AgriTech India - Newspaper

Monthly

Vol. 10 Issue 11

March 2020 ` 50/-

Doubling Farmers’ Income – The progress So Far the average annual income of a farm household was Rs. 98,000 in 2015-16, which has been taken as the base year.

Promoting Cleaner and Greener Environment

#Stopartificialflowers #Savefarmers #Goforfresh Campaigns Launched of Horticulture, Government of Telangana and National Research Development Corporation (NRDC).

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rue to its potential, the 15th International Flora Expo 2020 organised

by Media Today Group showcased a splash of colours through its display of flowers of varied hues and shapes that presented a feast to the eyes of visitors. The 3-day floral extravaganza, which concluded on March 1, at HITEX Exhibition Centre in Hyderabad, Telangana, was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, K V Nagendra Prasad, IEIA President and COO of HITEX Exhibition Center.

The event brought together a large number of visitors -- the footfall was recorded as more than 25,000 -- that included international suppliers of flowers, importers, dealers, buyers, retailers and florists, besides flower-loving general public.

It was appropriate that Hyderabad, which has become a role model for green city concepts, was chosen to hold this event devoted to a fine display of flowers, greens and seeds apart from the latest modern technologies needed

for ornamental horticulture.

The venue brimmed with green professionals, flower growers, horticulturists, floral designers and environmentalists. Prasad was all praise for the excellent displays of the vertical gardening concept, the pot arrangements, various kinds of flower arrangements, as also the innovative concepts developed by the floriculture industry.

The expo had colocated shows, namely, 14th International Landscape & Gardening Expo 2020, 12th International Horti Expo 2020 and 6th Agrex India 2020.

The series of events made substantial contribution to spread awareness on cleaner and greener environment, while promoting floriculture business and developing a competitive environment among the entrepreneurs for promoting the quality of flowers. The theme of the expo was “Go For Fresh, Ban Artificial and Plastic Flowers”. The event was supported by the Department

INSIDE STORIES Canada’s Agriculture Industry Expected to receive Three Billion Canadian Dollars Pulses cultivation needs a boost PM-KISAN scheme being implemented across India except West Bengal Now, an e-tractor that promises to reduce cost of ownership COVID-19 outbreak could help agri exports: Agriculture Ministry analysis NABARD loan scheme should help develop new plantation regions: Rubber Board Govt educating farmers through YouTube and Facebook: Tomar

Go For Fresh For long, plastic flowers from China have been cited as the single largest cause for the slump in demand for fresh flowers. Pressing their long-standing demand for curbing their use, flower growers, made a reference to fast spreading COVID-19 across the globe, and made a strong plea for banning plastic flowers, which add to the ...Continued on P5

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alking on ‘Doubling Farmers’ Income – The progress So Far’ at the inaugural session of the two-day BusinessLine Agri Summit held in New Delhi, Ashok Dalwai, Chairman of the Committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income, said that the ambitious plan of Modi government to double

farmers’ income by 2022 is on track. The event, sponsored

by NAFED, Godrej Agrovet, Bayer, IFFCO, NSE, NCDEX and other partners, concluded on February 28.

Dalwai said only a paradigm shift in policy will alleviate farmers’ condition, the bulk of which are small and marginal farmers. He said

Link to non-food sector The effort to link agriculture to the non-food sector was also the key to improving the incomes of farmers. Focusing on poorly endowed agri regions, the efforts were on to complete 99 irrigation projects, covering 7.86 million hectares. While attempting to drought-proof 151 districts, the government has promoted organic farming in 2.5 million hectares, covering two lakh farmers.

Dalwai said minimum support prices were not enough to help farmers get a better price.

India should look to ...Continued on P6

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News

AgriTech India March 2020

In Maharashtra, 7.65 lakh farmers benefit from Mahatma Phule Farm Loan Waiver Scheme

Canada’s Agriculture Industry Expected to receive Three Billion Canadian Dollars

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he State Government has till date deposited Rs 4,807 crore in the bank accounts of around 7.65 lakh farmers under the Mahatma Phule Farm Loan Waiver Scheme, said Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray.

Interacting with mediapersons at the State Assembly, Thackeray said that loan waiver has been provided to those farmers whose accounts are linked with their Aadhaar cards. The State Government has also started the process of identifying those farmers, who have availed loans up to Rs 2 lakh so that they could be made debt-free.

