CO (CN) 4 is ultra soft, less fibrous with
sugary juice, making it more palatable. A white powdery coating on the stem is
visible. The tillers are numerous and grow faster. It has large leaves, softer and
less persistent hairs on leaf blades and sheaths and leaf edges are not very
sharp.
The leaf-stem ratio is higher. As the palatability is very high, milch animals such
as cattle, sheep and goats relish the fodder with least rejection. The variety
registered a yield of 382 tonnes per hectare a year which is 32.9 per cent
increased yield over the CO 3 variety. A total quantity of 1,07,03,873 stem
cuttings has been distributed across India spreading over 15 states during 2008
to 2014.
Guinea

grass

CO

(GG)

The Guinea grass CO (GG) 3 is a clonal selection from Mombasa. It has good
seedling vigour with profuse tillering. It has large and long leaves with high leaf
stem ratio. Sheep, goats and pigs relish the fodder without rejection. It had
registered a yield of 320 tonnes per hectare which is 18.5 per cent increased
green fodder yield over the CO 2 variety.
Sorghum, the foremost important forage crop in India followed by Berseem and
Lucerne is cultivated mainly in western UP, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil

Nadu and Delhi and fulfils over two-third of the fodder demand during Kharif
season.
This variety, first of its kind in India, was released more than a decade back from
the department of forage crops.
It was released during 1980 and yields 80-90 tonnes in a year from a hectare. A
maximum of 12 harvests can be made annually at intervals of 30 days.
(For information contact the Professor and Head, Department of forage crops,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, Phone: 0422-6611228,
email: forage@tnau.ac.in)
Keywords: Forage crops, dairy farmers
A new concept called ecological engineering to reduce pests
Erode district alone has 32,000 hectares under paddy cultivation. The district
runs across the Cauvery and Bhavani river basin.
Due to unfavourable climatic conditions pest infestation such as rice stem borer,
leaf folder, ear head bug, gall midge, rice thrips all common in paddy
cultivation create havoc every season leading to nearly 30 per cent yield loss.
Many farmers mostly rely on chemical pesticides (insecticide and fungicide) for
managing both pests and infestations. If they are advocates of organic farming
then they use bio pesticides to keep the menace under control.
Biodiversity
Presently a new technology called Ecological engineering for pest management
has been introduced by National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM),
Hyderabad to aid farmers maintain the biodiversity and keep pests under control
while at the same time maintaining the paddy eco-system.
Since in southern Tamil Nadu, it is season for paddy cultivation efforts are
currently in progress to popularise this concept for promoting bio-intensive
integrated pest management method.
The technology trial was adopted in Singiripalayam village and Mr. Karthikeyan, a
paddy farmer who adopted this technology in his field, says:
Due to excessive pesticide use farmers like me often encountered
environmental problems. The soil health also got deteriorated. I find the new
technology encouraging, since there is a 45 to 50 per cent reduction in pest
population.
I have also observed natural predators on pests like damsel fly, praying
mantises and spider population have increased in my field.

The specialist team conducted an analysis to study the pest defender ratio for
plant health and found that the natural enemies are able to maintain the pest
population which are infesting the paddy crop.
Natural predators
In normal situation we use to go for chemical spray, sometimes even three to
four sprays to control pests and diseases. By adopting this technique no
chemical spray is required. Natural enemies which prey on the pests are allowed
to flourish in the fields. By adopting this method I could save nearly Rs.5,000 for
a hectare towards the cost of purchase of chemical pesticides during one
cropping season, says Mr.Haridas another farmer. The trial has been
implemented for different crops such as blackgram, cowpea, green gram,
mustard, sesame, marigold, tulsi, castor and sunflower and found effective.
The Kendra initiated a capacity building programme for farmers in the district
and on farm training was given on production of bio-control agents and biopesticides to ensure the timely availability of bio-inputs at the farmer level.
Community approach
A collective approach by the farming community on adoption of this technology
will not only suppress the pest population but also enhances the soil health
through organic bio-fertilizer utility.
About 25 farmers from Andhipalayam village near Gobichettipalayam and 30
farmers from Kallipatti in T.N.Palayam block have been initiated into this
concept, explains Dr. P. Alagesan, Programme Coordinator, Myrada Krishi Vigyan
Kendra,, Gobichettipalayam, Erode.
A three days field training was organized for the farmer club members, to get
first hand information on this approach and an exposure visit was organized by
National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Hyderabad for a week.
In both the villages, farmers are collectively involved in the production of bioinputs, predators and parasites for managing the pest population.
Pesticide free
The community approach on this ecological engineering is expected to bring the
region as pesticide free zone and enhance the soil microbial activity in the paddy
eco system. Plans are on to introduce this method in other crops like cabbage,
cotton and groundnut in the coming season.
For more information contact Dr. P. Alagesan on mobile: 09443897654, email:
myradakvk@dataone.in, phone: 04285-241626, 241627 and Mr. Karthikeyan on
mobile: 09894905241, Mr.Haridas on mobile: 09486316620.
Keywords: Ecological engineering, pests, chemical pesticides, Agriculture, paddy
cultivation,
Pepper yield fails to cheer growers

Last year, growers sold black pepper for Rs. 650 to Rs. 750 per kg
The increase in pepper production atop Kolli Hills failed to cheer up the growers
as the price has fallen considerably when compared to last year.
Prevailing weather conditions, soil content, elevation and rain at the right time
help the small pepper growers who have lands less than two acre to cultivate the
plants.
The pepper plants are trailed on shade trees such as silver oak and pepper is
plucked every year in the month of April and May. Also, coffee plants are grown
in the shade of the silver oak trees in the same field.
Later, the plucked pepper seeds are withered from the central cone, dried up and
sold in the market. It is cultivated in more than 2,000 acre in the hill and is the
main source of income for over 500 families.
About 250 pepper plants can be grown in one acre and a single plant yields
about five to eight kg pepper. The life span of a pepper plant is 30 years after
which it is to be removed and new plant has to be planted.
Last year, growers sold the black pepper for Rs. 650 to Rs. 750 per kg. to the
traders and also in the local market. But growers attribute the current drop in
price due to increased production. The harvesting season is about to end this
month. But the price remains at Rs. 580 per kg, said Raja of Thanni Mathi village
in Pailnadu. We sell pepper to traders and middlemen directly as there are no
cooperative societies to procure pepper grown here, he added.
We do not get right price for our products. Branding should be done for the
pepper grown in Kolli Hills and marketed by the government, growers said.
Summer showers help gingelly farmers
imely summer showers during mid-April have come as a boon to gingelly farmers
of Lalgudi block and harvest of the crop has picked up in various pockets since
Sunday.
Farmers said that though the rain coincided with the pre-flowering season it has
facilitated rich growth of the plant.
An estimated 3,000 acres have been brought under the crop mainly in and
around Anandhimedu, Koohoor, Santhamangalam, Nanninmangalam, Anbil,
Ariyur, Edaiyatrumangalam, Patchampettai, Mayilarangam and Tirumanamedu.
R. Ravisankar of Anandhimedu says that the average yield per acre stood at four
bags each of 75 kg. Traders marketed the produce at the Gandhi Market in
Tiruchi. We can market the produce without any hitch this season, says Mr.
Ravisankar. There has been a growing demand for gingelly in the recent years.
V. Parthiban, a farmer of Pinnavasal, said though he anticipated some marginal
profit, the current showers had enabled gingelly farmers realise fair profit. The

summer rain, spread over a couple of days, caused some damage to the crop in
his fields. Presently, the produce is sold at Rs. 7 a kg.
Suicide by farmer due to family dispute
he suicide by farmer R. Azhaguvel of Uppukottai in Bodi union was not due to
poor procurement price of banana from his farm but family dispute and personal
problems forced him to take the extreme step, Collector N. Venkatachalam
clarified.
In a statement here on Wednesday, he said that preliminary investigation
revealed that the farmer had leased 0.61.5 hectares of land owned by Kodhai
Ammal at his village and raised 2,200 tissue-cultured banana plants.
He had sold 1,200 bunches of banana at Rs.90 per bunch, the Collector said.
A total of 1,000 bunches were not plucked.
He had spent a sizable income from the banana sale to meet his personal
expenses.
Each bunch was weighing around 30 to 35 kg. Later, he, in an inebriated
condition, started selling the rest of banana bunches for low prices, the Collector
added.
Elephant destroys mango crop in Ambur
A tusker which was driven out from a herd found in the forest areas of Pernambut
and Ambur strayed into the fields in Byrapalli and Mittalam villages.
These villages are situatedquite close to the forest areas in the Ambur range.
The elephant destroyed the mango crop of the farmers on Tuesday.
Cow elephants
According to forest department sources, a tusker is driven out by the cow
elephants in a herd if it harms a pregnant cow elephant in the herd.
This tusker has been giving anxious moments to farmers in the villages bordering
the forest areas stretching for a distance of nearly 18 km from Sarangal to
Arangaldurgam.
The nuisance has been going on for the last one week and the tusker has caused
heavy damage to the crops.
A forest team led by Rajkumar, Forest Range Officer, Ambur is currently engaged
in the task of driving the tusker back into the forests.
The tusker strayed into the fields in Byrapalli and Mittalam villages

More power to skilled hands

Handlooms are the one area where India leads the world in skill, creativity and
expertise. The Handloom Reservation Act must be strengthened, not repealed
Last month, Gajendra Singh, a farmer, hanged himself in New Delhi. His death
attracted massive attention as it happened so publicly, in front of the hundreds
of people gathered there for Aam Aadmi Partys rally against the Land Acquisition
Bill. Such attention is rare, given that rural India mostly goes unnoticed, despite
comprising 60 per cent of the countrys workforce.
Also going unnoticed is another pending disaster that could affect millions of
rural Indians there is a plan to repeal the Handloom (Reservation of Articles for
Production) Act, 1985, which has been protecting traditional handloom weaves,
especially sarees, from being copied by machine-made and powerloom
competitors. It is a small, but important, protection for handloom weavers, who
otherwise struggle to survive in a market where their yarn, designs and markets
are all under attack.
When someone threatens to raze the Taj Mahal to build a temple, we are angry,
but we are also confident that such madness will never happen. Yet, when
another piece of Indias heritage is threatened, most of us dont even know
about it. This is because handloom weavers attract few TRPs or a rightful share
of government attention and investment.
Protecting

weavers

The powerloom lobby has been agitating rather successfully for the Handloom
Act to be withdrawn. Meetings and consultations have been held, largely without
the inclusion of handloom sector representatives. Even their queries and
concerns have gone unanswered. A spirited intervention in Parliament by BJP MP
Kirron Kher brought a hurried assurance from the Textile Minister that the Act
would remain, but there has been no subsequent government confirmation of
this. Meanwhile, an online petition, Save Handlooms Dont repeal the
Handloom Reservation Act! has received 15,000 signatories in less than a week,
demonstrating that even the urban young on social media care for handlooms,
belying reports to the contrary.
One powerloom lobbyist at a meeting allegedly said, We have progressed from
the firewood chula to gas and electric stoves. If we hang on to technologies from
our grandparents times, it is a mark of regression. Our children will laugh at us.
Another claimed that customers prefer cheaper powerloom sarees. This is
factually incorrect. Obviously, the market has shifted from rural to urban, but
handlooms are growing, and there are figures to prove it. And it is noteworthy
that the growth is despite enormous problems faced by weavers in yarn
procurement, credit, and market access.
Over the last five years, the demand for handlooms has actually increased. Sales
figures and footfalls at handloom expos and exhibitions organised by Dastkar,
Sanatkada, Dilli Haat, and the Crafts Councils bear witness to this. A weaving
group in Bihar comprising former bonded labourers now sells several crores

worth of handloom tussar saris annually. Its only problem is the lack of a regular
source oftussar silk cocoons. At the other end of the spectrum, designers like
Ritu Kumar, Abraham & Thakore, and Sanjay Garg, and stores like Anokhi,
Bandhej and Bailou have all built hugely successful careers on handloom.
Fabindia consumes 11.2 million metres of handloom fabric a year, 10 lakh metres
a month at a total value of Rs. 112 crore. It generates 100,000 man-days of
employment and creates over 86,000 jobs, compared to 34 jobs for 24 lakh
metres in the mill sector. There are an estimated 20 million handloom workers
(this includes pre-loom and post-loom processes), compared to three million in
the IT industry. Globally too, as understanding of the eco-friendly attributes and
design virtuosity of handweaves grows, more buyers are looking to India. Given
this, it would be tragic if, instead of investing more, we seek to destroy a sector
that promises not just revenues but also jobs in the rural sector. All India needs
to become a global handloom hub is infrastructure, investment and planning.
Strength,

not

weakness

Handlooms are dismissed as cultural dinosaurs primitive technologies

irrelevant in a modern economy. This view ignores that Indian handlooms are not
just the largest source of employment and income generation after agriculture,
but also the one area of skill, creativity and expertise where India is way ahead
of the world. In the 17th century, Francois Pyrard de Laval wrote Everyone from
the Cape of Good Hope to China is clothed from head to foot in the product of
Indian Looms. At that time, five million yards of cloth were dispatched annually
from just one port in Coromandal. India grew fabulously rich on the proceeds.
Handlooms are Indias strength, not weakness.
Besides, handlooms have a low carbon footprint, as they require minimum
infrastructure, technology and power.
To say that we dont need handlooms because we have powerlooms is like saying
we dont need tandoors because we have microwave ovens. It is absurd because
each serves a distinct purpose. The handloom creates distinctive weaves and
designs that no powerloom can replicate. As one person who signed the online
petition wrote, Handloom is like wearing your culture, why would we want to let
go of that?
The Handloom Act is toothless and seldom enforced, but it is still a deterrent.
Rather than repeal it, we should be trying to give it more teeth.
At one Dastkar bazaar, someone asked an 80-year-old Manipuri woman wearing
handloom if she didnt feel cold. She replied, Ive spun this out of my own
hands; my mother and sisters have woven it. My mother learnt it from her
mother, and her mother from hers, and her mother from hers. The warmth of so
many hands has gone into this. Generations of my familys women enfold me.
How can I be cold?
Indian handloom is more than a potential global economic force; it is also our
identity. As another young petitioner put it, How we treat our craftspeople

represents our values. For a party that claims to speak for Indian culture,
perhaps this should matter more than who eats beef or who reads what book.
If we remove protection and incentives for handloom weavers, we would be left
bereft of our past.
(Laila Tyabji is the founder of Dastkar.)
Keywords: The Handloom Reservation Act, Gajendra Singh, Indian handloom
industry,
Facebook gives farming a push
It has nothing to do with the Facebook game Farmville in which Net aficionados
engage in digital farming activities. But Facebook community Thrithala Peruma,
with 4,500 members, is now reviving the rich legacy of paddy cultivation at
Thrithala and prompting the youth to consider food security as a prime concern.
After successfully conducting group farming of paddy on 10 acres of vacant land
last season, the community is now planning to replicate the success in more
vacant paddy fields.
Group farming of vegetables, pulses, millets, and cereals too is being planned.
Profit of Rs.1 lakh
We initiated community cultivation of paddy on 10 acres last year. Sixty
members contributed Rs.1,000 each to meet the expenses. We were able to give
each of them 10 kg of rice and could make a profit of Rs.1 lakh by selling the rice
in the open market. It was a huge success, and we are planning a similar
initiative next season, says Sudheer Peringod, an administrator of the Facebook
community.
The community members attribute their success to V.P. Sindhu, an agricultural
officer based at Pattambi. It was her theoretical and practical knowledge that
helped the community launch the project. The community is also grateful to V.T.
Balram, the local MLA who uses social media as a powerful tool to propagate his
ideals of social transformation.
The idea of group farming evolved through discussions. But we were unable to
translate the ideas to reality initially, says Sudheer, who works with a local
Ayurvedic products manufacturing company.
Apart from implementing group farming of paddy in the last season on 10 acres
of land, the community could prompt farmers to cultivate in 40 acres of vacant
land for several years. The community also inspired the formation of half a dozen
similar groups in the locality.
Prominent persons who visited Thrithala and complimented the group members
include Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president V.M. Sudheeran.

The community was formed in Facebook without any concrete agenda. But it
turned solid when the members replanted an uprooted banyan tree by resisting
the Public Works Departments move to sell it to timber mafia. Then a series of
discussions on food security began. In the next season, we hope to prompt more
people to launch paddy cultivation, says K.B. Sudheer, another active member
of the community.
Mango production in UP may halve to 20 lakh tonnes: Assocham
With a share of over 23 per cent, Uttar Pradesh is ranked among Indias leading
mango producing states.
Mango production in Uttar Pradesh may shrink by almost half to 20 lakh tonnes
due to unseasonal rains accompanied by hailstorm and strong winds in past four
months, industry body Assocham has said.
Mango production in India might decline this year by 35-40 per cent due to crop
damage following unseasonal rain in major growing states, according to a study
conducted by the industry chamber.
With a share of over 23 per cent, Uttar Pradesh is ranked among Indias leading
mango producing states, followed by Andhra Pradesh (15 per cent), Karnataka
(9.5 per cent), Telangana (nine per cent) and Bihar (seven per cent).
However, mango production in UP had declined by two per cent year-on-year
from about 44 lakh tonnes in 2012-13 to 43 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 while it had
increased across India by 2.4 per cent during the same period, the report said.
Lucknow, Pratapgarh, Allahabad, Bulandshahar, Saharanpur, Faizabad, Varanasi,
Moradabad, Barabanki, Meerut, Unnao, Sitapur, Hardoi, Gorakhpur, Basti, J.P.
Nagar and Mathura are the major mango producing belts in UP.
Chausa, dashehari, fazli, gulab khas, langra, mallika and amrapali are certain
varieties of mangoes produced in the state.
Considering that crops in almost all leading mango producing states had faced
natures wrath early this year, mango will taste bitter to domestic consumers as
its prices are likely to swell by as much as 50 per cent and might even go up to
65 per cent in some pockets, said Assochams Secretary General D.S. Rawat.
Relief measures announced by various governments for farmers are proving to
be insufficient to help them overcome their losses and also curb rising prices,
thus more needs to be done in this behalf, he added.
Indias mango exports might also go down significantly this year from a level of
over 41,280 million tonnes (MT) worth about Rs 285 crore which were exported
to major destinations like United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom (UK),
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and United States of America (USA) in 2013-14.

Exports of mangoes from India have declined by about 26 per cent from 55,585
MT in 2012-13 to 41,280 MT in 2013-14, however, in value terms it has risen by
about eight per cent from Rs 265 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 285 crore in 2013-14.
UAE alone accounted for over 60 per cent of Indias total mango exports,
followed by UK (16 per cent), Saudi Arabia (4 per cent), Kuwait (3 per cent) and
Qatar (2 per cent).
Keywords: Mango production, Uttar Pradesh, Assocham
Tomato cultivation under fertigation method
Tomato is one of the major crops cultivated in Chinnagottigallu mandal of
Chittoor district, A.P. It is cultivated in an area of 267 hectares with average yield
of 45-55 tonnes per hectare.
The crop is cultivated throughout the year under drip irrigation system. Even
though drip system is adopted, some farmers are using fertilizer doses
indiscriminately through soil application for crop production.
Some of them are applying excessive dose of water soluble fertilizers along with
drip irrigation as recommended by local private companies.
Cultivation cost
As a consequence, cost of cultivation has been increasing indirectly with heavy
doses of fertilizers since farmers are investing more either for daily application of
water soluble fertilizers through drip irrigation or for soil application of complex
fertilizers.
In such conditions, tomato crop sometimes could not assure guaranteed profit to
the farmers due to downfall of market prices especially at the time of market
glut.
Frontline demonstrations on fertigation in tomato has been undertaken by RASSKrishi vigyan Kendra in different villages of Chinnagottigallu mandal under
NABARD lead crops project with an objective of enhancing crop productivity with
lower doses of fertilizers.
This technological intervention has brought about not only considerable
reduction in cost of cultivation with lower doses of fertilizers and but also led to
higher crop yields.
Intervention
As a latest technological intervention, fertigation schedule with 50 per cent
recommended doses of fertilizers was demonstrated in a large scale adoption.
KVK has given water soluble fertilizers such as 50kg urea, 25kg multi-k and 25kg
calcium nitrate free of cost for demonstration purpose.
Technical knowhow was also provided on foliar application of micronutrients, IPM
practices (yellow sticky traps, trap crop, border crop).

Result a 33.3 per cent yield increase was obtained in the demonstration plot
saving about Rs.1,37,500 on expense on inputs.
(Mr. P.S.Sudhakar and Mr. S.Sreenivasulu, both subject matter specialists,
Horticulture,
RASS-KVK,
Tirupati,
mobile:
9908836684,
email:
rasskvk@gmail.com)
Eco-friendly technologies fetch better results in rice production
Farmers were able to harvest the crop without using any chemicals. There were
no pest or disease incidences.
Kuttanad, referred to as rice granary of Kerala, forms a unique ecologically fragile
bio-geographical unit that is located mostly in Alappuzha district in Kerala.
The vulnerability of the system is attributed to the problems of water logging and
soil acidity along with climatic variations. Crop damage due to summer rains and
flood during monsoon in the low lying fields called padasekharams are quite
common.
This uniqueness in bio-geography and associated social factors and institutions
has earned it a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) status
by FAO in 2013.
Unique place
The heritage status also strives for ecological restoration and sustainable
development of the water-logged system which is under increasing stress due to
environmental pollution caused by indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and
chemicals, says Dr. P. Muralidharan, senior scientist and programme coordinator
at the institute.
To address these problems, demonstrations were conducted in Alappuzha hosted
by Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) in Muttar village of
Veliyanad block under the National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture
(NICRA) project for four successive crops from 2011-2015.
Farmers were encouraged to take up demonstration packages on optimization of
seed rate and plant population through the use of drum seeder, site specific
acidity -nutrient management (SSNM) based on soil, testing, and eco-friendly
pest and disease management and placement of trichocards for the control of
major pests.
Area covered
More than 100 farmers participated in these demonstrations which covered an
area of 74.2 hectare over four years.
Through regular field visits, farmer field schools, and interactions the crop
situation from sowing to harvesting was monitored continuously.

According to Dr. Muralidharan, by using paddy seeder (drum seeder) the seed
requirement came down to 30 kg from of 100-120 kg a hectare thus reducing the
cost on seed purchase to almost 25 per cent.
Since the seeds were sown in uniform lines, plant population was optimum, the
number of productive tillers was high and good aeration in the crop stand which
resulted in reduced susceptibility of pests and diseases.
Further the plants had strong root anchorage in the soil which helped them
survive lodging during harvesting stage due to summer showers and wind.
Another point is the time taken for harvest by the combined harvester was
reduced by 40-50 per cent due to the uniform population and non-lodging
feature achieved by drum seeding.
All these factors put together reduced the cost of cultivation by about 10-20 per
cent, says Mr. M.S.Rajeev, specialist at the Kendra.
No pests
Farmers were able to harvest the crop without using any chemicals. There were
no pest or disease incidences in these plots and farmers were satisfied with the
methods used.
Usage of chemical pesticides and fungicides reduced by 90 per cent and those
who regularly used plant protection chemicals, the amount spent for pesticides
and fungicides reduced to 50 per cent compared to the previous crop, according
to him.
Better yield
While the traditional broadcast crop yielded an average five to six tonnes per
hectare, by adopting this package of technologies farmers could harvest six to
seven tonnes per hectare with reduced inputs.
The better yield and reduced cultivation cost led to an overall net profit of
minimum Rs.12,500 per hectare. Beneficiary farmers acted as master farmers to
spread this package of technologies to others of the adjoining villages.
For further details interested farmers can contact Dr. P.Muralidharan, programme
coordinator on mobile: 09496167382 and Mr. S. Rajeev, specialist, email: mailto:
kvkalapuzha@gmail.com, mobile: 09446282080, phone:0479-2449268.
Keywords: Kuttanad, rice production,
257 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra this year

Agriculture a State subject, Central help supplementary: Minister

The Maharashtra government has reported 257 suicides by farmers in the State
between January and March this year resulting from the agrarian crisis.
The government of Maharashtra has reported that 257 farmers have committed
suicide in the State due to agrarian reasons during the period January to March
2015, Minister of State for Agriculture Mohanbhai Kundaria said in a written
reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
As many as 114 cases of suicides were reported from the Aurangabad region,
followed by Amrawati (102), Nagpur (30) and Nashik (nine) the data showed.
Replying to a separate query, Mr. Kundaria said that Maharashtra, Punjab and
Rajasthan governments had reported three, five and one cases of farmer suicides
respectively, due to the recent untimely rains and hailstorm.
He said agriculture being a State subject, States take necessary measures for
development of the farm sector with the Central government supplementing the
efforts through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support.
The Centre has taken several steps to revitalise the agriculture sector and
improve the condition of farming community on sustainable basis by increasing
investment, improving farm practices, rural infrastructure and delivery of credit,
technology and other inputs, extension and marketing among others, he said.
Compensation
In a reply to a question he said the amount of compensation to a farmer who
commits suicide was decided by the State government. The Maharashtra
government has reported that it provides a compensation of Rs.1 lakh to the
family of those farmers who end their lives due to crop failure, debt and inability
to repay loan.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) member Ritabrata Banerjee disputed the governments reply
on his question regarding suicide by potato growers in West Bengal. He said
since March 21 potato growers had committed suicide in the State due to the
steep fall in the price of potato. This had led the state to give incentives to
growers such as market intervention and transport and export subsidy.
Dying farmers, dying agriculture
Woes continue

April 23, 2015 Body of farmer found on Alwar rail track

April 22, 2015 Horror of farm suicide visits Delhi

April 13, 2015 Drought, debt driving farmers to suicide

April 6, 2015 Two farmers commit suicide

April 5, 2015 One more farmer commits suicide in West Bengal

March 21, 2015 Another potato farmer commits suicide

Jan 28, 2015 Farmer attempts suicide in Nashik court premises, held

Dec 2 2014 Unable to repay loan, farmer commits suicide

Dec 1 2014 Five farmers end life in three days

Nov 1, 2014 Distressed farmer commits suicide in Uttar Pradesh

Sept 21, 2014 Uttar Pradeshs sugar crisis leading to suicides

June 13, 2014 Farmer jumps to death from 5th Floor of hospital

June 10, 2014 559 farmer suicides in Maharashtra in four months

Nov 30, 2013 Farmer commits suicide in U.P.

Sept 11, 2013 Adilabad cotton farmers future hangs in balance

July 13, 2013 Farmer commits suicide in Joint Collectors office

Protecting the small farmer

Reviving the Farm Income Insurance Scheme could be the best tool for small and
marginal farmers to fight falling prices in an increasingly globalised marketplace,
says Ananth Gudipati.

Over 3,000 farmer suicides in the last 3 years

This year, the Marathwada region alone has seen over 200 farmer suicides in just
three months.
Does it pay to be a farmer in India?
What the data shows on farm incomes, and whether farmers can make ends
meet
Maharashtra continues to lead in farmers suicide
According to NCRB, over 60,000 farmers have killed themselves in the state
since 1995.
Complete coverage
Keywords: farmers suicide, Maharashtra, crop loss, crop failure
Farmers suicide puts govt. on defensive
Opposition mounts pressure on BJP; CBI inquiry into suicide sought in RS.
In the face of an onslaught from a united Opposition in the Lok Sabha on
Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forced to seek a truce, asking for
suggestions on how to address the agrarian crisis. He said this while making a
brief intervention during an impromptu debate on the suicide of a farmer at an
Aam Aadmi Party rally here on Wednesday against the land ordinance.
As he shared the pain expressed by the MPs, he acknowledged that farmers
problems were old, deep-rooted and widespread and need to be addressed
collectively he was willing to accept any suggestion with an open mind.
Judicial probe sought
If Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress first asked for a statement by the Prime
Minister, M.B. Rajesh of the CPI(M), making the most forceful demand, said that

instead of tweeting his sorrow at the tragic suicide of Gajendra Singh, Mr. Modi
should speak to the Lok Sabha. When the Prime Minister finally arrived, Congress
leader Mallikarjun Kharge, referring to his infrequent appearances, said, We are
indeed fortunate to have your presence, and sought a judicial inquiry.
Combined Opposition puts BJP on the defensive
The two-hour debate in the Lok Sabha on Thursday on the agrarian crisis saw
full-throated exchanges between a combined Opposition and a defensive
Bharatiya Janata Party, which is trying to shed its image of running a callous
anti-farmer and suited-booted government.
Even while Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh made a factual statement on the
events leading up to the suicide of the farmer Gajendra Singh in full public view
here, he struck a conciliatory note at one stage, saying neither the government
nor the Opposition was anti-farmer.
The Opposition joined issue with Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who took exception
to Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party for his statements against the Prime
Minister, saying the reference would be expunged. An irate Opposition, led by
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and rulebook-waving MPs, forced Ms. Mahajan
to say that she would take another look at what was said to decide whether Mr.
Manns remarks could be described as unparliamentary.
If several MPs like Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress, Deependra Hooda of
the Congress, Bhartuhari Mahtab of the Biju Janata Dal and Arvind Sawant of the
Shiv Sena expressed horror that Gajendra Singh killed himself in full view of
television cameras, the police and bystanders, M.B. Rajesh of the CPI(M) and
Arun Kumar of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party said the agrarian crisis had been
caused by neo-liberal policies and succumbing to the free market.
Rajeev Satav of the Congress, Mr. Mann and Tariq Anwar of the Nationalist
Congress Party attacked the government over the land acquisition ordinance. Mr.
Anwar said Gajendra had come to a rally held to protest against the ordinance.
You must withdraw the ordinance. This is like rubbing salt into the wounds of
farmers, he said.
The Rajya Sabha, too, witnessed anguish being expressed by members, with
those from the Opposition seeking a CBI inquiry and demanding a reply from the
Prime Minister in the House.
Keywords: Delhi
protest

farmer

suicide, AAP

Rude surprise for U.P. farmers

rally

suicide, Congress, BJP, Opposition

Irked Minister puts officials on notice; insurance companies to face action for the
fiasco
Laxity on the part of officials seems to have impeded the State governments
efforts to ameliorate the sufferings of over 13 lakh farmers who have suffered
massive crop loss on account of unseasonal rains and hailstorm in Uttar Pradesh.
Thanks to official apathy, coupled with the slow pace of relief work, the
distressed farmers have been handed compensation cheques which have
bounced, and despite repeated warnings, officials attitude has not changed.
With reports of bounced cheques pouring in from several of the 67 affected
districts, Revenue and Irrigation Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav warned officials of
stern action if the compensation cheques bounced.
Mr. Yadav, who was on a fact-finding visit to Mohammadpur Pipiganj in Gorakhpur
district on Wednesday, cautioned the officials to ensure that the cheques were
credited into the accounts of the farmers. Relief money to the districts has been

sent by the government, the Minister said. Mr. Yadav said following a fresh
survey of crop damage, an estimated 95.13 lakh hectares crop had been found
lost. A fresh proposal of Rs. 6,000 crore has been sent to the Centre for
immediate relief of the farmers.
Official sources said the money distributed to the farmers by the insurance
companies under the Crop Insurance Plan was insufficient in the context of the
quantum of damage to crops suffered by them. The Revenue Minister directed
the insurance companies that 25 per cent of the compensation money be
disbursed to farmers at the earliest. Mr. Yadav said action would be taken against
the insurance companies whose cheques bounced.
Sources said while some insurance companies had made the payment to farmers
in instalments, others had made part payment and some companies had made
no payment at all.
Keywords: U.P. farmers, farmer suicide
Farm query: Moringa seedlings
Is there any genune contact from where I can procure Moringa
seedlings for planting in my 12 acres?
J. Dhandapani,
Tamil Nadu
You can contact Mr. K. P. M. Sadaiyandi, Karthikeyan moringa nursery in Dindugal,
Tamil Nadu. Seedlings are produced in large scale commercially and sold at a
rate of Rs.40 each to farmers of Dindugal, Theni, Salem and Madurai. The farmer
produces at least 12,000 seedlings a year generating a revenue of Rs. 4 lakhs
from selling them alone. Mr. Sadaiyandi can be reached at Karthikeyan Moringa
Nursery, Pallapatti (P.O), Pin -624 201 Nilakottai taluk, Dindugal district. Tamil
Nadu, mobile: 9791374087 and 986507810
Handy cycle weeder for small farmers

Weeds are the biggest problem in crop production. Nearly 30 to 50 per cent of
yield loss is due to weeds. These unwanted plants remove nearly 25 to 60 per
cent of nutrients from the soil making them unavailable for plants and also act as
host for several pests and infestations.
Weed management is a big problem mainly because of labour shortage.
Agricultural activity in India is largely labour based and shortage of manual
labour has a direct impact on crop production. So what is the option?
Small sized weeding machines, which are priced affordably and easy to use are a
good solution.
Easy

to

operate

Tarabalu Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Davanagere recently introduced a cycle weeder

for farmers in the region, priced at an affordable rate, and easy to operate for
removing weeds, according to Mr. B.O.Mallikarjuna, specialist at the institute.
In the training, we had demonstrated the use of this device for weeding
different crops. After the training programme, selected farmers were given the
weeder for use in their own farms under our technical guidance.
We suggested to farmers that it can be used for all the crops like groundnut,
sunflower, maize and vegetables with the spacing of 30-40 cm between the lines
and 15 -20 cm within the plants, says Dr. T.N. Devaraja, Programme Coordinator.

