Indian Agriculture and Agro-based Industry

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 31 May 2010 23:47

I watched Food.Inc movie last night. I strongly recommend everyone participating in this thread watch that film to get a perspective.

I liked a farmers statement, which goes like this "The multinationals' approach to and treatment of food, and the associated plant and animal life, makes one wonder that there won't be much difference how these multinationals and the underlying society views and treats other cultures and human beings". This is a profound statement!

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 01 Jun 2010 11:37

Scientists from Chandigarh's Punjab University prove that mobile phones are responsible for disappearance of the honey bee and collapse of their hives.
Link to article

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 17 Jun 2010 13:53

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news ... nt/635054/

Posted: Jun 17, 2010 at 1351 hrs IST

Nagpur An anti-cancer drug extracted from cow urine and developed by an affiliate of the RSS has got a third US patent for its anti-genotoxicity properties.

ajit_tr · Post by **ajit_tr** » 19 Jun 2010 19:37

Karnataka farmers reverse grain drain
By Anitha Reddy

KARNATAKA, India - Eshwarappa Banakar has been a farmer most of his adult life, but these days he has also turned banker - a banker of seeds, that is, and especially of millet strains.

Yet while his is Karnataka's first seed bank to be set up by an individual farmer, it is only one of the signs of the millet's creeping comeback in the agricultural sector of this southern Indian state.

The trend is partly due to the efforts of Sahaja Samrudha (Bountiful Nature), an organization working toward reviving the cultivation of traditional millets in Karnataka's dryland tracts. Banakar acquired his seeds from the group, which maintains a network of farmers and encourages on-farm conservation of traditional seed varieties.

A Nandy · Post by **A Nandy** » 19 Jun 2010 22:16

Has large scale hydroponic farming been considered in India ? It appears to provide total control over nutrients, conserves water, provides total control over pests and can be done indoors to protect against ravages of weather. The quality of fresh greens are comparable to conventional farming results.

http://society.indianetzone.com/gardeni ... ponics.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics
http://watergardens.suite101.com/articl ... row_plants
http://www.diy-guides.com/building-an-o ... cs-garden/

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 01 Jul 2010 10:50

Good response to new rice variety

The new rice variety ‘TNAU-Rice-Try3' released by the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University- Anbil Dharmalingam Agriculture College and Research Institute (TNAU-ADACRI) at Navalur Kuttapattu near here, has been evoking an overwhelming response from the farmers in general and hotel-owners in particular.

While the farmers are happy about the high yield in the ‘samba' variety, the hotel owners are jubilant over the high flour content.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 05 Jul 2010 03:00

X-post

http://business.in.com/article/real-iss ... en/14572/1

Indian scientists are trying out a new climate model to get monsoon forecasts right. If they can get it to work, expect it to rain when they say it will

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 10 Jul 2010 18:35

Drip irrigation for paddy cultivation

An initial experiment in the use of drip irrigation in paddy cultivation by Jain Irrigation has demonstrated significant savings in water and power.

The experiment conducted by Jain Irrigation, the country's largest manufacturer of drip irrigation systems, at its farm in Udumalpet near Coimbatore, showed that paddy yield was comparable to that of conventionally flood irrigated field. But under drip irrigation, the volume of water used was just about a third of that used in flood-irrigated field, apart from the reduction in power cost. The initial results are encouraging and the next step for the company is to focus on raising productivity, say officials.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 18 Jul 2010 22:52

Check out how wars are created to change the policies of the govt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug

During the mid-1960s, the Indian subcontinent was at war, and experiencing widespread famine and starvation, even though the U.S. was making emergency shipments of millions of tons of grain, including over one fifth of its total wheat, to the region.[14] The Indian and Pakistani bureaucracies and the region's cultural opposition to new agricultural techniques initially prevented Borlaug from fulfilling his desire to immediately plant the new wheat strains there. By the summer of 1965, the famine became so acute that the governments stepped in and allowed his projects to go forward.[10]

In India, yields increased from 12.3 million tons in 1965 to 20.1 million tons in 1970. By 1974, India was self-sufficient in the production of all cereals. By 2000, India was harvesting a record 76.4 million tons (2.81 billion bushels) of wheat. Since the 1960s, food production in both nations has increased faster than the rate of population growth.[citation needed] Paul Waggoner, of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, calculates that India's use of high-yield farming has prevented 100 million acres (400,000 km²) of virgin land from being converted into farmland—an area about the size of California, or 13.6% of the total area of India.[22] The use of these wheat varieties has also had a substantial effect on production in six Latin American countries, six countries in the Near and Middle East, and several others in Africa.[citation needed]

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 01 Aug 2010 06:17

Punjab farmers take up banana cultivation

Punjab consumes bananas worth nearly 400 crore rupees annually. Presently, the banana is coming from Maharashtra. Locally produced banana would be comparatively better in quality. Banana cultivation at present covers over 500 to 700 acres in the State and is expected to expand further.

Earlier, farmers in the border areas, were hesitant to take to this crop as an alternative from their traditional crop due to harsh frosty conditions during winters. But the innovative farmers like Karmjeet Singh of Wadala Virum village overcome these teething troubles by using 'Culture variety' that can withstand the fog and winter.

The Grand Naine variety of banana is considered as the best suited for cultivation in the border belt of Amritsar. Profits from banana cultivation in a year from one acre of land can go up to Rs 200,000 to 250,000 in third year.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 07 Aug 2010 07:44

Overcoming the Malthusian scourge

Jeffrey Sachs

http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/07/stories ... 301000.htm

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 09 Aug 2010 08:01

SRI Technique being popularized

Rice production is set to increase in the district {Tirupur, TN}this fiscal as the Department of Agriculture plans to popularise System of Rice Intensification (SRI) techniques more among paddy farmers by setting up 460 demonstration plots spread across the district.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 01 Sep 2010 09:48

NABARD Pilot project to improve efficiency

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has launched a three-year pilot project in six districts of Tamil Nadu to make agriculture more viable by reducing inputs and labour costs while increasing productivity.

The best farmers in the locality would be identified and measures to enhance the productivity per acre of land would be introduced. These levels would be the benchmark for other farmers in the region

The project aims to reduce inputs costs by replacing the chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the indiscriminate use of which reduces soil fertility, with organic farming. Another initiative was to ensure farmers have better price realisation for their produce by eliminating the middlemen. Structures that provide a direct interface for farmers with consumers for select crops would be established in these six districts

This pilot project also aims at reducing farmers' migration to the cities.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 07 Sep 2010 22:09

India May Reap Bumper Winter Crop

India may reap a bumper winter-sown crop including wheat and oilseeds this crop year as heavy monsoon rains have raised water reservoir levels beyond the 10-year average and increased soil moisture, Agriculture Secretary P.K. Basu said Tuesday.