However, the benefits would be extended to five

lakh more bank accounts, the names of which would be declared at a later date, as the election code of conduct for gram panchayat polls in the districts of Nandurbar, Nashik, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Yavatmal and Nanded is still in force, he said.

In this scheme the farmers were not required to fill complicated forms and stand in long queues; only their Aadhaar cards was required.

The process is completed in three minutes. In the 2017 scheme, the farmers had to fill in complicated forms, which was very time consuming, he said.

Thackeray pointed out that the whole process of loan waiver was carried out on a special portal. The software for the portal was developed inhouse and no private vendor was involved in the process.

n a new initiative, Canadian government have invested over CAD$17.6 million into 690 projects that are working towards building a more robust, sustainable and profitable Canadian agriculture sector.

The project, named the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), is a national, provincial, and territorial commitment to invest three billion Canadian dollars into Canada’s agriculture industry. Its key objectives include increasing market competitiveness and agricultural productivity, enhancing environmentally sustainable practices, expanding Canada’s agriculture market internationally, and improving risk management practices.

“The Canadian Agricultural Partnership sets the direction for the future of the sector to help it continue to innovate, grow and prosper, and position Canada as a leader in the global economy,” said Lawrence MacAulay, former Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Out of the three billion dollars, one billion will support federal programs

and two billion will be distributed among Canada’s local governments. Allocating money to local governments allows its program leaders to administer grants to projects that meet the specific agricultural needs of their respective regions. Canadian farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and agriculture producers are eligible to apply for grants that they can spend on their agriculture projects based on their province of residency Provincial governments have catalyzed many agriculture projects across Canada so far. The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA)— Ontario’s CAP grant administrator—invested CAD$5.75 million dollars into the On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) Project, a research initiative studying soil health protection and management measures in Ontario. Likewise, Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) has invested CAD$11 million dollars into 47 crop-related research projects with an objective to augment crop production up to 45 million metric tons.

CAP-funded crossprovincial projects such as the Wheat Cluster have also materialized. Run by wheat organizations from Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba, the wheat research group explores innovative ways to improve and sustain wheat production in eastern and Western Canada.

While some provincial governments like Saskatchewan’s and Alberta’s directly distribute grants through their own programs, others elect a third-party agent to deliver them. The Investment Agriculture Foundation (IAF) of British Columbia (BC), for example, is a third-party organization that administers CAP funds in BC. “IAF’s vision is for a vibrant and progressive agriculture and agri-food sector for BC that is sustainable and growing,” said Sarah Rostami, Senior Communications Officer of the IAF. “We work closely with our industry partners to ensure our local BC food system remains strong, resilient, and productive.”

The IAF runs two main programs: The Canada-BCAgri-Innovation Program (CBCAIP) and the BC Agrifood & Seafood Market

Development Program.

These programs are designed to support agricultural entrepreneurship and to fund marketing efforts for BC’s agrifood producers, processors, cooperatives, and associations.

“To date we have delivered programs related to agricultural research, biosecurity, rural and indigenous agriculture, agricultural innovation, marketing, and retail,” Rostami states.

Some projects that received IAFBC investments include pesticide-free technology and automated honey extraction systems.

“Many of the projects we approve have the potential to transform an entire sector,” Rostami states.

While Rostami believed that there are benefits for using a third-party agent such as increases in application efficiencies and communityinformed decision making, challenges persist as well.

The bureaucracy of funding allocation creates some difficulties, according to Rostami. Information and funding gaps within the government may disrupt grant administration efforts and drawn-out government negotiations and agreements result in delays in program implementation and funding delivery, she said. And because IAF serves as the face of these programs, the burden of criticism due to external logistical complexities lands on the organization itself.

Rostami also believed that since programs are tethered to government fiscal years, there is an immense amount of pressure for projects to be completed by March 31st annually. The modification of programs becomes difficult as well since their parameters have been predetermined since the CAP’s launch date.

Applicants have also expressed difficulty due to the amount of paperwork grant applications require.

Regardless of the technical and administrative challenges that third-parties and applicants face, Canada still expects to be the front runner in the global agricultural arena; anticipating its agriculture sector to be “the most modern, sustainable and prosperous sector in the world.”

“We’re confident that results can potentially benefit industry interests across Canada,” said Rostami.

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Article

AgriTech India March 2020

Pulses cultivation needs a boost Apart from being an affordable source of protein and a soil health enhancer, it can help secure growers’ income – G Chandrashekhar

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ndia is a formidable force in the global pulses marketplace. The country has the world’s largest area under pulses — 27-29 million hectares in two seasons — and is the world’s largest producer — 22-24 million tonnes.