As a trial, the weeding technology was demonstrated in a vegetable field of a

farmer, followed by frequent visits by the KVK team to access and record data on
weed menace, time taken by the device for weeding, and yield. Farmers using
this device expressed their satisfaction that the weeder was well suited for those
whose land holding was two acres or less.
Best

suited

Though it can be used for any crop it is best suited for vegetables since the
space between plants is more for operating this device.
The weeder can penetrate the soil to a depth of 2-2.5 cm. It can be used for
weeding 1 to 1.5 acre in a day and can be either operated by a single person
or/and also attached to bullocks. It is ideal to use this device after 15-20 days of
planting the crops in the main field.
Previously manual labourers were used for weeding work. The main problem with
labourers is that many of them were inefficient and demanded high wages during
planting, weeding or harvesting time.
Hiring

charges

Unlike foreign countries, where hundreds of acres are available without any
borders, in India it is the other way around. Here 80 percent of our farmers are
small and marginal growers with small land holdings divided by bunds on all four
sides making it difficult to use big machines for any operations. Also the hiring
charges per day are quite heavy and may not be feasible for a small farmer. For
such people this type of machine may be useful, says Mr. Mallikarjuna.
Beneficiary
Mr. Renukarya, a retired agriculture scientist who has been using this device
says:
I have been using this machine and find it beneficial as I dont need to depend
on external man power for operating it. I think this is the best technology for
future agriculture when land holdings are reducing in size.
The population is increasing day by day but not the land and there will be more
fragmented lands in future and this type of device will be very suitable for small
farmers.
Operation
The machine operates efficiently when the field is irigated for the device to pull
out the weeds. Farmers should note that the field must not be hard since it would
be difficult to use the device.
Taralabalu KVK is popularizing this technology in and around their region. The
weeders are priced at Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 2,500 a piece.

Those interested contact Dr. T.N. Devaraja, Programme Co ordinator, Taralabalu

KVK, Davanagere - 577 004, Phone: 08192-263462, Mobile: 09449856876, email:
dvgtkvk@yahoo.com, website:www.taralabalukvk.com and Mr. Renukarya at
09900110947.
Keywords: cycle weeder, crop production, weeds
Managing fruit fly in mango
The mango fruit fly is believed to be the single largest crop damager in India. It
accounts for about 27 per cent of harvesting loss. The flies attack semi ripe and
mature fruits during the months of April and May. Other fruits like guava, citrus,
plum, peach, sapota, loquot, etc are also susceptible to this pest attack.
Damage is caused both by adults and maggots. Adult female punctures the rind
of near ripe fruits with its needle like ovipositor and lays eggs.
Maggots
The legless yellowish maggots after hatching bore and feed on fruit pulp and on
maturity come out of the fruit, drop on the ground and pupate deep under the
soil. Thus the maggots destroy the pulp making it foul smelling and discoloured.
Infested fruits develop brown rotten patches on them and fall to the ground
ultimately.
Management
Collect the fallen infested fruits and dispose them by dumping and burying in
60 cm deep pits.
Plough the interspaces in the orchard during summer to expose fly puparia to
kill them under hot sun rays.
Timely harvest of mature fruits should be done and the fruits may be treated
with hot water for one hour at 48 degree celcius.
Install methyl eugenol traps at 6 nos./acre
Adopt male annihilation technique of using bait traps with 100 ml of 0.1per
cent methyl eugenol (1ml/lit) and 0.05 per cent malathion 50EC (1ml/lit) taken in
250 ml capacity wide mouthed bottles fitted with hanging devices.
Another poison bait may be prepared by adding 100g of jaggery and 2ml of
decamethrin 2.8EC in 1 lit of water and sprayed on the tree trunks at weekly
interval. The bait could be sprayed on the nearby hedges and vegetation.
Spray deltamethrin 0.025 per cent thrice at least 15 days interval
commencing 45 days after fruit set.
Spraying of 0.03 per cent dimethoate up to two weeks period to picking the
fruits is also effective.

(Dr. J. Jayaraj, Professor and Dr. M. Kalyanasundaram, Professor and Head,

Department of Entomology
Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai 625 104, Phone No. 04522422956, extn.214, email: agentomac@tnau.ac.in)
Keywords: mango fruit fly, harvest, crop loss
Over 3,000 farmer suicides in the last 3 years
Only three farmers suicides from crop failure: Maharashtra
Says the rest 598 who ended lives did not leave behind suicide notes.
If the Maharashtra government is to be believed, only three farmers have
committed suicide in the State because of crop failure due to unseasonal rain
and hailstorms since January.
The government, however, acknowledges that 598 more farmers have taken
their own lives during the period, but is unaware of the reasons for the deaths as
the victims had not left behind suicide notes.
State Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Eknath Khadse said here on Tuesday that
by government figures, 601 farmers had committed suicide.
On Monday, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told Parliament that
only three farmers had committed suicide in Maharashtra. Only they had left
behind suicide notes blaming crop destruction, he said.
The State has faced a series of natural calamities in the past two years that
destroyed crops in Marathwada, Vidarbha and northern Maharashtra. The Centre
has announced a Rs. 2,000-crore financial package to the State.
Asked if Maharashtra would ask for another package from the Centre, Mr. Khadse
said the State was capable of handling the problem.
Keywords: farmers suicide, Maharashtra government, crop loss, crop failure
BSP legislators to pay relief to U.P. farmers
Mayawati assigns the task to party MPs, legislators
To reach out to farmers in Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party president
Mayawati has directed the MPs and legislators of the party to distribute their one
months salary to distressed farmers in their constituencies. They will pay the
money directly to the affected farmers rather than route it through any official
agency.

It will bring immediate relief to farmers and will discourage them from taking
extreme measures like suicide in the absence of relief from the Central and the
State governments, the BSP president said on Sunday.
Ms. Mayawatis directives come a day after Revenue and Irrigation Minister
Shivpal Singh Yadav appealed to Ministers and MLAs to donate one months
salary to the Chief Ministers Relief Fund for the farmers affected by unseasonal
rain and hailstorm. Mr. Yadav took the lead in making the donation. But the BSP
president has taken an independent line from that of the senior Uttar Pradesh
Minister, whose appeal was mainly made to the ruling Samajwadi Party
functionaries. In her directives to the party MPs and legislators, Ms. Mayawati
stressed direct contact with the farmers families.
Referring to the nationwide agitation by the BSP on farmers issues, Ms.
Mayawati said that in the first phase of the programme on April 27,
demonstrations would be held at all district headquarters in the State.
She lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Akhilesh Yadav for going on foreign tours when the farmers were either dying
of shock or committing suicide on account of crop loss. Some Ministers were
getting photographs of their visits to the farms published in newspapers even as
no steps have been taken to provide immediate relief. The massive devastation
of crops had taken the lid off the crop insurance scheme. Though crop insurance
was widely publicised, the affected farmers are unable to get compensation,
she said.
The BSP president said instead of worrying about providing succour to the
families of affected farmers, the Prime Minister wanted Bharatiya Janata Party
MPs to tell people about his foreign visit.
Keywords: BSP, U.P. farmers
UP farmer dies of cardiac arrest over crop loss
50-year-old farmer died of cardiac arrest after seeing his crops destroyed in
unseasonal rains and hailstorm in Mohammadpur Khala area, police said on
Sunday.
Hiralal went to his field Saturday and died of cardiac arrest after seeing his
damaged crops, they said.
Sub Divisional Magistrate Jai Prakash has started a probe into the incident.
Punjab asks Centre to move old wheat stock to other states
The Punjab government has asked the Centre to move old wheat stock to other
states, besides seeking more rail rakes for crop movement during the Rabi
marketing season of 2015-16.
The Punjab government has asked the Centre for movement of 68 lakh tonnes
of wheat stocked in the state to other states and railway authorities have also

been urged to provide more rakes, Punjab Mandi Board Chairman Ajmer Singh
Lakhowal said in a statement issued here.
He added that 1,814 centres have been set up for procurement of wheat during
the current season.
The Chairman further said that instructions have been issued to all Deputy
Commissioners in the state to complete the procurement arrangement.
He added that all district officers have been asked to personally review the
arrangement of lighting and drinking water facilities for wheat farmers.
Though rains and hailstorms caused damage to wheat crop in this season, the
state expects 125 lakh tonnes of wheat during rabi marketing season 2015-16.
Paswan to meet cane growers, CMs next week
With the sugar industry struggling to pay cane arrears to farmers, Food Minister
Ram Vilas Paswan has convened two separate meetings next week with the
farmers and Chief Ministers of sugar producing states to help resolve the crisis.
Cane price arrears of farmers have been gradually increasing over the past few
years, touching record level of Rs 19,250 crore at the end of March 2015. The
dues stood at Rs 8,577 crore in 2011-12, Rs 12,702 in 2012-2013 and Rs 13,124
in 2013-14.
Due to fall in domestic as well as global sugar prices, mills have been unable to
recover their cost of production for the last 3-4 sugar seasons. On the other
hand, sugarcane prices are going up every year, which the mills are not able to
pay. There is a mismatch in cost of production and sale price of the sweetener,
explained Abinash Verma, Director-General at Indian Sugar Mills Association
(ISMA).
The industry body met the Food Minister earlier this month to discuss issues
impacting the sugar industry. Mr Verma said, The Minister understood the
subject... he plans to meet CMs and also the farmers next week to sort out the
crisis.
A meeting with cane growers will be held first on April 15, followed by a meeting
with Chief Ministers on April 16.
To improve the situation, ISMA has requested that the government makes bulk
purchase of 25 lakh tonne of sugar, which is likely to give Rs 7,200 crore of cash
flow to the sugar mills.
This can be used to pay cane farmers as well. By removing surplus stocks from
the mills, market sentiments will also improve, helping in partially improving the
depressed ex-mill sugar prices, Mr Verma added.

This year the sugar production in the country was forecast to be 265 lakh tonne.
However, it is now expected to be around 270 lakh tonne against an estimated
consumption of 248 lakh tonne.
The ISMA has also sought from the government exports subsidy on white
sweetener, besides subsidy on ethanol production and procurement, and
restructuring of debt of sugar mills.
The debt burden of the sugar mills has increased by more than 3 times in the
last 5 years. As compared to around Rs 11,443 crore at the end of 2007-08 , debt
burden at end of 2012-13FY was Rs. 36,601 crore, Mr. Verma said.
Keywords: Ram Vilas Paswan, Food Minister, sugar mills, ISMA
Small growers join forces to build their own warehouses
Germalam in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, is covered by thick reserve forests.
Agriculture and livestock are the key livelihood for the people there. The land
holding of each farmer is about one to three acres of dry land where cultivation
predominantly depends on the monsoon. Maize is the main crop grown
extensively apart from ragi, lablab, tapioca, black gram, horse gram and french
beans as minor crops.
Like paddy in the delta regions, in this region, maize was the major sustenance
crop and as usual marketing the produce was a big bottleneck.
Private lenders
The small farmers used to borrow from moneylenders at 3-5 per cent interest
per month for purchasing seeds and fertilizers and the moneylenders usually
arrived at the farm during harvesting season and took away from the farmer a
volume of produce equal to the loan principal and interest.
Being indebted, farmers did not have much control over the rates the
moneylenders fixed. Besides, the moneylenders used their own faulty weighing
scales, says Dr. P. Alagesan, Programme Coordinator, Myrada ( Mysore
Resettlement and Development Agency), Gobichettipalayam, Tamil Nadu.
Farmers therefore lost out both on rates as well as the weight of their produce.
Since they had no idea of the market availability or the prevailing rate for maize
they did not have much choice. Some of them tried to market the produce
themselves but the high cost incurred on transportation (especially, since they
had small volumes each) forced them to sell the maize as soon as it was
harvested.
And the market was a buyers arena.
Traders offered low prices for the produce taking advantage of the fact that the
sellers were not locals and had come from faraway places. Farmers were often
forced to agree to the buyers rates as they wanted to go back home early and
there were costs involved for storing their maize in warehouses.

Not enough place

Stored grain also lost moisture and its quality deteriorated. There was not
enough place in Germalam to store all the maize.
A decade back when this problem was being discussed among the local
community one of the ideas that emerged was the construction of community
warehouses in their own areas.
Accordingly they approached Myrada institute in their region to see whether this
was possible. Based on the area of maize grown and the number of farmers who
would directly benefit from this project, it was decided that two warehouses
could be constructed in two villages.
Management
Both the warehouses would be managed by the self-help groups in the respective
villages. Since it was community managed and maize being a seasonal crop,
both the warehouses did not require year- round management.
The model cut labour costs as farmers themselves brought in their produce from
their farms to the warehouse. No full time staff was required. Members from the
local self-help groups volunteered to work for free. Therefore the annual
maintenance costs for the warehouse was as low as Rs.1,000 mainly for
whitewashing and cleaning and this was paid out of the warehouse account,
explains Dr. Alagesan.
The warehouses charge different rentals for those who have contributed to its
construction chiefly self-help groups and outsiders.
The groups pay a rent of Rs.1 per bag stored per month. Other individuals pay
Rs.1.50 per bag per month. No additional charges are levied as the
transportation, loading and unloading costs from the farm to warehouse are
borne by producers themselves.
After deducting all the expenditures, the warehouse committee bank account
currently has a balance of about Rs.30,000.
Governmental support
Based on the success of these two warehouses the government has also come
forward to support setting up of two more warehouses with active support from
Myrada.
Presently the four warehouses constructed by the Myrada Germalam Project
have proved their worth and the government is rapidly replicating the
programme. Apart from the three already supported by the government, six
more are being build in the Kadambur and Thalavady hills in collaboration with
the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).
For more information contact Dr. P. Alagesan, Programme Coordinator, Krishi
Vigyan Kendra, Kalingiyam P.O., Gobichettipalayam, Erode district-638 453,

Email:
myradakvk@dataone.in,
09443897654.

azhagujanani@yahoo.com,

mobile:

Keywords: Agriculture, Farmers, Germalam, Erode, Tamil Nadu, livestock

Modi announces enhanced input subsidy
Says governments, banks and insurance companies will do their bit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced enhanced input subsidy
relief for farmers in distress.
Farmers will now be eligible for input subsidy if 33 per cent of their crop has been
damaged, as opposed to 50 per cent or more, which was the norm till now, the
Prime Minister said at the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Micro Units Development
and Refinance Agency Ltd (MUDRA) Yojana here.
Further, the input subsidy given to distressed farmers will be enhanced by 50 per
cent of the existing amount.
The Prime Minister expressed concern over the problems faced by farmers due to
the abnormal weather in the past year. Helping farmers in this time of distress is
our responsibility, and therefore, the government has sent teams of Central
Ministers to affected areas to assess the extent of the damage, Mr. Modi said,
according to an official release.
He also gave the assurance that the Centre, State governments, banks and
insurance companies would do their utmost to provide relief to the farmers.
Mr. Modi said banks had been asked to restructure loans of farmers hit by
unseasonal rain and insurance companies had been advised to pro-actively settle
claims.
MUDRA bank launched
He also launched the MUDRA bank with a corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore and credit
guarantee of Rs. 3,000 crore.
The bank will be responsible for refinancing micro-finance institutions in the
business of lending to small entities.
While big industrial houses provide jobs to only 1.25 crore people, small
entrepreneurs have given employment to nearly 12 crore people, Mr. Modi said.
The postal network would be used for increasing access to the formal financial
system.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the MUDRA Bank was a step in the right
direction for funding the unfunded. He had proposed the MUDRA Bank in his
budget speech in February.

MUDRA will be set up through a statutory enactment. It will be responsible for

developing and refinancing all micro-finance institutions (MFIs) which are in the
business of lending to micro and small business entities engaged in
manufacturing, trading and service activities.
Banks role
It will also partner with State and regional-level coordinators to provide finance
to last-mile financiers of small and micro business enterprises. Its proposed role
includes laying down policy guidelines for micro enterprise financing business,
registration, accreditation and rating of MFI entities.
The agency will also lay down responsible financing practices to ward off overindebtedness and ensure proper client protection principles and methods of
recovery, according to an official release.
These measures are targeted towards mainstreaming young, educated or skilled
workers and entrepreneurs, including women entrepreneurs, the release said.
A vast part of the non-corporate sector operates as unregistered enterprises and
formal or institutional architecture has not been able to reach out to meet its
financial requirements. Providing access to institutional finance to such micro,
small business units, enterprises will not only help in improving the quality of life
of these entrepreneurs, but also turn them into strong instruments of GDP
growth and employment generation, the release said.
Keywords: Mudra
institutions

bank, Narendra

CCRI tackles white stem borer scourge

Modi, Arun

Jaitley, MFIs, micro-finance

The pest affected over 3,000 hectares of coffee plantations in 2014

The Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), Balehonnur, which functions under
the Coffee Board, has achieved a breakthrough in its research to combat white
stem borer in Arabica coffee plantations.
In one of the field trials, infested plants showing typical symptoms were marked
and the main stem was wrapped in gunny bag strips. The gunny bag cover on
the main stem was sprayed with an insecticide formulation containing
Chlorpyrifos 50EC plus Cypermethrin 5EC at the dosage of 1.2ml/litre of water,
along with 1ml of a wetting agent. After completion of the flight, the wrapped
plants were examined for status of the stem borer stages. It was observed that in
almost all infested plants, the adult beetles were found dead at the tip of the
emergence hole, said an official note issued by CCRI.
For the first time, it has been demonstrated that the adult beetles of stem borer
could be killed before their emergence, said Jawaid Akhtar, Chairman, Coffee
Board.
Plantations spread over 3,000 hectares in the State were affected by the pest in
2014. Karnataka produces 70 per cent of the countrys coffee.
CCRI Director Raghuramulu Y. told The Hindu that the method of treating the
infested plants should be completed by the end of April and October. Following
encouraging results in preliminary trials, he said the institute will conduct more

experiments during the pre-monsoon flight season (April-May 2015) to validate

the results on a large scale.

Use of sex pheromones in IPM

Sex pheromones are generally produced by female insects to attract males of
the same species for mating. In Integrated pest management, pheromones are
used in different ways such as monitoring through trap catch, killing through
mass trapping, mating disruption and attracticide (lure and kill) methods.
Used

for

detection

Pheromone traps in stored insect management can be used to detect both the
presence and the density of pests. They are useful to define areas of pest
infestation, particularly where the overall distribution and life cycle are poorly
understood.
Their purpose is to achieve a more accurate control and to limit the usage of
insecticides to only when strictly necessary. Pheromone traps are generally
effective when pest numbers are very low and so they can be used qualitatively
to provide an early warning of pest incidence.
To successfully capture attracted pest insects, a trap has to be escape-proof,
which can be achieved by a sticky surface to which the trapped insects become
irreversibly attached or by some kind of funnel or pitfall systems.
In the case of female-produced sex pheromones only males are trapped. Hence,
any attempt to suppress the population by trapping males would require a
sufficient number of trapped males so that nearly all females would go unmated.
Population

density

Theoretical considerations of mass-trapping males take into account the density

of males in the population and the potential number of matings a male is able to
secure in its lifetime. If a male can mate with ten females in a lifetime then up to
90 per cent of the male population can be trapped without affecting the number
of mated females as well as the subsequent larval generation.
The attracticide (or lure and kill) concept-based method involves using a
pheromone to lure insects to a specific point source or an area whereby they
contact a toxicant which causes a rapid kill or contamination with some kind of
pathogen.
In the protection of stored products there are many promising results on the use
of the attracticide concept in flour mills and confectionary industries.
(Dr. D. N. Kambrekar, Scientist Regional Agricultural Research Station, UAS
Campus, Vijayapur (Karnataka)-586 101 Email: kambrekardn@uasd.in Phone:
08352-230568.)

Keywords: sex pheromones, integrated pest management, IPM, pheromone traps

Tiruchi students to try their hand in farming
Under earn while you learn programme, students are encouraged to cultivate
greens, vegetables and supply it to the hostel.
The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University-Horticulture College and Research
Institute for Women at Navalur Kuttapattu has introduced an innovative
programme for growing vegetables with the help of its students.
Under the earn while you learn programme, students would be encouraged to
cultivate greens and vegetables and supply it to the hostel. Tomato, ladys finger,
greens and other vegetables would be cultivated on three cents of land within
the college campus by students.
Apart from ensuring revenue, the programme would help women students
understand cultivation and crop protection techniques, marketing avenues, and
ensure quality through good agricultural practices, said P.Pandiarajan, Dean,
TNAU Agricultural College and Research Institute.
The programme would instil confidence in the minds of the students about the
prospects of agriculture, he said. Only organic manures would be used in raising
these crops, he said.
Since the soil in the college is sodic in nature, the college authorities had
enhanced the fertility of the soil by enriching it with vermicompost and red soil.
They have also supplied quality seeds to the students for better productivity.
The area of the student farm would be expanded in course of time, Mr.
Pandiarajan said.
Incentive for dairy farmers
airy farmers under the Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union
Limited (ERCMPU), the Ernakulam region of Milma, will be paid an incentive of Rs.
2 per litre of milk being procured by the cooperative body in April. The incentive,
which was given for the February-March period, is being extended up to April 30.
The milk procurement societies will also get an additional amount of Re.0.50 per
litre during the same period. Dairy farmers in Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam and
Idukki will benefit from the scheme, a press release issued by the organisation
says.
Agriculture officials happy with harvest results
The just concluded paddy harvest season has brought in good results and set a
new record when compared with previous seasons.
There is one reason for officials of the Department of Agriculture here to be
happy. The just concluded paddy harvest season has brought in good results and
set a new record when compared with previous seasons.

While farmers solely attributed this to the rise in water storage level in
Mullaperiyar reservoir to 142 feet, officials confined to the dissemination in
technology, which enabled adoption of better crop cultivation methods, coupled
with cost cutting measures, for achieving the new high with ease.
Collector L. Subramanian was instrumental in getting the grievances of farmers
redressed.
The grievance meetings gave an opportunity for the ryots to directly interact
with officials and get their points cleared. Only after the Collector intervened,
more DPCs were set up, Ramanathan, a paddy farmer from Vadipatti, noted.
Officials in the Agriculture Department said that periodic intervention and
interaction on the judicious use of water, fertilizers, and the advantages of
alternate wetting and drying concepts et al, helped in ensuring high yield.
In a way, deficit rainfall helps in proper management of water for irrigation than
when it is surplus, said Deputy Director Ravichandran.
Apart from growing paddy, farmers also evinced interest in raising minor millets,
pulses, oilseeds and cotton, which helped in a big way to the tally. Farmers
interest groups (FIG), which were formed in all the 13 blocks in the district, had
given an edge in educating the farmers about the dos and donts in the process
of cultivation, Paramasivam, an FIG member in Kokkulam village near here, said.
Yet another important aspect was that a majority of the farmers had access to
the automatic weather station.
This helped them in getting information on wind speed, wind direction, soil
moisture, humidity, air temperature et al.
For instance, depending on the temperature forecast, water for irrigation could
be drawn evenly as stagnation or overdose may spoil the crop and affect yield.
Productivity
Adoption of such techniques from the beginning of this season paved way for
farmers even in dry pockets like Kalligudi and Sedapatti blocks to get the desired
results.
The idea of multi-crop turned out to be successful in Sedapatti block, where
those who raised maize produced 10 tonnes/ha.
Similarly, those from Alanganallur block, a fertile region, too had contributed in a
big way in achieving the high yield, Mr. Ravichandran added.
Recently, the district had bagged the Krishi Karman Award from the State
government and a progressive farmer, Solaimalai, from Madurai West was
awarded Rs. 1 lakh for his top production.
Organic farming in mulberry for sustainable silk production

Mulberry, the food plant of silkworm is a perennial crop and once planted can be
maintained for years together without much effort.
Indiscriminate use of chemical inputs is an indeterminable setback to many
industries associated with agriculture.
Similarly is the case in sericulture. Mulberry, the food plant of silkworm is a
perennial crop and once planted can be maintained for years together without
much effort.
Production of quality mulberry leaves is mandatory for the sericulture farmers to
ensure healthy growth of silkworms and better silk thread harvest.
Therefore the agronomical practices such as application of fertilizers, weeding,
irrigation, plant protection measures at bimonthly intervals after each leaf
harvest are important for good and healthy leaf production.
Indiscriminate

use

Like in many crops, here too chemical inputs are indiscriminately applied to gain
short term results.
In general one acre of mulberry garden receives 1.5 metric tonne of fertilizers
and 12-15 sprays of toxic insecticides annually which causes deleterious effects
on the beneficial organisms and on silkworms, says Dr. V. Sivaprasad, Director,
Central Sericulture Research and Training Institute, Central Silk Board, Mysore.
Though chemical farming initially yields good results, its negative impact on leaf
yield, quality and cocoon productivity is pronounced in a few years.
Therefore, promotion of organic farming in sericulture is imperative to sustain the
industry and intensive research on production of organic silk is in the pipeline, he
adds.
The institute has already standardised application of a number of organic inputs
like farmyard manure, compost, vermicompost, and green manures ,and
developed special formulations of bio-fertilizers and foliar sprays to minimise the
use of chemical fertilizers and to organically promote soil health in mulberry
gardens.
Other

methods

Other eco-friendly formulations like bionema and nemahari to control root knot
nematodes, chetak and navinya for management of root rot disease and
spraying strong jets of water on mulberry garden are found effective to manage
sucking pests and are advised for farmers.
Similarly, thermal weeding and black polythene mulching are also introduced to
avoid application of weedicides as well as to overcome the labour scarcity
problem for manual weeding.

According to Dr. Sivaprasad, about 12-15 metric tonnes of sericulture waste,

comprising silkworm litter, unfed leftover mulberry leaves, soft twigs, farm weeds
etc are obtained from a hectare of mulberry garden annually, from which the
plant nutrients such as nitrogen (280-300kg), phosphorous (90-100kg) and
potash (150-200kg) as well as all essential micro nutrients can be generated
when properly composted.
Better

than

manure

This is nutritionally much superior than farmyard manure. The technology for
composting sericulture waste is widely popularised by the institute among
growers.
Most of the farmers in different parts of the state supplement the nutrient
requirement of their mulberry garden with the locally available organic inputs
like farmyard manures, composts, pressmud, poultry manures, sheep and goat
manures.
Sheep

penning

Sheep penning is also a tradition practised commonly in Tamil Nadu for

enhancing soil fertility naturally.
Organic farmers successfully harvest cocoons all through the season and their
average cocoon production is greater than 80 kg per 100 disease free laying
while the farmers who practice chemical based farming frequently met with crop
failures and their productivity remains below 60kg.
Tamil Nadu is leading in silk production mainly because of more adoption of
organic farming practices, explains N.Sakthivel, extension scientist, Central silk
board, Srivilliputtur.
A technical bulletin titled Organic farming in mulberry: Recent break through,
for the benefit of sericulture farmers, field functionaries and researchers has
been published by the board.
Website
The details of eco-friendly inputs of sericulture and the packages of organic
farming are available on the website csrtimys.res.in
For more information inetrested farmers can contact office of the Director,
Central sericulture research and training institute, Central silk board,
Manandavadi road, Srirampura, Mysore -570 008. Phone: 08212362757, email:
siva.nsso@gmail.com, and csrtimys@gmail.com and Dr. N.Sakthivel, extension
scientist, CSRTI, Srivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu on email: sakthivelcsb@hotmail.com,
mobile:9842761789.
Keywords: Organic farming, mulberry
friendly, mulberry tree

leaves, silk

production, silkworm, eco-

Loan waiver hits SBIs lending to farm sector

State Bank of India, Hyderabad Circle, saw its agriculture loan portfolio shrink in
2014-15, something unusual that it attributes to the farm loan waiver scheme of
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
My levels [of agri loans] have gone below what it was in March 31 [2014], and
currently it is Rs. 1,100 crore to Rs.1,200 crore below that, Chief General
Manager of the Circle C.R. Sasikumar told presspersons here on Tuesday. The
decline was not in line with the otherwise good credit culture of both the States,
he added. It was in last 20 years, the agricultural lending of SBI dropped. Stating
there was a negative growth in the portfolio in both the States, he said the lack
of repayments by farmers and delay in payment of waiver amounts by the two
governments led to about 10 per cent NPA in agricultural loans.
Of around Rs. 23,000 crore agricultural portfolio, SBI made a claim of Rs. 17,000
crore to Andhra Pradesh government, which in turn has so far released Rs. 1,587
crore, while Telangana gave Rs. 515 crore on account of loan-waiver to the bank.
The bank, however, is not the only one whose agriculture loan portfolio did not
expand. The senior official estimated the loan disbursement across the two
States to be 30 per cent below the target. To a query, he replied that the bank
expected the agriculture loan disbursement to be better in the new fiscal as
some kind of closure has come. Farmers now realise this is money we will get,
from the waiver, he said, pointing out that the expectations ran higher about the
benefits. The bank, in the two States, is seeing NPA in self-help groups (SHG),
which inhibit us from taking further exposure has vitiated the atmosphere.
OLA cabs
Mr. Sasikumar was speaking at the flagging off of Ola Cabs financed under a
nationwide scheme of SBI for the taxi aggregator. Describing it as an attractive
scheme for entrepreneur drivers, he said apart from the finance for the cabs, the
product covers vehicle insurance as well as accident insurance of the driver.
Ban on potato export led to farmers suicide: Opposition
Decision led to reduced prices of the tuber
: Experts and Opposition leaders heaped criticism on the Trinamool Congress
(TMC) Governments policy of banning the export of potato to the neighbouring
States for its reduction in demand in these States.
They said that the decision was not financially logical and had contributed to
reduced prices of potato this year leading to farmers suicide.
States Agriculture Minister Purnendu Basu refuted this statement. So far, 17
potato farmers suicides have been reported in Bengal.

In 2013, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had imposed restrictions on export of

potato to other States to curb its rising price in Bengal, which continued for oneand-a-half years. These restrictions were however eased last year.
Encouraged by the profit gained from potato farming last year, farmers had sown
potato in more than 4 lakh hectares of land.
The chairperson of the Pradeshik Krishak Sabha, the peasant wing of the
Communist Party of India (Marxist), Madan Ghosh said that the West Bengal
Governments decision to restrict the export of potato to neighbouring States left
them with no choice but to increase their own yield of potato.
As a result, traders from other States lost interest in importing potato from West
Bengal and our farmers lost an essential means to sell their crop, he told The
Hindu here on Sunday.
Mr. Ghosh said that the potato production this year had crossed 1 crore tonne
compared to the normal yield of 90 lakh tonne. So the State governments
decision to purchase 50,000 metric tonne directly from farmers is grossly
inadequate, he said, adding the States cold storages maximum capacity was
only 65 lakh tonne.
Speaking in the same vein, professor of Economics and Rural Development in
Vidyasagar University Sebak Kumar Jana said that the decision to ban export of
potato was not financially logical. If there was adequate infrastructure to set up
more cold storages, such a loss to farmers could have been avoided, he added.
Professor of Economics at Jadavpur University Joyashree Roy, however, said that
to associate potato farmers suicide directly the with low price of the crop would
be scientifically justified.
Mr. Basu, however said that the restriction on potato export was imposed to
prevent large-scale shortage of the crop in Bengal as it was illegally exported to
Uttar Pradesh, which had low crop production in 2013. So, it was a positive step
by the State Government that prevented the acute shortage of potato in West
Bengal, he told The Hindu .
Mr. Basu said that some dishonest potato traders were also responsible for the
present crisis as they were not buying potatoes from farmers to pressurise the
State Government for their vested interests.
The restriction was imposed to prevent shortage of the crop in Bengal
as it was illegally exported to U.P.
Purnendu Basu
Bengal Agriculture Minister

Seedless cucumber hybrids in polyhouses

The Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has developed a seedless hybrid

cucumber that is ideal for polyhouse cultivation. This is the first such hybrid
developed in South India by a public sector research team.
Polyhouse cultivation requires specific cultivars in each crop and farmers
presently depend on the seed produced in countries like Korea,Thailand which
are imported and marketed by multinational companies in various names.
High priority
The Government of Kerala has accorded high priority to polyhouse cultivation by
providing subsidy schemes for setting them up in all the 1,000 odd panchayats in
the state.
Farmers depend on corporate sector for hybrid seeds and the price of cucumber
hybrid seed ranges from Rs. 5-7 per seed. Thus development of this hybrid by
the University is significant as it offers increased availability of indigenously
developed seed at affordable rates to farmers, paving way for a fillip in poly
house Cucumber cultivation.
KAU Cucumber Hybrid-1(KPCH-1) is found to be significantly superior to
commercial hybrids with respect to fruit number, yield and earliness. The
Research extension advisory council of the University has recommended this
hybrid for testing across polyhouse in all districts.
The research team which developed this hybrid had earlier developed seedless
hybrids of yellow and red watermelon, for the first time in the country.
Ideal crop
Cucumber is an ideal vegetable variety for polyhouse cultivation as the fruit is
harvested at an immature stage and vertical height of the polyhouse structure
can be exploited for producing more fruiting nodes.
Normal varieties bear both male and female flowers and require pollination for
fruit development. Honey bees act as the pollinator.
However protected structure prevents the entry of all insects including honey
bees. Hence only specific types which produce fruits without pollination can be
cultivated inside polyhouses. (Dr. T. Pradeepkumar, Associate Professor,
Department of Olericulture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, mobile:
9447300743.)
Keywords: The
Kerala
Cucumber Hybrid-1

Agricultural

University, polyhouse

cultivation, KAU

Maharashtra plans insurance cover for mangoes

The Maharashtra government is studying a proposal to provide insurance cover
of up to Rs. 2 lakh a hectare for mango farmers affected by unseasonal rain in
the State.

State Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Eknath Khadse tweeted the plan on
Tuesday, adding that cashew farmers too would be covered.
The plight of growers of Alphonso mangoes in the Konkan region was reported
(Rain lays low Konkans Alphonso) in The Hindu, March 22.
The farmers, however, asked the Minister to explain the details of the scheme as
similar ones had been in existence in the past. How much premium do we have
to pay for this? What will be the criteria? All these and many more questions
need to be answered. We can talk about the governments plan only after we get
those details, said Vivek Bhide, president, Konkan Cooperative Association of
Alphonso Mango Growers and Sellers.
Several natural calamities had affected farmers in the State over the past two
years. Drought in 2013 was followed by a hailstorm the next year.
On Tuesday, the Centre announced a Rs. 2,000-crore relief package for
Maharashtra.
Keywords: Alphonso
insurance

mangoes, mango

cultivation, unseasonal

rains, crop

Thuthukudi farmers grow beans to overcome water shortage

Thuthukudi district in Tamil Nadu is largely rainfed. Cotton, sunflower, maize,
pulses, millets are some of the crops grown in the district which has
predominantly black soil. Farmers are heavily dependent on the monsoon for
their crops.
Prolonged drought, hot and humid conditions, high evaporation, irregular
monsoon are some of the chronic problems plaguing the cultivators in the region
for a long time.
Farmers with borewells and open wells seldom opt to grow crops like brinjal,
chilli, tomato, banana etc. since vegetable crops are highly sensitive to climate
and temperature change. By the time they are harvested and packed to the
market they shrivel because of the heat.
Preferred crops
Because of these problems, coupled with low level in the ground water table,
cereals, minor millets and fodder crops are the preferred crops.
Some two years back, the percentage of farmers growing vegetables had
practically dropped to nil because of water scarcity. SCAD (social change and
development) KVK selected 10 villages in Vilathikulam block and decided to grow
Dolichos bean variety (called Avarakkai in Tamil) on a trial basis in five farmers
fields to assess the yield potential.
The results obtained were quite encouraging and it was decided to extend the
cultivation to 10 more farmers fields.

The variety Dolichos CO 14 is capable of producing 8-10 tonnes of green pod

per hectare and the crop fetches a maximum of Rs.38 a kg and minimum of Rs.
22 a kg from the local vilathikulam market. Farmers are able to earn more than
Rs. 85,000 to Rs. 90.000 as net income in hardly 100 days. After seeing this,
more than 100 farmers have approached us for seeds, says Dr. G Alagukannan
Programme coordinator, Vagaikulam, Thuthukudi.
Future plans
Plans are on to bring in 150-170 acres under this bean cultivation. Five farmers
have been identified to produce seeds to meet the demand of the farmers.
This bean variety needs to be popularised in a larger way in areas where the
farmers are having issues like less water and adverse condition in the ensuing
season, he says.
A complete package of practices is provided from the kendra. Farmers were
advised to sow seeds at 45x30cm spacing after treating it with Rhizobium
solution.
First flowering
The first flowering was on the 38th day after sowing and it continues up to 80
days. About 30ml of effective microorganism (EM) in one litre solution is to be
sprayed on 45th, 60th and 75th day to boost the flower and fruit production.
In addition to this three gm of vegetable special a crop booster was also
suggested to be sprayed after diluting it in one litre on 40th, 55th and 70th days.
To control the fruit borer and jassids a spray with 20ml of neem oil in one litre
with soap solution was resorted.
The crop comes to harvest on the 52nd day after sowing and one can harvest 11
times from a single crop, according to Dr. Alagukannan.
Mr. Dharmaraj (52) of Kuruvarpaati village who adopted this cultivation says:
I harvested about three tonnes of green pod from one acre. For production, I
spent Rs.17, 800 and earned a gross income of Rs.1,08,000. Net profit was Rs.
90,000 in about 100 days. Now I have started seed production as many farmers
are approaching me for seeds and technologies. I am sure that this crop will
increase the income level for us in the ensuing summer months.
All through the season
Being photo insensitive, the crop can be cultivated throughout the year with
limited water and is ideal for dry lands.
For more information contact Dr.G Alagukannan Programme coordinator,
mobile:09942978627, SCAD Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Mudivaithanendal Post,
Vagaikulam, Thuthukudi, Tamil Nadu: 628102 email: pcscadkvk@gmail.com,
Phone: 0461-2269306,web: www.scadkvk.org

Keywords: Thuthukudi, Tamil

Nadu, Cotton, sunflower, maize, pulses, brinjal, chilli, tomato, banana
DFRL comes to tomato growers aid
Scientists at the Mysuru-based Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), a
premier food research establishment under the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO), have developed a range of products to
minimise the post-harvest loss of tomato crop incurred by farmers.
Acting on a request from the State government, a group of scientists have
developed the technologies that enable the making of the products, with special
focus on farmers, self-help groups (SHGs) and small and medium enterprises.
The products include tomato ready-to-serve beverage, tomato sambar paste,
tomato rasam paste, tomato curry paste, tomato sauce, hot-filled tomato pulp,
green tomato chutney, red tomato chutney, tomato powder and intermediate
moisture tomato slices.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently presented the DRDOs Technology Spin-off
Award to DFRL for their work.
Scientist C at DFRL Tanushree Maity Saxena, who led the project, told The
Hindu, The project was allotted to DFRL two years ago and demonstration of the
technologies is being carried out since last year. The products developed by us
have a shelf-life of 4 to 6 months and the technologies are affordable, simple to
adopt and user-friendly.
Senior scientists P.S. Raju, Vibhakar and Chandramohan have aided the project.
In partnership with the Department of Horticulture, four on-field demonstrations
and training had been conducted by mobilising a pilot scale facility on a mobile
vehicle at Chickballapur, Chintamani, Sidlaghatta, and Suttur (in Mysuru district),
she said.
The machinery was custom fabricated to enable on-field demonstration. The
social impact of the demonstrations and technological extension has been found
to be significantly high as 500 farmers, rural women and members of SHGs have
been trained through live demonstrations.
Handbills detailing the technologies and products (in Kannada) have been
distributed among beneficiaries.
Jackfruit products too
DFRL has also developed value-added products from ripe jackfruit. The products
include minimally processed jackfruit slices, ready-to-serve beverage and
squash, jam and a dehydrated snack.
The processes are simple to adopt and could be used by self-help groups, and
small scale industries, according to DFRL. The technologies and value-added

products developed from jackfruit bulbs could further boost the preferences of
consumers, availability in areas of scarcity and commercialisation for export and
domestic markets, said a DFRL release.
Ms. Saxena, who developed the jackfruit technologies, won the Kejriwal award for
a research paper on jackfruit products, with co-authors Alok Saxena and P.S.
Raju.
Scientists develop a range of tomato-based products to minimise postharvest losses
Farmers from Basavanbagewadi visit NTPC plant in Delhi
There is no harm to ecology with thermal plants, on the contrary, the ash
generated by the plant is good for the plants. The farmers are making use of the
ash which has increased productivity, says C.M. Hangadi, a farmer from Telgi
village.
Before visiting the place, I had this notion that thermal plants are hazardous to
human and animal health, but now I am satisfied after visiting the plant that it
has no adverse impact on any one, said Basappa Surpur, a farmer from
Golasangi village.
One need not have a fear of thermal plants. In fact, the plant is providing
employment to so many people as the ash generated is being used for
manufacturing bricks, sheets and other such products, said Mohangouda Patil, a
farmer of Masuti village.
These are some of the reactions of the farmers who recently visited NTPCs
thermal plant at Dadri near New Delhi as part of the study tour.
The tour was organised by the officials of NTPC thermal plant of Kudgi here with
help of the district administration to study whether NTPC thermal plants have
any adverse effect on ecology.
Some 43 farmers of Basavanbagewadi taluk visited the plant and studied various
aspects of it after the State government offered to allow some farmers to study
any NTPC plant.
The response of these farmers has gained significance after some farmers
belonging to the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha stated that the NTPC plant was
hazardous to ecology.
They have been protesting against the plant, demanding the government to shift
the plant anywhere else.
Speaking to The Hindu , C. Kumar, Assistant General Manager of the Kudgi plant,
said that the farmers, during their visit, met local farmers who are using ash.
During their interaction they found local farmers using the ash generated by the
plant in their farms which has increased the agriculture productivity, he said.

Mr. Kumar said that the officials of the NTPC took the farmers to every possible
place in the plant and made the people meet them in order to clear all their
doubts and apprehensions.
Fiscal policy to focus on thrust areas

Primacy for restoring buoyancy in agriculture sector

The fiscal policy of the government will focus on the thrust areas highlighted in
the perspective plan for 2030 published earlier.
The core thrust in the medium term fiscal policy statement of the budget for the
coming year is restoring buoyancy in the agriculture sector, ensuring critical
investments in infrastructure, and making healthcare affordable to all.

Building a Digital Kerala, providing affordable housing for the poor, promoting
entrepreneurship to boost employment opportunities, and fulfilling the agenda of
development with care will be the other focus areas.
The policy statement says that developing of sustainable agriculture, by
increasing productivity and competitiveness, is a sine-qua-non for raising income
and well-being of the present and future generations. Increasing investments in

the agriculture sector with better off-take of agricultural credit is one part of this.
One broad element of the fiscal policy will be to adopt measures for the
rejuvenation of the coconut sector, which even now is the mainstay of income for
a large segment of the population. Emphasis will be given to the revival of the
rubber plantation sector through appropriate support mechanisms.
There can be no sustainable growth in the economy without high quality
infrastructure. A critical level of investment in infrastructure is necessary to
address supply side constraints in the growth equation. For that, the government
intends to build a sustainable transport network by developing an intermodal
transport network.
Major infrastructure projects in the pipeline are the suburban railway corridor,
Light Metro in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, Vizhinjam International
Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, etc. To address the requirement of resources
for major projects, the State will tap into financial markets, including NRI
remittances.

The policy says that the State will have to ensure a comprehensive health
support system which integrates the diverse health-care assistance programmes
now in operation under different departments and agencies in the State. Such an
approach will help augment public health sector infrastructure and serve to
reduce health costs and out-of-pocket expenditure for the poor in particular.

It adds that the State will be developed into a knowledge economy where ICT
(Information and Communication Technologies) is the keystone. Digital
technologies will be used to deliver citizen-centric e-governance, health and
education hubs, smart cities and villages, intelligent transport systems,
applications of ICT in agriculture, land zoning, waste management.
Services notified under the Right to Service Act, 2012 should be available online
to the fullest possible extent. File movement for greater efficiency and speedier
delivery of services and redressal of grievances should be achieved through
systematic adoption of digital processing of documents, viz, e-office software in
all offices in the State.
Housing for all, it says, is not merely a desirable goal but an important ingredient
of poverty alleviation strategy. The State will have to invest significantly in
providing affordable housing to homeless population, particularly the poor.
Farmers plead for supply of hay
farmers representatives of the district have appealed to the district
administration to take steps for the supply of hay to livestock, taking into
consideration serious scarcity of fodder. They said that livestock owners would be
forced to sell their cows or buffaloes under duress condition.
Speaking at the farmers grievances day meeting here on Friday, G.S.
Dhanapathy, District Chairman of Farmers Forum of India, said that farmers of
Pudukottai, Tiruvarangulam, and Gandarvakottai were put to great hardship
because of non-availability of hay.
There was panic buying of hay from Avudaiyarkovil and Aranthangi blocks where
paddy farmers had harvested their fields.
S. Ganesh, District Collector, said he would take action for the supply of hay to
the farmers at a fair price.
In response to a plea by Mr. Dhanapathy for starting a marketing complex for
banana, an official from Agriculture Marketing and Agri Business said it had been
planned to start marketing complex at the regulated marketing committee in
Alangudi on a trial basis. Based on its success, it would be regularised with fullfledged infrastructure including own building.
When a farmer Durai Manickam complained that the relief to paddy farmers and
sugarcane growers had not been disbursed under the crop insurance scheme, an
official from the Cooperative Department promised prompt action.
M. Madhavan, district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Welfare Association,
said that the district administration should take action for value-addition in
cucumber. Although a large area had been brought under cucumber cultivation,
farmers were unable to market the produce for attractive price.
The Collector said the district had realised 751.03 mm of rain in 2014 against the
normal 925.92 mm. Adequate fertilizer 969 tonnes of DAP, 869 tonnes of urea,

1,453 tonnes of potash, and 1,113 tonnes of complex, had been stocked at the
godowns. He appealed to farmers to go in for conventional minor millets such as
ragi, cumbu, maize and kuthiraivali for which seeds had been stocked at the
Agriculture Extension centres.
Owners forced to sell cattle in distress sale
A marketing complex planned at Alangudi

Farm varsity promotes terrace gardening for kitchen needs

Horticulture research institute offers training to women
Help is at hand for those who wish to raise terrace gardens in their house. The
Tamil Nadu Agricultural Universitys Horticultural College and Research Institute
for Women has plans to impart training for city residents on raising terrace
gardens.
Although the terrace garden is mainly intended to benefit women students of the
college, it seeks to motivate the residents in the city, particularly women who
aspire to cultivate vegetables.
The concept of developing terrace garden has been going down well with the
residents, particularly those residing in the apartments in various parts of the
city.
A number of individuals and institutions have been taking the initiative to impart
some training or other to the residents, particularly women, of the apartments to
develop terrace garden.
For instance, Women Entrepreneurs Association of Tamil Nadu (WEAT) about a
year ago, launched a training last year to benefit women members of self-help
groups.
Now, the TNAU Horticultural College and Research Institute had taken up a
project by fully utilising its sprawling area of about 3,000 square feet on its
premises for raising the garden. Fifteen tubs had been set up using hollowblocks.
Water-proof paint at the base prevents seepage of the ceiling, says P.
Pandiarajan, Dean of TNAU Agricultural College and Research Institute,
indicating the initial steps to be taken for setting up a terrace garden. The
college offers a variety of vegetables so that residents can choose the crop
suited to their building or apartment.
Lack of awareness about the advantages of terrace garden has been a handicap
among the residents. We suggest three types of crops shallow, medium and

deep-rooted plants, says M. Jawaharlal, Special Officer of the TNAUs

Horticultural College and Research Institute for Women.
Varieties such as greens fall under the shallow-rooted while tomato, chillies,
brinjal, and ladys finger have medium roots. The deep-rooted varieties include
West Indian cherry which has the richest Vitamin C, chakurnanis (thavasi
keerai), which has multi vitamin, he says explaining the salient features of the 15
tubs displayed at the terrace garden in the college.
Training for women
The college has planned to impart training to developing terrace garden not only
to its students but also to the members of the public.
The garden, in course of time, will be thrown open to those interested in setting
up terrace gardens in their houses or apartments. To start with, a couple of
resource-persons A. Nithyadevi and R. Jagadeesan, both Assistant Professor of
Horticulture, will explain the basic principles to be adopted for setting up the
garden. In course of time, a day-long training will be imparted to the interested
persons.
Mr. Jagadeesan could be contacted by dialling 9750566600. More than men and
women, schoolchildren would be motivated to understand the importance of
developing terrace garden using bio-fertilizers, say Mr. Jagadeesan. Rani
Muralitharan, president of WEAT, said that terrace garden would be a gift for
women residents. It was more popular in metropolitan cities where there was
serious dearth of space for developing gardens at the backyard.
Crop losses: Rs. 18,000 each to be given to farmers in UP
The district authorities here have announced a compensation of Rs. 18,000 each
to more than 28,000 farmers who have lost their crops due to untimely rains and
hailstorms in Uttar Pradesh.
Crops worth crores of rupees were estimated to have been damaged due to
heavy rains and hailstorms, according to a survey done by authorities.
28,000 farmers from Jansath, Khatoli, Budhana, and Sadar tehsils were identified
for the relief, Additional District Magistrate R K Sharma told reporters.
Rs. 18,000 each would be provided to them as compensation, he said.
Clear encroachments in waterbodies, say farmers
Tanks closer to the city limits need more vigilance
Numerous complaints of encroachments in waterbodies in the district were
raised by farmers at the monthly farmers grievance day meeting at the
Collectorate here on Friday.

Complaining of inaction by Public Works Department (PWD) officials, the farmers

said that tanks and feeder channels in parts of Melur were full of encroachments
and wanted the officials to install warning boards near waterbodies against
setting up shops or other establishments on the tank bed. Another farmer asked
for encroachments to be cleared near Nilaiyur channel which he said were
affecting the flow of water to storage ponds.
Reacting to the complaints, Collector L. Subramanian asked PWD officials to step
up surveillance and work in coordination with the Revenue department to protect
the waterbodies.
Tanks closer to the city limits which are exposed to urbanisation need more
vigilance, he added.
Stating that there had been irregularities with respect to procurement rates at
Direct Procurement Centres (DPC), the farmers said that many centres charged
high rates for labour and freight. Many farmers were forced to pay anywhere
between Rs.30 to Rs. 40 for transportation and freight, said M. Tirupati from
Kulamangalam.
Animal menace
K. Thevaraj, a farmer, complained that wild boars were destroying crops at
Sedapatti, Usilampatti, T. Kallupatti and Kallikudi. Joint Director of Agriculture
Jaisingh Gnanadurai said that photographs of destroyed crops, submitted by the
farmers, had been forwarded to the Forest department for payment of
compensation.
Tapioca price likely to remain stable
The Agro Market Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre (AMI&BPC) of the
Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business has indicated that the
price of tapioca would remain stable in November and December.
To facilitate farmers take appropriate decision on sowing tapioca in March and
April, the AMI&BPC at the Centre for Agricultural Rural Development Studies
(CARDS), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, analysed the price of tapioca in
Salem market over the past 15 years to provide market intelligence for tapioca
growers The AMI&BPC analysis revealed that the price of raw tapioca would be in
the range of Rs. 7 to Rs. 8 a kg in November and December 2015. The Exim
policy 2016 may impact the prices of raw tapioca and their value-added
products, according to the price advisory. At present, tapioca is ruling between
Rs. 700 and Rs. 800 a quintal against Rs. 1,350 per quintal in March and April
2014. Sago which was sold at Rs. 6,700 a 90 kg bag had come down to Rs. 3,582
a bag. The price of tapioca starch, which was sold at Rs. 4,000 per 90 kg bag has
come down to Rs. 2,260.
The farmers, who got a good price last year, could get only half the price this
year. This was mainly because of the crash in sago and starch price because of
higher production and less demand. Tapioca is cultivated on about 0.21 million
hectares of land with a production of 7.74 million tonnes.

Tamil Nadu stands first in respect of tapioca production and processing it into
starch and sago. Tapioca is cultivated in 14 major districts, including Namakkal,
Dharmapuri, Salem, Villupuram, Tiruchi, Erode, and Tiruvannamalai covering an
area of about 1.21 lakh hectares of land, the release added.
DVAC books case against 19 Agriculture Dept. officials
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) has launched a probe
into the alleged misappropriation of funds during the conduct of Uzhavar
Peruvizha in Tiruchi district by Agriculture Department officials.
The DVAC Tiruchi unit booked a case in the last week of February based on a
petition from M. Abdullah of Manapparai.
Police sources said the petitioner had complained of misappropriation of funds
and malpractices during the conduct of the Uzhavar Peruvizha organised at
various villages in the district from 2010 to 2014 causing loss to the
governments exchequer.
Pursuant to the petition, the DVAC conducted a preliminary enquiry and based on
its outcome booked a case against 19 Agriculture Department officials including
a former Joint Director (Agriculture) presently serving at Thanjavur.
Ryots to get Rs. 209 cr. of compensation, annuity

The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) has kickstarted the process to pay crop compensation to farmers in the capital region.

Around 22,000 farmers will receive compensation and annuity of Rs. 209 crore by
the month-end.
Of this, Rs. 140 crore to Rs. 150 crore would be earmarked for one-time
compensation which would be paid to the farmers who were holding orchards
and were dependent on horticulture. The government will pay Rs. 1 lakh per acre
for horticulture land.
The farmers have to sign the development agreement with the CRDA to avail the
compensation. Compensation would be paid to the farmers through the Guntur
Collector in the form of demand draft (DDs), according to CRDA Commissioner N.
Srikanth.
The jareebu (irrigated land) farmers, likewise, will receive Rs. 50,000 per acre as
annuity, while the same for the dry land farmers will be Rs. 30,000 per acre. The
government has fixed these annuities under the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS)
being implemented for the Capital region. The annuity will be paid for 10 years,
starting now.
The government recently has amended the Clause 2 of Rule 5 of the AP Capital
City Land Pooling Scheme (Formulation and Implementation) Rules, 2015. It also
has announced that the annual payments for the farmers who have parted with
their land will start from March 1. The last date for harvesting of crops is April 30.
A similar exercise to pay the annuity to landless or tenant farmers will be taken
up shortly. Annuity will have to be paid at the end of year. But, the idea of paying
in advance is to ensure that the farmers would not plan for second crop.
Drought hits cotton crop
Farmers in Uppilliyapuram and Thuraiyur blocks are the worst affected
Scarcity of water for irrigation has hit the cotton growers in Uppilliyapurm and
Thuraiyur blocks in the district this season, with the plants withering away in the
scorching sun.
A number of farmers in these two blocks complain that poor realisation of rain
had brought down the formation of bolls and consequent yield this season.
T. Jayabal of Chikathambur near Thuraiyur says he had invested about Rs. 13,000
to raise cotton crop on one acre. The village, blessed with black soil, was suited
for raising the crop, but the crop failed because of failure of monsoon.
According to Agriculture Department officials, about 2,000 acres had been
brought under the crop, 1,000 acres each in Thuraiyur and Uppliyapuram blocks.
The crop was mainly grown in Pachaperumalpatti, Aangiyam, Koppampatti,
Shobanapuram, Uppliyapuram, Okkarai, and E. Badharapatti (all in Uppliyapuram
block) and T. Ranganathapuram, Maravathur, Chellipalayam, Chikathambur,
Irunattham, Perumpalayam, and Urugoor in Thuraiyur block. The average yield

per acre ranged between 600 and 700 kg every season but this year it was
nearly 100 kg.
Farmers anticipated some showers in January this year for saving the crop but
were disappointed, say the sources.

2,000 acres of land brought under cotton cultivation in the two

blocks
Distress is blamed on lack of adequate rain in January

Farmers want dam at Nedumalai

To harvest rainwater and storm water for assured irrigation of a large area
Marungapuri, once considered the Cheerapunji of Tiruchi district, accounted for
copious rainfall during the onset of monsoon. By virtue of its location on the
foothills of Nedumalai, the block accounted for a good realisation of rainfall. In
fact, it was during 2005 floods that the district in general and the block in
particular witnessed the maximum amount of rainfall.
A cross section of farmers of the block say that a dam, if constructed across the
Nedumalai, would go a long way in ensuring assured irrigation of a large area in
the block. In the absence of a dam, the rainwater and stormwater was let off into
the sea at Thondi through the Paalar.
According to Agriculture Department officials, the block was blessed with fertile
soil but the absence of irrigation facility had been a major blockade. Referring to
the construction of the dam across the Viswakudi in Perambalur district, both
farmers and officials say that there was a strong case for constructing the dam.
In fact, a survey was taken in the area after the floods hit the village in 2005,
says M. Natarajan, one of the progressive farmers of Maruthampatti village in the
block. He pointed out that the Marungapuri block was blessed with a series of
system tanks and the dam, once constructed, would benefit the farmers to a
great extent. Pointing out that the soil was best suited for raising any crop
including banana, green chillies, mango and coconut. He said that the block,
located in the border of Tiruchi, Dindigul and Sivaganga districts, needed
adequate attention. A comprehensive and long-term irrigation plan should be
executed for the block.
The fact that the block had been a fertile land could well be ascertained by a
large number of open wells in various fields in the union. Farmers said that they
were sparing no efforts to maintain the water table in the open wells so that they
could, in turn, irrigate the fields. Mani, another farmer, says that the farmers had

set up bore wells in their fields from which water is drawn to fill open wells. We
utilise the water from the open wells to irrigate banana and other crops, he said.
Water crisis pushes farmers to switch over to millet cultivation
A majority of them have switched over to millet cultivation
The fear of water crisis and a possible drought has led to steep decline in farming
activities in the district.
The Irrigation Department has been releasing water to canals for the past few
weeks on on-and-off basis to facilitate cultivation or crops. However, the
agricultural activities have not commenced owing to the fear of drought and
water shortage.
The Agriculture Department had fixed the target of sowing of crops in 26,350 ha
of land, M.N. Rajasulochana, Joint Director, Department of Agriculture, told The
Hindu.
Nevertheless, according to the statistics available with the department, sowing
had been completed in 17,409 hectares of land till March 16, which was 66.01
per cent of the targeted area.
The chances of farmers taking up cultivation in the remaining area during this
summer were dim as the farmers in a majority of villages had stopped sowing
and transplantation of paddy crop, among others, owing to the fear of suffering
losses, another official said.
The statistics reveal that paddy transplantation had been was completed in
about 12,237 hectares of land against the targeted 20,000 ha. The district is
considered the rice bowl of Karnataka as farmers cultivate paddy in at least
40,000 hectares, every year.
Meanwhile, it has come to the notice of the department that farmers had
switched over to millets and other pulses in the current summer, as these crops
would not require much water.
The fear of drought is haunting the farmers. Besides, the farmers were
suspecting that the quantity of water that would be supplied this year could be
inadequate. Therefore, the farmers had shifted to other crops, Shambhunahalli
Suresh, leader of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), said.
The farmers have cultivated millets in 1,959 ha till March 16.
Millets need only about 20 per cent of the water needed for paddy cultivation.
That might have prompted farmers to switch over to millets, C.R. Ravishankar,
Associate Director of Research (Ragi), Zonal Agricultural Research Station (V.C.
Farm), Mandya, told The Hindu .
Relief package for rain-hit farmers likely

High-level meeting to assess situation may be held today.

Following reports of crop damage due to unseasonal rains across North India, the
Modi government is likely to announce a relief package for farmers.
The details of the package are likely to be finalised at a high-level meeting to be
attended by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Agriculture Minister
Radha Mohan Singh this week.
The high-level meeting to take stock of the farm sector situation could take place
as early as Thursday, a highly placed source in the government told The Hindu.
Senior officials in the Prime Ministers Office are likely to participate. The
government will have to announce a package before the current Parliament
session ends, the source said.
The current session of Parliament is scheduled to end on Friday but could be
extended till March 24. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, which
met on Wednesday morning, decided that if necessary, it could extend the
session by two days Monday and Tuesday of next week to complete the
governments legislative business.
Keywords: Unseasonal
rains, crops
government, farmers' relief package

damage, relief

to

farmers, Modi

Try this planting method for better yield in coconut

Special Arrangement
Mr. Renukarya has been able to prove that by changing the planting method,
yield can be increased.
TOPICS
Agriculture
science and technology
agricultural research and technology
Reasons such as the decreasing yields, lack of commercial returns and problems
like eriophid mite and black headed caterpillar menace are forcing coconut
farmers to grow other crops in place of the trees.
In the last five years in Davangere district in Karnataka alone, nearly 2,000
hectares of coconut area have been converted to cultivation of other crops.
Not only for coconuts but also for any other crop the ability to maximise the
yield is important for a farmer and Mr. Renukarya has been able to prove that by
changing the planting method, yield can be increased in coconut, says Dr. T.N.
Devaraja, Programme Coordinator, Taralabalu KVK, Davanagere.

Change the method

Mr. M.K. Renukarya from U. Kallahalli village in Davangere district, who worked as
farm manager in University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bengaluru, for three
decades, wanted to use his experience to change this situation. He started in his
own land which is drought prone and unfertile, to demonstrate cropping pattern
in dryland horticulture.
In order to increase the number of coconut palms per unit area and to get
maximum income, Mr. Renukarya adopted a new system of planting called
pentagonal and paired system of planting which is his own innovation.
Conventionally, coconut seedlings are planted in straight lines in fields. Further, if
they are to be planted on field borders single seedlings are planted at closer or
wider distances.
Pentagonal planting
In pentagonal type of planting, seedlings are placed in such a way that one plant
is planted in centre and four plants at a distance of eight feet in all four
directions. A pit for planting is dug and inputs like water, manure etc are placed
into it along with the seedlings.
Organic wastes are also dumped into the pits which act as vermicomposting
sites. The whole area is covered with fallen coconut fronds and other organic
waste.
In paired system, the inter-space between the seedlings is reduced to six feet.
Two plants are planted in a three cubic metre pit filled with coconut husk,
compost, red earth tank silt etc. The entire pit is covered with fallen coconut
fronds and other available organic waste of farm. In between the coconut
seedlings arecanuts are also planted. Along with this, fodder grass and legumes
are also planted on the field bunds for fodder for cattle.
Two trenches are dug about eight feet away from the pit which act as catchment
for rainwater.
More trees
Paired and pentagonal planting of coconut accommodates more number of
coconut palms. In normal system 56 seedlings are required for an acre. In this
system 70 seedlings may be required. Though initial cost of planting using labour
might be a bit more, by this method each tree has been found to yield an
average of 80 nuts a year.
This is significantly high because in the conventional planting trees in the region
yield anywhere between 55- 65 nuts a year depending on the region, says Mr.
Renukarya.

The cultivation cost is considerably reduced since once planted and manure
applied the trees do not need maintenance except watering. Paired and
pentagonal planting of coconut has almost doubled the palm population when
compared to conventional method of coconut planting, he says.
Appreciation
The innovative system of planting has already been taken for demonstration in
our KVK farm. Farmers, officials and others have visited the farm including
voluntary agencies and have appreciated the system and are spreading the idea
to other farmers, says J. Raghuraja, specialist at the Institute.
In addition to coconut, the farmer has dug five farm ponds for growing fishes.
The ponds also help in groundwater recharge for not only in his farm but also
surrounding farmers fields.
Other components
He has also introduced dairy, sheep and vermicompost units. Regarding rodent
and snake infestation in coconut gardens Mr. Renukarya suggests rearing of few
cats in the farm where rodents and snake problems persist.
Meticulous farm planning is the basic tool to maximize farm income according to
him.
The farmer has received the best farmer award by University of Agricultural
Sciences, Bengaluru.
For more information Mr. Renukarya can be contacted mob: 09900110947 and
Dr. T.N. Devaraja, Programme Coordinator, Taralabalu KVK, Davanagere,
www.taralabalukvk.com, dvgtkvk@yahoo.com, mob: 08192 263462.
Keywords: coconut, Davangere district, Mr. M.K. Renukarya
Integrated management of grapevine thrips
Grapevine thrips is the most destructive pest in India.
It also damages other crops such as jamun, guava, mango, cashew nut, rose, etc.
It is active during March-May and September-October. Adults and nymphs feed
by rasping on the ventral side of the leaves and flowers stalk and suck the
oozing sap.
As a result of their intensive feeding, leaves develop silvery white scorches and
gradually get deformed and fall down.
The attack on flower stalks result in flower shedding. The feeding on the
developing berries results in scab formation.