The rains couldn't have come at a better time as the country's farmlands were parched after the worst drought in nearly four decades in 2009. High water reservoir levels particularly help winter-sown crops as seasonal monsoon rains usually end in September.
Higher output of foodgrains, oilseeds and other crops would ease food inflation, which rose to multi-year highs after last year's drought.

India, the world's second-largest rice grower, may reap a bumper harvest of 100 million metric tons in 2010-11, up 10% from a year earlier thanks to more plantings in productive regions and better adoption of high-yielding seeds.
The country will likely produce a record pulses crop of 16.5 million tons in 2010-11 because areas under the protein-rich staple have risen due to high state-fixed prices and government incentives, Mr. Basu said. India is the world's largest consumer of pulses, and higher output will help it reduce imports from around 3 million tons a year.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 08 Sep 2010 01:53

Basmati export up on Pakistan floods

Indian basmati exports get a leg-up as flood-hit top rival Pakistan all but exits the world market. India exports around 3.2 million tonne basmati mainly to Europe and the Middle East and often finds it hard to compete against cheaper basmati from Pakistan.

As per industry estimates, the prices of Pusa and Pusa 1121 have increased by $30 to $70 in the last one month. Basmati traditional was being quoted at $4,300 per tonne from $3,700 per tonne in June. However, with a carry-forward stock of over 3 crore bags of 50 kg each, there has been no exponential increase in prices this year, said traders.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 17 Sep 2010 17:51

Cotton Output in India May Miss Forecast, Textile Group Says; Futures Gain

Production in the year from Oct. 1 may be less than the 32.55 million bales estimated by the Cotton Advisory Board last month, Confederation Vice Chairman Prem Malik said by phone from Mumbai. Output this year is estimated at 29.5 million bales, according to the board. An Indian bale weighs 170 kilograms.

The missed forecast may further tighten global supplies, stoking prices that have surged to the highest level in 15 years on slumping inventories and damage to the crop in China, the largest producer. U.S. mills have been “panic” buying, according to brokerage Varner Bros. in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Cotton is the best performer over the past year on the UBS Bloomberg CMCI Index, surging 47 percent.

If the rains persist, then definitely it’s going to affect the crop,” Malik said yesterday, without giving an estimate for the harvest. “The plants will not get the sunlight,” said Malik, 67, who also restated a call from the group for India’s cotton exports to be delayed from next month to January.

Still, so far this September, rains are 122 percent of the 50-year average and clouds will begin to withdraw only by the end the month, the Indian Meteorological Department said on Sept. 14.

Global cotton inventories will fall to 45.4 million, 218 kilogram bales in the 12 months to July 31, the lowest level in 14 years, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

India will limit cotton exports to 5.5 million bales in the season from Oct. 1, with a “prohibitive” duty to be imposed on shipments above that level, Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar said on Sept. 4. Textile Secretary Rita Menon said on Sept. 14 that India plans to delay registration of export contracts by two weeks until Oct. 1.

The cotton crop in China is in a worse condition this year than in 2009 after low temperatures and prolonged rains delayed planting and crop development, the Xinhua News Agency said Sept. 11, citing Ma Shuping, deputy director of planting at the Ministry of Agriculture. The nation will need to boost imports as the textile industry expands, Xinhua cited Ma as saying.

world wide problem of low cotton production.
TSP will be in trouble with floods and higher prices despite EU offering some trade concessions.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 17 Sep 2010 20:16

India to produce bumper crop this year: Pawar

India is likely to harvest a bumper foodgrain crop in the current year, despite the drought in Bihar, Jharkhand and some parts of West Bengal, Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said on Friday.

The area under pulses, oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane and paddy is much more than last year and even more than in 2008, the minister said.

Despite a bad monsoon last year, total foodgrains production for 2009-10 is likely to be 218 million tonnes, against the target of 239 million tonnes, the minister said.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 17 Sep 2010 20:36

Canada offers to build grain storage facilities for India

"Canadian companies which have expertise in building grain houses have been looking for Indian partners for building grain storage houses here," Canada Minister for Agriculture & Agri-Food Gerry Ritz told reporters after inaugurating the first plant of city-based company Jivo Wellness, which sells imported canola oil.

India and Canada have a trade volume of USD 4.2 billion. India exports gems, stone and woven items to Canada and imports mainly pepper and pulses from that country.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 20 Sep 2010 09:00

Forecast for the agriculture sector this year

As a result of the bountiful rainfall in many regions in North India and even in the areas such as Bihar and Eastern States where it was apprehended for a time that severe drought condition would prevail, the yield of food and cash crops in the kharif season may constitute an all-time record.

Crop yields

The outlook for the rabi season too is promising as storage in the major reservoirs is very comfortable. It is thus estimated that the output of the agricultural sector will increase by 4 per cent in the current season against 0.2per cent comparably. It is even emphasised by agricultural experts that there has been a tripling of investment in the agricultural sector in recent years and that modern techniques also are being adopted. These measures have been responsible for a significant improvement in productivity. There is thus the confidence that even 5 per cent growth is feasible if only the monsoon does not prove to be much below normal.

The UPA Government has actually two major challenges which have to be imaginatively tackled. The postulated increase in the yield of foodgrains to 238-240 million tonne may well compel intensification of procurement operations in rice from October and in wheat from April next year. All going well the aggregate quantity of fine cereals procured may easily be 65 million tonne or more. With the off take through fair price shops and other various welfare programme being not more than 55 million tonnes, the additions to buffer stock may prove to be highly uncomfortable at 75 million tonnes by July next year. How should this huge quantity will be stored in good condition and what is the strategy of the Ministry of Agriculture for tackling this embarrassing situation? Even for maintaining buffer stocks for 65 million tonne the requisite capacity is not available. There is a huge controversy over the storing of sizable quantum of fine cereals which are deteriorating in quality causing heavy losses to the Exchequer. It remains to be seen how this formidable challenge will be overcome.