However, at about 800 kg per hectare, yields are low by world standards.

In India, pulses cultivation faces several challenges, including farming on marginal lands, dependence on monsoon, lack of irrigation, low input usage and, importantly, no breakthrough in seed technology. We are currently in what can be described as a ‘low level equilibrium trap’.

To advance food and nutrition security, there is a dire need to break out of this trap through increases in both area and yield.

Production It is critical that pulses cultivation is encouraged and incentivised in grain mono-cropping regions of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The rice-wheat-rice cycle needs to be broken for the ecological disaster it has brought about — deterioration in soil health and an alarming fall in the water table.

Systematic crop rotation by cultivating pulses will deliver multiple benefits, including improvement in soil health through nitrogen fixing. It is also necessary to ensure ready marketability of the crop through assured procurement mechanism.

Importantly, for a quantum jump in pulses output, multiple technologies need to be adopted, covering information technology, biotech, satellite tech, nanotechnology, and so on.

Using Artificial Intelligence for finding end-to-end solutions is the way forward.

Most critical is breakthrough in seed technology. Initial work on insect resistance was done during 2011-2014 with remarkable results. Trials of both Bt. Chickpea and Bt. Pigeonpea to fight Pod Borer (Helicoverpa) showed a sharp reduction in crop losses which translated to effective higher yields.

But lack of regulatory clearances stymied further research efforts. While there is proof of concept, supportive government policies are

necessary for commercialising the seeds.

Consumption There is a feeling among policymakers that India is self-sufficient in pulses.

My emphatic response is, ‘No, we are not; not yet’.

Unfortunately, the current low prices (often below minimum support price) lull us into believing we have become self-sufficient.

Our per capita availability of dal (milled pulse fit for human consumption) is only 14 kg whereas nutritionists recommended at least 20 kg consumption. To reach self-sufficiency at current population level, India needs to harvest 30 million tonnes (mt) of raw pulses, whereas our current output is only 22-24 mt.

Again, per capita availability is a misleading number. Often, policymakers overlook the skew in consumption. There is a wide gap between the consumption of the top 30 per cent and bottom 30 per cent of the population given the stark difference in purchasing power.

This skew needs to be corrected. Protein deficiency in our country is pervasive, inflicting enormous hidden cost on the country. Pulses/ legumes are the most affordable vegetable protein.

My own research suggests vegetable protein from pulses (as also soybean and groundnut) is far more economical than animal protein (milk, eggs, meat).

To advance nutrition security, there is a strong case for distributing pulses through welfare programs such as TDPS (Targeted Public Distribution System), NFSA (National Food Security Act), MDM (Mid-Day Meal), and ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services).

Along with rice and wheat, at least 2 kg of dal should be distributed to the financially needy who are actually in dire need of protein.

Supplying pulses through government welfare programmes will not only result in a significant rise in consumption but also deliver health benefits. India is the only country in the world where a quantum jump in both production and consumption of pulses can happen simultaneously.

Consumption growth

will help improve crop marketability and lift domestic prices to levels that will keep pulses growers adequately motivated. It will advance growers’ income security and consumers’ nutrition security — a ‘winwin’ for all.

Unless productivity increases, Indian pulses will not be globally competitive. It is possible to increase yields with policy, research and investment support.

We must recognise that Indian agriculture in general and pulses crop in particular are fragile and vulnerable. We may be only one bad monsoon away from a farm disaster. So, we need to stay in the global value chain with appropriate checks and balances. New Delhi must demonstrate political will to bring about creative disruption. ‘Business as usual’ attitude may prove to be risky.

The writer is a policy commentator and agribusiness specialist.

The article is excerpted from speeches delivered at the recently held World Pulse Day seminar and at The Pulse Conclave 2020)

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Cashew growers seek MIP on cashew kernels used in SEZs, EOUs

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he Karnataka-based All India Cashew Growers Association (AICGA) has urged the Centre to implement Minimum Import Price (MIP) on cashew kernels used in the units coming under SEZs (Special Economic Zones) and EOUs (Export-Oriented Units).

In a memorandum to the Prime Minister, the president of AICGA, Nanya Achyutha Moodathaya, said that the members of the association appreciate the measures taken by the Government in protecting the interest of the farmers and the industry by implementing MIP on cashew kernels, imposing 70 per cent duty on import of cashew kernels, and the like.