Two species
There are two other species of thrips such as Scirtothrips dorsalis and Thrips
hawaiiensis which exclusively attack blossoms and developing berries causing
scarred fruits resulting poor quality and low price in the market.
The life cycle of this thrips is completed in 11 to 25 days according to weather
conditions and there are five to eight generations in a year.
They undergo hibernations as pupae deep into the soil surface during winter.
Young nymphs appear reddish and adults are yellowish brown. They reproduce
both in sexual and parthenogenetic ways.
Integrated Management
Varieties of grapevine with thick and hairy leaves are known to be tolerant to
thrips attack.
Collect and destroy damaged leaves, fruits and flower.
Install 10-13 blue / yellow sticky coloured sheets traps/ha
Grow cowpea around the field bunds to conserve predatory coccinellid beetles.
Raise eco-feast crops viz. castor, mustard, sunflower, marigold and coriander
around the crop to conserve and encourage entomophagous insects.
Spray beauveria bassiana at 5 ml or 5 g/lit under humid climatic conditions.
Apply 500 ml of malathion or 1.5 kg of carbaryl 50 WP in 500 litres of water
per 100 vines.
Spray methyl demeton 25 EC at 2 ml/ lit, dimethoate 30 EC at 2 ml / lit,
monocrotophos 36WSC at 1.25ml/lit, quinalphos 25EC at 1ml/lit, or ethion 50EC
at 1ml/lit
(Dr. J. Jayaraj, Professor and Dr. M. Kalyanasundaram, Professor and Head,
Department of Entomology, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai
625 104, Phone: 0452-2422956 Extn.214, email: agentomac@tnau.ac.in)
Keywords: Grapevine thrips, Dr. J. Jayaraj, Dr. M. Kalyanasundaram, Agricultural
College and Research Institute
Land bill row: BKU wants 100 pc farmers assent for acquisition
AAP Leader Yogendra Yadav, who joined the protest, said farmers had been
cheated by this government over this bill.
Farmers organisations, including the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), today staged a
massive protest demanding that Centre must take assent of 100 per cent
farmers before land acquisition and the same should be done only for public
purposes.

Farmers gathered in droves at Jantar Mantar in the heart of the national capital
under the banner of various farmer unions affiliated to India Coordination
Committee of Farmers Movement (AICCFM).
Government introduced these amendments in the land acquisition bill without
taking farmers into confidence. Our very basic demand is that all those farmers
whose land would be acquired, their assent is must before acquiring, BKU
President Naresh Tikat told reporters here.
He added that farmers do not want to obstruct development of the country, but
they will continue to protest until government withdraws this bill or at least they
get some assurance regarding their demands.
And in any case, fertile land should not be acquired and only for public purposes
land can be acquired. No land can be taken for private or even public-private
projects, Tikat said.
Joining the protest and terming the bill as anti-farmer, AAP Leader Yogendra
Yadav said farmers have been cheated by this government over this bill.
They (BJP) are in power because of farmers and now you are cheating them.
History has shown those who ignore farmers and go against them have not been
spared by farmers.
Leave aside farmers land, can government purchase or sell any other land
without the approval of its owner? Then why they are not ready to take farmers
assent before selling their land, Yadav said.
Raising other major issues related to farmers, BKU General Secretary Yudhvir
Singh said all the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission should be
implemented including giving 150 per cent of the cost of production as assured
selling price to farmers.
Meanwhile, the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill 2015 has already been passed
in Lok Sabha. Here are some facts about the bill that you need to know.
Keywords: Land Acquisition Bill, Jantar Mantar, Yogendra Yadav, Farmers'
protest, Bhartiya Kisan Union, BJP, India Coordination Committee of Farmers
Movement
Compensation to farmers soon: Khattar
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said the State is carrying
out an extensive survey of losses sustained by farmers due to unseasonal rain
and within a month compensation would be paid to all the affected farmers.
Speaking at a Meet the Press programme organised by Chandigarh Press Club,
he said for any natural calamity, the compensation is decided by the Centre.

He said while the Centre would be paying Rs 4,800 per acre for 100 per cent loss,
Haryana would be paying Rs 5,000 per acre for 25-50 per cent loss; Rs 7,500 per
acre for 50-75 per cent; and Rs 10,000 per acre for 75-100 per cent loss.
The former Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has criticised the
Manohar Lal Khattar government for not doing enough for farmers.
Delta farmers to meet Modi
A meeting convened by the Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association here on
Sunday decided to extend full support to Tamil Nadu government in all its efforts
to prevent the construction of new reservoirs at Mekedatu and Rasimanal in
upper Cauvery proposed by the Karnataka government.
Attended by various farmers organisations, the meeting resolved to send a
delegation of farmers representatives to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Prior to calling on Mr. Narendra Modi, the delegation would meet Chief Minister O.
Pannerselvam to impress upon him the need to prevent Karnataka from going
ahead with the construction of reservoirs, V. Rajaram, executive president of the
Association, said. Appreciating the filing of cases in the Supreme Court against
the proposed reservoirs, it was decided at the meeting that no construction
activity should be taken up in violation of the Tribunals order and the Supreme
Courts directive. The farmers reiterated once again their demand for the
constitution of the Cauvery Management Board, as directed by the Supreme
Court.
The golden daughter of a farming family
Geetha N. graduated with a record 13 gold medals
All that this poor farming family from Doddaballapur taluk has is one acre of land
which fetches them just Rs. 11,000 a year.
But, they have a golden daughter. Geetha N., daughter of Narasimha Murthy
and Chikkathayamma, graduated with a record number of 13 gold medals at the
convocation of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore here on
Saturday.
My parents were not in a position to bear my educational expenses when I got a
seat for an agricultural course. So I took an educational loan to support my
studies, says Geetha, who is now pursuing her post-graduate studies in
Agricultural Genetics and Plant Breeding with a fellowship from the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research.
Excitedly showing her parents the box of gold medals, Geetha said, Though my
parents did not have money, they did everything for me to excel in studies and I
owe my success to them.

Having experienced the difficulties of a marginal farming family, her dream is to

become a researcher in the field of genetics and plant breeding in a bid to do
something good for farmers in distress. I am pained to see farmers in distress,
especially owing to crash in prices. I want to do something for them, she said.
Geetha also has plans to set up a non-governmental organisation to help
farmers. Please do not quit farming as that is our backbone, is her plea to
youth who quit agriculture to move to cities in search of menial jobs. Similarly,
A.P.-based Kundur Bharath, who graduated with seven gold medals, also hails
from a farming family. He too wants to serve the farming community by
becoming a researcher.
Araku Valley to become synonymous with mangoes too

First a noted tourist spot with a variety of forest products available, then a coffee
plantation area with its organic variety gaining fame overseas and now a major
mango growing area. That is what the Araku Valley ensconced in the Eastern
Ghats running through the district, is ought to become famous for, with a nongovernmental organisation all set to launch the project through its bio-dynamic
farm practice.
This is the largest bio-dynamic plot in the world, spread over 25,000 acres, and
nowhere this sort of topography is seen. More than 2,000 Girijan families here
are cultivating coffee in the biodynamic method and getting very good results
and much better income. We are encouraging them to grow mango trees,
Banginapalli variety, and the results would be good. Seven lakh mango saplings

have been planted during the last three years, CEO of Naandi Foundation Manoj
Kumar said.
Conservative estimates put the yield for this year at 200 tonnes, it will go up to
1000 tonnes next year and by fifth year it would touch 40,000 tonnes, Mr. Manoj
Kumar told The Hindu at Thuraiguda, where the Gems of Araku coffee festival
was held.
In the biodynamic agriculture 20 to 30 varieties of organic substances are used
and some of them are bark of trees, bat urine, spiders, etc. Biodynamic crops are
of good quality and its taste goes up while the quality of soil improves. The world
is recognising the value of biodynamic farm produce, he said and believes that
this is the answer to farming and not the chemical fertilizers or GM.
Mahindra and Mahindra Company and Global Livelihood Fund of a group of
European companies are funding the plantation.
The Naandi CEO also finds it is tough to sell mangoes than coffee and the task
could be easier if the Government could provide facilities like mini cold storage
plants, grading facilities, godowns, etc.
With Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu adopting a village near Araku Valley
for development, a lot of improvement could be expected.
NGO encouraging tribal people of the tourist paradise, also known for
forest produce and coffee plantations, to grow mangoes
Where dreams grow like mushrooms

Thanks to an initiative by students of Ethiraj College and a microfinance

company, women from slums become financially independent.
The rear end of Ethiraj College once had a large vacant land which was used for
parking. Now, there stands a thatched hut which is changing lives of eight
women from Thideer Nagar slum close by .
These women were trained to grow mushrooms , which provides them with a
monthly income. Their lives changed when a couple of students of
Enactus Ethiraj, a group promoting social entrepreneurship, along with
representatives of Equitas, a microfinance group working with people from lowincome groups, approached them.
After a couple of hours of brainstorming, we zeroed in on the project we wanted
to take up. We decided to grow mushrooms. We thought of teaching them where
they lived. But, who would be interested in buying mushrooms in a slum. Thats
when the management of Ethiraj College stepped forward and offered help. They
not only decided to offer financial assistance but also gave a small piece of land
for growing mushrooms, says John Alex, programme director, Equitas.
The ground work began in December 2014 and the shed was ready by March
2015. These women were trained by Raghupathi, an expert in mushroom
cultivation.
He taught them everything about oyster mushrooms and the conditions they are
grown in.

We built the shed, which is where these mushrooms grow in plastic packets. The
temperature is controlled. It has to be humid all the time. Right next door, we
have a room where these women do all the preparations. They pack the final
product and put it out for sale, says Kanchi J. Shah, president of the Club.
Sanjana Murali (vice-president), Maduvanthi Birla (joint vice-president), Kavitha
Ramesh Kumar (secretary), Vidhyalakshmi C.A. (treasurer) and Kimberly Jane
Moses (joint treasurer) and staff member Sumathy Ravi are the core members of
the project. Those involved in the project are happy about the way it has panned
out.
Forty-two-year-old Lalesh Mary says, I wanted to do something out of my house,
for a long time. When this opportunity came, I grabbed it. It opens avenues for
other business opportunities. Moreover, I have learnt to cook mushrooms. Two
months ago, I did not know such a thing existed.
Oyster mushroom is healthy and high on proteins.
The college sells these products under the brand En-Kalan at the college
premises.
It is also sold at departmental
enactusethiraj@gmail.com

stores.

For

more

details,

write

to

Keywords: mushrooms, oyster mushroom, Mushroom cultivation, Enactus Ethiraj

Project Agaricus
Agriculture: Vision Group to be formed
Micro-irrigation policy on the anvil for conservation of water
Continuing the emphasis on agriculture and allied sectors, Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that a Vision Group will be constituted to
develop an overall vision for the State agriculture sector.
Presenting the 10th State budget, the chief minister said the proposed vision
group would be chaired by an expert. This would focus on agriculture,
horticulture and food processing sectors, he noted.
The main intention behind such an exercise was to tap the full potential of
Karnatakas agricultural sector that spans across 10 agro climatic zones, and also
gear up the State to face the complex challenges due to such a diversity in the
agriculture sector.
With nearly 70 per cent of the States agriculture being rain-fed, the chief
minister indicated that the efficient use of water would be the focus area in
agriculture as he announced the formulation of a "Micro Irrigation Policy 201516" for efficient use of water and preserving micro nutrients in soil.
He has also proposed to set up a centre for excellence to impart training on
improved cropping systems, integrated farming systems for dry land agriculture,

moisture conservation and monitoring through sensor-based water management

systems.
To take agricultural experts to farmers fields, Mr. Siddaramaiah announced a
Krishi Abhiyana scheme under which the entire staff of agriculture and allied
departments as well as universities of agricultural sciences would visit the hoblis
during kharif season to provide consultation to farmers.
Also to bring about synergy among agriculture and allied departments, it has
been proposed to make the staff of departments of agriculture, horticulture,
animal husbandry and sericulture work together at Raitha Samparka kendras.
He has also proposed to take up genome sequencing to improve the crop
varieties in ragi, tur dal, jowar and Kabul gram.
To support the sericulture sector, the budget has proposed a scheme for setting
up reeling parks in traditional silk industrial areas of Ramanagar, Shidlaghatta
and Kollegal.
To bring in blue revolution in inland fisheries, short-term loans have been
proposed to be given at zero per cent interest rates to inland fishermen through
co-operative banks.
Narendra Modi to reach out to farmers through Mann ki Baat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach out to the farming community through
the next episode of his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, on March 22,
for which he has sought suggestions and inputs from them.
On March 22, I will have Mann ki Baat with my farmer brothers and sisters, he
tweeted.
I want to know the issues of the farmers and want them to write to me, he
added in another tweet.
22
Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 12, 2015

- ..,
, , -
Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 12, 2015

http://t.co/0BtKc3K7yS http://t.co/s2X7UKMpG9
Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 12, 2015

Mr. Modis address to farmers assumes significance as the agriculture community

is currently a subject of debate in the context of the new Land Acquisition Bill
which the government is trying hard to get passed by Parliament.
The Land Bill, which seeks to amend the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, has come
under severe criticism from various parties, which contend that it will hurt
farmers interests.
The government, on the other hand, insists that the interests of farmers have
been taken care of in the new Bill, which seeks to speed up developmental
works.
The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on March 10 and is now set to face a tough
test in Rajya Sabha, where the ruling NDA is in a minority.
Keywords: Mann Ki Baat, Narendra Modi, land bill, Land Acquisition Act, Land
Acquisition Bill, farmers' issues
State budget: Farmers want guaranteed incomes
However, experts suggest considering farmers as special social category like
Dalits and OBCs for getting government support
With only two days left for the presentation of the state budget, farmers on
Wednesday demanded that the government should ensure them guaranteed
incomes by setting up a farmers income guarantee commission.
But differing from them in terms of approach, the experts advocated the need to
consider farmers as a special social category on the lines of oppressed sections
like Dalits and backward classes so that they too would get support from the
government for their welfare including reservation in jobs and education.
The views in this regard were expressed at a seminar on farmers and budget
organised by the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Hasiru Sene here.
Expressing concern over the plight of farmers, KRRS President Kodihalli
Chandrashekhar alleged that both the State and the Union governments were
looking at the agriculture sector only from the point of food security of the
country. They look at farmers merely as producers of food crops who can tackle
food security. But farmers too have their own lives as well as dreams. But the
governments have never bothered to care for the welfare of farmers, he
alleged.
He felt that constitution of the income guarantee commission would go a long
way in helping farmers. Alleging that the budget of the NDA government at the
Centre had ignored agriculture sector and focussed only on corporate welfare, he
said the farmers were now looking forward to some support from the state
budget to be presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

He wondered how could the Centre claim that the country was marching forward
when 65 per cent of people living in rural areas had been left out of development
process.
However Economist Abdul Aziz maintained that it was better to consider farmers
as a deprived social category like Dalits and extend various measures for their
welfare. He was of the view that income guarantee proposal may not be a
practical one.
University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru Vice-chancellor H. Shivanna
assured farmers of holding an exclusive meeting with their representatives to
elicit their views on what needed to be done for them and conveying them to the
government.
Dairy expert Dr. G.N.S. Reddy and Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic
Agriculture representative Kavitha Kuruganti also spoke.
Farmers stage demo seeking pension and house site pattas
Members of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association staged demonstration before
Dindigul East and West taluk offices pressing for a charter of demands here on
Tuesday.
Addressing the demonstration before East Taluk Office, TNFA district units vicepresident Raju said that house site pattas and old age pension were not given to
thousands of eligible beneficiaries. The State government even stopped giving
OAP to many who had been receiving monthly pension for over a long time. The
government should distribute house site pattas and old age pension to all eligible
persons immediately. Similar demonstrations were held before all taluk offices in
the district.
Crops in 50 lakh hectares hit
States empowered to release funds to affected farmers: Minister
The recent rain across various parts of the country has damaged crops in over 50
lakh hectares, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Wednesday.
He said the States were empowered to release funds to the affected farmers and
the Centre would provide more funds wherever required.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister said standing crops in Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal were damaged by the
unseasonal rain. He said several places that received rainfall between 8 cm and
10 cm were the worst affected.
The most-affected districts include Karnal in Haryana, Amritsar in Punjab, Bareli
and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Chandrapur, Yavatmal and Pune in Maharashtra,
and Jabalpur and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.
TNAU develops better efficiency stoves

In India, 80 per cent of the total population lives in villages. The major energy
demand of rural population is for cooking which contributes to about 98 per cent
of their total energy consumption.
Wood, agricultural waste and biomass are used as fuel in rural kitchens.
Conventional stoves (chulha) take more time for cooking, more difficult to fire
and consume more fuel.
Traditional

stoves

They also waste a lot of energy and pose many pollution hazards. Most
traditional stoves can utilise only 2 10 per cent of the energy generated by the
fuel.
The growing gap between availability and demand for firewood caused by
traditional stoves forced technologists to concentrate their attention on
improving the thermal efficiency of stoves.
In view of this the department of Bioenergy at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University, Coimbatore has developed a single-pot chulha.
The single-pot chulha has a double wall with a gap of 2.5 cm. It has a grate at
the bottom of the combustion chamber. The ash can be collected below the
grate. The outer wall has two rectangular secondary air openings on both sides
at the lower portion.
The inner wall has 1cm diameter holes which maintain a triangular pitch of
approximately 3 cm. Separate mounds are provided for holding bigger and
smaller vessels.
The secondary air enters through the rectangular opening in the outer wall, gets
heated in the annular chamber and distributed through the holes in the
combustion chamber. The preheated air helps in proper burning of the fuel.
Double

pot

Another one called double pot portable chulha (chimney-less) is made with two
walls with an air gap of 2.5 cm. There are two secondary air inlets, one on the
outer wall with rectangular shape (17 cm x 1 cm) near the combustion chamber
and the other a circular hole of diameter 5 cm at the bottom of the second pot. A
cast iron grate is placed at the bottom of the combustion chamber.
Those interested can contact the department for further details and availability
of the chulhas.
(Dr. S. Kamaraj, Professor and Head, Department of Bioenergy, TNAU,
Coimbatore, Phone: 0422-6611276 (O), 94439 34139 (M))
Keywords: TNAU, stoves, energy conservation
Wider spacing in crops helps tide over water scarcity

The challenge in increasing crop productivity is more especially in dry areas,

where it is a tough task for both farmers and scientists alike. While digging ponds
to store rainwater might be advised, the impracticality of doing it by small
farmers with less than three acres is still an issue.
For such small farmers the krishi vigyan kendra in Bijapur, Karnataka, has
developed a method to overcome water scarcity. It is a simple method where
farmers are advised to plant their crops with a wider spacing between them.
Bijapur is situated in northern Karnataka and is frequently hit by droughts. This
area receives an annual rainfall of 593.3 mm which is insufficient for most of the
dry-land crops.
Narrow

spacing

In general, farmers adopt narrow row spacing for planting the crops. There is a
standard procedure with farmers adopting their own measurements according to
their choice. By doing so, there tends to be a stiff competition between the
plants for moisture as the plant grows. The moisture requirement will be more
especially during the peak flowering and grain filling phases, but there will be
less soil moisture leftover, thereby affecting the yield of the dry-land crops,
explains Dr. S.S.Nooli, scientist at the Kendra.
In collaboration with the All India Coordinated Project for Dry Land Agriculture
and Regional Agricultural Research Station, 34 awareness programmes were
conducted for farmers from 80 villages on the need for adopting this method.
The Kendra also conducted 108 frontline demonstrations for 270 farmers and
suggested they plant the high yielding hybrids of pearl millet (bajra/cumbu) and
sunflower provided by the kendra with wider row spacing.
Pearl

millet

Farmers in Bijapur region started planting their crops with wider row spacing of
120 cm (between rows) x 5-10 cm (between plants) and were able to get 20-25
per cent better yield. Cases of infestations were also noticed to be quite low.
We did a systematic study on pearl millet and sunflower since these two crops
are quite common in this region. An additional net profit of Rs.3,910 per hectare
was achieved in pearl millet and Rs.8,580 a hectare in sunflower over the
conventional method, says another scientist Dr. S.Y. Wali.
This technology is presently being adopted in 15,500 hectares in Bijapur,
Bagalkot and Koppal districts of Karnataka.
Production
Crop productivity is largely determined by the amount of soil moisture. Crops
cultivated with wider row spacing coupled with repeated deep inter cultivation
helps to create dust mulch on the soil surface.

This dust mulch acts as a barrier from higher evaporation losses, which
ultimately leads to better moisture availability and hence better yield.
Mr. V.B. Kinagi belongs to Muttagi village, Bagewadi taluk, Bijapur district. He
grows onion, bajra, lime, maize and cotton in his seven acres.
My region is very low in rainfall and I have been finding it difficult to maintain
the needed moisture level in the soil for my crop. Digging a new well or sinking a
bore well would cost me big money. It was then that the Kendra officials advised
me to adopt a little wider spacing for my crops unlike what I was doing all these
years. Initially I thought it would make no difference. But after some months I am
able to see better crop growth and the moisture retention in my soil, he says.
Cannot

be

generalised

Farmers should note that this project on pearl millet and sunflower was tested
only in Bijapur region, Karnataka. It cannot be generalised for other states,
according to the research team.
For further details, farmers can contact Dr. S.S. Nooli, scientist and S.Y.Wali
Programme Co-ordinator, Krishi Vigyan Kendra,Vijayapur, Hittinahalli farm,
Bijapur:
586101,
mobile:
9448495346,
Phone:08352-230758,
email:
kvkbijapur@gmail.com, web: kvkbijapur.org
Keywords: water scarcity, crops productivity, farming
Wheat crop escapes the worst
Some damage from freak rainfall; Centre seeks reports from States
Even as concern was expressed in Parliament on Monday, the Centre has sought
reports from States on the impact of unusual rainfall in parts of north India.
Preliminary reports suggested some damage to standing crop from hail in
Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and in parts of
Vidharbha. But for the rest, the government has reports from States.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, who reviewed the situation with
senior officials here, was informed that although heavy rains lashed parts of
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab as well, due to late sowing of rabi
(wheat crop) the standing wheat crop escaped the worst. Elsewhere some
damage was reported to standing fruits and vegetable crop as well as to mustard
in Rajasthan.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar ordered a special girdawari or
assessment by the agriculture and revenue department officials to assess the
loss. The damage is feared to be widespread because large parts of the State
have soil which retains water or where the water does not drain due to a high
water table. A Punjab farmer, Sukhwant Singh, said high winds had flattened
much of the crop. Had the rain and winds come about 10 days later the damage
would not have been this extensive for the sticks and the grains would have

firmed up by then. Also lesser rain without wind would have helped improve the
grain quality.
Meanwhile, the Haryana State Secretariat of CPI(M) has expressed concern over
fears of damage to the standing crop. State secretary Surender Singh said: The
hopes of farmers for a bumper crop have been shattered as the crops especially
wheat have been flattened just at the verge of maturity.
The party has demanded immediate survey to assess the extent of damage and
declaration of compensation to the affected cultivators.
In Punjab, which had produced a record 113 lakh tons of wheat in 2013-14, the
damage to the crops is expected to be less since the wind velocity was not as
high.
Keywords: Wheat crop, rainfall, Vidharbha, North India weather
Funds to be doubled for Krishi Bhagya Scheme
Minister for Agriculture, Krishna Byregowda hinted that the government would
double the funds for Krishi Bhagya Scheme to reach the farmers in hobli level
from next year.
Mr. Byregowda interacting with the farmers after inspecting the storage tank
built under the scheme here in Kapnoor village in Kalaburagi on Tuesday, he said
that the Krishi Bhagya Scheme had been implemented in 107 taluk to construct
6000 storage tanks in the state.
Adding that the Krishi Bhagya scheme resulted in a success, the government
would enhance the funds for Krishi Bhagya schemes to reach more than 20,000
beneficiaries in the state .At present the government earmarked Rs.500 crore for
the project. The government had released Rs.20 crore for the Krishi Bhagya
scheme to Kalaburagi district in I st Phase, he added.
Mr. Byregowda said that the state government has extended subsidies to
beneficiaries for constructing storage water tanks to conserve rain water for
utilisation during rain deficit.
In the scheme, he said, around 90 percent subsidy was given to Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes beneficiaries and 80 per cent to the general
category beneficiaries.
Agriculture Equipment Centre
Inaugurating the Agriculture Equipment centre at Aurad (B) village in Kalaburagi
district here on Tuesday Mr. Byregowda said government has allocated Rs.70
crore for establishing Agriculture Equipment Centres across the state, he said
each centre would be given Rs.75 lakhs to purchase farming machines.

He added the centres would provide services from renting farm machinery to
providing scientific inputs to farmers. The farmers, who could not afford to buy
costly equipments, can get the assistance at the centres.
To mitigate the labour problem and to expedite the mechanisation in farm works
the Agriculture Department has started establishing Agriculture Equipment and
Services Centres all over the state, Mr Byregowda said.
The centre would also provide costly machinery such as power weeders, disc
plough, thrashers and even the tractors at low rent to farmers. He instructed
officials to avail equipments at uniform rent tariff to all farmers.
EOm/
Sudden rainfall leaves Maharashtra farmers worried
Sudden rainfall over the weekend may have caught Mumbaikars off guard, but
for farmers across Maharashtra already stressed with farm suicides and losses it
has brought new worries of damage to crops.
The unseasonal rain and thundershowers witnessed in several parts of the State
- Marathwada, Vidarbha and Khandesh - have put crops at risk.
In Nashik district in north Maharashtra, grapes which are now in the harvesting
stage, have possibly been damaged. In Vidarbha, wheat, channa and other
vegetable crops have also been damaged, farmers said.
According to observers, prices of vegetables are likely to go up as a result of the
damage. Though it is too early to assess the extent of damage done--similar
weather conditions are likely to continue for another day--the State government
has got into action.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said he had asked Chief Secretary
Swadhin Kshatriya to assess the damages caused by the sudden train.
"Untimely rain is worrying. Have asked Chief Secretary to get the assessment of
damages caused by it," Mr. Fadnavis tweeted.
The sudden rainfall comes at a time when farmers organisations in Maharashtra
have expressed disappointment with the Union Budget 2015-16 which was
presented on Saturday.
Kishore Tiwari, president of the farmer advocacy group Vidarbha Jan Andolan
Samiti (VJAS) called for the intervention of the Centre as he "has no faith in the
unprofessional attitude" of the Maharashtra administration.
He pointed out that in Vidarbha, cotton farmers who were reeling under losses in
the Kharif season had pinned hopes of recovery from the Rabi season. But with
the unseasonal rain, they have been dealt a crippling blow.

He said farmers had suffered similar loses last year but the State's compensation
smacked of apathy.
"You are paying Rs. 2,000 to a farmer who suffered loss worth Rs. 2 lakh? The
government has not been able to secure even the Rs. 4, 000 crore aid package it
asked from the Centre in November," Mr. Tiwari told The Hindu.
Mr. Tiwari said that the BJP government had made Vidarbha farmers suicides a
major election issue and had promised better cost and credit for farm produce.
However, recent statements of ministers and officials reflect that they are
deviating from their promises, he said.
Vidarbha has been witnessing suicides by farmers in the past due to debt,
drought and crop failure. Maharashtra witnessed 1,160 farmers suicides in 2014.
In 2015, it has already touched 120.
Maharashtra government last year officially declared that 60 per cent of its
villages were facing "severe drought" affecting almost 90 lakh farmers in the
state. "23,811 of state's total 39,453 villages fall under this category after kharif
crop was damaged," Mr. Tiwari said.
Raju Shetty, MP, and founder president, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtna, said
though farmers were promised a lot during election campaigns - among them an
adequate minimum support price for all farm produce - they were crying for basic
infrastructure.
"Had basic facilities being provided to farmers why would have they begged
before all for help? What is the option left to farmers now? This budget has
ignored the problems of farmers," Mr. Shetty said.
Keywords: Maharashtra farmers, Vidarbha farmers, rain in Maharashtra
Maharashtra promises aid to farmers
With unseasonal rains hitting the farmers of Maharashtra hard over the last
weekend, the State government has assured quick damage assessment and aid
disbursal.
We are already in the process of disbursing aid to farmers affected by drought
and recent hailstorms; 90 lakh farmers will benefit from it. We have already
disbursed aid to 50 lakh farmers, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told
reporters here on Monday.
On the recent unseasonal rain, he said Yavatmal was the worst-affected district.
According to preliminary assessment, a total area of 17,000 hectares has been
damaged due to these rains. Three persons died after being hit by lightning on
Sunday.
The government will give Rs. 5,000 crore in direct aid to farmers hit by drought,
hailstorm and unseasonal rain.