Food inflation

Food inflation may not be as worrisome as it is now because of the reports of an increase in the area and yield of different types of pulses and coarse cereals. The output of oil seeds too may be distinctly higher than in 2009-10. As overseas reports also suggest that there is distinct softening of prices, food inflation can thus be effectively tackled though the WPI index based on 2004-05 has risen to 15.10 per cent for the week ended September 4 against 11.47 per cent in the previous week under the earlier base. The link factor may well explain how exactly the variation has taken place. It can be anticipated in any event that prices for primary products will tend to decline with an improvement in the supply situation to some extent though the constraints may not be fully removed. Against this background it is necessary to remember that food inflation can be effectively controlled only with the removal of supply constraints and monetary measures alone may not yield the desired results.

Ameet · Post by **Ameet** » 21 Sep 2010 11:52

Researchers Develop Protein-Packed Potato in India

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=11683537

Researchers in India have developed a genetically modified potato that is packed with up to 60 percent more protein and increased levels of amino acids.

In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday, the scientists expressed hope that the transgenic potato would find more acceptance because it uses a gene from the amaranth seed, another edible crop.

joshvajohn · Post by **joshvajohn** » 24 Sep 2010 02:10

Don’t allow export of cotton, MK tells PM
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/ ... lls-pm-716

Moneycontrol » News Center » Business » Business News
Century Textiles sees margin pressure as cotton zooms
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/busine ... 86119.html

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 24 Sep 2010 08:07

Kharif output set to be higher than last year

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that the kharif production at 114.63 million tonnes for 2010-11 crop year was “comfortable.”

“The output is better than last year which was a drought year, but lower than 2008-09, which was a normal year.”

Experts, however, point out that the kharif production this year at 114.63 million tonnes is lower than 118.14 million tonnes in 2008-09. This is attributed to drought in parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar which affected paddy cultivation.

As per the first advance estimate released here, the total kharif production is 114.63 million tonnes compared to 103.84 million tonnes in 2009-10 crop year. Rice output at 80.41 million tonnes is expected to be higher than 75.91 million tonnes last year. However, this would still be lower than the record 84.91 million tonnes in the 2008-09 kharif season.

The pulses production is estimated to be higher by 40 per cent this year at 6 million tonnes against and 4.30 million tonnes last year. Coarse cereals at an estimated 28.23 million tonnes are likely to be higher by 19.5 per cent against 23.63 million tonnes last year.The production of oilseeds is estimated to be higher by 10.3 per cent at 17.27 million tonnes this year against 15.66 million tonnes last year. Sugarcane output is expected to be 17 per cent higher this year at 324 million tonnes compared to 277 million tonnes in 2009-10.{This is also good with Brazil suffering a hit. Exports look healthy}

Cotton production is expected to be higher by 39.9 per cent at 335 lakh bales of 170 kg each against 239.35 lakh bales last year. {This will be a money-spinner with crops being affected in other major cotton producing countries. Prices in India are also high at present and hence the demand for banning cotton export. But, the situation should ease by November and exports can commence after that}

Kharif sowing commences in June and harvesting begins from early October.

joshvajohn · Post by **joshvajohn** » 24 Sep 2010 13:59

Cotton Output in India May Miss Forecast on Rains, Textile Industry Says
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-1 ... -says.html

Indian government's policy on Cotton
Because of BT cotton many farmers committed suicide in Maharastra region a few years ago.

If the export is allowed the local textile Industries will have to close down. This is one area which India outshines many countries. Now Sarad Pawar's policy is to destroy the nation's proud and also long historical textile Industry. Many million's jobs and lives are at risk. Already many have gone out of job from this industry due to raising prices of cotton. Handloom has nearly disappeared. In order to increase the price of cotton, there should be negotiation between cotton farmers and textile industries and then increase the market price in India rather than solving it by exporting cotton.

It is time for Sarad pawar to stick to one post. Either he is the president of ICC or the minister in India as he cannot hold on to India's interest first. Otherwise India's interest can be marketed!

No more loan waivers for you, Sharad Pawar tells Vidarbha farmers
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_n ... rs_1439871

Prices soar, policymakers just talk
http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2 ... t-talk.htm

Cotton Futures Decline Most Since June on Opposition to India Export Ban
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-2 ... lumps.html

sampat · Post by **sampat** » 25 Sep 2010 01:13

India could be a good sourcing destination for processed food. However, this is the market where at present countries like Thailand is beating India. Thais are making Indian curry dishes and selling them across the world. Most of Indian products contain pesticides which are banned in Europe or surpass the maximum amount permitted. If the product is tested at customs then it is almost always denied entry. And I think , small-mid size business will loose their export market if they don't change their attitude or stricter government regulations are not implemented and followed on crop growth.

Same story goes for garment industry. Stonewashed and other dyed products contains toxins that are banned in Europe. If EU or USA want, they can easily harm these two industries without issuing any formal sanctions. These two industries have good potential to employee large number of semi skilled workers. But unfortunately, no one is interested in improving the standards.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 27 Sep 2010 01:27

This poor farmer has the answer to India's food crisis

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 20 Oct 2010 09:04

This Jairam Ramesh is really suspect. He went and opposed the ban against Endosulfan even though many state governments in India have banned it due to the devastating effects on people

http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/20/stories ... 580100.htm

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Forest Minister Benoy Viswom has criticised the stand taken by India against global ban on Endosulfan at the sixth meeting of Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention at Geneva last week.

“India's stand was not right. The general consensus at the meeting was in favour of the ban. India should have supported that view,” the Minister told The Hindu on Monday.

Mr. Viswom said that the Indian government should not have become the ‘spokesman' of the pesticides lobby at the meeting. “If you go to Kasaragod, you can see the effect of Endosulfan on the people. Many of the affected were in such a condition that they could be described as the living dead.”
He added that when corporate companies were marketing Endosulfan for profit at the cost of lives, the Central government should have stood by the people of the country. “It is high time that the Centre accepts the truth (about Endosulfan) and stands for the welfare and future prosperity of the country.”
It may be recalled that only India had opposed the proposal for ban on Endosulfan at the committee meeting attended by 29 member countries. With four countries abstaining, the committee recommended ban on manufacture, use, import and export of Endosulfan with certain exemptions to the Conference of Parties of the Stockholm Convention. India dropped out of the discussions towards the end and did not participate in voting. This is also officially recorded as an abstention.

Mr. Viswom had earlier written to Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh urging him that India should take a stand in favour of the ban at the meeting.

He recalled that the chemical, used indiscriminately in the cashew plantations in Kasaragod district for years, had caused serious and chronic illnesses, which forced the Kerala High Court to intervene in the matter in 2002, leading to imposition of a ban in Kerala.