Memorandum demands The memorandum said the January 1 notification suspending the license to import shelled cashew was a welcome move that helped the industry to revamp from the current crisis and the farmers were also getting the benefit. “However, the DGFT has on February 14 2020 came up with a clarification under reference above, making MIP not applicable for units under

SEZ and EOU,” it said.

The memorandum explained that due to low raw cashew prices and mechanized processing, the cashew kernel prices in other countries are less than the cost price in India. However, due to high quality of nuts and processing in India, Indian cashew kernels enjoy a premium price in both domestic and overseas market.

“When SEZ/EOU are allowed to import cashew kernels at less than MIP, the low quality / low priced cashew kernels (especially ‘brokens’) so imported are being sold in the domestic market under the pretext of job works and substituted with ‘wholes’ kernels to fulfil the export obligations,” it said.

This lowers the kernel

prices in India. Even when low priced cashew kernels are re-exported from SEZ/ EOU as ‘Indian Cashew’, the domestic processing units that cannot compete with them are affected and hence forced to lower the raw cashew prices they buy from farmers to compete with SEZ/EOU units in the international market.

This reduces the farmers income drastically, it said.

When the farmers are delighted with the efforts and commitment of the Government to double the income of farmers, such decisions of DGFT will drag them into debt pits, it said, and requested the Prime Minister to direct DGFT to withdraw the above notification.

The association memorandum said that the DGFT should place the import of all types of processed and semi-processed cashew kernels under the ‘prohibited’ list as a permanent measure to protect the interest of cashew farmers in India.

It also requested the Prime Minister to increase the import duty on raw cashew nuts.

This will help cashew farmers to accrue more benefit, the memorandum said.

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News

AgriTech India March 2020

Tea Board asks small growers to prune 25% of their growing area

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ea Board has come out with a proposal to help small growers manage their supply chain during the peak flush months (April to October).

Tea Board’s Executive Director M Balaji has advised small growers to subject 25 per cent of the tea area to pruning so that the green leaf they harvest during April-October would not be in excess or pull down prices.

He has listed triple benefits from such a pruning programme – small growers can supply quality green leaf to the factories, the factories can manufacture quality teas and the volume of teas sent to the market will not be in excess. In that scenario, prices of made tea are likely to increase and small growers

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary said the PM-KISAN scheme has been successfully implemented across the country

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would get reasonable returns, Balaji said.

This is a novel idea that reverses the long-time practice of harvesting a huge volume of green leaf during the flush season and flooding the factories with more raw material than required, making the factories manufacture tea day and night. Sometimes,

while quantity goes up, quality comes down. When large volumes are sent to the market, prices decline.

The Tea Board believes that if its proposal to prune 25 per cent of the tea area is carried out, the supply chain will be manageable, resulting in better prices.

Blast, stem borer hit paddy in Telangana as acreage doubles

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hough the area under paddy in Telangana has gone up by 100 per cent to 27 lakh acres, the virulent pest ‘rice blast’ and stem borer and rice whorl maggot attacks on the crop may cause yield losses.

Normal rainfall, good levels of water in reservoirs and the additional irrigation capacity that the State developed in the last 2-3 years have helped the farmers increase the acreage. But a huge difference in night and day temperatures and high humidity levels in the State led to the spread of ‘rice blast’, which is called Aggi Tegulu locally. In ‘ideal conditions’, it can fly hundreds of kilometres,

PM-KISAN scheme being implemented across India except West Bengal

impacting the crop in vast stretches. Excessive use of urea has also contributed to the growth of the pest.

Scientists at the PJTSAU (Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University) have confirmed the attack of pests. However, they said the situation is under control and that it is not going to cause severe losses.

Apart from the rice blast, the cereal crop is also affected by stem borer and rice whorl maggot attacks. The varsity has come up with an advisory to ward off the problem and reduce losses.

Record production The State pegs a record

paddy output of 148 lakh tonnes in the 2019-20 season (kharif and rabi), owing to sharp increase in the paddy area. The estimates, however, were done before the onset of the pest attack in the rabi season.

Farmers, however, are worried a lot as the problem is much bigger than the government estimates.

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Editor : Syed Jafar Naqvi Vol. 10...... Issue 11 ...... March 2020

correct details on the PMKISAN portal rests with State/ UT governments concerned.