The unseasonal rains are likely to add a burden of Rs. 1,000 crore on the state
exchequer.
Mr. Fadnavis said the government will take a loan if required, but will give aid to
farmers.
I dont claim that we have the capacity to reimburse the farmers. But we will at
least make sure that the farmers are able to pull through for the next sowing
season.
These factors are likely to put the State budget under stress.
The Maharashtra government has already sought a package of Rs. 4,000 crore
from the Central government, to aid the farmers.
Keywords: Maharashtra farmers, Vidarbha farmers, Maharashtra rainfall
Advantage of rain-fed farming neglected
Cultivation in irrigated lands is easy compared to rain-fed lands, as farmers are
completely dependent on the rains. In an effort to come to the rescue of rain-fed
irrigation farming community, the Karnataka Government has taken up
promoting millets in a large way.
As part of that millets were introduced in the PDS supply system and being given
at the cost of rice under the Public Distribution System. However, this is not
being accorded priority in Telangana State.
Two districts Hassan and Bijapur, where rain-fed farming is taken up in large
areas, were identified by Karnataka Government to procure millets jowar and
ragi - from the farmers. While the minimum support price (MSP) offered by the
Union Government for millets was Rs.1,550 per quintal, the Karnataka
Government has been extending an incentive of Rs.450 making it Rs. 2,000 per
quintal.
Weather conditions are worse in our state. About 70 per cent of the farming in
Karnataka is rain-fed and that is why we are according top priority for farming
and trying to help them out through programmes like Bhuchetana, said
Karnataka Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda, who was at the International
Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) at Patancheru.
The Government of Karnataka got prepared to procure as much quantity of
millets as possible from the farmers. The millets have enormous
calorific/nutritional value. Even the fodder is good for cattle and that is one of the
reasons for promoting millets. We are also focusing not only on procurement, but
also on consumption of millets, says Mr. Byregowda.
Keywords: Millets in Rain-fed areas, irrigation facilities in Karnataka, weather
conditions, procurement and use of millets
Irrigation, organic farming take centre stage

UPA schemes, Food Security ignored

Reinforcing his partys deep commitment to farmers, Union Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley on Saturday flagged the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sinchai Yojna aimed at
per drop more crop and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (organic farming) as
the two most important progammes in the farm sector to enhance productivity
and production.
He announced an allocation of Rs. 5,300 crore for micro-irrigation, watershed
development and the sinchai yojna and Rs. 300 crore for organic farming with
a request to state governments to chip in for both.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently launched the Soil Health Card
Scheme from Suratgarh in Rajasthan. Recognising that agriculture incomes were
under stress, Mr. Jaitley announced that a Unified National Agriculture Market
would be set up to increase farmers incomes with an incidental advantage of
moderating increase in prices which has been the bane of many a government.
While farmers are no longer in the clutches of traders, his produce does not
command the best national price, he observed.
The 14.34 per cent reduction over the revised estimates for 2014-15 has been
officially explained as being offset by more funds to states for better
implementation.
Farm credit underpins the efforts of hardworking farmers, the Minister said
raising the farm credit target by Rs. 50,000 crore to Rs. 8.5 lakh crore for 201516, which he expects banks to surpass.
At the same time to support the sector through effective and hassle-free
agriculture credit with a special focus on small and marginal farmers, the Finance
Minister allocated Rs. 25,000 crore to the corpus on small and marginal farmers.
However, funding for the UPA flagship programmes of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas
Yojna has been reduced and the National Food Security Mission, Extension
programme and crop insurance schemes have been ignored. Former Agriculture
Minister Sharad Pawar did not seem impressed with the allocations to the farm
sector but his successor Radha Mohan Singh said the budget has the stamp of
Mr. Modis commitment to agriculture. Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur
whose home state got a post-graduate horticulture institute, was happy with the
tax exemption to cold chains and cold storages. Thus will give a huge boost to
savings on wastage of perishables, she said.
Lowering the mortality rate of buffalo calves
Calf mortality is a common occurrence in buffalo rearing. Poor and unscientific
management in calf rearing practices such as delayed and under or over feeding
of colostrums, prolonged suckling duration, not practising weaning , deworming
and dusting schedule regularly are some of the common issues.
Right feeding

Buffalo farmers are feeding less or more quantity of colostrum which affects the
immunity of the calf and ultimately increases the percentage of calf mortality,
due to naval illness and white scours.
To overcome this, farmers should feed the colostrum within one to one and half
hour of birth and before it is allowed to suckle the mother.
It should be given in a small quantity along with curd or butter-milk in a spoon of
edible-oil to help in removal of meconium and creating acidic medium which will
not allow E.coli infection in the calfs stomach.
The ratio is 1 to 1.5 kg for smaller calves and 2.0-2.5 kg for larger calves up to
the age of three months to ensure proper growth and vigour.
Buffalo farmers should feed properly balanced diet comprising necessary
constituents of energy, proteins and micronutrients so that the calves gain body
weight at the rate of 500 gm per day.
Weaning the calves after three months of age with most suitable hygienic
maintenance conditions is advised and the umbilicus must be cut with a
sterilized blade or scissors and antiseptic applied on the cut portion.
The calf should be kept on a dry, clean and warm floor free from unwanted
material and the housing should provide necessary protection against inclement
weather and predators.
Prescribed dosage
For the control of endo parasites the animal should be dewormed with a
dewormer for the first time after birth at the age of seven days and later
repeated after three weeks interval at least up to the six months by using
prescribed dose.
Similarly ectoparasites should be controlled by regular spray of insecticides in
the animal shed and surroundings.
(Dr. Rajinder Singh Sr.Extension Specialist (Animal Sciences), Lala Lajpat Rai
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar Extension Centre, Rohtak124001, email: raja.udaybhar@gmail.com.)
Keywords: buffalo calves, calf rearing, endo parasites
Plant clinic for diagnosing pests and infestations
The M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) along with an international
organisation called CABI jointly piloted a project called plant clinic (PC) in Tamil
Nadu, Puducherry and Maharashtra through the institutes Village Resource
Centres located in the regions.
The main aim of setting up such clinics is to diagnose pests and diseases in any
crop and render accurate knowledge to the farming community. Basically it is a

community-driven model, conducted in a common location, accessible to all

categories of farmers in a village.
Need guidance
Farmers need guidance to distinguish the difference between pest and
infestations, understand harmful effects of red labelled/banned pesticides, pest
resurgence, resistance to pesticides etc.
The clinic provides an array of technological solutions along with cultural,
biological and chemical methods, which are nationally and internationally
permissible, ecologically safe and environmentally sustainable for mitigating crop
loss and enhancing plant health and economic benefit, says Ms. Nancy J Anabel,
Director, Information and Communications of the Institute.
The clinics are conducted fortnightly and do not cost any money according to
her. Persons with agricultural background are chosen and trained by CABI as
plant doctors to diagnose the issue and provide appropriate solutions. However,
MSSRF encourages progressive farmers, who are reservoirs of pragmatic
knowledge and traditional wisdom to be trained and enrolled in this.
A tool kit encompassing lens, microscope, laptop, projector, knife, gloves, tissue
and sanitisers along with required templates to collect case history and issue
prescriptions are given.
Prescription
Farmers bring their affected crop samples to the clinics to recognise the problem
and get technological solutions. Every farmer is provided with a prescription,
detailing the case history along with recommendations.
The PC treats the crop samples with the help of the comprehensive factsheets in
the local vernacular brought by the farmers.
As farmers are hungry for information regarding their crop details the role of this
plant clinic is more important to help offer appropriate knowledge to them to
grow healthy crops which in turn generate better revenue.
Presently about 37 plant doctors serve through 14 Plant clinics; 391 clinic
sessions have been conducted till now across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and
Maharashtra, spanning 62 villages, in which more than 6,000 farmers including
992 women farmers have been reached.
Recently about 46 farmers from Varagoor village, Thanjavur District brought crop
samples to the clinic and found them to be affected by rice blast.
After examining the tillers, the plant doctors recommended the right type of
spray to be used. Timely application helped them save their crop with additional
yield of 5.9 tons in 100 acre.
Case study

Take the case of another woman farmer, Ms. Dhanalakshmi from Pudukuppam,
Puducherry, who chose agriculture as a profession, a few years back, struggled
due to her no knowledge about the subject and discouragement from others.
I was confused. I didnt know whether I had taken the right decision. Thanks to
this plant clinic concept I am able to diagnose and spot the pest and infestations
if any on my paddy, plantain and mango crops, she says.
Mr. Arunachalam, Pasupathikovil village in Thanjavur district realized an
additional yield of 60 kg / half acre in Gingili crop by preventing 30 per cent yield
loss from Jassids and wilt disease attack, when the rest of his fellow farmers
realized a mediocre 250 kg /acre.
Another beneficiary
Similarly Mr. Gajanan Shyamraoji Wankhede, in Papal village in Amravati,
Maharashtra could address leaf curling infestation in his capsicum and stem
borer in his brinjal crop through one of the clinics in his region.
We welcome farmers across the country to contact us for details on this and are
ready to address their queries. If need be, more clinics like this can also be
established in other parts of the country as well, says Ms. Nancy.
For more information contact Ms. Nancy J Anabel, Director, Information and
Communications, MSSRF, III Cross Street, Institutional Area, Taramani, Chennai
600 113, email: anabel@mssrf.res.in, mobiles:9444391467 and 9445002060.
Keywords: plant
clinic, M.
S.
Swaminathan
Research
Foundation, pests, infestations, farmer's notebook column, farming techniques
Controlling rhizome rot in ginger
Rhizome rot, also called soft rot, is one of the most devastating diseases of
ginger. Initial symptoms of the disease appear as light yellowing of leaf tips
which gradually spread down to the leaf blade and leaf sheath along the margin.
During early stages, the middle portion of the lamina remains green while the
margin turns yellow. Subsequently the yellowing spreads to all leaves followed by
drooping, withering and drying. Infected shoot can be easily pulled out from the
soil.
Management

practices

Use of healthy rhizome is one of the most important preventive measures.

Cultivars such as Maran, Nadiya and Narasapattom are reported to be resistant
to this infestation.
Water-logging in the field must be avoided. A raised bed of 30 cm height and 1m
width is recommended. Provide proper drainage and keep land free from weeds
at all times.

Collect the diseased material as and when the disease is noticed and burn them.
Plan early planting during April. Crop rotation with non- host crops like
leguminous crops, maize, ragi, paddy will not only benefit the soil nutrient
supplementation but also keep the diseases under check.
Seed rhizome dip treatment with Trichoderma harzianum l0 gm per litre of cow
dung slurry, before sowing is effective. One per cent of bordeaux mixture spray
just after extraction is also effective.
Drenching the seeds with bordeaux mixture in 25 litres of water dissolved in six
kg of copper sulphate solution and again after germination at 2-3 weeks interval
gives partial control.
Seed

treatment

Rhizomes treated with (Trichoderma bio-control agent) at rate of 5gm / kg of

rhizome for 30 minutes proves effective. Application of Trichoderma bio-control
agent (2.5 kg mixed with 50 kg FYM) 10-15 days before sowing and oil cakes
making are recommended.
Soil drenching with Mancozeb (0.3 per cent) or Metalaxyl at 500 ppm is
recommended in epidemic disease areas.
(Dr. Anup Das, Senior Scientist (Agronomy), Division of Natural Resource
Management, ICAR Research Complex for NEH region, Umiam - 793 103,
Meghalaya, mobile: 09436336070 and Dr. Utpal Dey, ICAR Mob: 8119934883,
email: utpaldey86@gmail.com)
Keywords: seed treatment, Rhizome rot, devastating diseases of ginger
Living the green dream
oga master Tara Laju on why the natural way of life helps her be a successful
weekend farmer
It could well be one of those picturesque farms you come across in the hill
stations, luscious and green, complete with the occasional moos, quacks and
clucks, to add to the rustic charm. But Papas Dairy farm, where yoga master and
weekend farmer Tara Laju is mistress of all she surveys, is just 13 or so km from
the hustle and bustle of the city, in a quiet vale in Mulayara, down the road from
Vilapilshala. And Tara is quite unlike any farmer you may have come across in
your old James Herriot books. There are no tweeds or gum boots in sight but
petite Tara does pack a punch as she traipses up and down the well-tended farm
in her heels, instructing farm hands as they plant a new season of vegetables,
overseeing the milk processing unit and petting a cow here and a hen there.
Theres something refreshing about seeing something grow or drinking a quart
of fresh milk, says Tara, proudly pointing to the mornings harvest of snake
gourd. We are a completely organic farm, and because of that the yields are
often quite low. Also, you wont get the kind of super-size vegetables that weve

all become used to. The snake gourds are small and the red amaranthus over
there wont grow much bigger than it is now, she explains.
Papas Dairy is threeanda half acre organic farm where they rear some 80
Holstein Friesian cows, farm eggs from their 50 hens and ducks and grow all
manner of vegetables, from bitter gourd and yams to runner beans and brinjal.
Its a self-sustaining farm. We breed the cows here itself we have a bull for the
purpose. Cow dung is used as fertilizer. We have a water treatment plant on site,
the slurry of which is also used as fertilizer, says Tara.
The farm was started in 2006 by Taras husband, Captain Laju Cherian, a
commercial pilot, who took voluntary retirement from the Air Force. He grew up
in Angamaly drinking fresh cow milk and wanted our daughter, Sruthi [who is in
class 12 in St. Thomas] to grow up on healthy food. Thats why he named the
farm as Papas Dairy, explains Tara, who took over the running of the farm in
2010. I was actually very reluctant to take it all on. I was more or less a city girl.
But the farm and the animals grew on me and now its become my passion. I am
living my husbands dream! says Tara.
Things weren't always this smooth, though. It took me five years of day-night
toil to get it running smoothly like this, labour issues being the chief concern. We
initially had 150 cows but had to cut down the number to a more manageable
size. Now, its a completely mechanised operation and we produce some 1,500
litres of milk a day, supplementing the supply by sourcing milk from small time
framers in the locality, she explains. Apart from retailing milk under the Papas
Dairy brand, they also produce pure ghee, both of which are available in select
stores across the district. The most challenging thing about running a dairy farm
is hygiene. Youve got to be vigilant 24x7 [there are surveillance cameras all
around which she can access on her phone] and we have to ensure that the milk
processing unit and its surroundings are cleaned top to bottom at least three
times a day, she says.
Tara attributes her success at farming to the natural way of life. Shes been
living and breathing yoga since she was a child and is a well-known yoga guru,
having taught over 3,500 people, since she began taking classes in the city in
2001. Yoga makes me happy, energetic and confident, which in turn helps me
run the farm with a positive outlook. I think the farm is successful because my
husband and I dont think of it as a business as such. In fact, I supply most of the
vegetables and eggs to my clients themselves, she says.
Tara will soon open a vegetable counter at her Yuj Wellness centre in Kanaka
Nagar, Nanthancode. I want to inspire people to take up weekend farming. Its
very rewarding, she adds.
Keywords: Tara Laju, Papa's Dairy farm, Mulayara, organic farm, milk processing
NHRC seeks report on farmer suicides
Taking suo motu cognisance of a media report that the spouses of 2,731 farmers
who committed suicide in Maharashtra were deemed ineligible for compensation

under government rules, the National Human Rights Commission issued notice to
the Chief Secretary on Tuesday, demanding a report within two weeks.
The contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of
human rights of the families of the farmers who committed suicide, the
commission said in a statement.
Quoting an application under the RTI Act, the media report said 5,698 farmers
committed suicide in rural Maharashtra since 2011, and the spouses of 2,731 of
them were found ineligible for compensation of even Rs. 1 lakh. The
compensation was denied either because the deceased farmers did not have
land or a farm loan taken that cropping season. The commission decided to club
this issue with five similar cases, registered during 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014,
on farmers suicide. These cases have been pending because the State had not
provided the required information.
Sugarcane: sowing the seeds of a successful business model
Income generation is the most important issue for a farmer today as several
agriculture produces do not get a good price and marketing facilities are not
always readily available. If proper technology is provided on time and
implemented with the combination of market avenues it can lead to profitable
farming.
In line with this finding, the Water Technology Centre, at the Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University (TNAU) has developed a technique called seedling
production in sugarcane to help sugarcane growers.
Seperate

enterprise

This technology has been identified as a separate enterprise and promoted

among many nursery growers. In this method the sugarcane buds are grown in
portrays and then transplanted when 25-35 days old in the main field under
wider spacing combined with sub surface drip irrigation (SSDI).
Though Tamil Nadu ranks first in cane productivity in India (production stand at
105 tonnes a hectare an average) the mills have not been paying money on time
to the growers and there is no provision for interest on late payments. And a
farmer can sell his cane only to a particular sugar mill and he is at the mercy of
the mill owner for accepting his produce and getting some payment on time.
Apart from this there are a host of problems like labour shortage, lack of
mechanical availability for planting and harvesting, water and electricity
shortage.
Though the main issue is non payment on time which is largely a government
based decision as technical experts we on our part have tried to ease the
financial crunch of the farmers by encouraging them to also take up seedling
production. Many farmers in the state have taken this up as an additional activity
and are earning a better revenue, explains Dr.B.J. Pandian, Director, Water
Technology Centre, TNAU.

Case

studies

Mr. B. Jayabal, Thatchan Thottam, Cheyuar, Tiruppur District entered into this line
with technology support from the University.
Within two years, I have produced 5.50 lakh seedlings earning nearly 2.5 lakhs
as income. I was advised to develop a business model by printing visiting cards
and registered my nursery as a firm to participate in Government programmes
on a competitive basis, he says.
Another producer Mr.T. Marirajan, from Tiruppuvanam in Sivagangai says,
Production for one seedling is only Rs.0.80 and the selling price is Rs.1.40 per
seedling. I produce 50,000 seedlings per batch and get Rs.25,000 profit in a
month.
Quite

popular

The popularity of this technology is fast catching up even with professionals like
Mr. R. Ramesh Kumar an engineer from Papanulam in Tiruppur District.
He runs his production unit like a factory employing 5-6 women labour daily with
automated bud chippers and producing 1.00 lakh seedlings in every batch with
his available two shade nets.
In the last one year I have been able to produce more than 10 lakh seedlings
earning a net profit of Rs.5 lakhs in a year. I cannot think of getting even half this
amount as net income if I had been employed in some engineering firm, he
smiles.
Admitting to the fact that are grievances from farmers across the state on
disbursal of money not being done on time Dr. Pandian says, If these farmers
can take up this initiative they can easily overcome their financial strain till the
mills disburse the amount.
Two

advantages

This technology has twin advantages. For the farmers it helps achieve higher
productivity (under normal planting 105 tonnes are harvested under SSI
cultivation 105 to 110 tonnes from a hectare is harvested), better return and
saving on water, electricity and labour. For the sugar factories it ensures higher
recovery in increase crushing days and additional employment.
For more details on this contact Dr. B.J. Pandian, Director i/c, Water Technology
Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore: 641003. email:
directorwtc@tnau.ac.in, Phone: 0422 6611278, 6611478, Mobile : 94432 86711.
Keywords: sugarcane sowing, successful business model, Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University, Water Technology Centre, sugarcane farming
Seeds of change

Diwan Bahadur P.S.G. Rangaswamy Naidu (1882-1947 ) was a visionary. He was a

learner all his life and he made use of technology in every sphere. The PSG
family was originally into agriculture and they made a fortune around the First
World War. P.S.G.Rangaswamy Naidu, took special care of the farms in his care at
Vedapatti and at the Gandamanaickanur Zamin. He was proficient in both the
theory and practice of agriculture. He was in constant touch with the Agricultural
College Research Institute at Coimbatore and if a new strain of seed or any new
method of cultivation came up in the institute he tried it out immediately.
Coimbatore was the gift of River Noyyal and the network of water bodies near
the Chithirai Chavadi channel included the Kolrampadhy, Pudhukulam,
Narasampadhy, Krishnampadhy, Selvampadhy and Muthannankulam tanks. The
colonial administrators established the Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Agricultural
University and the Forest College in that part of the Coimbatore and the PSG
family farmed at Vedapatti, which was in the heart of these water bodies.
Rangaswamy Naidu studied the various implements brought to the Agricultural
Institute from around the world and carried innovations on them at the PSG
Industrial Institute and manufactured them. His farms were well kept and the
layout, planning, cropping and agricultural operations were done so perfectly
that the faculty at the Agricultural Institute often went to the farm to learn about
prevalent technology. C.Ramaswamy of the Indian Central Tobacco Committee
used to lead a number of agri-academicians and students to this farm.
Rangaswamy Naidu kept accurate records. And from his accounts, students
learnt about the cultivation, labour and other details. He put his wife
Krishnammals brother Ramakrishnan in charge of the farm. Ramakrishnan on his
part, established wonderful facilities in this 285-acre farm. The efforts paid off
and the farm became a garden of fruit trees, paddy fields, granaries of millets
and cash crops which attracted visitors such as the Maharaja of Mysore! When,
G.R.Varadarajan (1924-1973) the fourth son of Naidu returned after his education
at Stanford University, USA, in 1952, the farms came under his care.
The records at the farm from the year 1954 are interesting to study. Water was
pumped from the six wells and stored in high-level tanks. They were distributed
through underground cement pipes. Paddy , cholam , ragi , cumbu , cotton ,
sugarcane and plantain were cultivated . The records also show the period of
planting, irrigation and other details. The farm employed two clerks, four
maistries, two drivers, one electrician and 40 permanent labourers. All of them
were provided free accommodation and breakfast every day plus a shirt and
dhoti for Deepawali. They were paid in cash and kind. A full time veterinary
surgeon, Dr.S.Natarajan, took care of the livestock which numbered 506 as per
the records. They included cows, calves, buffalos, bulls, sheep, goats, horses and
poultry.
There is detailed record of the amount of manure used per year too about
20,000 cart loads! The stock of implements and equipment are also meticulously
recorded. The lowest salary was about Rs.4 and it went up to Rs.115, plus grains.
The farm used natural manure alongside modern fertilizers. Even details of
weeding and irrigation are well-recorded. The farm was thus managed by

G.R.Varadarajan whose brothers were G.R.Damodaran, G.R.Govindarajulu and

G.R.Venkatesalu.
The seeds of agricultural innovation sowed by P.S.G.Rangaswamy Naidu added
much to the agrarian developments. The fascinating records can be an
inspiration, even for agriculturists today.
(Rajesh is passionate about his city and is always looking for ways of
documenting its history)
Keywords: Hidden histories, agriculture
Mysuru farmers get ready to reap benefits of superfood
Madappa, a farmer in H.D. Kote taluks Bidarahalli village, had been growing
cotton and ragi in his fields for years.
About three months ago, he experimented with Chia, a crop reckoned to be a
rich source of Omega-3 fatty acid, proteins and dietary fibre.
Madappa is already being offered around Rs. 18,000 to Rs. 20,000 per quintal for
the crop grown on one acre of plot.
The amount is about three times what he would earn from ragi and cotton.
With new-age health and wellness concepts weaning the diet-conscious away
from staples like rice and wheat to high protein and gluten-less food, farmers in
the Mysuru region are embracing superfood crops like Chia and Quinoa.
Staple crop
Chia seed, a staple crop of Mexico, is considered good for general health as it
possesses properties that protect the heart and regulates ones appetite.
Quinoa, a pseudo cereal, also originally from South American countries like Peru
and Bolivia, possesses very low glycemic index, which is recommended for
management of Type 2 diabetes, says Ram Rajasekharan, Director of the Central
Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI).
The institute has introduced the crops for cultivation for the first time. Farmers
leader Kurubur Shanthakumar said about 60 farmers in Mysuru district has grown
Chia and Quinoa in more than 100 acres of land.
Chia crop, which is ready for harvest, yields about five quintals for every acre.
At Rs. 20,000 per quintal, a farmer can earn about Rs. 1 lakh against an input
cost of just Rs. 10,000, he said.
The farmers have already been approached by exporters from Mumbai, who are
ready to buy the crop. As they have asked for a nutrition report, we are preparing
the same with the assistance of CFTRI, Mr. Shanthakumar said.

The crops, which can be grown in minimal water, will be ready for harvesting in
three to four months. Also, no major pests or diseases have been reported so far.
Now, a lot of farmers are seeking seeds for these crops, he added. Prof.
Rajashekharan said the imported varieties of Chia and Quinoa are available at
select stores in India for a high price.
Soon, the home-grown varieties of these superfoods will be available in India.
While Chia is used in breakfast cereals, energy bars and breads, Quinoa is
considered healthier than white rice and brown rice and contains twice as much
fiber as most grains, and is rich in iron, magnesium and manganese.
Chia seed is considered good for general health and regulates ones
appetite
Quinoa has low glycemic index and is recommended for management
of Type 2 diabetes
Manjhi announces free power to small farmers
The Bihar CM, who is locked in a power struggle with Nitish Kumar announced
this after inaugurating Agro Bihar 2015 in Patna on Thursday
Showering
announced
agriculture
continue in

largesse, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday

free electricity to small farmers owning up to five acres of land for
purpose and promised to double the cap if he gets a chance to
office.

I will call a meeting of the state cabinet in a day or two to approve the proposal
of providing free electricity to small farmers owning up to five acres for
agricultural purpose, Mr. Manjhi, who is locked in a power struggle with Nitish
Kumar and has to prove his strength in the Assembly on February 20, said in his
speech after inaugurating Agro Bihar 2015 organised by Agriculture
Department.
If I get another chance, free electricity to farmers for farm purposes would be
doubled for up to 10 acres, he said.
Spelling out the rationale for providing free electricity, he said at present people
manage the payment of energy bill by giving bribe to officials so it is better to
make it free for small farmers.
Against a bill of Rs 5000 they pay a bribe of Rs 2000 to officials to settle it and
the state government gets nothing in its kitty, he said, sending the audience
into peels of laughter.
Mr. Manjhi said in a bid to remove middleman, he would direct officials to give
the subsidy on purchase of farm equipment directly in bank account of farmers
after certifying that they have bought ISI brand machine from any shop.

For his SC/ST communities, his core support base, Mr. Manjhi promised to
enhance subsidy for them for the purchase of farm equipment to 80 per cent
from about 60 per cent at present.
The announcements come close on the heels of other populist decisions like
reserving contract work for SC/ST for upto Rs 70 lakh, lowering attendance
requirement from 75 per cent to 60 per cent for general and 55 per cent for
SC/ST schools students and constructing press clubs in 36 districts of Bihar.
These were approved in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh hit out at former Bihar chief minister Nitish
Kumar for having an anti-farmer approach and trying to destablise the Manjhi
government which was working for the welfare of farmers and the poor.
Keywords: Bihar politics, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, free electricity to
farmers, government sop
Managing sugary ergot in sorghum
Adjusting sowing time may help
Ergot, usually known as sugary disease is widespread in India. Individual grains
are infected and in some years grain formation is reduced to a large extent.
In South India the disease is prevalent from October to January in the crop
maturing stage during cold weather. Sometimes it is observed in the summer
crop also. Ergot infection is conspicuous from blossoming of the cereals to
maturity of the plants.
Symptom
Infection is first evident in the conidial honeydew stage of the pathogen when
masses of conidia are exuded in sugary suspension on the inflorescence.
The exudation accumulates in droplets or adheres to the surface of the floral
structure.
Insects feed on this nectar-like mass and their presence is conspicuous around
the infected spikelet. Soon the infected ovaries are transformed into black, horn
like structures.
Humid weather or rains at the heading time are favourable for infection. Late
sown crops are infected to a large extent.
Commercial grain sorghum hybrids will likely have a negligible incidence of ergot
during normal growing seasons, because their high self-fertility results in rapid
pollination, greatly reducing the risk of infection.
Management

The seeds can be partially cleaned by immersion in 20 per cent solution of

common salt.
The seeds float on the surface and can be manually removed.
Adjustment of sowing time may sometimes helpful in managing the disease.
There is no effective method of controlling sugary disease, though fungicides like
ziram, captan or Propiconazole 0.2 per cent foliar spray at the stage of just
before earhead emergence and repeated 2-3 times at 5-7 days interval can help.
(Dr. M.Theradimani, Prof, Department of floriculture and medicinal crops, email:
mtheradi@gmail.com, mobile: 9443432752 and Dr.T.N.Balamohan, Dean,
Horticultural College and Research Institute,TNAU, Periyakulam, email:
tnb@tnau.ac.in)
Keywords: Sugary Ergot, India, environment
Simple technologies offer effective solutions
Compared to grains like paddy or wheat, vegetables are considered quick money
for a farmer. It takes 3-4 months for the vegetable crops to start yielding and
generate income compared to paddy, wheat or fruit trees.
Having a shorter life span, the crops are more prone to insect pests and disease
attack mainly due to their tender and soft skin.
Be it traditional varieties or hybrids the fact remains that the crop gets infested
with pests and till date complete control over the pests has been a challenging
task.
New problems
Especially farmers dependence on pesticides and their indiscriminate use have
made the pests resistant and also contaminate the vegetables since the soft skin
absorbs the toxic within it. Introduction of high yielding varieties and hybrids, no
doubt, increased production manyfold but also resulted in changes in pest
scenario and many new pest problems have emerged, says Dr. T.N. Devaraja,
Programme coordinator, Taralabalu KVK, Davanagere, Karnataka.
A survey carried out in the country indicates that 50-70 per cent of vegetables
are contaminated with insecticide residues, according to him.
It becomes the responsibility of the scientists and agricultural experts to create
awareness among farmers about the right dosage of inputs to be used and if
need be suggest alternatives to chemicals while taking care to see the yield does
not dwindle. Siddanur village in Davanagere district is a major tomato growing
region and apart from tomatoes, maize, cotton, arecanut, banana, pomegranate
and other vegetables are also cultivated.
Indiscriminate sprays

Farmers have been spraying huge amounts of pesticides for management of pest
and diseases in these crops especially tomatoes.
But far from being solved the problem persisted.
Some of the farmers contacted the Taralabalu KVK for a viable solution.
The village is situated 17 kilometres away from the district head quarters and
has 200 farm families. When the farmers met us we decided to set up a pilot
demonstration unit on composite management strategies for the crop in a field
of a volunteer farmer, says Mr. T.N. Prasanna Kumara, plant protection specialist
at the institute.
It is a multidisciplinary model and has a special role in increasing the production
of food grain, because it manages insect-pests through minimum use of
pesticides, which helps in achieving higher production.
Some of the technologies used in this method are nylon nets, planting marigold
as trap crop, installation of bird perches, using 4-5 pheromone traps and
application of bio inputs like trichoderma and neem cake.
Net income
The net return fromm these practices in the field for 4-5 months was Rs.1,69,000
from a hectare as compared to Rs.91,250 previously.
Farmers should take into account that this income has been generated in the
field which had carried out all the specific instructions and was monitored by the
expert team.
It was a pilot study to prove that adopting these types of practices can increase
income from such crops, according to Mr. Prasanna.
My personal opinion is that like grains, there should be a minimum support price
for vegetables like onion, tomatoes and brinjals.
No proper pricing
As of now there is no fixed slab on the market price for these vegetables and
their sales has always been mercurial, sometimes farmers discarding the
vegetables for lack of good price, says Dr. Devaraja.
Farmers in the region were invited by the Kendra to see for themselves how this
method has been helpful in increasing yield and income. The result is, today
about 20 acres in the village have come under this technology.
For further details please contact Dr. T.N. Devaraja, Programme Co ordinator,
Taralabalu KVK, Davanagere - 577 004, Phone: 08192-263462, Mobile:
09449856876, email: dvgtkvk@yahoo.com, website: www.taralabalukvk.com
Keywords: Farmer's notebook, grains, paddy, wheat, vegetables

Suitable onion varieties for Kerala

Onion farming in Kerala is set for a quantum jump as varieties suited to Kerala
soil have been identified.
On-farm trials conducted by the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) for the past
three years have led to popularisation of onion among the farmers in plains and
coastal areas.
More than one lakh seedlings produced by KVK and distributed to farmers in
2014 November are now getting ready in the small holder rural homesteads and
terraces in urban, peri-urban areas.
Several

trials

The trials to identify suitable varieties for the plains and coastal areas were
initiated under the leadership of Dr. Jalaja S. Menon, Horticulturist, KVK Thrissur
three years back.
Dr.Jalaja took the bold initiative to launch onion farming in the state said that the
research attempts on the crop began in 2011.
After priliminery trials to explore the feasibilty, nineteen varieties cultivated in
different parts of the country were screened for adaptability.
The first trials were in experimental plots and then it was extended to farmers'
fields.
We did systematic studies to compare the crop yield of selected varieties .After
field trials it was found that Agrifound Dark Red and Arka Nikethan are better
performing varieties in the plains. The Onion fields in Kerala are recording a
productivity of around nine tonnes per ha, which is appreciable.
Onion

farming

The two varieties have been extensively distributed and widely accepted by
farmers.
Further studies are in progress to streamline good management practices for
onion to enhance its productivity and feasibility in varied agro ecologies in the
district, says Dr. Ranjan S. Karippai, Professor & Head, KVK.
Three months from November-December to March April is the best season
suited for this crop in the State.
Standardised practices for onion cultivation in kerala will be published shortly,
says Dr. Menon.
Following the success of onion cultivators, different KVKs are trying to extend the
technology across the State.

(Dr. Jalaja S. Menon is Horticulturist, KVK Thrissur, mobile: 9446141724, phone:

0487-2374755.)
Keywords: Onion farming, Kerala Agricultural University
Cotton farmers stage demo at Enumamula
Tension prevailed at Enumamula agriculture market with hundreds of cotton
farmers staging demonstration demanding procurement that was stalled on
Friday.
BJP leader A. Ashok reddy was arrested when he went there to express solidarity
to protesting farmers.
Former Minister Baswaraju saraiah, former MP Ponnam Prabhakar and others are
staging a demonstration at market. No official was present except polic, who
prevented Congress leaders from entering office.
Cong leaders say they will not move until cotton procurement begins.
Rural technology park promotes indigenous technologies
Government of India is setting up such parks in five African countries
Not many would be aware that the National Institute of Rural Development
(NIRD), Hyderabad has a well established Rural Technology Park (RTP). Here,
several relevant and user-friendly technologies are showcased which are useful
for improving rural livelihoods.
Training is given to interested budding entrepreneurs for their skill up-gradation.
After training, they are also assisted, so that they can start their enterprises.
The Institute has adopted more than 100 villages across the country where
innovative ideas are implemented.
Current

focus

We are also focusing on Make in India theme. The idea is to identify critical
gaps and address them by enhancing the quality and marketability of the
products having an eye on market demand.
As the Indian market itself is so huge, rural producers can tap it and in the
process, create enormous value for their enterprises. This is a very important
step, especially in creating opportunities for the rural youth across the country
and also addressing the current unemployment scenario, says Dr. M.V.Rao,
Director General, NIRD.
For example, the Institute is promoting the concept of harnessing solar energy at
a big level. Solar street lights have become very popular in all the villages
adopted by the Institute.

Lights have been installed in all these villages with community involvement.
Earlier a solar street light used to cost more than Rs.20,000, but thanks to
innovative designs, the cost is now reduced to less than Rs.4,000 and several
such lights have been installed in remote villages in Madhya Pradesh,
Chattisgarh and Maharashtra, says Dr. Rao.
Preserving

food

stuff

Tee Wave, a technology partner with the Institute is working on this concept for
preserving vegetables, fruits and fish.
Unlike traditional motors and appliances which run on high electricity, these
appliances run on very low power DC motors. Hence, these are very useful in
remote areas where electricity is a problem. For crops like soya, Saraswathi
Mahila Gruha Udyog, a sort of self help group, has been created which is
manufacturing a lot of products like soya milk, papad and soya powder.
Honey

bee

Those interested in honey bee rearing can visit the honey house to learn how to
set up bee boxes, honey extraction and value addition. NIRD has been training
hundreds of entrepreneurs in bee-keeping as well as honey collection and
preservation.
Another component is the training programmes in bio-fertilizers and biopesticides. This is fast finding a lot of popularity among the farmers from several
states.
Emphasis is placed on how to manufacture bio inputs because sourcing inputs is
a big problem for growers on time.
The institute conducts training on neem based enterprises and vermi-composting
as these are eco-friendly and are preferred in organic farming.
Cooking gas is not available easily in villages. Rural women need to go to nearby
forest areas to collect firewood for cooking.
The institute has developed various models and efficient technologies for
cooking. These include models developed by Centre for Science & Villages (CSV),
Wardha and Appropriate Rural Technologies Institute, Maharashtra.
Cooking

stove

NIRD has tied up with both these organisations to popularise these cooking
stoves and various innovative models so that cooking happens faster with fuel
efficiency. In some of these models, as a by-product, cooking coal is also
produced. This is used again as fuel.