Some snapshots of the effects of Endosulfan

http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archi ... _dead.html

ravar · Post by **ravar** » 24 Oct 2010 00:14

Milk of the indigenous Vechur cow beneficial to health

Among 12 beta casein variants, two common types have been identified as A1 and A2. The former has been found to trigger releases of substances that cause various illnesses like diabetes, heart diseases, atherosclerosis, schizophrenia and SIDS. However A2 is found to be safe for human consumption.

Milk breeds such as Holstein Friesian and Ayrshire have a high frequency of A1 gene but most of the Indian breeds of animals have only the beneficial A2 gene.

My recent visit and interaction with many farmer communities in TN and Kerala has revealed a craze for Vechur cows- waiting period of almost 10 years to get a calf from Kerala Agri Univ. In fact, any pure Desi breed would do including the Gir breed- which apparently costs Rs 50k onwards for a calf. All this for implementing Zero Budget Natural Farming which is becoming increasingly popular in the country. The Desi cow is central for this farming since only pure Indian breeds can provide dung which has the requisite amount of beneficial micro organisms (IIRC, over 40 fold more beneficial micro organisms than the foreign breeds) for replenishing the soil. Apparently, one such cow can support ~30 acres of land. And no, foreign breeds won't do the trick!

The farmers whom I talked to expressed satisfaction with this method of farming (no expensive fertilizers other than a solution made of cow's urine, dung, jaggery etc nor pesticides) since they had made handsome profits with good yield as against to the Western mode wherein artificial fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs from outside had to be brought in proving to be capex and opex intensive as also killing the soil of its invaluable micro flora. For once, the desi cow has redeemed her rightful place!

Some info on Zero Budget Natural Farming- http://palekarzerobudgetnaturalfarming.com/
Also a documentary on ZBNF supported by the SRK Govt- (in Malayalam)-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN83hnfqSvI

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 03 Nov 2010 20:32

ravar wrote: All this for implementing Zero Budget Natural Farming which is becoming increasingly popular in the country. The Desi cow is central for this farming since only pure Indian breeds can provide dung which has the requisite amount of beneficial micro organisms (IIRC, over 40 fold more beneficial micro organisms than the foreign breeds) for replenishing the soil. Apparently, one such cow can support ~30 acres of land. And no, foreign breeds won't do the trick!]

That is interesting. Desi breeds have a definite place in Husbandry but I'm baffled how they say the Vechur cow produces more milk per body weight. A holstein cross breed adapted to India gives about 15 liters per day. A regular Holstein would give 25 liters per day. A holstein weighs about 600 Kg. A Vechur would have to weigh 120 Kg.

Is that right. Sounds like Madarasa math here.

Organic farming sounds cool and all but it will not feed India. For that matter Kerala does not feed itself, at all. Last I heard less than 20% of the rice Keralites eat comes from Kerala! That is why it can experiment with all these ideological experiments in agriculture. First feed yourself then we can talk about all these fancy ideas. The big reason Kerala is not cultivating its land is lack of low cost labor. All organic systems are incredibly labor intensive. For instance, who exactly is going to take this manure and spread it evenly over say a 10 acre farm. Kerala should focus on either lower labor costs by importing labor or collectivizing the small farms so they can mechanize. Instead we have 'cow dung' and 'beneficial microbes' and 'no need to put money into agriculture'. What crap, no pun intended. Sorry, this is something that frustrates me on a daily basis. Nothing personal.

Right now I'm experimenting with Rajarajan 1000 system on about 2 acres of my land. I can say that the weed problem is entirely underestimated. I've had to engage expensive labor 4 times already to run the weeder through. Admittedly it only takes a day for a team per acre. But I've already paid out Rs 8000. For 2 Acres. Not going to make money on these 2 acres. Also because of the plant spacing any weak plants are not replaced by the normally extra planting. I suspect 10% of my planting is non-viable right now. Not going to set seed. Need to get the very highest quality seed for this system, which only comes from the multi nationals.

This system may not be so good on the Western side of the ghats.

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 07 Nov 2010 08:03

Potential of Camels

The annual Pushkar Camel fair starting on November 13 to November 21, 2010, is the largest in the world. Strangely enough, the price of petrol continues to play a key role in the dwindling of the camel population in India. As the petrol price increases, more farmers in Rajasthan turn to using camels for transport. If the fuel price decreases, the reverse happens. Old timers say that once, one lakh camels had assembled in Pushkar. A sturdy male with a life expectancy of 60-80 years on a good day can fetch up to Rs 20,000.

Killing a camel for meat in India is a taboo, but there are many castes which eat camel meat on special occasions. One astonishing fact is that, only in India do we have one rural community — the Raikas of Rajasthan, totally devoted to the welfare of the camels from time immemorial.

A breed like the Bikaneri has excellent navigating capabilities and is chosen mostly by farmers of the Thar desert in Rajasthan. The Jaisalmeri camel has good race potential and is used for carting goods. These were preferred in cavalries in the past like the Ganga Risala Camel Corps of Bikaner, during World War I and II.

Presently the Camel Corps constitutes an important wing of the Border Security Force of Indian para-military service. In fact India is probably the only country in the world where the Border Security Force (BSF) not only does the job of protecting our frontiers but also trains camels to be part of a full fledged band! The BSF is the single biggest employer of camels. Largest in Asia, the BSF camel farm in Bikaner is managed by the central government and breeds about half of the camel population in India. Tourists coming here are delighted by the sight of baby camels and their antics.

The Kutchi breed (Kutch region of Gujarat) is popular for the milk it yields. Further camel milk is healthier than cow/goat milk and according to the research conducted at the diabetes care and research centre, SP Medical college Bikaner, a litre of camel milk contains about 52 units of insulin. Drinking camel milk could help in controlling diabetes, when it is in its first stage.

Camel milk soaps are already sold in the United States, where manufacturers claim that they are rich in vitamin C and anti-oxidants. Bars are sold for as much as $7 ( Rs 315) each. After camel milk face cream with its anti wrinkle properties, it is now the turn of camel milk ice-cream that has just been launched in Rajasthan. In fact the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has estimated that camel milk has a potential global market of $10 billion a year, with 200 million potential customers in the Arab world and millions more in Africa, Europe and America.

ravar · Post by **ravar** » 10 Nov 2010 18:16

Theo Fidel wrote
That is interesting. Desi breeds have a definite place in Husbandry but I'm baffled how they say the Vechur cow produces more milk per body weight. A holstein cross breed adapted to India gives about 15 liters per day. A regular Holstein would give 25 liters per day. A holstein weighs about 600 Kg. A Vechur would have to weigh 120 Kg. Is that right. Sounds like Madarasa math here.