State governments have been continuously requested and vigorously pursued for expeditious registration and uploading of data of beneficiaries, in mission mode and by organising camps.

Meeting is held weekly through video conferencing with state governments and other stakeholders concerned

so as to remove any handicaps coming in the way of smooth and seamless implementation of the scheme, he said.

Choudhary said the target of the government is to achieve 100 per cent saturation by enrolling every eligible farmer family of the country.

To achieve this, States and UTs have been asked to conduct various saturation drives, he said.

At 195 lakh tonnes, sugar output down 22% so far this year: ISMA

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he Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PMKSNY) has been implemented successfully across the country, barring West Bengal as the eastern state did not join the scheme, informed Lok Sabha. Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary said the PMKISAN scheme has been successfully implemented across the country.

“So far, as on March 11, 2020, financial benefit under the scheme has been released to 8,69,79,391 beneficiaries.

However, these exclude about 69 lakh farmers of West Bengal as the government of West Bengal has not yet decided to join the scheme,” he said during Question Hour.

The minister said the entire responsibility of identification of eligible beneficiary farmer families and uploading their

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ugar production in the country has touched almost 195 lakh tonnes (lt) till February-end in the current marketing year as against 249 lt in the corresponding period last year, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said in a statement. The sugar production shortfall is around 22 per cent so far this year.

Barring mills in Uttar Pradesh, those in other sugarproducing States produced less as compared to the same period in the previous year.

As many as 119 mills in crushing operation in Uttar

Pradesh have so far produced 76.86 lt as against 73.87 lt by 117 mills in the same period last year. Sugar production in Maharashtra continued to languish and so far produced on 50.7 lt against 92.88 lt by February-end last year.

In Karnataka, sugar

production is down so far by nearly 22 per cent to 30.6 lt as compared to same period last year. Other sugar-producing States contributed to another 36.7 lt of sweetener so far. As per market reports, export contracts have been signed for over 35 lt, of which about 22-23 lt have been moved out of sugar mills for shipment.

According to ISMA, the mills are expected to export a total of 50 lt in the current sugar season, which ends in September, even though the government has set an export target of 60 lt.

Now, an e-tractor that promises to reduce cost of ownership Operations cost for farmers will down to Rs. 20-35 from Rs. 150, says Cellestial E-Mobility CEO

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hough tractors have addressed the problem of shortage of labour, high costs of ownership and operation still make it difficult for farming community in acquiring them.

A Hyderabad-based startup Cellestial E-Mobility have come up with an operational prototype of an electric tractor that costs less than the traditional diesel-run tractors.

The start-up targets a lucrative market of 8.78 lakhunit tractor market (2019) in the country. “The market is growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.9 per cent. We found that the electric manufacturers of vehicles have not focussed on this segment yet,” Siddarth Durairajan, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cellestial E-Mobility, said.

Priced at Rs. 5 lakh “It costs Rs. 5 lakh a piece as against Rs. 6 lakh that the regular tractor is priced at.

Moreover, it will cost Rs. 2035 to run the e-tractor for an hour as against Rs. 150 that the farmers spend every hour that they use,” Durairajan said.

The beauty of the product is that it comes without about 300 parts that come along with the regular tractor engine.

Siddhartha Durairajan, Co-founder and CEO of Cellestial E-Mobility, and Syed Mubasheer Ali (left), Co-founder and Partner, launching the electric tractor in Hyderabad

It will help them save time and effort on maintaining the vehicle.

The firm, which began its operations in 2019, raised $2,00,000 from a Singaporebased Angel Investor.

Initially, the start-up is planning to produce 100 units a month in the first year. “We will ramp up the production in the next 2-3 three years to produce an aggregate 8,000 vehicles,” he said.

Besides targeting the farm sector, the start-up is also looking at selling the tractor to factories, warehouses and airports for movement of goods and baggage.

Specifications The tractor comes with features such as battery swapping, regenerative braking, power inversion (use the tractor to power a UPS), and fast charging.

The 6HP electric tractor (which the start-up claims is equivalent to 21HP diesel tractor) can run 75 km on a single charge. It can go at a speed of 20 km an hour.

“In a residential environment, it takes six hours to fully charge the battery and with an industrial power sockets, it can fast-charge in two hours,” Syed Mubasheer Ali, Co-Founder and Partner, Cellestial E-Mobility, said.

Event Report

AgriTech India March 2020

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...Continued from page 1

Promoting Cleaner and Greener Environment

environmental pollution.