We invite farmers, rural youth, women self help groups and NGOs across the
country to come and visit our technology park so that they can get a better idea
as to how it can help them, says Dr. Rao.
Success
The success of the technology park has encouraged the Government of India to
commit setting up such parks in five African countries including Malawi and
Zimbabwe to start with, as part of India-Africa partnership.
For more information interested readers can contact Dr. M.V. Rao, Director
General, National institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, email :
mvraoforindia@gmail.com, Mobile : 09703440004.
Keywords: National Institute of Rural Development, agricultural technology
Agricultural varsity refutes allegations
The Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has dismissed as baseless allegations of
corruption levelled by a former staff member.
In a statement here on Thursday, the Registrar said the allegations were
deliberate attempts to malign the university. Some of the allegations are
exaggerated versions of audit observations made in the 1980s and 1990s that
have either been dropped or are under scrutiny. Appointments and service
conditions of the KAU staff and teachers are governed by the KAU Act, statutes
and approved norms. Nothing has been implemented without the approval of the
executive committee. The total number of teaching and non-teaching staff in the
university is below 60 per cent of the sanctioned strength. In all, 284 posts of
professors and 52 posts of associate professors are still vacant, he said.
The Registrar said some of the vacant posts would get filled when staff members
were promoted. Another major allegation relates to appointment of staff from an
expired rank list. In cases pointed out by complainants, university had followed
the orders of the Kerala High Court, he added.
Sugarcane growers threaten to take the extreme step
We have no option but to commit suicide if arrears are not paid
Sugarcane growers in Tamil Nadu might have to commit suicide like Vidharba
farmers if private sugar mills continued to delay payment of dues, farmers said
at the grievances day meet here on Friday.
Upset at the continued delay in clearing of dues by sugar mills, farmers
demanded that the State government take action to recover the arrears due to
farmers besides calling for grant of Rs. 10 lakh as solatium to the distraught
sugarcane grower M. Sambandam of Andakkudi village in Thanjavur district who
committed suicide unable to face the mounting debt. They wanted the private
mill to contribute an equal amount to the bereaved family of the farmer as
compensation.

As soon as the meeting began, cane growers, including Thanjavur District

Cauvery Farmers' Protection Association secretary Swamimalai S. Vimalanathan,
and CPI(M) district secretary Samy Natarajan raised the issue, garlanded the
portrait of Sambandam and lit candles to pay homage to him, all in the presence
of officials.
Mr. Swaminathan said that while the public sector sugar mills had honoured their
commitment to farmers, the 24 private sugar mills had not paid their dues for
the cane supplied last season.
The State government must grant a solatium of Rs. 10 lakh to Sambandams
family while the private sugar mill concerned must be made to pay an equal
amount as compensation to the family.

State government urged to make private sugar mills pay dues for
cane supplied last season

Government urged to pay Rs. 10 lakh solatium to family of

Sambandan who ended his life
TNAU initiative pays dividend
A group of 25 farmers get 600 kg an acre of TRY 3 rice
A joint effort by various departments and scientists has helped farmers of
Poongudi village in Manikandam block sodic-soil affected area, near here to
register a higher yield in paddy.
Against the usual 480 to 600 kg an acre a few years ago, farmers have
registered about 3.6 tonnes of the TNAU Rice TRY 3 paddy variety this season,
being popularised by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural College Anbil Dharmalingam
Agricultural College and Research Institute.
Twenty five farmers were selected in the village for the combined effort by
different departments. While the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sirugamani, supplied the
seeds at subsidised price, the Indian Fertiliser Farmers Cooperative Society
(IFFCO) provided 25 kg of zinc sulphate and 25 kg of water soluble fertilizer.
The scientists from TNAU ADACRI, led by P. Pandiyarajan, Dean, provided
adequate guidance to farmers in keeping the variety free from pest attack.
Water soluble fertilizer has gone a long way in registering the higher yield,
says D. Subramanian, Chief Area Manager of IFFCO.
The joint meeting by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the scientists of the institute
helped farmers to register the higher yield, according to A. Balasubramaniyan,
Professor and Head of Soil Sciences of the Institute.

The Field Day was organised at the village when the scientists interacted with
farmers and ascertained the yield.
N. Suresh, Field officer ,IFFCO, said the IFFCO had been providing the assistance
to farmers of Poongudi village, in batches, for the past four years.
Millet cultivation to get a push
Organisation formed to promote best farming methods
After reviewing the present millet farming practices, farmers from 45 villages
across Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and other districts have come up with the
concept of integrated millet cultivation.
The recent biodiversity festival, organised by the Millet Network of India (MINI) in
collaboration with Sabala and Sarada Valley Development Samithi (SVDS), paved
the way for setting up of Millets Producers Organisation wherein millet farmers
from 45 villages across Coastal Andhra will join hands to constitute four
committees under a registered body.
According to the NGO representatives, the prime objective is to identify the
lacunae in the millet farming system and bring out multiple solutions to address
the concerns of farmers.
These committees will mainly focus on four departments -- production,
procurement, processing and marketing. Since the villages already have farmers
club, a couple of members from each club will be conducting reviews and
meetings on a periodical basis at various villages, says K. Saraswathi, executive
secretary of Sabala.
With the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
extending its support in the inclusive growth, the newly-formed organisation will
be one-of-its-kind initiative to promote best farming methods across various
mandals.
For those who like to concentrate on effective marketing techniques, the
initiative appears to be a welcome move.
It is a challenging task to make considerable margins in millet farming. Platform
such as this will not only help us get into different layers of cultivation but also
help us strengthen our profit-making skills, says M.B.A. Naidu, a farmer from
Cheedikada mandal.
Regular training
Besides improving effective marketing techniques, the committee members plan
to address the challenges involved in cultivating millets and chart out diverse
methods to help producers come up with innovative cultivating procedures. By
conducting regular training in cost-effective methods of millet cultivation, there
is always a wider scope to enhance our livelihood as well, says Venkatalakshmi,
a millet producer from L. Kota.

Diversified farming ensures sustainable income

The farm of a young farmer, Mr. Joji P. Daniel, in Chittarickal village, West Eleri
panchayat in Kasaragod district of Kerala is like a school for enthusiastic young
farmers and agricultural students since they get exposed to a range of intense
and diversified farming activities.
His family owns about 9.5 acres and in four acres coconut trees (250 trees), 150
coconut seedlings, 150 nutmeg grafts, 200 banana plants and 400 tuber crops
like elephant foot yam, colocasia and tapioca are grown.
Regular

income

In another two acres about 800 arecanut trees are grown with cocoa and pepper
as intercrops. About 450 rubber trees are planted in another three acres which
ensures a regular income.
In the remaining 50 cents of land he cultivates different types of vegetables such
as bitter gourd, cabbage, cauliflower, vegetable cowpea, tomato, chilli,
amaranthus and little gourd.
Besides being used for household consumption, the vegetables are sold on
alternate days for about four months in a year.
The farmer regularly attends farmers meetings at the Central Plantation and
Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) Kasaragod to get acquainted with latest
technologies for sustainable farming.

He promptly follows good agricultural practices like crop rotation, incorporation

of leguminous plants for improving soil fertility, organic recycling of farm waste,
mulching etc. In the coconut based integrated farming system, he maintains two
cows and one heifer, poultry birds and also freshwater fishes like Tilapia and
Carp varieties.
Fodder grass variety, Co-3 is cultivated in the interspaces of coconut gardens to
reduce the cost of animal feed. Around 15 stingless bee colonies established in
the farm ensures enhanced pollination of crops and nutritional security.
Common

practice

The highlight of his farm is that adequate soil and water conservation measures
are adopted throughout the farm with around 300 rain pits and inward sloping
terraces. Coconut husk burial is a common practice adopted in trenches made
between rows of coconut palms for moisture retention, says Dr. George
V.Thomas, Director of the Institute.
Due to proper adoption of soil and water conservation measures, the coconut
yield has increased from around 90 nuts to 130 nuts per tree in a year. He has
constructed three farm ponds of 15 lakh litre storage capacity and a roof top
water harvesting structure of 10, 000 litre capacity.
During peak summer there is no shortage of water in his farm whereas the
neighbouring areas are hit by drought as prolonged dry spells are generally
experienced in the district.
Waste

recycled

In his farm all crop residues are recycled to highly valued vermicompost. A
biogas plant is also set up for fuel and slurry for manure purpose.
His technique of grafting nutmeg plants after attaining sufficient growth was
found to be highly successful. Generally more than 50 per cent of plants raised
from nutmeg seeds are male plants.
Grafting was done on such plants, which proved to be fast growing and started
yielding from 2-3 years after planting. In fifth year of planting the average
production is 200-300 fruits per plant with an average yield of 2 kg mace per
plant, explains Dr.T.S. Manoj Kumar Programme Coordinator.
The farmer is not only known for his passion, devotion and dedication towards
farming but also for his innovative ideas for getting maximum returns of more
than 10 lakh annually from his farm.
During heavy rainfall, bud rot disease is a major problem in coconut palms in the
district. During 2008-2009, disease spread was very severe.
Mr. Joji, on behalf of a coconut cluster club formed by his group took necessary
action for timely intervention in about 30 hectares guided by CPCRI specialists.

Several

awards

He is the recipient of several awards like Karshaka Sree, block level best coconut
farmer award, best coconut farmer award by CPCRI and Regional agricultural
research station, Pilicode and is also the first recipient of the Karshaka Mithra
award announced by the Government of Kerala in 2014.
It is time for the farming community to move towards safe farming by way of
maximum utilization of organic inputs and minimal or zero usage of chemical
inputs. But it is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure proper branding
and fair price for such safe products, he says.
For further details please contact Mr. Joji P.Daniel, Pullancheri House, Paramba
Post, Parappa (Via), Kattamkavala, Kasaragod Mobile:09447880525 and Dr.T.S.
Manoj Kumar Programme Coordinator, Chowki, Kudlu Post Office, Kasaragod,
Kerala 671 124 email: cpcrikvk1@yahoo.com, Mob:09400334940 Phone:04994
232993.
Keywords: Farmers Notebook column, Joji P. Daniel
Grey mildew disease management in cotton
Grey mildew is an important fungal disease, which has been affecting cotton
yield in India.
The disease increased by 10-30 per cent this year when compared to the
prevalence in last four years.
It has become a major disease and needs effective control during early days only.
Low temperature and humidity prevailing during the winter season also
contribute to the disease intensity.
Symptoms
Initial infection appears as triangular, square or irregularly circular whitish spots
of 3 to 4 mm size on leaves.
As the disease severity increases, the smaller spots merge together and form
bigger spots.
The disease usually first appears on the lower canopy of older leaves when bolls
set.
Profuse sporulation gives them a white mildew like appearance.
Irregular or angular translucent spots (areola) are formed by the veins of leaves.
Disease severity is more spread in upper leaves, flowers and bolls.
Leaves become yellow, turn to brown colour. Severe intensity of grey mildew
disease leads to leaf curling and eventually the defoliation of green leaves and

both surfaces of the leaves get uniformly covered by white powdery growth of
the fungus.
High humidity, low temperature help in the spread of this disease.
This pathogen survives mainly on plant debris and volunteer plants.
Control measures
First foliar spray of 3 gm wettable sulphur per one litre of water in the initial
stages of the disease to be done.
Dusting of 8-10 kg of Sulphur powder effectively controls the disease.
Also about one gram of Carbendazim or Benomyl per litre of water is effective.
If the disease intensity is more, new fungicides like one litre Hexaconazole or
300 gm Nativo-75 WG per hectare is required to control the grey mildew disease.
Deep ploughing, rotation crops like cereals, growing regional tolerant varieties,
are recommended.
Crop residues should be removed and burnt.
(Dr.A Vijaya Bhaskar Rao is Scientist (Plant Pathology), e-mail:avbhaskar12@yahoo.co.in;Cell no:098498 17896 ,Regional Agricultural Research
Station, Warangal, Jayasankar is professor, Telengana State Agricultural
University (PJTSAU),Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.)
Keywords: Grey mildew, fungal disease
Declare Adilabad drought-hit, say farmers
Farmers in Adilabad are demanding declaration of drought in the district in view
of the failure of last kharif season. Declaration of drought would help farmers get
input subsidy as the Union government sanctions a major part of the
requirement, according to Telangana Rashtra Samiti State secretary and farmer
leader B. Goverdhan Reddy.
Citing example of Maharashtra government declaring drought in the
neighbouring districts of Yavatmal, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli where crops were
lost due to similar deficiency in rainfall, Mr. Reddy told The Hindu on Wednesday
that Maharashtra has sanctioned Rs.5,000 crore towards drought relief and input
subsidy in the three districts. The agrarian community on both sides of the interState border has not witnessed such crisis since the last three decades, he
added.
The TRS party in Adilabad had submitted a representation to the Collector on
October 25 demanding declaration of drought based on the over 50 per cent
deficiency of rainfall . However, the government has not yet responded.

Farmer attempts suicide in Nashik court premises, held

Frustrated over judgement in a land case not going in his favour, a 70-year-old
farmer allegedly tried to commit suicide in a local court, police said on
Wednesday.
However, his bid to commit suicide was foiled by an alert court employee and
the farmer was later arrested.
Prabhakar Tatya Mondhe, resident of Adasare village in the districts Igatpuri
taluka, on Tuesday tried to consume an insecticide in the premises of additional
district and sessions court, an officer at Sarkarwada police station said.
His case in connection with the land dispute was going on in the court since 2009
and recently the judgement was pronounced against him.
He came to the court on Tuesday to make an appeal against the judgement.
While going out of the court room, he took out a bottle of insecticide from his
pocket and was about to drink it when a court clerk snatched it from him.
Later, he was arrested and an offence was registered against him under section
309 (attempt to commit suicide) of the IPC, police added.
Keywords: Farmer suicide attempt, Nashik farmer, Adasare village
When Agriculture Minister lectured on farming!
Minister of State for Agriculture C. Krishna Byregowda literally turned out to be
teacher, of course sans black board and chalk piece, at a programme of his
department by rendering a lecture to the farmers on various schemes.
Mr. Krishna Byregowda along with senior officials of the Agriculture Department
visited Jatavara village in Chickballapur on Tuesday.
Instead of getting on to the dais, the Minister took up the mike and walked up
towards a farmers farm pond to interact with farmers, that went on for about an
hour or so. He evinced opinions from farmers about the benefit as well as futility
of various schemes.
He asked the farmers about the utility of the farm ponds. He also wanted to know
from them whether the government was wasting money on the scheme.
Prompted by the open invitation by the Minister to express frank opinion, some
farmers spoke against the farm pond project while many supported it.
At this juncture, the Agriculture Minister said confusion still persists among the
farmers about the utility of the farm ponds. Some have submitted applications
for construction of farm ponds out of curiosity and some are expecting funds for
it from the government, he said. If there was no clear and comprehensive idea
about the concept of farm ponds, it wont reap expected fruit, he added.

He dealt in length on Krishi Bhagya scheme. It has been formulated for the
benefit of those agriculturists who engaged in rain fed farming activities instead
of depending on tube well, he explained.
Krishi Bhagya scheme also provides opportunities for adopting comprehensive
farming system besides according priority to farm ponds.
Mr. Krishna Byregowda said if the farm-ponding system was adopted and utilized
properly, it could solve water shortage for four to five years and farmers can take
up farming activities without distress.
MLA K. Sudhakar, Agriculture Department Commissioner K. Subodh Yadav and
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer B.B. Kaveri were present.
Farmers protest delay in procurement of paddy
They say a politician is preventing the process
Farmers of villages in Chennimalai Union staged a novel protest by proceeding to
the district administration carrying bags of paddy to present a petition, decrying
attempts made by a local party functionary to prevent start of a Direct
Procurement Centre sanctioned for this year.
The farmers of Pasuvapatti, Ekkatampalayam, and Ellaigramam complained to
Collector S. Prabakar that though the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation had
identified an ideal location at Veppili Pirivu, the ruling party functionary was
exerting political pressure on the Corporation to establish the proposed DPC at
Pudupalayam where he owned a mill, despite the remote location of the spot.
The district administration had sanctioned a DPC after repeated requests over
five years.
Farmers, Mr. Ponnaiyan said, expect the administration to ensure that they do
not suffer due to the pressure by the political functionary for personal gains.
Farmers asked to cut down on tobacco production

Tobacco Board Chairman K. Gopal on Tuesday exhorted the farmers to go for

alternative crops in at least part of their land holdings in view of WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)s determination to discourage its
cultivation over a period.
Inaugurating a two-day workshop for farmers on Sustainable Agricultural
Practices organised by the tobacco major ITC, he said the global map of tobacco
regions might witness significant change in the next 10 to 20 years.
Tobacco growers in their own interest should go for crop rotation by switching
over to alternative crops in 30 per cent of their land holdings to restore the soil
health and thus improve productivity in the process, to stay competitive.
He said ensuring remunerative price for the tobacco growers posed a challenge
to the Board in the present global scenario. He wanted the ryots to go for cost
cutting and adopt best agronomic practices to produce tobacco free of pesticide
residue and Non-Tobacco Related Material (NTRM) insisted upon by international
buyers.
Farmers could save up to 30 per cent of curing cost by constructing energyefficient barns with proper insulation and by going for captive social forestry
plantations, he added.
Expressing satisfaction over the Boards efforts to restrict the annual tobacco
production to less than 300 million kg in the country, he said tobacco production
of about 250 million kg would be enough to meet the demand of domestic
manufacturers and overseas buyers.
Bringing cheer to the farmers, he said the Board had proposed to the Centre
constitution of a price stabilisation fund and a comprehensive insurance policy to
cover the risk associated with tobacco cultivation.

Rise in drought-prone areas in State

The drought-prone area in Karnataka has increased from 63 per cent to 72 per
cent of the total area owing to erratic monsoon and lack of drought-proofing
methods.
G.R. Chintala, Chief General Manager, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD), Bengaluru, who made a presentation on the Potential
Linked Credit Plan (PLP) for the State for the 2015-16 fiscal here on Tuesday, said
area under sowing has stagnated in the State.
While the total cropped area is 120.59 lakh hectares, the net sown area is 99.41
lakh hectares, he said. Karnataka ranked second after Rajasthan in droughtprone area. In 2011-12, 123 taluks in 23 districts were declared drought-hit.
A total of 157 taluks and 64 taluks were declared drought-hit in 2012-13 and
2013-14, respectively, according to NABARD. Forest coverage can be increased
by making use of barren land, uncultivable land, cultivable wasteland and fallow
land, Mr. Chintala said.
Mr. Chintala said contribution of the farm sector to the overall GDP of the State
has estimated to have fallen from 18.7 per cent in 2004-05 to 13.2 per cent in

2013-14. However, nearly 50 per cent of the total workforce in the State was still
engaged in agriculture for their livelihood.
Karnataka ranks second after Rajastan in the country,
says NABARD
NABARD projects bank credit flow at Rs. 1,08,373 cr for Karnataka
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has estimated
credit potential to the tune of Rs. 1,08,373.01 crore for Karnataka in 2015-16.
A focus paper released by the state credit seminar on Tuesday said the credit
potential envisaged an increase of about 26 per cent over the previous year.
The paper is prepared by NABARD to map the potential under various sectors
and in a culmination of the process aggregating credit projections made for all 30
districts in the potential linked credit plan (PLPs) prepared in consultation with
various stakeholders.
G.R. Chintala, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Bengaluru, made a presentation
on the credit plan for the state during the next financial year and said, of the
total projection, 64.58 per cent was assessed for agriculture and allied sector;
12.29 per cent for medium and small enterprises, including agro-processing and
23.13 per cent for other priority sector.
He said the contribution of the farm sector to the overall GDP of the state has
estimated to have fallen from 18.70 per cent in 2004-05 to 13.2 per cent in
2013-14. However, nearly 50 per cent of the total workforce in the state was still
engaged in the agriculture sector for their livelihood.
He said the area under drought prone category has increased from 63 per cent to
72 per cent in the State and the lending per hectare was low (Rs 35,000) in the
state compared to neighbouring states.
The seminar deliberated upon various issues such as low productivity of major
crops grown in the state, viability of small land holdings, skewed regional
development and has put lot of emphasis on crop diversification to make farming
remunerative and profitable.
It has focussed on dairy, poultry, fishery and other animal husbandry activities,
plantation and horticulture sectors, having huge demand within and in the
neighbouring states that will also provide livelihood to unemployed youth and
women and supplement the income of small farmers.
Farmers seeking equipment hit by technical glitches
Farmers have lost a valuable season in using farm equipment due to the inability
of the authorities and personnel at e-Seva centres to use the technology
properly.

According to sources in the Agriculture Department, so far about 200

applications were uploaded by farmers seeking subsidised equipment in farming
activity. The condition of allowing applications only online and undue delay in
finalising subsidy for various equipment pushed the farmers to the corner
without any escape. Till a week ago the farmers were asked to pay the entire
amount of the equipment if the subsidy was more than Rs. 30,000 stating that
the entire amount would be credited to farmers account once the subsidy was
released. This also stopped many farmers from coming forward to use the
equipment.
At many places e-Seva operators are not cooperating with farmers. They are
busy with filing various applications of different government schemes and
farmers were forced to wait for hours together. On the other hand, there are
some technical problems in uploading the applications. You have to begin all over
again if the application was not uploaded at single stretch, which takes long
time, said an officer in the department.
Farmers are approaching us for the equipment but we are not in a position to
dispose them off immediately as sufficient number of equipment is not available.
The process is also cumbersome, said a dealer on condition of anonymity.
Out of the total Rs. 22 crore released for the district for use of farm equipment
only Rs. 5 crore worth equipment was handed over to farmers so far. The
department has to hand over another Rs. 17 crore worth of instruments to
farmers.
It was decided to accept off-line applications from farmers as well in addition to
online after realising the problems. We are also ensuring that mandal level
agriculture officers assist farmers in filing the applications online, said B. Hukya
Naik, Joint Director, Agriculture.
Cauliflower, a new crop taking root in Nellai soil
It is mainly cultivated for its white tender head called curd
Cauliflower, which is being cultivated only in hilly regions and in places where the
temperature falls below 20 degrees, has been successfully cultivated by a few
farmers of Bungalow Surandai near Alangulam in the district.
Cauliflower is the most popular cole crop among the winter vegetables. The crop
is mainly cultivated for its white tender head called curd. It is rich in protein and
vitamin C and A. It also contains minerals like potassium, sodium, iron,
phosphorus, calcium and magnesium.
Cauliflower could be cultivated in almost all types of soils with good fertility and
drainage. Soil with slight acidic to neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.0 gives better crop.
Cauliflower needs specific temperature and photoperiod for better curd
development.
Taking advantage of the chill climate prevailing in their areas during this season,
six farmers from Bungalow Surandai have cultivated cauliflower in smaller areas

on a trial basis and are about to reap the benefits with the crop showing
excellent growth.
The optimum temperature for cauliflower ranges from 20 degree Celsius to 25
degree Celsius in September to October. Based on the temperature, the Indian
cauliflower is grouped in the tropical type and the other called as snowball type.
The tropical types form curd at 20 degree Celsius to 25 degree Celsius while the
other type needs 10 degree Celsius to 16 degree Celsius for curd formation. The
tropical types are resistant to water-logging and heat to some extent.
Our trial has yielded better results as were selling cauliflower at Rs 15 per
kilogram to traders. Well certainly increase the area in the next season, said
Socrates, one of the farmers who have cultivated cauliflower.
Deputy Director of Horticulture S. Raja Mohamed, who visited these farms
recently, said cauliflower cultivation would certainly be encouraged next year in
other areas having similar climatic conditions.
Our trial has yielded better results as were selling cauliflower at Rs
15 per kg
to traders
Progressive farmers get eKisaan tablets
To educate, engage and empower the farming community, Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah on Saturday distributed eKisaan tablets loaded with information on
agriculture, education and health.
The tablets, which have been procured with financial assistance from NRI
professionals, are part of the governments Namma Raitha platform. This
platform will act as a catalyst to share best practices among farmers and
facilitate higher interaction.
S.R. Patil, Minister for Information Technology and Bio Technology, said the
Namma Raitha project also aimed at providing educational, e-governance, food
processing, rainwater harvesting and basic healthcare information to farmers.
In the first phase, 1,500 farmers from Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts would be
given the free tablets that have been developed by eKisaan Foundation. Twenty
of them were handed over the gadgets symbolically on Saturday.
A dedicated call centre team has been set up to interact continuously with the
farming community. The farmers, who will also get free internet from Airtel for
the first three months, will also be trained on how to use them, the Minister said.
Where they breed paddy for over a century
Right in the middle of the paddy fields on Thondamuthur Road is an ochre, tile
roofed room whose walls bear witness to the works of a few great men, who
ensured food for the masses.

And it is in this room the Paddy Breeding Station was born over a century ago. It
will soon become a museum showcasing the history of paddy breeding since the
British Raj. And, at present, the room is part of the Department of Rice, Tamil
Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU).
Vice-Chancellor K. Ramasamy says that the room will have old implements,
photographs, paintings and everything that will bring alive the paddy breeding
work that has been going on since 1912.
New machines to ease workload
It is priced at Rs.3,500
The Research and Development wing of Mannuthy Agricultural Research Station
under Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has come up with modified version of
sit and climb coconut climber and tiller to open basin around coconut trees.
The new version is cheaper, lighter, quicker and easy to operate and much more
comfortable. It takes only five seconds to fasten it to a tree and same time to
detach it.
Modified version
Ascending and descending a 12 metre high palm can be done within 78 second.
The modified machine is fastened to the tree using flexible steel rope instead of
curved stainless rod used in previous machine.
A cycle seat, a handle to hold on, adjustable loop according to changes in girth of
tree, during operation, are added advantages
It is priced at Rs.3,500 against the older version costing of Rs.8,500. The R &D
department has also developed a tiller which can till the soil and open up basin
of 15 to 25 cm depth with 60 cm width are made around the coconut trees to
spread farm manure.
It takes 10 minutes for the tiller to open a basin and it can open six basins per
hour consuming 1.5 liters of diesel. The cost including other lubrications and
operation is Rs. 200 per hour. This means the cost of opening a basin of coconut
will be only Rs.40.
Cost
Usually a worker opens up 12-15 basins a day around trees which costs Rs 50-60
per tree.
More importantly the number of basins dug per day is manifold.
The station is also working for the tillers which can work with the help of remote
control so that walk behind the tiller for operating it becomes no more practice.

Farmers can book the machine by paying the cost either in cash or through DD.
(Dr. U.Jaikumaran, Prof&Head, ARS, Mannuthy, phone: 0487 2370726, mobile:
9447530673, email:arsmannuthy@kau.in)
Keywords: Kerala Agricultural University, coconut climbing
Ploughing on
The NGO Kudumbam has focused on the development of the rural family and
sustainable farming since its establishment in 1982
Pongal was not only a festival of rice. It was a festival of sharing your best
produce rice, pulses and millets, and vegetables with your neighbours, says
Oswald Quintal, team leader of the non-governmental organisation (NGO)
Kudumbam.
For over three decades, Quintal, originally a civil engineer specialising in
irrigation management and known by many as Ozey, has been toiling with his
team of field workers in Tamil Nadu and beyond to bring home the message of
how agriculture and forestry are essentially inseparable.
Agriculture in India is 4,000 years old. And home-forestry and home-gardening
are not new concepts, so every farm produced its own vegetables, he says.
Inter-cropping rice with pulses and millets, plus animal husbandry had insulated
the farmer from financial ruin in the past. The emergence of big farming and
monoculture (single-type) cropping has created food shortages and a whole host
of related problems, Quintal contends.
And as the country faces its fourth year of drought and low-rainfall, keeping the
next generation of farmers attached to their calling is getting harder. This year,
for the first time, were are worried about drinking water for the whole of
Pudukottai, says Quintal. Every year, as the water table dropped, we have
been trying to tell the farmer not to farm with the ground water, but by
harvesting every drop of rain where it falls. But a state policy that until very
recently subsidised the sinking of deep bore-wells in villages has taken its toll, he
rues.
Kudumbam is the brainchild of organic farming pioneer Dr. G. Nammalvar (who
died in 2013), Dr. Gandhimathi (a sociologist and environmental consultant from
Tiruvannamalai now based in Bengaluru), and Quintal. And, as its name implies,
the NGO has focused on the development of the rural family and sustainable
farming since its establishment in 1982. Besides its head office in Tiruchi, it has
centres in Tranquebar and Nagapattinam.
Starting from scratch
Quintal, from Tiruchis Golden Rock area, and Nammalvar, who was a native of
Tirukattupalli near Thanjavur, first met while working on a water management
programme for the people displaced by the Mettur Dam in 1979, who had been
re-settled in the Anchetty village (Dharmapuri district).