Maybe, you got that info from the link given below.
It is a diminutive breed and weighs on an average 107 kgs only. (chk its size to a normal cow in the accompanying pic) with a max height of 91 cms! But the claim of its milk yield as the max for any breed per body weight, needs to be verified.
http://pib.nic.in/feature/feyr2000/fmay ... 20001.html

Organic farming sounds cool and all but it will not feed India. For that matter Kerala does not feed itself, at all. Last I heard less than 20% of the rice Keralites eat comes from Kerala! That is why it can experiment with all these ideological experiments in agriculture.

Nobody said (at least I didn’t) that Kerala which is in any case a densely populated state with constraints of land would meet its own agricultural produce (mind you, even with chemical farming). As to whether it would feed India, all I can say is that you need to get out of your seat and talk to farmers all over India from Himachal to Kerala, who have done this natural type of farming and hear what they have to say about the quantity of produce. My interaction on the field with these farmers yielded a very positive feedback on the quantity with no substantial reduction in the yield.

Maybe I can save you some trouble-
Zero budget farming a success

Jose Ammencheri, a cardamom farmer in Vandanmedu, said yield had not fallen when he shifted his 14-acre plantation to the new farming method. “There will not be a sudden increase in yield, but it sustains.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/201010 ... chal.htm#3

Practitioners of Zero Budget Farming in Maharashtra and Karnataka

http://expressbuzz.com/Cities/Thiruvana ... 30851.html

Palekar’s method is today practised by around 30 lakh farmers in Maharashtra (his home state), Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and several northern states.

First feed yourself then we can talk about all these fancy ideas.

Fancy ideas! Maybe, that is why millions of farmers are flocking to the natural method and sticking to it like super glue as the above links would vouch for. Or maybe, it is so fanciful that the KAU students of Mannuthy, Thrissur, scientifically validated these techniques and the Govt. of Kerala decided to support this method! Madrassa math indeed!

Instead we have 'cow dung' and 'beneficial microbes' and 'no need to put money into agriculture'.

Hello, and just for a change, could you give me some links (newspaper reports, univ research studies etc) to refute ZBNF, cow dung etc rather than your off the cuff statements. It would be much appreciated. Maybe, you can start with Fukuoka’s ‘One Straw Revolution’ as a primer. BTW, I am still waiting for your answer for my reply when you dissed cow urine, off the cuff, a few pages earlier on this thread.

Nevertheless, let me help you as much as I can from the realm of the comp screen-

Beejamrutha (mix of cow dung, urine etc): A source for beneficial bacteria

Abstract : Use of Beejamrutha, a mix of cow dung, cow urine, water, lime and a handful of soil has been given importance insustainable agriculture since age old days. It is also one such organic product helpful for the plant growth. The beneficial microorganisms present in beejamrutha are known to protect the crop from harmful soil-borne and seed-borne pathogens. Bacteria were isolated from beejamrutha and tested for their beneficial traits. These isolates were capable of N2-fixation, Psolubilization and IAA, GA production in addition to suppression of Sclerotium. Among the free living N2-fixers, isolate AzB2
registered highest amount of N2 fixation (13.71 mg/g carbon source utilized) where as BPS3 released maximum amount of Pi (8.15 per cent) among phosphate solubilizing bacteria isolated from beejamrutha. The isolate BJ5 was found to produce highest amount
of IAA (11.36 μg/25ml) and GA (3.13μg/25ml). Inoculation of the bacterial isolates from beejamrutha also resulted in improvement in seed germination, seedling length and seed vigour in soybean. Among the treatments, seeds inoculated with BJ5 has registered
significantly higher seedling length and seedling vigour index while the seedling length and seedling vigour index was markedly lowest in control.

What crap, no pun intended. Sorry, this is something that frustrates me on a daily basis. Nothing personal.

In fact, nothing personal against you either since I know that beneath the tip of the ice berg consisting of doubting Thomases, there is a revolution happening out there on the ground with millions of farmers reaping benefit and becoming debt free (aaah, and of course suicide free) from the strait jacket of the fertilizer and pesticide lobbies. I am only interested in that and hence wanted to disseminate this information. If you want to benefit, you too can, an open mind is all that is required.

Right now I'm experimenting with Rajarajan 1000 system on about 2 acres of my land. I can say that the weed problem is entirely underestimated.

What has R1000 got to do with ZBNF? Why compare apples with oranges and try to arrive at your forgone conclusions? Your method (SRI) is based on a different philosophy of using artificial/industrial fertilizers, insecticides etc which is bound to have problems with weeds and labour when compared to ZBNF.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 11 Nov 2010 22:34

Ravar,

Holy Cow!

That is a small cow. But If I were a farmer needing 100 gallons a day of milk would I want 5 Hybrid cows or 35 Vechur ones. I'd go with the 5 personally.

Anytime you bring a 'revolutionary' plan you better be willing to take some blows and back it up. I don't see millions of farmers taking to your ZBNF or what other would call organic farming. And none of your links back that up.

Chanting Mantras to increase yield.

Seriously guy! There better be some serious back up other than some random farmer here and there. AT first I thought you were kidding but it scares me that you take it seriously. Help!

The reason I brought up SRI is that when it was first identified that Rice is NOT an aquatic plant most people laughed. It is actually adapted to seasonal lake environments where water recedes for most of the year. Yet around the world flooded fields were thought to be what rice required. Yet right now about 50% of TN's farmers have switched to it and show a 40%-80% increase in yield. Keralite farmers seem least interested in what actually works and spend there time on such trivial pursuits as Organic farming.

Despite your confusion, Kerala once was and could still be the granary of South India. It is the only area not water stressed and could easily bring about a Million hectare under paddy from the present 700,000 hectares or so. With a modern world class paddy yield of 8-10 tonnes per hectare with 2 crops Kerala could easily provide ~ 10-12 Million tonnes of rice. Enough to feed a 100 Million people. Instead it continues to squander its water resources and depend on water stressed TN, Karnataka and AP to feed it. Its present production is only about 1.4 Million Tonnes of Rice and declining every year. Just the District of Kanyakumari in TN produces 300,000 tonnes. One district.

It is a tragedy of modern India that wacky ideas such as ZBNF can exist when our yields are lower than parts of Africa. We havn't even begun to modernize our agriculture yet and we get these socialistic disasters being advocated. Do you know that Egypt gets yields of 12 tonnes per Hectare from its fields. Thought not. When ever is our agriculture going to be world class.

ravar · Post by **ravar** » 12 Nov 2010 01:21

Theo Fidel wroteHoly Cow! That is a small cow. But If I were a farmer needing 100 gallons a day of milk would I want 5 Hybrid cows or 35 Vechur ones. I'd go with the 5 personally.

