Worm threats Jasmine cultivation in Tamilnadu

Tamil Nadu is a leading producer of jasmine in the country. Major jasmine growing districts in Southern Tamil Nadu are Madurai, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Ramanathapuram.

It is an ideal crop for small and marginal farmers, but insect pest bud worm attack poses a threat to jasmine cultivation.

 

Nature of damage

The larva bore into closed immature buds and feed on the inner floral structures during initial stage.

They come out through a small hole made in the buds for attacking another bud in the same shoot. In case of severe infestation, the larva makes a web like pattern among the adjacent buds and feed on petals.

Infested flowers

Infested flowers turn pale red in colour and they fall off from the plant. One larva attacks 2-3 buds in its life span.

The female moth lay the eggs singly on the unopened buds, calyx and bud stalk etc. Newly emerged larva is creamy yellow in colour whereas grown up caterpillar is greenish with pale body hairs and black head. Pupation takes place in soil and sometimes within the web also.

Adult is a small white moth with wavy lines on its wings and black colour patches on the wing margin.

Pest management

Collect and destroy infested flowers along with larvae at least once in a week.

Proper pruning and hygienic maintenance of the bushes helps to minimize the pest incidence.

Set up light trap to attract and kill the adult moths.

Spraying of neem seed kernal extract (NSKE) at 5 per cent level is found effective.

Spray any one of the follwing insecticides for controlling the pest viz., monocrotophos 36 SL at 2 ml or profenofos 50 EC at 1 ml or thiacloprid 240 SC at 1 ml per litre of water to check the pest population to minimize the economic loss.

(Dr. J. Ramkumar and Dr. R. Durai Singh, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Ramanathapuram - 623 503, E.mail: arsramnad@tnau.ac.in, Ph. No: 04567-230250)

via http://tinyurl.com/qeq8tna

Tanzania: Irrigation Doubles Rice Production in Moshi

DOWN in Mabogini ward in Lower Moshi is one success story of how irrigation agriculture can change a farmer's fortune. Local farmers have increased land under irrigation from less than 300 hectares to over 1600 hectares, a development that has seen their rice production double and topping in the country.

It has infact, doubled from 3 tonnes per hectare to an average of 6 tonnes per year, effectively making it the highest producer in the country.

Kilimanjaro region authorities reveal in their reports that successes of the Mabogini irrigation project,which supports 2900 farmers, has also scaled up competition for water from the sources among the demarcated farmers and those not under the project, a challenge which calls for serious organisation mechanism on how resources should be used.

The Mabogini paddy rice irrigation project, sources water from river Rau and river Mabogini from the Kilimanjaro mountain. The manager of the project, Eng Hatibu Jengo, said that with over 1600 hectares of land currently under irrigation for rice, the life of over 2900 households had changed for the better with examples of brick and iron sheet houses, building of four secondary school in the area, building seven primary schools in seven villages, two dispensaries, a clinic and more than one meal for families per day.

Kilimanjaro Agriculture Technical Centre (KAVTC) gets prototypes of some of the agricultural machinery from Japan and makes bigger machines that suit the local working conditions of famers. The equipment comes under grant money from Japan with experts who train through the Japan International Cooperation.

The KAVTC principal Adam Pyuza said the Kilimanjaro project has been trickling down to other parts of the country. The initiative is part of the commitments to scale up agricultural irrigation, under which Tanzania targets to boost annual rice production from the current 800,000 to two million tonnes by 2018.

According to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) expert Motonori Tomitaka, since the Tanrice training started, Kitivo irrigation scheme at Lushoto in Tanga has doubled paddy rice production from 2.9 tonnes in 2007 to 5.1 tonnes per hectare.

It had gone up from 2.1tonnes per hectare in 2007 to 3.4 tonnes per hectare under the Kiroka irrigation scheme in Morogoro. Paddy yields also went up from 3.6 tonnes per hectare in 2007 to 4.9 tonnes per hectare in 2009 under the Ilonga irrigation scheme in Kilosa.

The paddy yields have also gone up under Ruanda Majenje irrigation scheme in Mbeya from 2.4 tonnes per hectare in 2007 to 3.2 tonnes per hectare. Yields also went up from 3.2 tonnes per hectare in 2007 to 5.3 tonnes last year under the Sakalilo irrigation scheme in Sumbawanga.

The Titye irrigation scheme in Kigoma saw paddy yields increase from 2 tonnes per hectare in 2007 to 2 tonnes per hectare in 2009. There are currently 13 irrigation schemes under training in the 2009/2010 season and some 44 schemes will have got training by 2012.

Down in rural Tanzania, the project is part of the 2008 set Yokohama Action Plan under which Agriculture and Rural Development would be achieved through what they call Comprehensive "Glocal" (global and local) community development. It was planned based on the understanding that 70 per cent of the poor in Sub-Sahara Africa or 230 million live in rural areas, and increase in food production and agricultural productivity are critical for food security, poverty reduction and economic growth.

That while the agricultural sector can be a driving force for the African economy, the continuing increase in food, fertilizer and fuel prices has become ever more threatening to food security.

African countries have recognized the importance of the agricultural sector for development and are implementing NEPAD's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) that seeks to improve agricultural productivity to attain an average annual growth rate of 6 per cent by 2015.

As part of that agenda, African countries have committed, in accordance with the 2003 AU Maputo Declaration, to allocate at least 10% of national budgetary resources for agriculture and rural development within five years.

Support for agriculture under the TICAD process also includes attention to the environmental impact of agricultural activities, as well as the empowerment of women, who play a critical role in agriculture, and the encouragement of South-South cooperation including triangular cooperation.

Under the setting, actions to be taken in the next 5 years under the TICAD Process, since 2008, is to seek alignment with the CAADP agenda to:enhance capacity to increase food production and agricultural productivity, Improve access to markets and agricultural competitiveness and Support sustainable management of water resources and land use.

The idea, now turned into reality, was to provide assistance to expand agricultural research, extension and advisory services including for adaptation to climate change, development of new crop varieties and improvement of soil fertility and other farming technologies, and increase the number of agriculture professionals through support for agriculture- related education and training in a gender sensitive manner.

As it is being done through KAVTC, it was also to assist smallholders and farmers' organizations to adopt new technologies, expand agricultural land and the use of inputs and introduce appropriate machinery and equipment to raise productivity.

Increase rice production through developing capacities to adopt systematic crop management, and new methodologies including wider use of New Rice for Africa (NERICA), aiming at doubling the rice production in African countries in ten years.