A little abashed that their engineering and farming skills had nothing to offer to
the small farmers who were using the slopes of a high mountain as their field
space, Quintal and Nammalvar spent two years documenting the more
successful native agricultural techniques of the region.
As knowledge of these techniques spread, queries started pouring in from
farmers in other districts. The duo shifted to Valambakudi village (20 kilometres
from Tiruchi), and decided to start a programme that would keep the farming
community engaged in sustainable and eco-friendly agriculture.
It was very hard to take agricultural science across to the people, says Quintal.
So we went into street theatre to collect information on the history of the village
tank, the productivity of the land there, the diversity of the cropping pattern and
what it is today.
But a key challenge has been the farmers single-minded quest for just irrigation.
We were trying to tell them that we need to enhance soil moisture by increasing
bunds and adding biomass to soil, go for drought-tolerant rice varieties and crop
diversification, too, he says.
In the 1980s, Kudumbam initiated a campaign against a government sanctioned
programme, supported by Sweden, to plant eucalyptus on 13,000 hectares of
shrub forest in Pudukottai district, ostensibly to help create pulpwood for paper
manufacturing.
Criticised by the Forest Department for not providing an alternative, the
Kudumbam team decided to show how it could be done. With financial support
from the National Wasteland Development Board, in 1987, the NGO worked on
re-afforesting 11 sacred groves surrounding temples, spread over 400 acres.
The scenic and tranquil Ammankorai community forest today bears very little
resemblance to the barren wasteland it was in 1987. As monkeys frolic in the tall
trees, and the harsh sunlight diffuses in the verdant foliage, its easy to see how
this green belt supports Killukulavaipatti and Ulangankathanpatti villages.
Kudumbam tapped into youth groups and women workers from here to ensure
that the forest was kept clean and safe.
Rengaraj Karuppan, from Ulangankathanpatti, joined Kudumbam when he was
16, and has been working as a field co-ordinator at the forest for several years
now.
While developing this forest, the people here wanted trees that would provide
them with food and firewood, he says.
We started getting the seedlings ready in 1986. Now we notice that though we
planted only 40 varieties, there are 170 types of trees here, thanks to the
migrant birds and wildlife.
For the past five years, we have been noticing that this area receives rainfall
even though the neighbouring farms have been dry. So the green cover seems to

have had an effect, says Quintal. The forest lake also used to be a breeding
ground for fish.
Training ground
Despite the success of the community forests, the question of making farming
visibly profitable remained unanswered. So in 1990, Quintal, Dr. Nammalvar, and
Dr. Gandhimathi, each invested Rs.20,000 to purchase 10 acres of land in
Odugampatty village, 20 kilometres from Keeranur. We chose it for various
reasons we had only that much money, and we were looking for land that
resembled the small farmers fields that we had seen in our travels, says
Quintal.
This was to be the birthplace of the Kolunji Ecological Farm, which today has
expanded by another 20 acres, and also has on its premises, a home for local
children who have been by their relatives after their parents die, and a training
school that offers free and paid courses to farmers.
We realised that farmers dont believe something they cant see. So we went
about creating community alternatives, says Quintal. The Kolunji farm is a living
example of how barren land can be transformed through innovative cropping. As
guests enjoy a simple vegetarian lunch in the community dining hall, two guinea
fowls scrabble around for food scraps. Later, Quintal reveals that they also
double up as anti-snake policemen.
To a large extent, Nammalvars responsibility was in training, while Quintals was
grounding the project and marketing it through the Low External Input and
Sustainable Agriculture (Leisa) network, also set up in 1990. We started with
about 20 farmers and 11 NGOs. Today we have a membership of 82 NGOs and
50,000 farmers, says Quintal. A group of 500 certified organic farmers the
largest in the state is spread within a 15 kilometre radius of the Kolunji farm.
Organic millets and grains are available at Kudumbams Highways Colony office
in Tiruchi.
In addition to the biodiversity, a number of native irrigation and soil fertilising
methods are in practical use here, which have attracted foreign and local
research scholars in growing numbers.
As part of Kudumbams female empowerment objective, a collective of single
women and widows is engaged in agriculture on a shared plot of land at the
Kolunji farm. The NGO has also worked to rehabilitate teenaged girls from the
Pudukottai district rescued from harsh working conditions in the Tirupur garment
industry. On the spurt of genetic engineering, Quintal says, Our farmers and
livestock breeders have been doing small changes for hundreds of ages. [But]
multinational corporations are claiming minimally modified seeds to be their
invention and putting a price on it. This is a theft on a countrys sovereignty.
Asked if he misses his days as a civil engineer, Quintal smiles. Sometimes, he
admits. But this is far more satisfying.
Keywords: NGO Kudumbam, farming

Pulses yield helps TN win Krishi Karman Award

That Tamil Nadu has bagged the Krishi Karman Award for 2013-2014 from the
Central Government for increased food production is not news anymore.
But what is, is the technological, varietal interventions from the Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University (TNAU) and the support it gave to the Agriculture
Department to increase the cultivable area under pulses and yield in the State.
The University Vice-Chancellor K. Ramasamy says the University introduced a
new variety of red gram (tur dal) - Co.R.G. 7 around five years ago - and asked
farmers to follow transplantation system just as they did for paddy. In areas like
Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, it asked farmers to go in for drip irrigation,
fertigation. It gave farmers benefit. The University also promoted the C 06
variety black gram (urad dal) that saw quick takers in farmers and also traders as
the quality saw better tasting idli andvada , he adds.
Aside from newer varieties, which brought down the crop cycle from 180 days to
60 days 120 days depending on the pulse cultivated, the University joined
hands with farmers to multiply pulses seeds through participatory approach,
encouraged taking up system of pulse intensification cultivation, recommended
the right foliar nutrition and suggested adopting integrated pest management
techniques, says J.R. Kannan Bapu, Professor and Head, Department of Pulses,
TNAU.
The techniques meant that the farmers need not employ workers three or four
times to harvest pulses. They could employ the workers once as the new
varieties promoted were synchronised maturing ones. This minimised the
farmers labour cost.
Mr. Bapu says one more reason for farmers taking up pulses cultivation in good
number was the adaptability of the new varieties the farmers could cultivate it
round the year and also as an intercrop.
Along with introducing new varieties, the TNAU also asked farmers to use
herbicides, foliar nutrition (to increase flowering content) and TNAU Pulse
Wonder, a spray to boost production. These helped increase the yield.
The TNAU reports suggest that the average pulses yield went up from 223 kg an
acre in 2011-12 to 294 kg an acre in 2014-15. (The figure for 2014-15 includes
advance estimates). And, the area from 6.68 lakh hectare in 2011-12 to over
nine lakh ha this year.
Red gram farmer from Coimbatore B. Ranganathan says that the yield from
Co.R.G. 7 is at least three quintals more an acre than the old ADT 5 variety. It
dips marginally when cultivated in December, though.
An entire village shuns using chemicals for growing crops

Farmers in Sorapattu village of Mannadipattu in Puducherry seem to have a lot of

information on using integrated pest management (IPM) for protecting their
crops rather than using chemical pesticides for the same.
IPM means judicious combination and use of all locally available pest control
agents. All the farmers in the village have invariably curtailed the use of plant
protection chemicals and started following practices like using neem oil, neem
cake, tricho cards, light trap, pheromone trap, and T shaped bird perches, thus
helping them save more than Rs.5,000 per hectare towards crop protection
(before they adopted this the cost was about Rs.6,800)
Since 1994
The emphasis on IPM in the region has been in practice since 1994, in order to
bring down the indiscriminate usage of pesticides to contain crop pests and
diseases while conserving and protecting natural insects in crop ecosystem.
Perunthalaivar Kamaraj Krishi Vigyan Kendra (PKKVK), Puducherry, in coordination with the agriculture department has been responsible in bringing this
tremendous change in the attitude of the farmers towards this method.
Pesticide consumption in this region has come down significantly from 163
metric tonnes in 1990-91 to 40.92 tonnes in 2013-2014, resulting in a two-thirds
reduction in its consumption. Similarly, the number of pesticides outlets has
decreased from 196 in 1990-1991 to 115 in 2013-2014, nearly a 30 percent
decrease.
Lowest number
The lowest number of outlets was recorded in 2006-07 & 2007-08, according to
Dr. N.Vijaykumar, subject specialist, who has been conferred nearly half a dozen
awards by different sectors for his work on this subject.
The concept has spread well and widely accepted by the farming community.
The scripting success on its adoption, the strenuous efforts and consistent followup confirm that farmers have realised the ill-effects of chemicals in various crops
which include rice, groundnut, cotton, coconut, banana, vegetables, flowers and
sugarcane over years, says Dr. Mohan Saveri Programme Coordinator.
During the past 17 years between 1997 and 2014 a total of 69 training
programmes were conducted involving more than 2,000 participants.
Over the years, the duration of the trainings ranged from one to five days and
more number of trainings conducted among different crops. Emphasis was
placed on seeing is believing, teaching by doing and learning by practicing in
these training sessions.
Apart from the regular training, field visits and farm advisory services were also
carried out.
Different channels

The success achieved in popularising these technologies is mainly due to the

creation of awareness and transferring skills through participatory as well as
farmer to farmer mode, by conducting farmers field schools, imparting training,
printing and distribution of leaflets and pamphlets, conducting demonstrations
and rendering prescription support farm advisory services.
The Kendra took on the responsibility of making available different bio agents
and bio control inputs for the farmers since sourcing them on time could prove
very time consuming and laborious.
The green revolution laid more emphasis on producing quantity and this led to
indiscriminate and over use of chemical insecticides to control insect pests and
produce higher yields.
Past decade
But in the past decade increasing awareness on the toxin residues on the crops
and the need for a safe and efficient alternative which can help farmers cut costs
and at the same time produce healthy food is fast finding acceptance among
both the sectors, according to Dr. Mohan Saveri, Programme Coordinator of the
Kendra.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi had conferred the Kendra
with the best KVK award for promoting IPM through Integrated extension
approaches to the farming community.
For further details please contact Dr.N.Vijaykumar, Subject Matter Specialist
(Agricultural
Entomology),
KVK
Puducherry,
Mobile:
9442525675,
email:dr.nithyavijai@gmail.com and Dr. Mohan Saveri, Programme Coordinator,
Mobile: 9442525674.
Decks cleared for Bargur cattle research station
Centre will help enhance purity of the breed
The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University has initiated steps to
establish a research centre for Bargur breed of cattle in the district.
The University is close to finalising the site for the research station mandated
with the task of propagating population of the indigenous breed on Bargur hills,
according to official sources.
Long-felt need
The Animal Husbandry Ministry's sanction signifies fulfilment of a long-felt need
of the farmers who are mostly Kannada-speaking Lingayat community people.
The rearers, who used to maintain large herds that grazed in forest land, were
spared of the fodder cost. But now they have scaled down the numbers due to
restrictions imposed by the Forest Department.

With the research station in place, the prospect for farmers taking up cattlerearing as a major income-generation activity could be revived, according to E.N.
Sivasenapathy, president of Bargur Hill Cattle Breeders' Association.
For the first time last year, the Animal Husbandry Department conducted an
exhibition for the Bargur breed at Thurasanampalayam on the hills.
Farmers say the research station will be helpful in enhancing purity of the breed
that has a high resistance capacity to diseases. There is a niche market for ghee,
butter and other products made of milk of native breed cows. The products are
sold for a premium, Mr. Sivasenapathi said.
Also, Bargur cattle, despite their small size, are sturdy and are capable of hauling
heavy loads with ease, and small-scale farmers mainly depend on this breed to
plough fields. The hooves of this breed are naturally strong and do not require
horseshoes.
This breed is suited to work in uneven hilly terrains. The animals are known for
their speed and endurance in trotting.
Mixed response to frost among planters
The severe frost being experienced in various parts of the district for the past
few days has evoked mixed reactions among the tea planting community.
Speaking to The Hindu many of the small tea growers pointed out that already
they have been subjected to considerable hardship on account of their raw tea
leaves fetching unremunerative prices. The reduction in yield will be akin to
adding insult to injury.
The president, Nilgiris District Small Tea Growers Association Ramesh Bhojarajan
said that though frost affected the yield there was also a beneficial side to such
weather. The scorched tea leaves will give way to fresh young ones when Spring
dawns. Meanwhile the Joint Director of Horticulture N. Mani said that apart from
traditionally frost-prone areas some new areas have been affected by the current
spell of frost. He added that a survey would be undertaken soon.
Groundnut price to remain stable during harvest time
The Agro Market Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre (AMI&BPC) of the
Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business has indicated that the
price of groundnut would remain stable during the thaipattam harvest season.
In a price advisory, the centre said farmers could get a price of Rs. 40 to Rs. 42 a
kg of groundnut pod at Sevur Regulated Market in Tirupur district and Rs. 45 to
Rs. 47 a kg at Tindivanam Regulated Market during April - May 2015. The
relatively higher price for pod in Tindivanam market is mainly due to the higher
number of traders and low arrivals compared to the Sevur regulated market.
The price advisory was based on market surveys and econometric analysis of the
prices of groundnut pod that prevailed in Sevur and Tindivanam Regulated

Markets over the past couple of decades conducted by the AMI & BPC functioning
at the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS), Tamil
Nadu Agricultural University.
The price advisory said during 2013-14, India stood second in terms of
production (9.47 million tonnes) and first in area under the crop with 5.25 million
hectares. The Crop Forecast Coordination Centre (CFCC), Union Ministry of
Agriculture and Co-operation, has estimated groundnut production for the kharif
2014-15 would be 50.24 lakh tones in the major crop-growing states of Gujarat,
Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra, which account for close to 90 per cent of the production. This was
lower by 55.69 lakh tonnes to the 2013-14 kharif season. Groundnut exports
during 2013-14 stood at 5.10 lakh tonnes. In 2014-15 it was expected to be
around six lakh tonnes.
In Tamil Nadu, groundnut was cultivated on 3.39 lakh hectares of land and the
State produced 7.85 lakh tonnes with an average yield of 2,751 kg a hectare
during 2012-13. The major groundnut-producing districts are Tiruvannamalai,
Villupuram, Vellore, Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur, Cuddalore, Namakkal, Krishnagiri,
Salem, and Dharmapuri. In most of these districts, groundnut is sown during July
to August (Adipattam) and January to February (Thaipattam). In Thaipattam, it is
grown under irrigated conditions. Thaipattam is one of the major sowing seasons
for groundnut in Tamil Nadu.
Truly a trailblazer
Born in a middle class agricultural family in Govindpet village of Armoor mandal,
this 26-year-old software engineer, Bantu Atreya, could not continue in his
profession in Melbourne, Australia though it was fetching him a six-digit salary
per month. He had set his heart on coming back to his native village to pursue
agriculture using modern methods.
Agriculture is dearest to my heart. I want to show that its a profitable and noble
profession. There is no rule that an educated person should not do farming. I am
comfortable with my occupation and have no regrets, says Mr. Atreya, who did
his MS in Computer Science Engineering in Melbourne in 2011 after completing
B.Tech in Raja Rajendra College of Engineering, Hyderabad. Thereupon, he
settled as a software and computer science engineer in Australia and continued
for two years. However, he was not too happy as he felt that there was
something missing. Having decided to take up agriculture on his 19 acres of land
owned by his family, he came back lock, stock and barrel in 2013.
When he shared his idea with his parents Rajanna and Anjavva and his two
elder brothers, who are also software engineers, he got an affirmative no to his
plan. In spite of initial non-cooperation in the family, he wanted to go ahead with
his plan and began working towards the same. His friends, peer group and youth
in the village were taken aback when he started going to his farm. .
Being educated, he found it easy to learn modern methods in farming and got
closer access to the firms providing farm technology and various supporting
schemes available through the government. He experimentally began gerbera (a

cut flower used in decoration) cultivation on a half-acre plot of land in a poly

house also known as greenhouse, besides sowing maize, soyabean, sorghum and
paddy in the rest of the land.
His parents slowly relented and now are extending support to his idea. I am
happy with the crop as I have cut the flowers twice. Eight varieties of flower
saplings were transplanted and they have grown well. I want to do integrated
farming with poultry, dairy and vegetable cultivation in future, he says.
Software engineer Bantu Atreya left his high-paying job in Australia to
take up farming in his native village
Centre revises buffer norms for foodgrains
The Centre on Friday revised the buffer norms for foodgrains reserves and
decided to offload excess stocks through open market sales or exports. An interministerial group, comprising the secretaries of the departments of Food and
Consumer Affairs and Revenue, will decide on the offloading as a step to contain
inflation and reduce storage costs.
A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, gave its nod for setting up the group. This will ensure
better management of food stocks in the country, an official release said.
The revised buffer norm for April 1 is 21.04 million tonnes of wheat and rice as
against the present 21.2 million tonnes. For July 1, it is 41.12 million tonnes as
against 31.9 million tonnes. On October 1, the stock should be 30.77 million
tonnes as against 21.2 million tonnes and on January 1, it should be 21.41 million
tonnes as against 25 million tonnes.
The buffer will include five million tonnes of strategic reserves of wheat and rice.
The proposal is to upgrade the quarterly buffer requirement to bring it in line
with the distribution needs under the National Food Security Act, official sources
told The Hindu.
As much as 61.4 million tonnes of foodgrains is required a year for welfare
schemes Antyodaya Anna Yojana and for the provision of 5 kg to each member
of a priority household under the National Food Security Act.
Norms for buffer stocks had not been revised since 2002, while the stocking of
strategic reserves for calamities and so on has been done since 2005.
Keywords: foodgrains reserves, Food and Consumer Affairs, food stocks, National
Food Security Act, inflation
Govt. hikes cane fair price to Rs.230 per qtl.

abinet Committee on Economic Affairs clears proposal

The Centre has decided to raise the Fair and Remunerative Price of sugarcane
payable by millers to farmers to Rs. 230 per quintal for the 2015-16 sugar season
as against Rs. 220 per quintal set for the previous sugar season.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister
approved the proposal at its meeting here.
According to an official statement the Fair and Remunerative price of Rs.230 per
quintal is linked to a basic recovery rate of 9.5 percent. This shall be subject to
a premium of Rs.2.42 per quintal for every 0.1 percentage point increase in
recovery above that level, the statement said. The sugar marketing season is
from October to September.
The raise is consistent with the Rs.10 per quintal hike being given in the last few
years, but it has been agitating farmers in various states especially Uttar Pradesh
where the State Advised Prices are higher and being resisted by millers. In U.P.,
the SAP is Rs. 280 per quintal for 2014-15.

The payment arrears in the State are estimated at Rs. 1500 crore and millers and
farmers are at loggerheads over the dues.
Easy to carry, effective solar-powered insect trapper
Pest management is one of the major expenditures that can drill a hole in a
farmers pocket.
Right from sowing till the crops are harvested and sold, pests need to be
managed effectively and economically without creating a dent in the fragile
economical condition of a farmer.
A solar powered insect trapper developed by an entrepreneur, Mr. Abdul Kadhar,
from Puducherry seems to promise both.
It is not priced high (Rs.2,625 a piece) and secondly, it is proving to be quite
popular among farmers in the Tamil Nadu region.
Led

technology

Reducing and controlling the pest population using light traps is an age old
practice in our country. Though there are several models and designs available I
wanted to develop something that could be solar-powered and not dependent on
fuel or electricity. The result is the Led technology for lighting with low ultra violet
light to attract flying pests in crops, says Mr. Abdul.
This device operates automatically, turning on the light during dusk (6:00 7:00
PM) and turns it off after five hours, sometime prior to midnight using a micro
controller chip. Most of the damage causing insects are active only during that
time, according to Mr. Abdul who adds, It avoids capturing beneficial insects in
the field.
Installing one light trap in an acre attracts at least 10 adult pests a day.
The device has been tested in different crop fields like paddy, sugarcane,
vegetables, fruit crops like mango, pomegranate, guava, coconut, tea, coffee and
jasmine crops across Tamil Nadu.
Mr. C.M. Pillai from Kiliyanur Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu says, I have been
testing this device in my field for the last two months and am able to notice that
there has been quite good control of white flies, hoppers, stem borer and leaf
folder insects.
Controls

different

pests

The trapper is capable in controlling flying insects, nymphs, adults of leaf folder,
stem borer moths, fruit borers, moths, hoppers, aphids, white flies, fruit weevil
and different crop beetles etc.

The improved solar light trap was field tested in Sevaiyur village in Sivaganga
district for about three months continuously on various vegetable crops and is
effective.
The device seems promising to farmers since it has been capturing adults of
many sucking pest, borers, and flies thereby reducing the dependence on bio
pesticide usage to the tune of 50 per cent.
We have initiated discussions with Annamalai University and Tamil Nadu
Agriculture University, Coimbatore for testing this device on the trial farm for two
crop seasons. We are yet to receive an interim test report from this experiment,
says Mr. Khader
Attracting adult insects to fire to manage insect population has been a traditional
community practice. However, of late this is not practised due to over reliance
and chemical methods of pest management.
Environmentfriendly
It is perhaps the most environment-friendly practice as the source of light for
trapping insects is the Sun. Hence, solar light traps need to be promoted in a big
way as cost effective and environment friendly technology, says Dr. Sreenath
Dixit, Zonal Project Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Hebbal, Bengaluru.
Solar light traps have added advantage of very little or no maintenance, ease of
carrying and installation.
All it needs is a good network of sales and after-sales service. In view of the
current emphasis on non-chemical and environment-friendly options for
managing crop pests, solar light traps can be termed as appropriate technology.
Encouraging

need

There is a need for encouraging small entrepreneurs to come out with cost
effective and innovative models of solar light traps. This will also expand
avenues in agri-business and agri services adding more jobs. A demonstration of
the
product
is
uploaded
in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=znS1i4e0kH0&feature=youtu.be.
For more details interested farmers can contact Mr. Abdul Kadhar, Sustainable
Agriculture Farming System, email: safs.orgmm@gmail. com, Phone: 0413
2271915, Mob: 0948 591915, web:www.safsorganic.com
Keywords: Agriculture Farming System, ICAR
Delay in farmers' relief fund from centre puts Maha government in dock
The central governments delay in fulfilling its purported commitment of relief
fund of Rs 4500 crores to be distributed among the drought and hailstorm hit
farmers in Maharashtra has put the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led state

government in dock as the opposition as well as the allies have cornered the
government over the issue.
Not only the Congress has announced state wide agitation over the issue, the
BJPs ally and partner in the state government, the Shiv Sena too has reiterated
that the relief should immediately reach to the affected farmers.
Though we are a part of the state government, we have not left the side of
farmers. The farmers must get their due compensation at the earliest, said Sena
president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday.
The state government sources said that the central government is expected to
release fund worth Rs 2500 crore only, almost 50% less than the actual demand.
Two days ago, BJPs another ally, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghata (SSS) led by Lok
Sabha MP Raju Shetty vandalised the sugar commissionerate in Pune,
demanding fare price to sugarcane farmers. The SSS has led demonstrations in
Western Maharashtra against its own government alleging it is failing to fulfil its
promises to farmers.
The Congress too has organised state wide agitations from January 21 against
the government policies of delaying compensation package to affected farmers.
BJP is running both the governments, but it seems they are not willing to
provide necessary aid to farmers. The central government is deliberately
delaying the compensation package, said Manikrao Thakre, President,
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).
Keywords: Farmer relief fund, Shiv Sena, BJP, Maharasthra Government,
Integrated management of safflower aphid
Out of a dozen insect pests, the safflower aphid causes 30 to 80 per cent yield
loss based upon weather conditions. Though safflower aphid causes economic
damage to the crop, majority of growers seldom use control measures.
The adult aphid is black and shining. With the help of its syringe like proboscis,
both nymphs and adults suck the cell sap due to which the plant growth is
stunted.
Different seasons
In case of severe attack, the plants start showing drying symptoms from lower
leaves progressing towards the top. In Karnataka, the aphid first appears during
first week of November and reaches a peak between end of December and end
of January and disappears by the end of March.
In Maharashtra it starts at the end of October and reaches peak by first week of
January. However, in Delhi the aphid made its appearance in February and
peaked during mid March.

Management strategies
Take up plant protection measures soon after appearance of the aphid.
Early sowing escapes the peak pest incidence. In Karnataka, October and
November sown crop had maximum infestation while, the September sown crop
experienced less damage. In Maharashtra, mid September was better for sowing
to minimise aphid damage.
Application of balanced fertilizer is also one of the components in aphid
management.
Higher the nitrogenous fertilizer, more will be the aphid infestation and viceversa.
Safflower, intercropped with sorghum, coriander and wheat reduces the pest
population. Safflower with coriander not only reduces the aphid population on
safflower, but increases the predatory population.
Chemical insecticides
Chemical insecticides are one of the inevitable components in the integrated
pest management. Insecticides like thiamethoxam at 0.2gm/l, acetamipirid
followed by imidacloprid were found more effective and economical. Among
several seed dressers, carbosulfan 25 DS at 20 gm/kg of seed proved effective.
(Dr. D. N. Kambrekar is Scientist (Agricultural Entomology), Regional Agricultural
Research Station, UAS Campus, Vijayapur-586 101 (Karnataka), Email:
kambrekardn@gmail.com Phone: 08352-230568.)
Keywords: safflower, agricultural research
Social media the next buzz for farming
Plans being readied to make Chittoor horticulture hub in five years
Collector Siddharth Jain has asserted that proposals were being prepared to
transform the district into a horticulture hub in the coming five years.
Addressing mango growers in Vadamalapeta mandal headquarters near Puttur on
Thursday, the Collector said the district administration would take to the social
media to bridge the gap between farmers and allied departments of agriculture,
adding that Chittoor district had a big potential for quality produce of mangoes,
papaya, sugarcane and sericulture.
Mr. Jain said that despite scientific revolution in the field of agriculture, farmers
were still reluctant to utilise the innovations, leading to disappointing yields.
The State government is all set to provide the best ambiance to farmers, taking
the scientific knowledge to their doorsteps. It is high time all farmers should
register their mobile numbers with the departments concerned to receive

information through social networks on latest trends in farming, including

fighting pests, water management and fertilizers. The government is ready to
provide the best marketing facilities and pack houses, which will effectively curb
the menace of middlemen, Mr Jain said.
He asked officials to expedite the process of holding sessions with farmers on
new crops, drip irrigation, power supply, subsidy and related aspects. Scientists
from Indian Institute of Horticulture Research, Bangalore and Citrus Research
Project, Tirupati; took part in the programme.
Deficient monsoon hits rabi sowing
Main concern is the lower acreage under pulses. The area under gram is lower
this year by 14.8 lakh hectares
A delayed and deficient southwest monsoon has shrunk rabi sowing from last
years level.
If sowing was taken up on 597.15 lakh hectares of land last year, the figure this
time was 566.18 lakh hectares. What is worrisome is the gap of 30.97 lakh
hectares between the areas sown in the previous week and its corresponding
week last year, higher than the deficit of 26.82 lakh hectares when making such
a comparison for the week earlier.
The southwest monsoon was 12 per cent lower than the long period average in
the country and 21 per cent in northwest India, hitting kharif crop production by
2-3 per cent. The rain deficit is affecting rabi sowing now.
A meeting in the Agriculture Ministry to review the crop and weather situation
noted that wheat has been sown in 4.92 lakh hectares less this year because of
lower moisture in the soil. Although the area under wheat will be made up in the
next few weeks, the harvest will depend on the weather conditions.
Of particular concern is the lower acreage of pulses. The area under gram is
lower this year by 14.8 lakh hectares from last years because of the lower
minimum support price. Farmers have turned away from sowing gram as the
price is low, sources said.
The area under coarse cereals is lower by 4.57 lakh hectares mainly because of
reduced sowing of maize and jowar in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
and Gujarat.
Oilseeds
Likewise, the area under oilseeds is lower by 6.96 lakh hectares with rapeseed
and mustard recording the largest shortfall of 4.59 per cent. Lower acreage is
reported from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat
where the monsoon was deficient.
Rabi sowing begins in October and harvest in March.

Keywords: monsoon, rabi, agriculture, crop shortage

Farmers submit affidavits
They have not raised any objection on land pooling
Even as the police picket in the villages that witnessed burning of farm fields and
equipment continues, farmers of the river front villages started submitting
signed affidavits giving their consent to land pooling at a meeting attended by
Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana.
The absence of any discordant note from farmers was surprising given that they
had offered spirited resistance to land pooling till recently. There was a series of
fire in six villages. The residents alleged that a massive police force swooped on
the six villages, setting up check points and farmers were picked up on the
pretext of investigation.
The situation has changed ever since with farmers not raising any questions on
Thursday on land pooling. Over 150 farmers attended the meetings at
Malkapuram, Rayapudi and Mandhadam and said they would give away their
lands as part of land pooling.
Buoyed by the farmers response, the Minister said the State government was
keen to set up a temporary capital by the end of June.
The identification of the site would be decided by January 14 and an
announcement would be made by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu when he
was expected to visit Thullur for Sankranthi festivital.
Short term tenders would be invited for construction of a temporary capital and
the work would begin by the end of the month, he said. The government would
acquire 30,000 acres in the first phase which would be divided into five sectors.
Minister for Agriculture P. Pulla Rao too allayed concerns of the farmers and said
the land pooling was the best available option and promised farmers to extend
all support.
Collector Kantilal Dande said farmers who do not have land records or pass
books could obtain them from the competent authorities residing in the villages.
Instructions were given to provide manual pass books, he said.
Farmers pour out their woes to YSRC leaders
RYOTS POUR OUT THEIR WOES TO YSRC LEADERS
Farmers told a group of YSR Congress leaders that they have been subjected to
humiliation by the police investigating into the mysterious fire accidents that
took place in six villages. The farmers met YSRC leaders at Undavalli,
Uddandarayapalem and Lingayapalem and poured out their woes before them.
Farmers told us they are beginning to dread the presence of police. Every day,
cops pick up some farmers for questioning and leave them at their homes late in

the night on the pretext of investigations, MLA A. Ramakrishna Reddy told The
Hindu on Thursday.
Testing for pesticide residues in vegetables
Vegetables cultivated in Kerala have been found safe for consumption according
to the latest test reports from Pesticide residue testing laboratory at Vellayani
under Kerala agricultural University (KAU).
The reports based on tests conducted on samples collected from farmers fields
in various districts during the first half of 2014 says 99 per cent of the vegetables
cultivated by Kerala farmers are safe to eat as they do not contain any hazardous
chemicals.
Exceptions
The only exception was some of the vegetables produced in some areas of
Thiruvananthapuaram District as some samples of amaranthus, chilli,
bittergourd, snakegourd and cowpea contained pesticide residues above
permitted levels.
Notably, the vegetable samples collected from Kasargod and Idukki, the districts
once under the scanner for alleged indiscreet use of chemicals, have been found
to contain no pesticide residues at all.
Dr.Thomas Biju Mathew, under whose supervision the testing procedure took
place, says the main pesticides found in these vegetable samples were
chloreperifos and cunalfos.
After the testing process and analysis of results farmers were advised to avoid
indiscreet use of pesticides and insecticides and stick to scientific practices for
effective pest and disease management.
Positive development
The latest results vindicate the after effect of farmers adhering to the advice.
Vice-Chancellor, Kerala Agricultural University, Dr.P.Rajendran attributed the
positive development to increased public awareness on the need to produce, buy
and eat safe food.
The persistent efforts of our pesticide residue lab and publication of test results
have made the producers and buyers more and more conscious about the
importance of safe food and need to adhere to scientific practices, he says.
KAUs lab also offers free testing of vegetables produced by farmers.
They only have to bring one kg each of the vegetables packed in materials other
than plastic along with a certificate from the agricultural officer of the
krishibhavan..

Farmers can contact Dr.Thomas Biju Mathew, email: biju.mathew@kau.in, phone:

04712588167.
Keywords: vegetable cultivation, pesticide residues
Untapped potential in ornamental fisheries
If there has been one area in agriculture-related activity that has seen
continuous growth in the last two decades, it is the ornamental fish rearing
business.
What was once considered to be a realm of the knowledgeable and a costly
hobby has today permeated practically several small villages across the country.
It is a vocation that can generate income not only for rural women but also for
young unemployed people. The sector offers big employment scope for youth as
service providers, as busy urban families today would like their aquariums to be
managed by professionals, says Dr. Rao, Chief Executive, National Fisheries
Development Board, NFDB, Hyderabad.
Several

programmes

Realising the immense prospects in this area, NFDB, in collaboration with premier
institutions like the Central Institute of Fishery Education, has started skill
development programmes, particularly for women so as to upgrade their
technical knowledge and expose them to best practices in the sector.
The board also arranged training in marine ornamental fisheries for about 250
members of women self help groups from Kancheepuram distict, Tamil Nadu,
through Satyabhama University.
Ornamental fish training and research institute, Udaipur, has been roped in by
the board for organising training programmes in a big way. Sixteen batches have
completed training so far in this institute benefitting 320 entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs
About 600 women entrepreneurs from West Bengal were taken for exposure
visits to learn from the rich experience of Kollathur counterparts in Tamil Nadu.
Today a visit to Howrah and South 24 Paraganas districts in the state will prove
that there are thousands of families practising ornamental fish rearing. Krishi
Vigyan Kendra, Mysore, organised training for youth from the region with
assistance from the board. Similarly, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Karda, in
Maharashtra, availed funding from us and conducted skill development
programmes for 100 entrepreneurs in breeding and rearing of ornamental fishes,
aquarium fabrication and maintenance. We also recently assisted ten
entrepreneurs from Andhra Pradesh to visit the Ornamental Kerala Aqua show in
Kochi, explains Dr. Rao, Chief Executive,NFDB.

Till date, the board has sanctioned Rs.2.13 crore to establish ten ornamental
fisheries hubs in ten districts of Tamil Nadu alone.
The facilities include establishment of 250 backyard ornamental units exclusively
for women SHGs along with training and exposure visits for the members.
Plans are on to set up five ornamental fish retail outlets for better marketing. In
addition, 10 transport vehicles are to be provided for each of the ten hubs. The
board receives a number of applications regularly from Karnataka and Kerala.
Project

funding

We have also funded a project in Annamalai University for a demonstration

hatchery and brood stock bank for marine ornamental fish brooders. Over a
period, the board has supported about 2,477 units in different states at a project
cost of Rs. 15 crore. Presently we are targeting schools and colleges for
promotion of aquariums as healthy recreation and hobby, Dr. Rao added.
As in the case of other sectors, fisheries too has its limitations which have for a
long time not been considered seriously.
Some of the main problems to be overcome are non-availability of skilled
manpower, inadequate training facilities for breeding, farming of high valued
species and labs for health management.
Major

problems

In addition, inadequate infrastructure like few hatcheries, lack of quality brood

stock, dependence on wild collection, lack of skilled manpower and limited
exposure to quality standards in international markets, problems due to nonavailability of export oriented market database, stringent export regulations,
non-availability of containers to export live fish, non-availability of flights
connecting to importing countries and trade permissions, insufficient aquatic
quarantine facilities to ensure export of disease-free fishes are some of the major
problems the sector has been facing in the past.
We are currently focussing on these constraints and have started addressing
them. Skill development has been taken up in a big way to widen the knowledge
base. Infrastructure facilities are being created and improved so that quality and
standards are maintained. We are promoting efforts to standardise captive
breeding of indigenous ornamental fishes, says Dr. Rao.
Those interested to start this venture as a full time vocation can directly contact
Dr. M.V. Rao, IAS, Chief Executive, National Fisheries Development Board,
Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture,
Rajendranagar, Hyderabad- 500 052, email: mvraoforindia@gmail.co
Keywords: National Fisheries Development Board, ornamental fisheries
Crop insurance schemes for farmers in Kerala

Central scheme offered for this crop season

The weather-based crop insurance scheme (WBCIS) and the modified national
agriculture insurance scheme (MNAIS), the two components of the National Crop
Insurance Programme of the Union government, are being extended to farmers
in the State for the ongoing crop season. Paddy, plantain, cashew, sugarcane,
mango, and tapioca are covered under the scheme.
Particulars of the applicability of the scheme for crops in various districts have
been specified by the State Level Coordination Committee on Crop Insurances.
Agricultural Insurance Company of India Ltd., a Union government enterprise, will
be the implementing agency. While farmers who have taken agriculture loans
from banks and approved financial institutions are covered under the scheme, for
other ryots it is voluntary.
The scheme is being implemented jointly by the Union and the State
governments.
Weather-based
Parameters have been stipulated for the weather-based insurance and data are
collected with the help of nearly 130 weather stations across the State, D.
Rajesh, head of the State-level regional office of the agricultural insurance
company, told The Hindu . Four or five panchayats come under each weather
station for the implementation of the scheme. While the WBCIS scheme is
segregated for crops under kharif and rabi seasons, it is applicable to some crops
such as cashew in Kerala on an extended time frame. For instance, the
December-May period is taken into account for cashew, he said.

Yield the criterion

Under the MNAIS scheme, the yield of the particular crop, as decided by the
authorities, is the criterion and all the farmers insured under the scheme will be
eligible for compensation if the yield falls below the stipulated limit. The second
paddy crop is brought under the WBCIS scheme in districts other than Alappuzha,
Pathanamthitta, and Kottayam, where the MNAIS scheme will be applicable.
Under the WBCIS scheme, Rs.10,000 will be the insured amount for an acre and
the insurance premium is Rs.200. The insurance amount for plantain for an acre
is Rs.40,000 and the premium is Rs.2,200, and the scheme will be applicable in
districts other than Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, and Kottayam.
For cashew and sugarcane, the insurance coverage for an acre will be Rs.20,000
and Rs.12,000, respectively, while the premium will be Rs.1,100 and Rs.660,
respectively. The scheme for cashew will be applicable in Palakkad, Kozhikode,
Kannur, Kasaragod, and Malappuram districts.
The scheme for sugarcane is applicable in Idukki and Palakkad. For tapioca,
covered under the MNAIS, the insurance amount for an acre is Rs.97,309.
The scheme is applicable in all the districts.