Bala Siva Prasad, President of Hosur Small Farmers Association along with the farmer’s delegation from Bengaluru and Hosur were happy to see at the expo the efforts to promote use of fresh flowers.

Prasad said, “Flower growers of Pune, Delhi, Himachal, and Hyderabad have all made the demand jointly with the growers of Hosur and Bengaluru. Use of plastic flowers from China in events and marriages with large gatherings poses a potential health hazard and their use should be banned.”

Apart from the loss to floriculturists, with plastic flowers taking the centre stage and replacing natural, fresh flowers to cut-costs in event managements, the government also undergoes revenue loss, said Prasad.

“We have calculated Rs. 25,000 crore losses directly and indirectly through tax evasions and also through loss of labour in floriculture farms.

The imported plastic flowers are undervalued to evade tax and are reused multiple times for events. Besides, the public health hazard posed by synthetic colours should also be taken into account,” he said.

Attention-grabbing Displays The expo showcased products and services from

over 20 nations. High quality planting material, flowers, fruits & vegetables from Holland, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, New Zealand, Israel, Portugal and many other countries were displayed by leading plant material and greenhouse industry suppliers.

Entire chain of products and inputs were available at the Flora Expo and Landscape & Gardening Expo.

Global Brands of plants like Florist Holland B.V., HilverdaKooij, Floricultura B.V., Kapiteyn from Holland, Danziger - ‘Dan’ from Israel Rosen Tantau of Germany displayed their offerings at their Indian partner K F Bioplants Pavilion.

An attractive pavilion was made by Rise n’ Shine that showed a wide range of new planting material. The company has International collaborations with Dummen Orange - Holland for Gerbera, Carnations, Chrysanthemum, Limonium, Gypsophilla; Gerbera from Monteplanta Portugal; Danzigar Darwin Plants from Holland and USA for Perennials; highly appreciated varieties of Orchids from Kultana Thailand; Bromildeas from Corn & Bak - The Netherlands; and Bock Biosciences Germany for Phalaenopsis.

Along with flowers, banana and srawberries were also on display. The company also had recently made a

tie-up with Ball Group of Columbia, one of the largest seed companies in the world.

The whole display attracted the discerning visitors and professionals alike.

Soex Flora displayed high quality cut roses and Rose plants for domestic as well as international market.

Florence Flora displayed newly launched varieties by world renowned breeders like Selecta, Anthura, etc. Alice Biotech showcased the entire range of products and services for Protected Cultivation structures right from shading nets to Automated Greenhouses.

Next gen technology in Greenhouse and agro Plastics were on display at Agriplast Tech, bringing world famous Ginegar - Israel products to Asia. All plastics, Mulching, Shading, Specialised Greenhouse coverings like Aluminet and Optinet were on display for precision farming. For professionals in the Landscape gardening sector, display included world renowned companies in Garden Design, Landscape Lighting, Pool Designing and Pool Water management systems, Garden paving material like Pebbles and Enclosures, Garden Fixtures and Accessories were impressive.

Participation Over 150 companies’

products for commercial horticulture, post-harvest products and related technologies were on display.

Among them were USA based company Blount International, MTD Products from USA, Kraft Seeds. A Company based in Japan, Infinity Enterprises Inc., launched a new product range with the brand of AGRISAFE, which is used for Hydroponics, Irrigation, Greenhouses, Golf Courses and Pot Plants production.

Sunya, a Taiwan based company, displayed garden tools and other accessories.

Brands like Dosatron, Ellepot, Urbinati, Pindstrup were also present at the expo at Grass Blades Pavilion with live machinery displays.

Floral Championship Besides, the three days of the event had competitions on floral arrangements.

To encourage the new generation florists and floral artists, “National Floral Design Championship” was organized. The championship became a major attraction for trade visitors and different agriculture institutes participated in the live workshops and training programmes. Bouquets and different types of floral arrangements were one of the main attractions. The championship was organized with the joint effort of iFlora and companies like KF Bioplants, Soex Flora, Rise n’ Shine Biotech and Florence Flora.

Krishna Chavan, Landscape Architect

demonstrated attractive flower arrangement workshops to the participants.

Pandharinath Mhaske of Sneh Florist made a striking display of 25 years of Floriculture Today through his flower arrangement.

Students from Navsari Agriculture University, Navsari, Gujarat participated in the championship and won awards for their great display of flower arrangements.