At the national level, a new national irrigation policy, expected to raise crop production under irrigation, is currently at cabinet level and its approval is expected to raise agricultural land under irrigation from one per cent and subsequently scale up farmers' revenues.

A new government document reveals how the ministry will charter ways to increase agricultural revenue, noting that it would be part of the proposed target for the overall agricultural sector to grow by 5 per cent per year on an average over the 3-year period.

The sector employs 80 per cent of the labour force, contributes 26.7 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 30 per cent of foreign exchange. The government report, focusing on irrigation, states that various innovative and practical actions are included as part of its strategy such as a focus that agricultural productivity and profitability come first.

According to the Assistant Director of Irrigation, Research and Technology Promotion and the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Eng Amandus Lwena, the government has placed priority on interventions such as rehabilitation of existing traditional irrigation schemes, construction of water harvesting schemes, construction of new irrigation schemes, construction of small, medium and strategic large scale dams and promotion of low cost and affordable irrigation technologies.

"As it is through irrigation that high, stable yields can be obtained, conducting research in irrigation is also necessary to meet the proposed agricultural growth," he said. The blueprint goes on to note that the derivation from the National Irrigation Master Plan of 2002 have shown that Tanzania has 29.4 million hectares suitable for irrigation with different levels of development potentials.

In them, some 2.3 million hectares have high potential, 4.8 million hectares have medium potential and 22.3 million hectares have low potential. Viewing this huge potential for irrigation it is only 310,745 hectares equivalent to 1 per cent of the total potential area, which has been put under irrigation.

Irrespective of this small area, being put under irrigation, it has been demonstrated that the yield response to irrigation is almost 2 - 3 times as compared to rain fed, which gives an indication that human societies will continue to rely on areas under irrigation for food security bearing in mind the possible high scope of crop intensification.

As part of its National Policies and Strategies, the Development Vision 2025 envisages that the economy will have to be transformed from a low productivity agricultural economy to a semi-industrialized one led by modernized and high productive agricultural as well as industrial and service activities in rural and urban areas.

via http://allafrica.com/stories/201308260425.html?viewall=1

Eritrea: Farmers in Foro Sub-Zone Engage in Enhanced Rain-Fed Farming Endeavors With a View to Raising Harvest

Foro — Farmers in Foro sub-zone are engaged in enhanced rain-fed farming endeavors with a view to raising harvest on the basis of jointly cultivating around 4,000 hectare-wide area which is rich in alluvial deposits from rivers.

Reports indicated that the farmers have been provided with select seeds and tilling service, besides the fact that a new variety of sorghum is being introduced in the area which is mainly characterized with maize harvest.

Among the farmers, Mr. Ali Omar, Mr. Abdalla Mahmoud and Mr. Saleh Haj expressed conviction that the integrated efforts made in the process and the preparations made on the part of farmers would result in better outcome.

Indicating that the farmers demonstrated appreciable receptivity for the new instructions by experts, Mr. Tesfai Tewolde, head of the Agriculture Ministry's branch in the sub-zone, said that the ongoing venture is expected to result in double harvests, namely of sorghum and maize respectively.

via http://allafrica.com/stories/201308260769.html

1 million cockroaches flee China farm: report

BEIJING: At least one million cockroaches have escaped a farm in China where they were being bred for use in traditional medicine, a report said.

The cockroaches fled the facility in Dafeng, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, for surrounding cornfields earlier this month after an "unknown perpetrator" destroyed the plastic greenhouse where they were raised, the Modern Express newspaper said.

Disease control authorities have sent five investigators to the area to come up with a plan to stamp out the insects.

Farm owner Wang Pengsheng invested more than 100,000 yuan ($16,000) in 102 kilograms of Periplaneta americana eggs after spending six months developing a business plan, the report Friday said.

The cockroach is generally considered a pest, but believers in traditional Chinese medicine -- which uses both plants and animals, including endangered species -- say extracts from it can treat diseases including cancer, reduce inflammation and improve immunity.

By the time the greenhouse was damaged, more than 1.5 million cockroaches had hatched and were being fed food including "fruits and biscuits" every day, Wang was quoted as saying.

He had expected to make around 1,000 yuan profit for every kilogram of cockroaches sold, according to the report, but was now facing losses of hundreds of thousands of yuan. (AFP)

Source:  http://tinyurl.com/mka4tpq

Basmati exports from India seen at record on Iran demand

Shipments of basmati rice from India, the world's largest producer of the aromatic grain, may surge to a record as Iran pays a premium to secure supplies amid international trade sanctions, an industry group said, Bloomberg reported.

Sales may rise 10 percent to 3.8 million metric tons in the year that began on April 1 from a year earlier, said R.S. Seshadri, general secretary of the All India Rice Exporters Association.
Sales jumped 25 percent to 1.5 million tons in the four months through July from a year earlier, data from the association showed.

Export prices of the variety used in dishes including biryani and pilaf rallied 44 percent in the past year, potentially boosting earnings at shippers such as KRBL Ltd. (KRB), LT Foods Ltd. and Kohinoor Foods Ltd. (KFL) Farmers in the foothills of the Himalayas have increased planting as the crop fetches more than double the rate of traditional varieties, Seshadri said.

India also ships tea, sugar, steel and chemicals to Iran and bilateral trade between the two countries was $15.97 billion in 2011-2012, according to the Commerce Ministry.

"Prices rose because of demand from Iran, which has got India as a reliable supplier after the sanctions," Seshadri said in a phone interview yesterday. "Farmers have raised the area under basmati crop as they know that the returns will be higher than other cereal crops."

Traders contracted to export basmati rice to Iran at an average $1,659 a ton in July, data from the association showed. The average export price was $1,300 a ton for 2012-2013 crop compared with $900 a ton a year earlier, he said. Iran is India's biggest buyer of basmati rice.

Exporters registered to ship 602,000 tons to Iran between April and July this year, according to the data from the state-run Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, or Apeda. Contracts need to be registered with the authority before shipment.

Iran has been hit by financial and trade sanctions over its nuclear program that have curbed oil exports, restricted access to foreign currencies and weakened the rial.

The government provides U.S. dollars at a preferential rate to importers of some staple goods, including meat, cooking oil and sugar.

Exporters faced no difficulties in getting paid for shipments to Iran because of a government-to-government payment mechanism, Seshadri said.

India controls 65 percent of the overseas basmati rice market, while the only other producer Pakistan accounts for the rest, according to Apeda. Saudi Arabia and Iran are two major buyers of Indian basmati, while the U.S., Europe and Africa also purchase the grain.