You are free to choose whether to sell beneficial milk of Vechur at a premium price and think of the profits in a different way. Moreover, personally, I would prefer not to drink milk from foreign breeds which has been now proved to contain harmful genes! And since a choice is there in Vechur, I would prefer that holy cow instead

Anytime you bring a 'revolutionary' plan you better be willing to take some blows and back it up. I don't see millions of farmers taking to your ZBNF or what other would call organic farming. And none of your links back that up

.

Ya Alla! And what do you have as a fig leaf to back up your claims? Not a single link! Any single link (forget about links, some anecdotes from ZBNF farmers, the cell phone nos of many were given in the links; you could well have talked to them for a few minutes onlee to find a different opinion, perhaps?) to your sanctimonious claims?? I am still waiting!!

Chanting Mantras to increase yield. Seriously guy! There better be some serious back up other than some random farmer here and there. AT first I thought you were kidding but it scares me that you take it seriously. Help!

This is getting more interesting! When I challenged you to provide some links/anecdotes, which you utterly failed to, in addition to your histrionics with a liberal dose of emoticons, you start putting words in my mouth too! Now, who said that I talked about increasing yield? It was only stated as per the links (and very clearly at that) that there was no reduction in yield even when they switched to natural farming. As to your being scared, arre baba, let some poor farmers who don’t understand economics, let them live!!

The reason I brought up SRI is that when it was first identified that Rice is NOT an aquatic plant most people laughed. It is actually adapted to seasonal lake environments where water recedes for most of the year. Yet around the world flooded fields were thought to be what rice required. Yet right now about 50% of TN's farmers have switched to it and show a 40%-80% increase in yield. Keralite farmers seem least interested in what actually works and spend there time on such trivial pursuits as Organic farming.

All of them DID chemical farming first and later experimented with ZBNF and are happy with it. They have experienced BOTH the methods (unlike your case where you haven’t yet tried out ZBNF) and have arrived at their own conclusion regarding the benefits. Hence, I am inclined more to go with them than your claims.
Well, talk to me once you have experimented with ZBNF . Maybe, you can do a pilot on a small plot. Yeah, Keralite farmers (including KAU students, Krishi Bhavan officers) are dumb, onlee, what to do !

Despite your confusion...
It is a tragedy of modern India that wacky ideas such as ZBNF can exist when our yields are lower than parts of Africa. We havn't even begun to modernize our agriculture yet and we get these socialistic disasters being advocated. Do you know that Egypt gets yields of 12 tonnes per Hectare from its fields. Thought not. When ever is our agriculture going to be world class.

Yeah, I am confused onlee! As long we have economists and babus who have a closed mind (i.e., not willing to move their bottoms from their seats (oh, yeah, referring to Kerala farmers/babus onlee, saar) and know the reality of the farmers on the ground…!!!
On second thoughts, only if I were in Egypt!!!

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 12 Nov 2010 21:17

What can I say. Its my money, my risk.

You think we can get more productivity out of agriculture with Zero investment. I don't know whether to laugh or Cry.

That is a very good way to destroy what little productive agriculture we have IMHO. I'll let it go at that.

ravar · Post by **ravar** » 12 Nov 2010 21:40

Theo, I already made my points, which were-

1) That a movement called ZBNF is taking shape
2) The farmers are the ones who noticed that their yield was going down considerably due to chemical farming and they were willing to give this method a try, in which they succeeded
3) It is getting popular acceptance by farmers out of their direct experience with this method of farming vis a vis chemical farming.
4) And though there are a few media links to the above, the movement is much stronger at an inconspicuous level (though one of the links gives the figure as 30 lakh farmers in Maharashtra alone, the figures could only be higher combining other states as well)
5) Those who doubt this method need to do a pilot and experience the benefits of this method directly
6) Or they can talk to fellow ZBNF farmers to know more and share their experience to make an informed choice to go for this method or not.

You can still continue to doubt/deride this. But the fact remains that it is going stronger by the day. Those who want to benefit from the above info, will take the initiative and succeed, which was my sole objective in posting this. And we can argue till Kingdom come, on the above, which I am not interested in. This being my last post on this.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 06 Dec 2010 20:45

Isro team in Bengal brew belt- Satellites to improve management and yield

Jalpaiguri, Dec. 5: A team of Indian Space Research Organisation scientists has arrived in north Bengal to conduct ground-based surveys of tea gardens before using remote sensing satellites to map the estates.

The survey is part of a project expected to help tea growers in north Bengal improve the management of their plantations and their yields.

The Isro programme jointly with the Tea Board is intended to determine actual area covered by tea in the gardens, find out if land is available for new crops, and develop plans for improved water management. Satellite imagery may also be used to monitor the uprooting of tea bushes for soil rehabilitation before fresh planting.

The Isro-Tea Board programme is initially expected to cover Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur in Bengal, and more than 20 districts in Assam. A research component of the programme will aim at predicting the green leaf yield of plantations and issuing advance warnings about pest attacks and diseases.

“We are hoping that once the project is completed the tea industry would undergo an overall change for the better. Growers will have forecasts of the yields as well as information about pest attacks,” said Samaresh Mondal, the assistant director of the Tea Board office here.

Isro has already mapped areas covered under tea in about 300 large tea gardens in the Terai, Dooars and the Darjeeling hills, an Isro scientist said.

“We are currently comparing the maps with our satellite images and carrying out an on-the-spot survey of these gardens,” the scientist said.

The satellite images can also accurately determine the land lying fallow as well as map irrigation and drainage systems in the gardens. This will help identify potential drains to divert excess runoff water and improve the water management in the gardens.

A scientist also pointed out fresh mapping was being done in parts of North Dinajpur and Cooch Behar classified as a New Tea Growing Area.

“We have prepared maps for small tea gardens right from the block and the mouza levels. We are mapping both large and small tea gardens that are facing river erosion and land degradation through landslides,” the scientist said.

The scientists also said that within a year 40 weather observatories would be set up by Isro so that planters, both large and small, got forecasts of rainfall as well as changes in the weather.

The team surveyed gardens in the Kharia area of Jalpaiguri Sadar block in this morning and in the afternoon visited Mainaguri and small gardens in adjoining Cooch Behar district.