International Congress & Excellence Awards With the objective of promoting landscaping and gardening activities, International Landscape Industry Congress 2020, a networking forum for trade professionals, was organized on 29th February.

The conference had noteworthy presentations on innovative landscaping and vertical gardening systems taking shape in India and thereby promoting the cause of cleaner and greener environment.

The Conference was followed by Indian Flower and Plants Industry Excellence Awards. The evening also marked the celebrations of 25th anniversary of Floriculture Today Magazine.

The ceremony focused on thanking proficient experts who helped the industry to develop in a more wellorganized way.

Concurrent Events The 14th International Landscape and Gardening Expo 2020 encompassed the entire landscape &

green industry and trade stakeholders. The expo focused on inimitable and efficient market support and high quality export oriented flower production. Industry professionals came up with new products, techniques and devices that were exceedingly cost-efficient for expansion of business.

The 12th International Horti Expo 2020 revealed each of the fragments of farming, greenhouse and related sectors, while the 6th Agrex India 2020 concentrated on more value additions to the existing technology.

Business Opportunities 15th Int’l Flora Expo 2020 became an ultimate meeting point for all the major stakeholders of the industry. The 2020 edition of event series focused on the emerging concepts of green living such as vertical gardening, landscape gardening, floral arrangements and flower pot arrangements apart from other innovative concepts.

There were nursery stalls where plants from different states were available. Apart from that, equipment required for gardening, fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides were also available.

The concurrent events displayed products that offered huge opportunities for launching unique landscape & gardening ideas, concepts, products, services, accessories and equipments.

The dates for the next edition will be announced soon.

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Event Report

AgriTech India March 2020 of NAFED, has said that this initiative will help farmers get used to the processes at the eNAM. The onus is on both the public and private sector players to provide necessary infrastructure, to make it easy for farmers at the markets, he said.

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Doubling Farmers’ Income – The progress So Far

freeze imports of edible oils at current levels by 2022 by improving local production, supported by procurement, he said, listing out measures to increase procurement of different crops such as pulses and millets. He said the government was targeting to double milk processing capacity to 108 million tonnes by 2025 and achieving a production of 20 million tonnes in fisheries.

Dalwai said budgetary allocations to the agri sector have gone up. But he felt that public investments alone would not help in developing the sector. He said it was important to transfer real prices on their produce by improving marketing efficiencies, agri-logistics and processing; while kisan rail would ensure seamless transport of perishables.

Farmers need choice Delivering the welcome address, BusinessLine Editor Raghavan Srinivasan said though the agriculture sector contributes only 15-20% to GDP, it offers livelihood to over 50% of the population. He said a set of recommendations based on the deliberations at the twoday event will be prepared and submitted to the Union government.

Land Leasing Reforms Indian agriculture requires investment to the tune of Rs. 6.4 lakh crore by 2022, said ICRISAT Director Arabinda Kumar Padhee while participating in a panel discussion. He emphasized the need for major land leasing reforms in the country which he saw as the only way to turbo-charge the agriculture sector. To ensure private sector participation, legalizing land leasing was the only solution, he added.

He pointed out that informal tenancy is on in almost onethird of the land holding in the country.

Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director of Godrej Agrovet, raised concerns over farm surplus in the country despite a silent revolution happening in the agricultural sector in rural India. He said most of the government schemes are moving in the right direction and are expected to achieve the goal of doubling farmers’ income.

He stressed on the need for the development of more technologies to predict farm surplus.

The panelists deliberated on the subject of “What more needs to be done to make doubling of farmers’ income a reality by 2022.” Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj, said that radical changes are happening in government’s programmes and there is a need for such programmes to be evaluated by an independent authority or a group of farmer collectives.

Soil Health Cards Jakhar pointed that the Centre was pushing for soil health cards to promote judicious use of fertilizers.

Vilas Shinde, Chairman and Managing Director of Sahyadri Farmer Producer Company, highlighted the importance of farmers producer companies and said that such companies are a vehicle, but without vision, it cannot move ahead.

Senior Deputy Editor of BusinessLine Rajalakshmi Nirmal moderated the panel discussion.

Standardised Database of Farmers In order to create a comprehensive centralized database to effectively provide intervention for farmer welfare and support schemes, the government has constituted a committee, which would recommend the authorities to build an inclusive database of farmers.

Underlining the challenges involved in collating a database of farmers, Dalwai, stated that there has not been a centralised database of farmers due to multiple issues such as lack of standardisation.