"The companies in the rice export business will see higher profits if the situation continues the way it is," said Faiyaz Hudani, an associate vice president at Kotak Commodity Services Ltd. in Mumbai.
Shares of KRBL rose as much as 0.6 percent to 23.65 rupees, while Kohinoor Foods climbed 2.4 percent to 31.45 rupees and LT Foods (LTFO) increased as much as 4.5 percent to 73.85 rupees in Mumbai today.

A plunge in India's rupee to a record also boosted shipments, Vijay Setia, a former president of the exporters' group said in a phone interview. Sales may climb to as much as 4 million tons this year because of weak rupee, he said.

"Exporters have been benefiting since June because of the weak rupee and Indian exports have been growing at a faster rate," he said. "In future deals buyers may get a chance to renegotiate on prices depending the rupee."

The rupee tumbled about 16 percent in the past six months to on concern that capital outflow from emerging markets will increase as the U.S. prepares to pare stimulus.

Source:  http://tinyurl.com/m3zgnwm

Karnataka Government clears Rs.202 Crore dues of dairy farmers

The State government has released Rs 202 crore for clearing dues pertaining to payment of incentives to dairy farmers in the State.

Payment of incentives to dairy farmers was pending since January, this year. The government had increased the incentive from Rs 2 to Rs 4 per litre of milk from May.

Steps will be taken to disburse the amount to the farmers immediately, KMF Managing
Director S A Premnath said.

Besides, the Primary and Secondary Education department has agreed to take up the responsibility of transporting milk powder to all schools and the KMF will bear its cost. The department transports ration to all schools under mid-day meal scheme.

Milk powder will be transported on the same lines, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Ratnakara said.

Raise awareness about your e-agriculture projects, training and other initiatives globally

In addition to reaching the world's largest ICT for agriculture community right here on e-Agriculture, you can raise awareness of your work through larger ICT for development initiatives.

As part of the global, multi-stakeholder World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process, ITU leads the WSIS Stocktaking initiative.

Since 2005 regular reporting has been a key tool for monitoring the progress of ICT initiatives and projects worldwide and this role takes on even greater significance in the light of the WSIS+10 review process on the implementation of WSIS outcomes. www.wsis.org/stocktaking
WSIS Stocktaking process provides a register of activities carried out by governments, international organizations, the business sector, civil society and other entities. To this end, in accordance with §120 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society adopted by the Summit, ITU has been maintaining the WSIS Stocktaking Database as a publicly accessible system providing information on ICT-related initiatives and projects with reference to the 11 WSIS Action Lines (Geneva Plan of Action) and assisting with the WSIS Follow-up, beyond the conclusion of the Tunis phase of the Summit.

Over 6200 updated entries have been registered in the electronic database reflecting innovative activities including projects, programmes, WSIS thematic meetings, conferences, publications, training initiatives, guidelines and tool-kits. The new display of project information allows stakeholders to add value for WSIS related activities at the international level and foster partnerships among stakeholders.

The results of the previous call for update and new entries were presented in the fifth edition of the Report on WSIS Stocktaking reflecting more than 700 WSIS-related activities for the period May 2012-May 2013.

Now you have the opportunity to highlight your work to a global audience as part of the WSIS Stocktaking: 2013-2014 Call for Update and New Entries. Submitted activities will be reflected in the WSIS Stocktaking Report 2014, which will be officially launched during the WSIS+10 High-Level Event and submitted to the 17th Session of Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD).

All submissions and any associated documentation must be received by 1st December 2013.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/kwhtaza

Allow ‘desi’ technology to counter Monsanto, argues Biocon chief

Veteran biotechnologist Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw says the best way to counter transnational seed company Monsanto’s “monopoly” in India’s cotton seed sector is to allow competition to develop similar technologies, maintaining that activism against genetically modified (GM) crops is stifling the efforts of Indian firms.

Though a substantial level of the country’s cotton contains Monsanto’s technology, which is licensed to over 25 Indian seed companies, the Chairperson and Managing Director of biotech firm Biocon said the criticism that this will put India’s seed sovereignty in jeopardy is too far-fetched.

“The best way to counter such a monopoly is to allow competition to develop similar technologies,” she told PTI in Bangalore. “All this activism against GM crops is stifling the efforts of the Indian companies as well the public sector institutions to come up with competing technologies. The anti-GM activists may thus be helping the multinationals to hold on to their monopoly.”

On the Supreme Court-appointed technical experts committee (TEC) on GMOs (genetically modified organisms) recently recommending that there should not be any field trials of GM crops until gaps in the regulatory systems are addressed, Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw said the report has disregarded the enormous body of evidence attesting to the safety and benefits of GM crops.

According to her, one of the members (Dr. R S Paroda, former Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research), who was added to the committee in order to bring in someone with real expertise in agriculture, has not signed the report, and he has presented a separate report which in all likelihood is at significant variance with the former.

“It may also be noted that the members of the TEC who have signed the report have for a long time opposed the introduction of GM crops and therefore it is not at all surprising that they recommended the ban. If you have been following the story, this report has been roundly condemned, not just by scientists, but by several other stakeholders, including farmers,” Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw said.

She said “India’s regulatory system is well designed - the proof is that after over a decade of commercialisation of Bt cotton, there is not a single credible report of any harm to humans, animals or the environment.

“On the other hand, the benefits have been many; the production, productivity and farmer incomes have all gone up! The functioning of our regulatory system is being stifled by strident activism and misleading campaigns. Even our legal structures are being misused to this end...”

“... Well, this does not mean that there is no scope for further improving the present regulatory system. But for this you need not stop the trials. Do you think we should stop all construction work in the country because the building regulations need improvements?” she asked.

Asked about the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Jayanthi Natarajan expressing concern at field-testing of GM crops, she said: “If the minister has expressed such a concern, it is certainly unfounded.”

She also argued that the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) bill (which is yet to be tabled in Parliament) does effectively address some of the inadequacies of the present system.

It was prepared after wide-ranging consultations among all stakeholders including the public, Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw said.

However, it can be further refined and that should happen through discussions in various fora including the Parliament.

Demand for outright rejection of the bill based on mere canards is not in the interest of democratic functioning.

On Agriculture Ministry favouring GMOs, and Environment Ministry wanting to put field trials of GM crops in abeyance till the Parliament passes BRAI bill, she said: “The agricultural ministry is mandated to promote Indian agriculture and if they find GM crops to be a potent option to reach this end, what is wrong with it? ” The Environment and Forest Ministry is mandated to protect the environment and promote its sustained use for the welfare of countrymen, Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw said.