They were equipped with global positioning systems and satellite images. They said it would take another year till the survey was completed. Once the project was completed the information will be updated regularly and will be available on a dedicated server.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 16 Dec 2010 20:15

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/world ... ?ref=world

The changing face of Indian agriculture...

He showed me the new irrigation techniques he had implemented to conserve water. He pointed to the aluminum pipes that ran through his fields, the backbone of a sprinkler system. Elsewhere, he had installed a drip irrigation network.

He told me, also, that he was increasingly turning to organic methods. He showed me a bed of organic fertilizer (mostly cow manure) 4 meters, or 13 feet, deep that he used in his coconut plantations. The resulting fruit, he said, was bigger and tasted better.

He said that going organic was the only option remaining for farmers. He couldn’t imagine agriculture surviving if it continued to rely on the chemicals that had for so long poisoned the soil.

Mr. Reddy talked a lot about the new crops he was growing. Like so many farmers, he had moved away from traditional crops. Instead, he found fruits and vegetables more economical. He said that over the past few years, his bananas and coconuts and mangoes had really sustained the farm.

Mr. Reddy was particularly hopeful for a crop that had recently been imported into the area from Malaysia. He pointed to 10 hectares of short, stubby trunks that in a few years he said would yield pot after pot of palm oil.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 17 Dec 2010 03:02

I wonder what will be imapct of this on Cotton growing and GM seeds in India.

Bt cotton losing battle against bollworm: report

Kind of negates the whole GM introduction.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 04 Feb 2011 02:09

A kisan's Harvard moment.

They are farmers with their finger on the latest technology, and they travelled all the way from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, to share their success story with an Ivy League audience.

He is appalled when I ask if he managed to catch enough sleep and see some movies on board as this was the first flight he had ever taken in his life, and such a long one at that.

“Arrey nahi, picture tau hum kabhi bhi dekh sakte hei (Oh no, I can watch a movie any time). And though I was sleepy I felt I had to collect vital information about the plane and the journey to be shared with other farmers later… That the plane was flying at 1,022 km per hour, at a height of 39,000 ft, and all the countries we crossed before reaching America.”

Meet Rajendra Patil, a banana farmer from Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, who, along with Hemchandra Patil, was recently invited by Harvard Business School to make a presentation at an international symposium on Food Security. Their topic: how improved technology has helped increase their yield and income several-fold.

Both have a story that will inspire small farmers. Rajendra used to work as a private schoolteacher and was devastated when he suddenly lost his job in 1998. But he recalled a lecture given by a Jain sadhvi where she had said: ‘Suraj nikaltey hi roshni deta hai, phool khiltey hi khusboo deta hei, zindagi mei kuch karne ki tamanna ho dil mei tau zamin tau kya aasman bhi saath deta hei' (Like the sun gives light and flowers fragrance, if there is resolve in you then not just land, even the sky will help you).

“I had 1.5 acres of family land (in Warey, about 90 km from Jalgaon) and I decided to grow bananas on it.” As he had more water than needed by his tiny farm, he leased another 10 acres. In 2005 he read the story of a farmer whose income had gone up by using drip irrigation. “He told me about Jain Irrigation, they guided me on drip irrigation. Next year, I consulted a banana expert in the company and introduced tissue culture plants.” Starting with 10,000, he bought an additional 18,000 in 2007 and “my earnings went up three times by following the Jain technology. This way every farmer can increase his output and income. Unki system itni powerful hei ki zamin me sey sona nikaal saktey hei. (Their system is so powerful that farmers can get gold from their land).

In three years, under his direction, his village had planted 7 lakh tissue-culture banana plants. Ploughing back his earnings into his land, Rajendra today farms on 70 acres, of which he owns seven acres.

Respect for India

Hemchandra, the other farmer from Jalgaon, who grows bananas and onions, is still starry-eyed from his America visit. His main takeaway: “I was amazed to find that Americans have so much respect and affection for Indians… and treat Indian farmers with so much respect.” Also, even though he was allotted only 15 minutes to make his presentation, the international delegates at the seminar had so many questions that his session ran into a good 30 minutes.

On the kind of questions asked, he says “When I mentioned the technological help given to me by Jain Irrigation Systems, I was asked why big industrial houses in India such as Tata, Birla, Reliance, etc, were not doing such schemes for farmers. I said I can't answer this... yeh tau sahi sawal aap galat admi se pooch rahey hei (It's the right question but asked of the wrong man). For that answer I got many compliments… What I did tell them was that Bhau (many farmers use this endearing term for company Chairman Bhavarlal Jain) has been working with farmers for long years, and that has helped not only us but the company too. It's a profitable collaboration for both of us.”

Lawyer-turned-tiller

Hemchandra is a qualified lawyer; his father, Dagaji Patil, is a retired schoolteacher; “we had 24 acres, and in 1977 when we got electricity and the Government gave some money for digging wells, I quit my job and took up farming,” he says.

Even though he knew his son would have to take up farming one day, “I educated him so that he could use modern farming methods.” When the son was ready to take on the mantle, his father had already installed drip irrigation, on “an experimental basis” on three acres. After bringing the entire land under drip irrigation, he bought 26 acres more and today grows bananas, cotton and onions.

When I quip about high onion prices, the farmer grins from ear to ear, even though farmers get only 30 per cent of the market price, and says: “Har saal tau aise nahi hota” (Every year we don't see such profits).

Anil Dhake, Vice-President (R&D), Jain Irrigation Systems, explains that Hemchandra was chosen for the symposium — Harvard had asked Bhavarlal Jain to recommend two farmers — because he has been a contract farmer with Jain for 10 years, growing white onions to feed its dehydrated-onion producing plant in Jalgaon. “We chose him for his achievement… that a dryland farmer can go up to 18-20 tonnes of onions per acre… India's average is 5-6 tonnes per acre. For 10 years now, he has done hi-tech cultivation using so many different types of irrigation systems — inline, sprinkler, drip and overhead irrigation systems.”

Asked whether he might be harming the interests of small farmers by leasing their land, Rajendra replied: “Certainly not. They didn't have water, so they could not cultivate the land. But I have excess water and by using it on their land I have tripled their yield, so it's a win-win for all of us.”

Hemchandra says they also spent two days in New York and “we were so struck by the cleanliness of the place. We met an organic farmer and found that for organic products they get double or triple the price, which doesn't happen here, so where is the incentive to grow organic products?” Both farmers were amazed by the prosperity of their US counterparts and the kind of support they get from their government. And also, the status they enjoy. “We wanted to meet more farmers, but were told one had to take appointments,” says Hemchandra in awe.