Cane farmers take to jaggery production

They have stopped supplying to mills owing to delayed payments
At a time when sugarcane farmers all over the State are protesting delayed
payments by sugar mills cooperative and private and demanding increase
in the price of sugarcane, those of Kavasambattu village in K.V. Kuppam
panchayat union in Vellore district have been engaged in jaggery production for
two generations.
S. Sivakumar (42), a sugarcane farmer of Kavasambattu, told this correspondent
that while there about 40 sugarcane farmers in the village, none of them supply
cane to sugar mills for the last several years owing to the problems such as
delayed payments and un-remunerative price. Our family has been engaged in
jaggery production from my fathers period. My grandfather was supplying to the
mills, but for the last two generations, we are engaged in production of jaggery
which is profitable, he said.
Mr. Sivakumar said that the farmers of this village produce jaggery not only from
the sugarcane from their own fields, but also from those procured from
Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai and Kallakurichi. We produce about 200 kg of
jaggery per day. The cauldron that I have can produce 50 kg of jaggery at a time.
I boil the sugarcane four times a day to obtain 200 kg, he said. Depending on
the availability of sugarcane, he produces about 1.5 tonnes to two tonnes of
jaggery per week and sells it to the wholesale jaggery mundy in Vellore.

Quite a few of the farmers, such as Ravi, have joined as workers in the jaggery
units of their fellow farmers in the village owing to the decline in agriculture on
account of water scarcity. Workers get low wages compared to the toil in the
jaggery unit. I sweat it out from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily in the jaggery unit, mixing
the simmering hot sugarcane juice in the cauldron and later making jaggery
balls, but I get only Rs.200 per day, said Venkatesan, a worker. But, he does not
complain since he knows that the farmer did not get a steady price. The price of
jaggery in the Vellore market declined from Rs.420 per 10 kg last week to Rs.350
today, he said.
R. Velmurugan, a farmer of Kavasambattu, said though he produces jaggery in
his unit, he does not sell it in the wholesale market, but sells the excess jaggery
to fellow farmers in his village and in the retail outlet run by his wife a
functionary of a womens self-help groupMr. Velmurugan, who is also the
secretary (development) of the Vellore unit of Tamil Nadu Science Forum, said
the government should encourage farmers to tap solar energy or use biogas for
burning the cauldron in order to make the process eco-friendly.
Agri extension scheme launched in Dindigul district
It will double crop production and triple farmers income
Farmers-oriented Integrated Agricultural Extension System will help farmers
double their crop production and triple their income and also bring the latest
technologies regularly to their doorstep, according to Collector T.N. Hariharan.
Launching the system at Periyakottai village near here on Wednesday, he said 70
Assistant Agriculture Officers (AAO) would have closer interaction with farmers in
all the 308 village panchayats in the district.
Service area of each Agriculture Officer (AO) was divided into eight circles. The
AOs would spend the whole day in each circle in his area once in a fortnight. With
the fixed schedule, farmers could expect the AOs on the specific day. The
officials visit would repeat in the same cycle in the third and the fourth weeks of
the month.
An interaction centre was established in all the eight circles.
The AOs would form crop-based clusters, each comprising 20 to 25 farmers, at
each village. The main objective of the scheme was to improve extension and
delivery systems, he added.
The new system would serve two purposes: encourage the farmers to adopt
improved agricultural technologies which were relevant to their resources and
skills; and enable extension staff and, through them, researchers to get
acquainted with farm conditions and problems on a regular basis so that they
could improve research relevant to the farmers actual needs and recommend
solutions, he added.

Joint Director of Agriculture D. Sampath Kumar said designated AAOs would

provide inputs during morning field visits. They would stay at the interaction
centres in the evening to meet the requirements of the farming community.
If necessary, the AAOs could also rope in researchers for an immediate
investigation of farmers problems and provide solution to them, he noted.
The scheme was launched in Theni on Monday.
GCDA draws praise for its green thumb
The agencys example could be emulated across the State, says M. Leelavathy
The Greater Cochin Development Authority received an eminent admirer on
Tuesday whose words of praise the civic agency and its Chairman N. Venugopal
could be proud of.
Inaugurating the winter vegetable harvesting held on the GCDA premises,
literary critic M. Leelavathy praised the agencys farming initiative as a culture
worth emulating across the State.
Panchayats should draw up projects to launch farming in fallow land. This will
help unemployed youth to find jobs and will give all of us pesticide-free
vegetables. It will also help landowners make an earning by leasing out their
land, she observed. The GCDA had grown cabbage and cauliflower on its limited
space available in its office campus, which was harvested on Tuesday.
Ms. Leelavathy said that it sent across a message to work on what little land left
available for farming. Such initiatives alongside all offices would help spread so
much happiness. It will put an end to the consumerist culture of depending on
other States during festival seasons like Onam, she said.
Writer K.L. Mohana Varma said that in the fight between food and medicines,
such farming initiatives would tilt the balance in favour of food.
Farming is nothing new to the GCDA as it was the fourth such harvesting event
being celebrated by the agency. The agency had successfully cultivated paddy,
cucumber, besides cabbage and cauliflower over the last one year. The GCDA is
now all set to harvest papaya with 50-odd papayas getting ripe on its campus.
GCDA employees Rajeevan, Salila, and Sindhu who were behind the agencys
farming initiatives were honoured at the function. Hibi Eden, MLA, and Opposition
Leader in Kochi Corporation K.J. Jacob were among those present on the
occasion.
Lakshadweep coconut farmers fail to cash in on organic tag
Coconut farmers unable to fetch premium price for produce
The land of Lakshadweep islands has received organic certification but the
farmers are unable to realise a premium for the farm produce there. Coconut

farming is the mainstay on the islands, but neither nuts nor copra fetch a
premium, falsifying the belief that organic farming will bring fortune to the
farmers.
The land belonging to the nine islands of Lakshadweep had been certified
organic by the Aluva-based international organic certifying agency Indocert.
Chemical imports have been banned by the government there and the coconut
palms are grown under natural surroundings, Sudip C. Nair, Inspection
Coordinator, Indocert, told The Hindu . The organic certification, accorded last
year, is valid for one year and will have to be renewed later this year, he said.
Organic produce gets a higher price in markets across the world, but the
Lakshadweep farmer is far from realising it, exposing the chinks in the armour of
the arketing system.
Production facility
Lakshadweep can benefit much from marketing organic products such as
desiccated coconut and coconut milk, but that would require separate organic
certification. Though the Lakshadweep Development Corporation has a
production facility on the islands for making such products on a small scale,
there is no separate organic certification for them. Farming in the Union Territory
is eligible for aid under several government schemes, but there is clear lack of
proper follow-up as the officials are transferred from island to island even before
schemes get implemented, he pointed out.
No special price structure has been quoted for the organic copra by the market
administrators, says Ahmed Koya, Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies,
Lakshadweep, who is currently on deputation as Secretary of the Federation, in
Kozhikode. It is for the government to float a base price for a new category called
organic copra, he says. The federation aims to sell 3,500 tonnes of organic copra
in Kerala for the six-month period ending May this year. The copra will be
distributed from Beypore and Mangaluru.
Coconut is the only major crop on the islands, with a production of 553 lakh nuts
a year. The area under cultivation exceeds 2,600 hectares, according to the data
available from the government. There is high productivity of over 20,000 nuts a
hectare on the island, with an average yield from a palm per year put at 80 plus.
Farmers unable to realise a premium for their produce.
Cashew workers to get gratuity tomorrow
: Gratuity for cashew workers who retired from service from factories managed
by the cooperative sector Kerala State Cashew Workers Apex Industrial
Cooperative Society (Capex) will be distributed on January 8 by Labour Minister
Shibu Baby John at a function at the Eravipuram factory of Capex.
Capex chairman Philip K. Thomas and managing director R. Jayachandran said
the gratuity dues had been pending since long.

They said 10 factories were managed by Capex. Seven of these factories were in
Kollam district, two in Alappuzha district and one in Thiruvananthapuram.
Special Correspondent
Bt cotton not to blame for farm distress: scientists
Mondays ISC session on GM crops didnt have a single critical paper
Farmer suicides in Maharashtras Vidarbha area and other parts of the country
have nothing to do with Bt cotton, scientists said at the Indian Science Congress
here on Monday.
There is a lot of negative public perception about Bt crops Even a paper
inNature says linking these two [Bt. Cotton and farmer suicides] is our
imagination, said Dr. Anupam Verma, INSA [Indian National Science Academy]
Senior Scientist at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, speaking on GM
crops use of modern technology in agriculture.
Some scientists said there were interesting research prospects in the field of
biotechnology. We could be extracting oil from leaves, instead of seeds. Imagine
what it would mean for us, when our government is spending over Rs. 60,000
crore on oil import, Dr. Deepak Pental, former Vice-Chancellor of the Delhi
University, said. We can produce oil indigenously if we use Bt. But
unfortunately, it is caught up in a debate taken up by the Left and now supported
by the neo-right. Dr. Pental is an award-winning genetic scientist who has been
credited with major breakthroughs in hybrid seed science.
In the recent past, there had been a sharp increase in the acreage of GM crops in
the country, and over 90 per cent of the cotton cultivated was GM crop,
scientists said. They refuted arguments about monopolisation and said there
were over 1000 Bt Cotton hybrids available in the country. Dr. Verma referred to
Project Sunshine in Gujarat and explained how Bt Cotton had powered the growth
in agriculture in Gujarat. He said GM Maize had taken nutrition to Adivasi
farmers.
The session, attended by over 100 delegates, including students, farmers and
scientists, didnt have a single critical or dissenting paper on GM crops.
The scientists called for a clear policy decision by the Central government on
genetically modified crops. Some scientists questioned the need for stringent
regulations. The need of the hour was more of confined field trials. How will
there be trust among the people if there is not enough data for analysis? asked
renowned scientist and Padma Bhushan awardee R. Paroda.
Scientists said the ambiguous policy relating to GM crops had caused
disillusionment, and it was keeping young researchers from venturing into the
field.
Heated debate

A debate ensued after a journalist questioned the basis for selection of scientists
to present the papers. He wondered why there was not a single critical voice. He
claimed scientists were fudging data and not giving out clear information about
the adverse impact of GM crops. He accused them of fear-mongering about food
insecurity.
But while one scientist answered some of the questions, a few others called the
journalist neo-leftist and claimed there was no scientific basis for his
arguments. We have created a gene bank with over four lakh samples. It has
been acknowledged as one of the best biodiversity programmes in the world. We
have understood the need of our farmers and have helped them flourish. We
have doubled cotton production and have reduced the load of pesticides. We are
now exporting cotton worth $3 billion. But it is people like you who have created
policy paralysis, Mr. Paroda told the journalist.
He later acknowledged that there was a need for post-release monitoring
system.
Alternative route
Dr. Pental said a country had to make choices and take an alternative course of
action if it did not want genetically modified crops. We should go ahead and say
we dont want to research in the field of GM technology. In that case, we have to
invest in alternatives.
For example, Europe is investing hugely in new generation pesticides. But we
are still using old pesticides, he said.
Keywords: Indian
Science
cotton, farm distress

Congress

Maharashtra

farmers

suicides, Bt

Mysuru hospital goes organic

Ragi, paddy and vegetables raised with vermi-compost
In a bid to safeguard patients from consuming carcinogenic elements in
chemical-laden foods, a city-based private hospital has opted to cultivate its own
organic foods.
Bharath Hospital and Institute of Oncology will cater to its inpatients nutritional
requirements out of an organic farm set up on its Hebbal campus premises.
The farming methods had been meticulously devised with focus on use of
vermicompost, which involves the production of organic manure by using earth
worms to decompose a mixture of natural manure and dry leaves, said K.P.
Shivaprasad, general manager (patient relations).
We have 10 acres of land out of which we use 5 to 6 acres for cultivation at
Hebbal campus and it is supplemented by food grown on our land near the
Krishna Raja Sagara dam, he said.

The hospital grows a variety of chillies, brinjals, ladys fingers, pigeon peas,
beetroot, carrot, radish, field beans, capsicums, snake gourds, ridge gourds,
bitter gourds, bottle gourds and coconut among other produce.
Besides, the hospital campus has mango, jack fruit, papaya, gooseberry and
chikoo trees while its teak, cherry and neem trees attract birds to shore up the
campus ambience. But the key organic produce is staple foods such as ragi and
paddy, according to Mr. Shivaprasad.
Lunch, breakfast and dinner are prepared for the hospital patients under the
directions of certified dieticians. The produce is enough to meet the meal
requirements of about 120 to 150 people, including 60 to 80 patients and their
attendants. Attention to diet helped patients to control diabetes and prevent
heart ailments, hospital authorities said.
Keywords: organic foods, Bharath Hospital
Agricultural marketing will be revamped: Poonam Malakondaiah
Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Poonam Malakondaiah said that the Telangana
government plans to bring about total changes in the present marketing system
to address the problems being faced by farmers at market yards.
Talking to reporters after a surprise visit to the agriculture market yard here on
Saturday, she said that steps were afoot to make the market yard here as a
model yard. The vegetable market will also be shifted to the agriculture market
yard and all necessary facilities for farmers, traders and customers will be
provided soon, she added.
To benefit farmers we are trying to set up machinery to process the wet
turmeric at yards. We will also ensure good coordination between farmers and
traders. To create awareness among farmers on the schemes and policies
relating to farm sector campaign would be carried out through CCTVs and public
address system besides printing posters, she said.
Ms. Malakondaiah said that authorities were asked to appoint supervisors at each
shed to get to know the problems of farmers and also solve them immediately.
She also said that toll free call centre would also be set up to record problems
received from farmers. It was decided to supply rice, pulses and other
commodities to Anganwadi centres through the Civil Supplies Department, she
said. Earlier, she went round rice godowns, grain stocks, paddy and turmeric
trading sheds, observed weighing machines and interacted with farmers. She
also inspected sanitation, drainage system, toilets and other infrastructure on
the yard.
Women and Child Welfare Director Amrapali Kata, District Collector D. Ronald
Ross, Additional Director, Marketing, Lakshmi Bai, Deputy Director V. Yellaiah and
Joint Director, Agriculture, K. Narsimha accompanied her.
Madurai will get hi-tech urology equipment

To upscale latest facilities for patients in south: Prathap C. Reddy

The Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group Prathap C. Reddy said that top class
medical equipment needed in the field of urology will be provided for Madurai to
upscale the latest treatment facilities available for patients in southern districts.
He told the medical fraternity and patients that Apollos desire is to give the best
of facilities in urology and andrology in Madurai region because of a commitment
to have state-of-the-art healthcare across smaller cities and towns.
Today with pride we can say that the outcome of our treatment is better. In the
last three decades, our hospital has made a significant impact on the way
healthcare was provided in our country he said in a recorded speech at the
inauguration of Apollo First Med Hospitals at K.K.Nagar here on Saturday.
Stating that availability of medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment is of
paramount importance, Dr. Reddy assured that the Apollo Group will be ready to
give robotic urology facility also for Madurai as and when the doctors asked for it.
Inaugurating the new hospital, 85-year-old Dr. C. Chinnaswami, chief urologist,
Madras Institute of Urology and Vijaya Hospital, Chennai, said that urology as a
specialisation branch should be started from MBBS level itself.
Explaining the new urology hospital of Apollo Group, T.R. Murali, Director and
Senior Consultant, said that it covered all sub-specialities in urology and had
good facilities for stone pain and complications.
It is also an exclusive centre for andrological problems.
B. Prem Kumar, senior vice-president (medical), Apollo Hospitals Group, Chennai,
and Rohini Sridhar, Director of Medical Services, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, said
that Madurais doctors are matching high standards and they are being
recognised, discussed and awarded at national and international levels.
Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa, Velammal Group chairman M.V. Muthuramalingam
and P. Namperumalsamy of Aravind Eye Hospital were among those present.
HC quashes suspension of agriculture officer
The Madras High Court Bench here has quashed an order passed by the
Agriculture Secretary, suspending from service an Assistant Director of
Agriculture accused of misappropriating Rs.1.33 crore by selling away urea and
Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), subsidised fertilizers meant for farmers, at
commercial rates to various industries.
Justice T. Raja set aside the suspension order on the ground that the
had, in another case filed by petitioner B. Meenakshi Sundaram,
charge sheet filed against him under Sections 406 (criminal breach
public servant), 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of
Penal Code for want of evidence.

High Court
quashed a
of trust by
the Indian

He pointed out that the State had preferred an appeal before the Supreme Court
challenging the quashing of the charge sheet but it was yet to be listed for
hearing.
Further, though the offence had come to light way back in 2011 and the official
was suspended immediately, the department had not issued a charge memo till
date for initiating disciplinary proceedings against him.
Therefore, the impugned order of suspension passed against the petitioner has
to necessarily fall to the ground. Admittedly, the criminal case (which was cited
as a reason for the passing of the suspension order) registered against the
petitioner is no longer in existence and till date no departmental proceedings
had been initiated against the petitioner, the Judge added.
He agreed with petitioners counsel K.P.S. Palanivelrajan that his client was also
entitled to other benefits, including promotion, since he had been exonerated
honourably by the High Court from all charges and rejected the objection raised
by Additional Government Pleader (AGP) T.S. Mohammed Mohideen who relied
upon the appeal filed in the apex court.
According to the AGP, the petitioner was serving as an Assistant Director (Quality
Control) in the office of Joint Director of Agriculture in Tiruchi when the alleged
offence took place.
Then, he had reportedly passed orders, without any authority, to supply several
tonnes of urea and DAP worth Rs.2.41 crore to different institutions and thereby
misappropriated Rs.1.33 crore.
Untimely rains hit Medak farmers
Untimely rains hit Medak district on Saturday.
From the wee hours onwards, the sky suddenly became cloudy and rain started
pouring.
It continued for about an hour leaving some damages at several places in the
district.
Maize and paddy stocked at Gajwel market yard soaked in the rain water forcing
the farmers to cry for help.
Poultry farms collapsed
Poultry farms were collapsed at Wargal and Veldurthi mandals and it was
reported that about 7,000 chicks were killed due to collapse of poultry sheds.
Farmers' plea
On the other hand, the farmers urged the traders to purchase soaked paddy and
maize stating that they were not responsible for produce being stuck in the rain,
but of no use.
Advantage for rabi cultivators

B. Hukyanaik, Joint Director, Agriculture, said that the rains give relief for farmers
cultivating rabi crop.
While the Sangareddy and Siddipet areas registered heavy rains, the Medak
division registered normal rain.
Some relief
Karimnagar Special Correspondent adds: Sudden rains in various parts of
the district had bought much sought-after relief to the farming community, who
were reeling under acute drought conditions, on Saturday.
Incessant rains lashed from morning to afternoon oon Saturday in Karimnagar,
Vemulawada temple town, Manthani, Sircilla, Gambhiraopeta, Chandurthi,
Yellareddypet, Dharmapuri, Velgatoor and other parts of the district.
Stored paddy damaged
In Karimnagar , several low lying areas were inundated with the flood waters.
The rains had forced the people to remain indoors for a long time.
However, the rains damaged the paddy crop which was stored in various IKP
procurement centres in the Manthani Revenue Division.
Turmeric shines in New Year glow

Turmeric cultivators have approached the New Year with happiness and a sense
of optimism over the positive signs in the market conditions.

In Erode district where finger and root varieties are traded, the price for a quintal
has breached the Rs. 9,000 mark, and cultivators expect the trend to improve
further, in view of a combination of factors that includes reduction in production
area in the region, and the declined output in other States.
A few months back, the procurement was made at 30 per cent to 40 per cent
lesser than the prevailing prices at the four auction centres in the district
operated by the Erode Turmeric Merchants Association; Regulated Marketing
Committee; and Erode and Gobichettipalayam Cooperative Marketing Societies.
The price is indeed favourable. But, in the long-term, we would prefer fixation of
procurement cost on the basis of Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Committee
recommendation: cost of production plus 50 per cent, said P.K. Deivasigamani,
president of Turmeric Farmers' Association of India.
Turmeric cultivators have made their preference known for the integrated
complex at Karumandichellipalayam constructed by the Regulated Marketing
Committee.
The long-pending demand of the cultivators for auction under a single roof was
highlighted at the farmers' grievance meet chaired by the District Collector S.
Prabakar last week.
Farmers associations have moved the High Court for such a facility with a plea
that cultivators are facing losses because of turmeric auction at four places in
the district.
Private auction centres do not augur well for the welfare of turmeric cultivators,
Mr. Deivasigamani said.
The desire of the farmers is that the integrated turmeric complex created by the
State Government at Karumandichellipalayam near
Perundurai at an investment of Rs. 19 crore must be given a functional status at
the earliest.
The demand for the facility has been pending for the last 15 years.
The proposal made initially for such a market in Perundurai SIPCOT complex in
1999 did not materialise.
The present government pursued the issue in right earnest and expedited
clearances for construction of the integrated market complex at
Karumandisellipalayam with state-of-art facilities.
Agricultural college develops new cluster beans variety
It will be formally released in Coimbatore on January 6
A new variety of cluster beans, which is rich in fibre and vegetable protein, has
been developed by the Agricultural College and Research Institute (ACRI) here.

The new variety, MDU-1, will be formally released in Coimbatore on January 6

after clearance from the State Variety Release Committee.
V. Swaminathan, Head, Department of Horticulture, said the new variety was a
result of five years of intensive research and field trials.
Fibre-rich
Fibre-rich food is recommended for people these days to fight cancer. Our
variety takes care of that aspect and, moreover, it has vegetable protein which
will not block the coronary blood vessels. Animal protein is risky for blood vessels
since the chances of development of blocks are more, he told The Hindu here on
Wednesday.
Dr Swaminathan said that the ACRI had made arrangements with two seed
companies to undertake mass production of cluster bean seeds for distribution to
farmers. Locally, the production had already started to popularise MDU-1 among
the horticultural community.
This will be the seventh variety release by our department. Earlier, we had
developed new varieties of brinjal, snakegourd, bittergourd and onion, he
added.
To tap solar energy
ACRI Dean C. Chinnusamy said that a decision had been taken to tap solar
energy in a big way to meet the power requirements of the campus.
A proposal for Rs 1.56 crore to set up a solar plant and solar panels had been
submitted to the State government for approval.
We want to make the ACRI a green energy institution. We can use solar energy
for our offices, departments, research labs and water pumping requirements on
the campus, he added.
Address farm crisis, Mani urges Modi
Finance Minister K.M. Mani has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address
the sliding price of agricultural produce that has created a crisis for farmers in
the State.
In a New Year message to Mr. Modi, he said the high hopes of the people at the
time of the NDA governments assumption of office had given way to concerns.
He urged the Centre to review the rubber import policy and take steps to
improve the farm sector.
Mr. Mani said the governments decision to develop only the airports in six metro
cities as international hubs had also led to apprehensions about the Centres
commitment to the development of a State like Kerala with a large number of
expatriates and tourists. Expressing concern about the rise in religious

fundamentalism, he urged Mr. Modi to follow the example of his predecessor A.B.
Vajpayee.
Mr. Mani hoped the Prime Minister would transcend regional and political
differences to bring happiness to everyone in the new year.
Organic farming in all Assembly segments

To
make State fully organic by 2016
The government has initiated efforts to promote organic farming in all Assembly
constituencies.
Minister for Agriculture K.P. Mohanan said here on Thursday that the initiative
was designed to encourage farmers to switch over to organic methods of
cultivation, under a project to convert Kerala into a fully organic State by 2016.
Kasaragod district had already switched over to organic farming in the pilot
phase of the project.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting to review the performance of
public sector undertakings, Mr. Mohanan said the agriculture sector in the State
had registered a Gross State Domestic Product growth of 5.26 per cent over the
last year. The production of paddy went up to 5.376 lakh tonnes though the
acreage of 2.148 hectares showed little increase. The productivity of other crops
such as coconut, cassava, mango, pineapple and other fruits and spices,
including pepper, ginger, and turmeric, also registered an impressive growth. The
domestic vegetable production had gone up to 11.9 metric tonnes.
The Minister said efforts were on to procure vegetables from farmers through
Krishi Bhavans and market them through outlets of Horticorp and Vegetable and

Fruit Promotion Council Keralam. Simultaneously, Kerala Agricultural University

and the Agriculture Department were involved in a drive to promote processing
of agricultural products under the Safe to Eat brand.
Vending machines
The government, he said, was planning to install vending machines in every
panchayat to dispense neera, vegetable seeds and products manufactured by
Kerafed. The project would be implemented by the departments of Agriculture
and Panchayats. The daily production of neera was expected to go up to 20,000
litres by February with the commissioning of new plants by the Coconut
Development Corporation at Aralam and Elathur and the KAU campuses at
Vellanikara and Vellayani.
Mr. Mohanan said Kerala was expected to become self-sufficient in milk
production in another three years. By that time, we will have added 6,00,000
milch cows to the domestic bovine population, raising the milk production
potential to 60 lakh litres.
Officials from 20 public sector units participated in the review.
Farmers begin indefinite dharna
hey are seeking timely completion of Varahi project
Farmers from Siddapura and neighbouring villages, under the banner of Udupi
Zilla Raitha Sangha, began an indefinite relay dharna to protest against the delay
in implementation of the Varahi Irrigation Project in front of the office of the Chief
Engineer of the project here on Thursday.
They said they would continue their dharna until the elected representatives or
the officials of the project assure them that the project would be completed
within a limited timeframe. Besides farmers, representatives of all political
parties participated in the dharna.
Addressing protesters, Pratapchandra Shetty, MLC, said that neither the Ministers
nor the officials were interested in completing the project. While Major and
Medium Irrigation Minister M.B. Patil had assured that the work on the project
would be complete by June 15 and Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar
Sorake had promised that it would be completed by the end of the year.
Both these deadlines had passed and the work was nowhere nearing completion.
We have waited for 35 years. We cannot wait any longer. Ministers and officials
can no longer take us for granted, Mr. Shetty said.
Though there was provision for Extra Financial Implementation in the project, it
was meant to be used only for urgent works. But this provision has been
misused by the officials. There are lot of irregularities in the project, he said.

The project was expected to provide irrigation facilities to 33 villages in Kundapur

taluk and 33 villages in Udupi taluk. The length of the Varahi Right Bank Canal
was 42.37 km, but land acquisition had taken place just for a 24 km-long canal.
For the Left Bank Canal, 44.35 km-long, land acquisition had been done just for
30 km.
The government had appointed almost all engineers who were nearing
retirement. These engineers could hardly be expected to take interest in the
project or expediting it. Whenever any query was asked about the project under
the Right to Information (RTI) Act, evasive replies are given, Mr. Shetty said.
R. Nataraju, Chief Engineer In-charge of the project, said the design of the project
had changed several times, which caused the delay. There were four stretches
each in both Right Bank and Left Bank canals where land acquisition works had
not been completed. In some places, the soil was loose. But we will try to
release water in the canals by the end of March, he said.
Recent technologies to augment sheep production discussed
60 farmers from Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts attended the programme
The Veterinary College and Research Institute, Ramayanpatti, Tirunelveli,
organised a farmers meet and seminar on Recent technologies to augment
sheep production on Tuesday.
The programme, organised under the TANUVAS Corpus Fund Project, was
attended by 60 farmers from Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts. Lectures on sheep
breeds, conservation, feeding, prevention and control of diseases etc. were
delivered. S. Thilagar, Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal
Sciences University, Chennai, in his valedictory address, highlighted the
importance of commercial approach to sheep production for enhanced profit in
the sheep farming business. He also advised the participants to organise sheep
farmers association to avail better credits and marketing opportunities.
The Vice-Chancellor visited departments of the college and interacted with staff
and students.
Kanak Kaich bamboo
Where can I contact for Kanak Kaich bamboo seedlings for planting in my two
acres?
S. Deepa
New Delhi
The government of Tripura under the Tripura Bamboo Mission is helping small
and marginal farmers to grow a bamboo variety called kanak-kaich and also
markets their produce, thus helping them get some better income. For more
Information interested farmers can contact Dr. Ram Narayan Pandey, Program

Manager, Tripura Bamboo Mission, 1st Floor, Dasgupta Villa, North Side of
Governor
House,
Kunjaban,
Agartala
799
006.
Tripura,
email:
ram.fri80@gmail.com and ram.pandey@ilfsindia and mobile:0943698207
An engineering graduate turns into a successful entrepreneur

PROTRAYS: The cost of one tray is Rs. 180 and has 72 saplings in it.

PROTRAYS: The cost of one tray is Rs. 180 and has 72 saplings in it.
TOPICS
Agriculture
science and technology
agricultural research and technology
Vagaries of the monsoon have forced a number of farmers growing traditional
crops to seek viable alternatives.
Trees such as teak and casuarina are becoming popular since once planted, the
trees require little attention and water and their wood fetches a good price in the
market.
Casuarina is called Savukku maram in Tamil, Sarugudu in Telugu, Surve mara in
Kannada and Jangli saru in Hindi.
A young engineering graduate, P. Sakthivel, from Vegakollai in Cuddalore district,
Tamil Nadu, is proving how this tree variety is able to fetch good income for him.
Presently his monthly income is Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh.
Different thinking
Mr. Sakthivels father is also a farmer and was concentrating on his nursery
business, growing flowering plants. But Mr. Sakthivel (21 years) who is presently
studying for a Masters in Electronics and Communication thought differently.

I wanted to be my own boss and did not have the mindset to work under
anybody. I realised that in agriculture both mind and body work equally during
field work. And I can give employment to some rural people, he says.
He was not interested in growing shade trees but some tree, which could
generate very good income.
I learnt, after a lot of searching, that Junghuhniana Casuarina variety can
generate good income and started producing the seedlings in my nursery, says
Sakthivel. About 35 women and 15 men work in his nursery and more than 50
workers are engaged in indirect supply of inputs like sand and fertilizer needed
for his farm.
The wood of this casuarina variety has a good demand in the market for making
paper, ropes, and mirror frames. It is ideal for growing in dry lands and rain-fed
areas.
Height
It has long tapered roots, which penetrate deep into the soil. The tree reaches a
height of 30-40 feet in 3-4 years of planting. The trunk of a full-grown tree
measures about 40cm in girth.
For propagating the seedlings, stems are selected from one year old trees and
are dipped in a root inducing hormone solution for two minutes and planted in
protrays kept under shade net for 50 days and then sold. The cost of one tray is
Rs. 180 and has about 72 saplings in it
There is very low risk factor in this type of cultivation. Hence it is always
profitable to take this up as a profession. Farmers should bear in mind that the
ideal time for planting the saplings is during April-May in Tamil Nadu, says Mr. N.
Madhu Balan, Horticulture expert in Dharmapuri.
Any soil
The tree can be grown in any soil type and requires very little water. About 3,570
saplings are required for a hectare. Before planting it is advisable to plough the
land well after applying farmyard manure. The saplings are to be planted either
in straight lines or in triangles at a four feet intervals.
Weeding should be done once a week for the first three months and thereafter
once a month.
Fertilizer application of about 100 kg of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and 50kg
of urea must be done on the sixth and twelfth months after planting. Compared
to other crops the return from this variety is very high.
A farmer needs to spend about Rs. 35,000 towards cost of saplings, fertilizer
and transport. One tonne of wood is priced at Rs. 7,500 in the market and
farmers can earn about Rs. 4 lakh from one hectare in 4-5 years, says Mr.
Sakthivel.

Several industries
There are number of paper industries in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh seeking raw material for their mills and hence the distributors
immediately come and register with the farmers growing this wood, according to
Mr. Madhu.
Moreover the straight woods of this tree have good scope in building houses
which fetch more rate than the paper mills.
Marketing
Mr. Sakthivel uses the facebook as a major marketing channel for his product.
His facebook page santhinurseryplants has several hundreds of farmers from
Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra as customers.
I have been able to make this venture a success balancing both my study and
business. My future plan is to try the same in tissue culture banana, says Mr.
Sakthivel with a smile.
Interested farmers can contact Mr. P. Sakthivel at Santhi nursery, Vegakollai post,
Panruti Taluk, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu; phone: 9159705868 and mobile:
887021973 and Mr. N.Madhu Balan, horticulture specialist and admin of
Vivasayam karkalam face book group, mobile: 9751506521, Dharmapuri.
Keywords: Casuarina, Savukku maram, P. Sakthivel, nursery, saplings