“There are many studies which have established that GM crops can reduce pesticide use and consequently increase the number of beneficial insects and other non-pest organisms, in addition to reducing human and animal exposure to noxious chemicals...”

“The claims that GM crops can harm biodiversity and the environment are mere propaganda and not supported by facts.

If we go by facts and hard data, the regulatory system should actually be a facilitator for the responsible introduction of technologies like GM crops, which can actually promote environmental sustainability,” Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw said.

She argued that field trials have to continue under the present system while the new regulatory bill is being discussed and passed. Field trials are essential to evaluate the safety and efficacy of any crop improvement technology.

“The time to pass a bill by our Parliament can range from months to many years! Development of new technologies that can potentially pull out our agriculture from the dire situation that it is in presently should not be delayed unnecessarily. As Pandit Nehru has said, “everything else can wait, but not agriculture,” Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw commented.

She disagreed with Ms. Jayanthi Natarajan’s reported statement that robust and proven fail safe scientific protocols to prevent damage from GM crops are yet to be developed in India, saying “We have a fairly good regulatory system and it should be allowed to function without being derailed by political interventions. Of course, it can and need to be continuously improved and strengthened.”

Asked if she thought the government must take an “extremely well calibrated and judicious approach” as the GM technology could impact millions of farmers and alter food supply chains permanently, she agreed that government should take a well calibrated and judicious approach.

“And that means, field trials should be continued and the regulatory system should be allowed to function in an unfettered manner. Improvements to the system should be continuous and based on actual facts and scientific principles,” Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw added. 

Source:  http://tinyurl.com/n8uu7v7

'Pomegranate is more profitable than orange'

NAGPUR: Vidarbha may be known as the California of India for producing world class quality orange for more than a century, but horticulture experts see pomegranate as another major potential crop for the region. They believe that not only the soil and weather here suit the fruit crop but also it can be much more rewarding for the farmers. But they cautioned that farmers who take this crop need to be extremely vigilant and hard working.

R K Pal, director, National Research Centre on Pomegranate (NRCP), Solapur, told TOI that Vidarbha farmers were averse to the crop due to many misconceptions. Farmers consider it as a water intensive and highly pest susceptible. "But they do not know that it is a crop of arid areas and does not require much water. It is, in fact, a more profitable crop than orange," he said.

Recently, he was in the city for a national citrus meet hosted by the National Research Centre for Citrus (NRCC).

In fact, six to seven years ago, farmers in western Maharashtra too were very apprehensive due the severe attack of 'Teliya', a bacterial disease, which brought NRCP to Solapur in 2005. Pal said that the fruit grows well in shallow or rocky soil if the farmer uses the right disease-free planting material from certified nurseries.

"It is best to grow tissue culture-based material. NRCP has also been producing planting material using the hard wood cutting. If a farmer follows the right practices it is a much hardy crop," said Pal.

His colleague Rajiv Marathe, who is a founder-member of the centre and a principal soil scientist, said there was a time when the regional university, Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV), too did not recommend the crop for Vidarbha. But with guidance from NRCP, farmers in Washim and Amravati districts are successfully growing it in about 2,500 acres. "If it requires even less water than ber then how can it be a water intensive crop? I am confident that in near future Vidarbha will become a hub of pomegranate," he said.

Elaborating on the medicinal value of the fruit, Pal said research has shown that the conjugated linolenic acid present in the fruit is a bioactive material. If taken for 15 days regularly, it can help in treating heart patients. But, instead of fresh fruit the seed decoction in lukewarm water of pomegranate works well on painful angina, coronary blocked arteries and cardiac ischemia, he said.

It also has anti-ageing properties and is being used in cosmetics. Soon people will realize that 'a pomegranate a day can keep a cardiologist away', he claimed.

Future plans of NRCP

Certain varieties in pipeline which can be selectively be used for making 'anardana'.

Work on for developing relatively tolerant varieties to bacterial diseases (but not completely resistant).

Standardizing the technology for use of hard wood cutting as the root stock for the plants.

Process for ready to serve or packed juice is on.

Centre working for developing diagnostic tools for easy identification of nutrient deficiencies.

Work on for scientific water management.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/mm7j5wt

President of India Inaugurated BGRI 2013 Technical Workshop

Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon’ble President of India inaugurated the 5th BGRI (Borlaug Global Rust Initiative) 2013 Technical Workshop at Vigyan Bhavan, here today. In his address, he underlined the contributions and services of Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug in making this country self-sufficient in food production.
Shri Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries, in his speech highlighted the importance of this event for India and global food security.
Ms. Jeanie Borlaug, Chair, BGRI and daughter of Dr Borlaug felicitated the President.
Dr Ronnie Coffman, Vice-Chair, BGRI and Director of International Programme at Cornell University welcomed the dignitaries, delegates and invitees.
Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR) and Shri Ashish Bahuguna, Seretary, Ministry of Agriculture also spoke on the occasion.
Dr. Swapan K. Dutta, DDG (ICAR) proposed vote of thanks.
The event is being organized in commemoration of Dr. Borlaug’s first visit to India in 1963. The technical workshop (19-22nd August, 2013) is being jointly organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and BGRI. Around 500 delegates from more than 50 countries are participating in the event.

(Source: NAIP Mass Media Project, DKMA, ICAR)  

Looking for a training solution for management and business skills needs in the Agricultural Sector?

The Association of African Business Schools Agribusiness Consortium (AAC),  the Ghana Institute of Management & Public Administration (GIMPA) and Lagos Business School have launched the Ghana and Nigeria editions of the Agribusiness Management Programme (AgMP).
This ground-breaking programme with an innovative and practical approach rooted in the agribusiness context helps you to develop the skills you need to become an effective Agribusiness Manager and take your organizations growth to the next level.
 PROGRAMME FEATURES

• Modules cover the entire Agribusiness Value Chain from Strategy rooted in an approach to provide strategic capabilities and tools and transform knowledge to performance
• Learn by Doing with Action Learning Projects – real life projects to solve problems or explore opportunities in the sector
• Engage with leading international and local facilitators in a learner centred approach that features case studies, simulations and group exercises
• Gain first hand insight from Industry Experts and Guest Speakers on a wide variety of topics
• Become part of a powerful network of Agri stakeholders across Africa and the world

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Company executives and project managers from : Development Organizations/NGOS, Agribusiness Companies, Policymakers/Government Agencies, Entrepreneurs,  Financial Institutions & Value Chain Players.