At the symposium both were quizzed on government help not really reaching farmers, as well as farmers' suicides. “But when they asked about corruption, mujhe bahut feel hua (I felt bad).”

On the support the Indian Government gives farmers, he smiles and says: “Subsidy ke sivay kuch nai! (Except subsidy, nothing).”

But Indian farmers face several problems, such as the vulnerability of crops to newer diseases. He is convinced that technology in agriculture is the only way forward. To keep abreast of the latest in farming practices he has now bought a laptop and regularly surfs the Net using his broadband connection. “I am still learning, but there are some Web sites I see regularly,” he says.

He is also unhappy that the MNREGA scheme has made labourers "alsi aur nishkriya" (lazy and unproductive).
Helping fellow farmers

Rajendra, on the other hand, is all excitement after his America visit. “I now want to own 100 acres to grow banana, ginger, mosambi (sweet lime), sitafal (custard apple), etc, go in for the latest irrigation systems and use the latest technology.” Every three months he wants to organise workshops for farmers, guide them on ways to improve yield through improved farming practices. “In one campus I want to provide models explaining how to plant a crop, look after it… Just as Bhau has done for farmers, I want to follow his example.”

He knows he will hit an “economic roadblock” as the entire project will cost Rs 3 crore. “I have saved some money and will take the rest as loan from NABARD.”

When I express surprise that he lives in a rented house despite such resources at his command, he says: “I've decided not to build a house till this dream is realised. A house is only a building, but your land gives you income once or twice a year.”

Hemchandra's future plans include horticulture and floriculture. He wants to plant pomegranate and exotic vegetables in greenhouses. “I hear that in big hotels and restaurants vegetables such as red and green peppers, gherkins, broccoli, etc are in great demand and that the market will expand. This has strengthened my resolve to go in for value-added farming. Our Government should encourage farmers who opt for hi-tech farming and help us with marketing so that when prices rise, farmers — instead of middlemen, traders and hoarders — can benefit.”

But he is sad that there is little cooperation or unity among Indian farmers. “Because of this, middlemen take away the cream from our earnings. Whenever there is an attempt by farmers to come together, the leader of that movement is invariably sucked into one political party or the other. Just like politicians divide Hindus and Muslims, they divide farmers too. And this is the curse of farmers.”

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 09 Feb 2011 21:09

India eyes bumper grains output, may dampen inflation.

India may harvest its second highest amount ever of food grains in 2010/11, including a record 81.47 million tonnes wheat, its agriculture minister said on Wednesday, which could help the government in reining in food inflation.

The cost of food for families in Asia’s third-largest economy has soared 17% over the past year, latest data showed, boosted most recently by gains in onions and other everyday vegetables as harvests are hit by unseasonal rains.

India is likely to harvest 232.07 million tonnes grains in 2010/11, sharply higher than the 218.11 million tonnes produced a year ago, Pawar said, when a severe drought hit India’s crops. Output hit a record of 234.47 million tonnes in 2008/09.

“We succeeded in raising food grain production because of higher support prices,” Pawar said, highlighting a sharp rise in the level set by the government as a minimum for rice and wheat in the past few years.

India, the world’s second-biggest producer of wheat, plants the grain from October and harvests from March.

The production of winter-sown oilseeds is likely to rise by 5.5% on a year ago to 9.6 million tonnes, while lentil output will rise by 12.6% to a record high of 16.51 million tonnes, a statement from Pawar’s ministry said.

Output of rapeseed, the main winter oilseed crop, is expected to rise to 7.4 million tonnes in 2011 against 6.6 million tonnes in the previous year.

Pawar said the government should adopt a liberal approach in deciding on exports of food grains and vegetables. He stressed the need of exports of sugar to support local farmers and mills—a key concern in the farm portfolio.

“After protecting domestic consumers’ interest, one can think about sugar exports. Cane areas are rising and farmers are demanding exports to be allowed,” he said.

The country has flip-flopped on sugar exports. In December, Pawar said mills could export 500,000 tonnes of sugar under Open General Licence (OGL). But the government, bowing to public pressure over food prices, has referred the issue to a panel of ministers, which is yet to make a decision.

The government should allow exports of onions and adopt a more friendly policy in exports of premium grade rice like basmati that middle and lower-middle class consumers don’t consume, Pawar said.

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 10 Feb 2011 05:47

Airavat wrote:Potential of Camels

The Kutchi breed (Kutch region of Gujarat) is popular for the milk it yields. Further camel milk is healthier than cow/goat milk and according to the research conducted at the diabetes care and research centre, SP Medical college Bikaner, a litre of camel milk contains about 52 units of insulin. Drinking camel milk could help in controlling diabetes, when it is in its first stage.

Camel milk soaps are already sold in the United States, where manufacturers claim that they are rich in vitamin C and anti-oxidants. Bars are sold for as much as $7 ( Rs 315) each. After camel milk face cream with its anti wrinkle properties, it is now the turn of camel milk ice-cream that has just been launched in Rajasthan. In fact the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has estimated that camel milk has a potential global market of $10 billion a year, with 200 million potential customers in the Arab world and millions more in Africa, Europe and America.

A villager drinking fresh camel milk which is healthy and easier to digest:

Some in Rajasthan think the key thing is to promote camel milk. “From being a draft animal the camel must also be used as a milch animal,” says Dr N.V. Patil, director of the National Research Centre on Camel (NRCC), engaged in producing various milk products (see box). A common saying in these parts is that even if you feed newspapers to a camel it will give you a good quantity of milk. However, in India, one of the largest producers of milk in the world, camel milk is only sparingly produced and used. It hasn’t quite reached malls and supermarkets as it has in Dubai, for instance.

That, these experts point out, is a pity, because camel milk is more nutritious and easily digestible than cow’s milk and can be drunk even by the lactose-intolerant. It’s rich in vitamin C, copper, zinc, iron and immunoglobins and contains less unsaturated fatty acids. “It’s the closest to human breast milk,” says Lindstrom. “It could be sold as a health product.” The claimed health benefits include controlling diabetes, TB and Crohn’s Disease. Sonlal Detarwal, who regularly buys milk from NRCC, claims his blood sugar levels came down from 240 to 140 in three months of consuming it. Sixty litres of the 120 litres of milk produced daily at NRCC gets transported to Faridkot in Punjab for distribution amongst mentally-challenged children. It is also trying to develop more appetising products like camel cheese and yoghurt and sweets like barfi, rasgulla and gulab jamun, but this is still at a pilot stage.