HOW TO APPLY
Download applications for Ghana from www.gimpa.edu.gh or www.aagri.net
Download applications for Nigeria from http://www.lbs.edu.ng/agribusiness-management-programme or www.aagri.net 
View attached flyers for more information.

agmp_ghana_flyer.pdf

agmp_nigeria_flyer.pdf

Country: 

GHA

Source: http://tinyurl.com/me657g2

Growing different crops to script a success story

Hard work, dedication and some innovative thinking to make use of available resources for getting maximum benefit are practised by few farmers.

Mr. Poornaand Venkatesh Bhat from Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka is an exception.

A contractor-turned-farmer by choice, he started cultivation in 21 acres but soon had to give it up since his land was bought by the Government to set up a naval base.

He invested the money he received from the Government in 19 acres of barren wasteland.

Through sheer hard work he transformed the barren land in a few years into a big arecanut, nutmeg and pepper based intercrop plantation.

Today almost all leading agricultural scientists and students across the country are visiting his farm to learn more on areacanut, pepper and nutmeg growing techniques.

“His contributions towards plantation crops in general and spices like nutmeg in particular are noteworthy. Majority of nutmeg plants during seedling stage are males though sporadically some female seedlings are also found. 

No technique

There is no other way to identify the sex of the nutmeg plant during seedling stage. It takes a minimum of five years after planting to know the gender of the plant.

But Mr. Bhat has succeeded in detecting the sex of the plant at seed stage and he intends to patent this process of sex detection,” says Dr. S.Prabhu Kumar, Zonal Project Director, ICAR, Bangalore.

 

For nutmeg varieties

He has also identified and developed four varieties of nutmeg and has about 2,500 nutmeg trees in his garden, which is considered to be the world’s largest nutmeg conservatory according to scientists from The Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode.

Each tree in his farm bears about 1,000 fruits a year (from sixth year of planting). One kg of nuts contains about 170 dry fruits along with the hard outer shell and one kg of mace.

The farmer is able to get an income of Rs. 1,600 per kg of mace and Rs. 500 per kg of nuts.

Not stopping with mere selling of the nuts, he has also gone into value addition of the produce. His nutmeg jams and pickles are quite popular in the market since they are rare and tasty.

 

Many technologies

“This innovative farmer-scientist has developed many technologies in nutmeg like harvesting and separation of fully matured nuts, washing, blanching, drying, storage, processing, grading, storing and value addition. These things are usually done by research and development institutions,” says Dr. Prabhu Kumar.

He is also an expert in arecanut and black pepper cultivation.

He gets double the average yield from both these and is also involved in black pepper processing to manufacture white pepper, which has great demand in the export market.

Till date 6,000 to 7,000 farmers from Karnataka, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have visited him to learn this process.

His arecanut, pepper, nutmeg , coconut nurseries are popular among farmers. In fact many farmers who have such plantations have bought the seedlings from his nursery. “Before starting nutmeg-arecanut cultivation I grew only turmeric. I was able to a get about 20 tonnes of turmeric from an acre. In fact this was considered quite a feat in the region and I had many visitors to my place after local media reported it,” says Mr. Bhat.

 

Monthly expense

About 25 workers permanent workers help Mr. Bhat in his daily farm work and his monthly expense for their salaries works out to Rs. 35,000. His annual income from his farm is more than Rs. 80 lakh.

“Even CEOs in some big companies do not get such a big income. He is an example of dedication, innovation and hard work to make the best use of available resource to reap the maximum benefit,” according to Dr PrabhuKumar.

Both his sons — a lawyer and a banker — have left their jobs to help him. He is a good example for those interested to take up farming.

 

Advice to growers

“Be it one acre or 50 acres never put your entire investment or attention on a single crop. Grow different varieties and plan it in such a way so that once harvesting of one crop is over, harvesting of the other starts. This way a farmer can get some sort of continuous income,” seems to be his advice for other growers.

The farmer has been conferred several awards both by the state and central government for his sterling work.

Mr. Poornanand Venkatesh Bhat can be reached at Shriram Siddhi Estate, At Post Aversa – 581316, Ankola, Uttara Kananda, Karnataka, Phone :08388-292199, email : siddhinath.bhat86@gmail.com, Mobile : 9448066998. 

Source: http://tinyurl.com/k6z3j24

Mobile vans to sell onions: Minister

In a bid to control the rising prices of onion in the capital in this election year, chief minister Sheila Dikshit has written a letter to Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday requesting immediate curtailing of export of the edible bulb.
Onion prices have reached `70-80 per kg in the city following which Delhi ministers Haroon Yusuf and Rajkumar Chauhan called an emergency meeting on the issue.
“We are already selling onion and potatoes at cheaper rate from five stalls on no-profit-no-loss basis. As the arrival of onion has dipped from 2,000-2,500 tonnes per day to 800-1,000 tonnes per day, we have decided to sell onions on cheaper rates through 50 mobile vans,” said minister of food and civil supplies Haroon Yusuf.
Food and civil supplies commissioner S.S. Yadav and other senior officers of the department and APMC attended the meeting.
“The vans will sell onions in different areas across the city and it is expected that they will cover more than 250 places. Apart from this, around 350 outlets of Mother Dairy are selling onion at `52 per kg,” said minister Rajkumar Chauhan.
The government has also decided to take strict action against hoarders.
“The government has warned hoarders and black-marketers and has decided to take strict action against them. The government is also going to request other states, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to take similar action against hoarders. The situation is likely to improve in next 15-20 days,” Mr Chauhan added.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel slammed the government for the rising prices of onion. The BJP will organise a protest march on Wednesday.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/m7dos37

Almond orchards in Kashmir growing old

Srinagar,Aug 11: What could give fillip to the production of almonds in Kashmir, Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture is making scientific interventions to carry out rejuvenation of old but healthy almond trees in Kashmir.
“We have adopted the rejuvenation through participatory mode in almond belts of Kashmir whose success encouraged the farmers for large scale adoption of the technology.” Dr KK Srivastava, a senior scientist at CITH said.
Pertinently, Jammu and Kashmir is the leading state in terms of area under almond crop. However the productivity of almond in Kashmir is very low due to old and senile almond orchards with poor orchard floor and canopy management practices.
According to Dr Srivastava, a preliminary survey of almond belts of Kashmir valley covering districts of Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar and Islamabad (Anantnag), has revealed that more than 70 per cent of almond orchards have lived their economic age— 30-40 years. “Some of the orchards were 50 – 60 years old.”
He said that was reason they introduced rejuvenation technique for almond orchards.
While explaining the methodology adopted for almond rejuvenation, he said: “This technique involves pruning of first order branches in December-January followed by top grafting with Waris variety and Pranyaz as pollenizer.”
He added: “It further involves fertilizers and manures @ 50 kg FYM, 500g Nitrogen, 250g Phosphorus and 700 g Potassium and Cup-plate type water harvesting structure created and surface covered with black polythene mulch to prevent water loss.”
Almond, one of the most important temperate fruit nuts has a major role in Kashmir economy especially in districts of Budgam, Pulwama, Islamabad (Anantnag) and Srinagar.
At the international level, the US, Spain, Iran and Italy are the largest almond producers. Per hectare productivity in these countries is quite high as compared to what is recorded in Kashmir.
USA has 4.50t/ha productivity which is very high in comparison to India which accounts for 23.81 thousand hectare area with a production of 17.23 thousand tones while the  productivity in India is 0.73 ton/ha as compared to world average 1.5 ton/ha.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/kxhtb2p

Nip this in the bud

The final report of the Supreme Court-appointed Technical Expert Committee (TEC) on field trials of genetically modified crops is packed with revelations on what is wrong with institutional governance and regulation in India when it comes to GMOs (genetically-modified organisms). The report’s release late last month came days before biotech giant Monsanto decided not to submit any further applications for GMOs to the European Union; a decision forced by non-acceptance on scientific grounds and rejection by civil society.

Remarkable consensus

The TEC Final Report (FR) is the fourth official report which exposes the lack of integrity, independence and scientific expertise in assessing GMO risk. It is the third official report barring GM crops or their field trials singularly or collectively. This consensus is remarkable, given the regulatory oversight and fraud that otherwise dog our agri-institutions. The pervasive conflict of interest embedded in those bodies makes sound and rigorous regulation of GMOs all but impossible.

The four reports are: The ‘Jairam Ramesh Report’ of February 2010, imposing an indefinite moratorium on Bt Brinjal, overturning the apex Regulator’s approval to commercialise it; the Sopory Committee Report (August 2012); the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) Report on GM crops (August 2012) and now the TEC Final Report (June-July 2013). The TEC recommends that in general, there should be an indefinite stoppage of all open field trials (environmental release) of GM crops, conditional on systemic corrections, including comprehensive and rigorous risk assessment protocols. The report includes a specific focus on Bt food crops.

It also calls for a ban on the environmental release of any GMO where India is the centre of origin or diversity. It also says herbicide tolerant (HT) crops, targeted for introduction by the regulator, should not be open field-tested. The TEC “finds them completely unsuitable in the Indian context as HT crops are likely to exert a highly adverse impact over time on sustainable agriculture, rural livelihoods, and environment.”

The PSC report which preceded that of the TEC was no less scathing: it was “ [...] convinced that these developments are not merely slippages due to oversight or human error but indicative of collusion of a worst kind [...] field trials under any garb should be discontinued forthwith”.

Sound science and factual data form the basis of the TEC decisions. There is practical and ethical sense too. The TEC insists that the government bring in independence, scientific expertise, transparency, rigour and participative democracy into GMO regulation and policy. The accent is on bio-safety.

Assessment and performance

GMOs produce “unintended effects” that are not immediately apparent and may take years to detect. This is a laboratory-based, potent technology, described by WHO as “unnatural.” The risk assessment (RA) protocols for GMOs are an evolving process to be performed by qualified and experienced experts who must be responsive to the latest scientific knowledge. The fact is that GMOs involve us in a big experiment in the idea that human agencies can perform adequate risk assessment, which, it is expected, will deliver safety at every level/dimension of their impact on us — the environment, farming systems, preservation of biodiversity, human and animal safety.

After 20 years since the first GM crop was commercialised in the U.S., there is increasing evidence, not less, of the health and environment risks from these crops. Furthermore, we now have 20 years of crop statistics from the U.S., of two kinds of crops that currently make up over 95 per cent of all GM crops cultivated globally, (like Bt cotton) Bt and HT crops. The statistics demonstrate declining yields. GM yields are significantly lower than yields from non-GM crops. Pesticide use, the great “industry” claim on these GM crops, instead of coming down, has gone up exponentially. In India, notwithstanding the hype of the industry, the regulators and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Bt cotton yield is levelling off to levels barely higher than they were before the introduction of Bt.

It takes roughly $150 million to produce a GMO against $1 million through conventional breeding techniques. So where is the advantage and why are we experimenting given all the attendant risks? We have hard evidence from every U.N. study and particularly the World Bank-funded International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge and Science for Development Report, which India signed in 2008. The IAASTD was the work of over 400 scientists and took four years to complete. It was twice peer reviewed. The report states we must look to small-holder, traditional farming to deliver food security in third world countries through agri-ecological systems which are sustainable. Governments must invest in these systems. This is the clear evidence.

Conflict of interest

The response to the TEC Final Report came immediately, with the Ministry of Agriculture strongly opposing the report. The MoA is a vendor of GM crops and has no mandate for regulating GMOs. The same Ministry had lobbied and fought to include an additional member on the TEC after its interim report had been submitted. That ‘new’ member came in with several conflicts of interest, his links to the GM crops lobby being widely known. His entry was in fact a breach of the Supreme Court’s mandate for an independent TEC and provoked me to file an affidavit in the court, drawing attention to this. Oddly enough, he did not sign the final report, or even put up a note of dissent. This allowed the final report, then, to be unanimous; as indeed was the TEC’s Interim Report submitted by the original five members.

The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) promotes PPPs (Public-Private-Partnerships) with the biotechnology industry. It does this with the active backing of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The MoA has handed Monsanto and the industry access to our agri-research public institutions placing them in a position to seriously influence agri-policy in India. You cannot have a conflict of interest larger or more alarming than this one. Today, Monsanto decides which Bt cotton hybrids are planted — and where. Monsanto owns over 90 per cent of planted cotton seed, all of it Bt cotton.

All the other staggering scams rocking the nation do have the possibility of recovery and reversal. The GM scam will be of a scale hitherto unknown. It will also not be reversible because environmental contamination over time will be indelible. We have had the National Academies of Science give a clean chit of biosafety to GM crops — doing that by using paragraphs lifted wholesale from the industry’s own literature! Likewise, Ministers in the PMO who know nothing about the risks of GMOs have similarly sung the virtues of Bt Brinjal and its safety to an erstwhile Minister of Health. They have used, literally, “cut & paste” evidence from the biotech lobby’s “puff” material. Are these officials then, “un-caged corporate parrots?”

Along with the GM-vendor Ministries of Agriculture and Science & Technology, these are the expert inputs that the Prime Minister relies on when he pleads for “structured debate, analysis and enlightenment.” The worrying truth is that these values are absent in what emanates from either the PMO or the President.

Ministries, least of all “promoting” Ministries, should not have the authority to allow the novel technology of GMOs into Indian agriculture bypassing authentic democratic processes. Those processes require the widest possible — and transparent — consultation across India. With GMOs we must proceed carefully, always anchored in the principle of bio-safety. Science and technology may be mere informants into this process. After all, it is every woman, man and child, and our animals, an entire nation that will quite literally have to eat the outcome of a GM policy that delivers up our agriculture to it: if a GMO is unsafe, it will remain irreversibly unsafe. And it will remain in the environment and that is another dimension of impact.

(The author is the lead petitioner in the Supreme Court for a moratorium on GMOs and in which case the TEC was formed. She can be reached at: arunarod@gmail.com)

Source: http://tinyurl.com/kl3ue88 

Back to nature with Organic farming

K. Bhaskaran and Fabian Prince are successful organic farmers

With organic food finding a permanent place on the plates of many health conscious residents in the city, the demand for organic produce is burgeoning everyday. The trend has encouraged some to discover their green thumbs and practise organic farming. Meet two farmers who have reaped a rich harvest by being eco-friendly. 

Befriending the good earth

A mechanical engineer, Fabian Prince could easily have stayed back in Dubai where he worked for seven years. Instead, he chose to return to Kerala and become a farmer. Today, on nearly five acres of land near St. Xavier’s College, Thumba, he grows vegetables, plantains and, hold your breath, watermelons. 

“Although I come from a coastal area (Kannanthura near Shanghumughom), I have always loved farming. In fact, when I was doing my engineering at College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram, we used to have 12 cows at home and used to supply milk regularly to the college hostel. Once I returned from Dubai, I decided to take up organic farming. I took a certificate course in organic farming from Mahatma Gandhi University. Later on, from the Livestock Management Training Centre, Kudappanakunnu, I learnt dairy farming and goat/rabbit rearing. I also learnt mushroom farming and bee-keeping from College of Agriculture, Vellayani. Afterwards I started cultivation in a joint venture with the Jesuit fathers of St. Xavier’s,” he says. 

His land at Thumba is a coconut grove and he started off with cultivating plantain as an inter-crop, and then planted yellow cucumber in between. Amaranthus, cowpea, bitter gourd, snake gourd, ridge gourd, chillies, lady’s finger, brinjal and the like followed. 

Watermelon cultivation just happened. “We used to dump food waste under the coconut trees and one day we found that the watermelon seeds in it had sprouted. We took good care of the plant and, to our surprise, we got a great yield as well. We got over 100 watermelons in the first round and in the second, even more, of which one of them weighed 13.6 kg!” he says with pride. Watermelons need enough sunlight, water, sandy soil and base manure which includes cow dung, food compost and coir pith. 

“We even tried to grow vine tomato, which is used to make pizzas. I plan to start bee keeping later this month,” he adds. He also had a flourishing mushroom business, which was stopped sometime ago. 

Now that he is working in Kochi in a design firm, Fabian shuttles between the two cities twice every week to supervise the cultivation. “Farming is a stress-buster for me. I unwind once I walk into my farm and see the yield,” he says with immense pleasure. 

Bumper yield 

“He will be back from the fields only in the evening…He doesn’t use a mobile.” We had called K. Bhaskaran’s home for an interview and he had already left for the day’s work at six in the morning. Bhaskaran toils alone on his one-acre plot at Thennoorkkonam near Vizhinjam from dawn till dusk. And organic produce from his field reaches households in the city through Thanal’s organic bazaar and some shops in Chalai market. 

“It was circumstances that forced me to turn to farming. Though I took to farming at the age of 15, I left it behind when I got a job at a spinning mill in Balaramapuram. I worked there 22 years, but it was closed one day and we were asked to quit. We had to find another option for survival. Two years later, I went back to farming,” says Bhaskaran. 

It has been his bread and butter for the last nine years or so. Red amaranthus, yams, snake gourd, lady’s finger, long beans, chilli, bitter gourd, bananas (nendran, kappa, robusta, palayamthodan and rasakadali varieties) … his farm is a picture of plenty. 

“I took to organic farming after attending a meeting organised by Vizhinjam Krishi Bhavan and Thanal. I started it off with amaranthus and slowly moved on to other crops and vegetables,” he says.

He vouches for the quality of organic products. “Definitely, the dishes made with organic vegetables are more tastier than vegetables grown with chemical fertilizers. Also, most of the vegetables we buy decay very easily. But it is not the case with organically grown products. Most of them stay fresh for many days, provided they aren’t rotten inside,” he says. 

Bhaskaran admits that organic farming is not always a lucrative business. “It is true that there is a huge demand for organic products. But we don’t always get the profit. In addition, there is the huge loss we suffer due to climatic variations. There is no government fund or other agency to help us in those cases. All said and done, I’m always happy to be doing this,” he says. 

Source: http://tinyurl.com/lzx9vm3

Stop using insecticides with ‘Bio’ prefix

The Department of Horticulture here has cautioned arecanut growers against using some solutions claimed to be organic in nature sold in market for sometime now to fight ‘kole roga’ (fruit rot disease) in arecanut plantations.

A statement from the department has come two years after some arecanut growers began using them to control the blight.

Yogesh H.R., Deputy Director, Department of Horticulture, Dakshina Kannada, those solutions were being sold under different brand names but all start with Bio…

He said in a release that the department received complaints from some farmers who used the solution. The farmers complained that there was pre-maturity of crop, nut dropping, withering of leaves and drop in production after spraying the solutions.

Mr. Yogesh said that the department or any other government department had not recommended their spray to control the blight. No research had been done on the side affects of the solutions.

The release said that those said to be organic solutions had not been registered under Insecticides Act, 1968.

If farmers continued to spray those solutions and incurred loss, the department would not pay them any compensation.

At a conference organised by the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (Campco) here on April 25, 2012, Ignatius D’Souza of Bejai, a dealer of farm products, had drawn the attention of all on the legal aspect of selling those solutions. He had said that information obtained by him under the RTI Act from the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage under the Union Department of Agriculture and Cooperation revealed that use of potassium phosphonate in the country, said to be a major ingredient in those ‘organic’ solutions sold under different brand names starting with Bio …, was not allowed as per Insecticides Act, 1968. 

Source: http://tinyurl.com/m6akswz

Tariq predicts bumper foodgrain production

PATNA: There will be a record food production in the country in 2013-14 and it will cross the last year's figure of 250 million tonne, said Union minister of state for agriculture Tariq Anwar on Sunday.

He said despite drought in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra last year, the country had produced 250 million tonne of food grains. This year, the two states have good monsoon and they would contribute to the bumper kharif production.

About Bihar, he said, certain districts of the state have received less rain causing concern among the farmers. Bihar government has not sent any communication to the Centre apprehending drought. He assured the Centre would act swiftly on any such demand by the state government.

Speaking at a programme organized at Bihar Industries Association here on the prospects of agro industries in Bihar, Tariq said Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar would visit Patna in September to participate in a national seminar on food processing.

Bihar has huge potential in food processing and the Centre is ready to give financial assistance to the entrepreneurs for setting up an integrated cold storage chain network. Industrialists are still reluctant of investing in Bihar because of lack of basic infrastructure. Though law and order has improved, there is not enough electricity for the industries. In Khagaria and Bhagalpur, the Centre sanctioned food parks, but the farmers are agitating as they are not willing to transfer land for the industries. He had sought chief minister Nitish Kumar's help in negotiating with the farmers.

On the pattern of Amul, cooperative societies of fruit and vegetable growers should be set up in Bihar to prevent wastage of fruit and vegetable, he suggested. Bihar stands third in the country in maize production and there is scope of setting up starch, corn flex and corn flower units. But, due to lack of power, such units are not coming up. Honey produced from litchi of Muzaffarpur is in great demand abroad, he claimed, and assured the Centre would give financial assistance to the litchi growers for setting up food-processing units.

Pointing out the spacious bungalows in the Patliputra Colony where mango, guava and other fruits are produced and wasted, Tariq suggested the residents of the colony should form a cooperative society to process and market their fruits.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/pzv7hrb

Farmers begin 8-day padayatra for Avinashi-Athikadavur project

COIMBATORE: The KongunaduMakkalDesiyaKatchi has dusted off and brought to the limelight the much-delayed Avinashi-Athikadavu Flood Canal Project after it was kept in cold storage for the past one-and-half years. The party on Sunday launched a padayatra, led by its general secretary E R Eswaran, demanding the state and central governments to implement the project at the earliest.

The Rs1,862 project envisages diversion of surplus flood water from the Bhavani river to tanks and ponds in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode districts. As per the plan, 2,000 cusecs of surplus water will be diverted to feed as many as 71 tanks and 538 ponds in Karamadai, Annur, Avinashi, Puliampatti, Palladam and Perundurai areas. Experts say this project is not just to mitigate the effects of flood but also to help in recharging the groundwater level.

Official sources said that the state government is planning to implement the project by getting assistance under the Flood Management Programme, a central and state shared scheme implemented in the ratio of 75:25.

Farmers in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode districts are demanding speedy implementation of this project as the groundwater level is depleting and pointed out that the project is necessary to encourage agriculture.

However, political parties in the region allege that the government was not sincere in implementing the project.

On Sunday, cadres of Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi led by its general secretary E R Eswaran started a padayatra from Karamadai demanding implementation of the project.

"We are carrying out protests and rallies to bring it to the notice of the chief minister," he said. The rally would conclude at Perundurai on August 11 by covering a distance of 186 km.

Functionaries of various struggle committees affiliated to different parties said the project is necessary to recharge the groundwater table.

"During every assembly and parliamentary elections both the DMK and AIADMK made poll promises, assuring voters this project will be implemented but nothing has happened," G K Nagaraj, general secretary of Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam, another regional political party said. According to him, both the state and central governments should be steadfast in implementing the project and should think across political boundaries.

In 2102, the state government released Rs 30 lakh to begin the preliminary survey work for the project.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/owrnpar

Free tips, updates for farmers on their mobile phones

CHANDIGARH: With a view to bridge the information gap at the bottom of pyramid using emerging media tools, the Union ministry of agriculture has started free mobile phone-based services for farmers engaged in agriculture and allied sector activities. The subscribers are sent SMSs and voice messages on their chosen subjects in their preferred languages, including Punjabi. Even illiterate farmers can avail the benefits of this service by opting for voice messages.

The agriculture ministry has roped in premier agricultural and allied sector research institutions, agricultural universities, krishi vigyan kendras (KVKs), Indian meteorological department (IMD) and agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry departments of states to send timely updates to the subscribers. Experts and officials from these institutions/departments will send SMSs and voice messages to subscribers as per relevance and need, sources said.

Information pertaining to four key sectors -- agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and fisheries -- is sent to farmers as SMSs and voice messages. This includes crop advisory tips, alerts on pest and diseases and their control, package of practices of various crops, weather updates, prices of different crops/commodities in markets and tips and remedies about diseases of livestock. Information about different schemes like loans, subsidies and crop and animal insurance is also being given to the subscribers.

Farmers can subscribe to this free service by calling up at the Kisan Call Centre (KCC), which is run by the Union agriculture ministry in collaboration with state agriculture departments, on toll free number 1800-180-1551. KCC runs from 6 am to 10 pm seven days a week. Farmers can give their preferences about crops or other activities to KCC agents.

Besides calling up KCC, net savvy farmers can also register for this service through the ministry of agriculture's portal http://farmer.gov.in.

Private players took lead in empowering farmers

Long before the Union government decided to start mobile phone-based information services for farmers, a few private players had already forayed into this domain. Reuters Market Light (RML), an innovative project of Thomson Reuters, and IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd (IKSL) -- a joint venture of Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), Bharti Airtel and Star Global Resources -- had launched mobile phone information services for rural area subscribers in October 2006 and April 2007 respectively. RML has paid SMS service for subscribers, which includes quarterly, biannual and yearly subscriptions while IKSL offers voice messages for its users, who have to buy a pre-paid SIM card.

Sending timely information a challenge

It will be a challenge for the experts to cater to the diverse needs of millions of subscribers. Information has to be sourced, crunched into text and voice messages and delivered to end-users in a timely manner. Unlike private players, free updates by agriculture ministry are not sent daily to the subscribers. Many subscribers, who are enrolled for the national do not call (NDNC) registry of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), will not be able to receive these updates as sending unsolicited information on mobile phones including calls, text and voice messages is barred. Subscribers will have to change their preferences to receive these updates.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/nopezam