360-Degree Analysis The BusinessLine Handbook of Indian Agriculture 2020, was released at the event that offers a comprehensive 360-degree analysis of India’s agricultural economy, with forward-looking ideas to resolve the farming crisis. The book marshals some of the keenest minds in the domain of the agricultural economy, and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain. With the weight of their distinctive experience, the contributors — among them Prof MS Swaminathan, Dr Yoginder K Alagh, Dr Ashok Dalwai — have mapped out the terrain, laid bare the complexities of the problem, given a view from the grassroots, critiqued some of the failings in earlier policy efforts, and charted out active strategies, including the policy interventions needed to lift the sector and realise the vision of doubling farmers’ income.

In its breadth, the Handbook covers every area of agricultural endeavour and every link in the agri value chain: the need to de-risk farming; optimising agricultural inputs; water management; easing farm credit flows, and using it to incentivise behavioural change in farmers; opening up farmers’ access to the markets; modernising agricultural practices, while simultaneously reviving traditional, sustainable practices; and strategies to enhance exports, and to doubling farmers’ incomes.

In addition to extensive analyses, the Handbook offers an in-depth Statistical

Appendix: Over 100 pages of authoritative data covering the entire universe of agricultural activities.

Link eNAM with FPOs, Warehouses Addressing the Summit, PK Swain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, said the government is working on integrating eNAM with warehouses besides FPOs to provide end-to-end connectivity for farmers. The FPO module has undergone pilot testing, he added. Swain further said that apart from the existing mandis on board eNAM, mandis in Karnataka, Kerala and in Jammu & Kashmir will be added soon.

He gave an update on the current status of eNAM in the country, and said that the volume of e-trade on the platform has seen a CAGR of 39%, while the value has grown 38%, from Rs. 8,806 crore in the launch year to Rs. 30,470 crore as of February 2020.

Better Infrastructure Taking part in a panel discussion on ‘Building the right market access infrastructure’, experts representing public and private sectors felt that both physical and soft (IT) infrastructure needed to be set up. Garima Jain, Chief Executive Officer of Agro Corp (India) said the country had evolved from foodgrain shortage country to self-sufficiency situation and then arrived at the food surplus state. Standardisation and assurance on quality of the farm output too were important challenges that the country faced, she felt.

P Soman, Chief Agronomist at Jain Irrigation, said that small and marginal farmers would require affordable models to gain technology inputs to improve their incomes.

Role of Logistics Giri Vasan, National Project Head of Nagarjuna Fertilizers and Chemicals’ eNAM initiative, said that logistics played a key role in ensuring quick movement of commodities between States. He said the important focus areas should be grading, sorting, packaging, warehousing and transport to help farmers get better returns. G Chandrashekhar, Consulting Editor of BusinessLine, who moderated the session, said the country was saddled with ‘less than adequate’ infrastructure, both the physical infra and soft infra.

The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) has said it is ready to carry out MSP (Minimum Support Price) procurements through eNAM (electronicNational Agriculture Market). Sunil Kumar Singh, Additional Managing Director

Faster and Inclusive Agricultural Growth The country has, over the last decade, achieved significant growth in agriculture productivity, but the growth has been driven by non-crop sectors such as aquaculture, said Suresh Pal, eminent agriculture economist and Director of ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (NIAP). He said growth in agriculture productivity has been 3% in the last two years and 5% before that.

However, Pal also expressed concern over the slow growth in agriculture productivity in Uttar Pradesh, which has good irrigation facilities and fertile land.

Labour productivity riding on better technology has also contributed to the growth numbers, he added.

Outcome-Based Subsidies Subsidies based on outcomes rather than input-oriented would be the best way to go forward for promoting innovation, experts said. Changing farmer mindset is very important said Sandeep Malhotra, Chief Executive Officer of IFFCO Kisan, while talking at a panel discussion moderated by N Madhavan, Senior Associate Editor of BusinessLine. Giving the example of agricultural extension workers who are currently around 1.5 lakh in the country, Malhotra said currently they reach out to 25-30 farmers each.

Footprint in Africa Citing the example of Ivory Coast, where OLAM started working very early Naveen Chaurasia, VicePresident of OLAM said the African country offered them an area which is least productive to work on. V Ramanathan of Rallis India reminded the audience how the crop productivity of cotton saw a spectacular rise in the years following the introduction of Bt cotton in 2002.

M Jawaharlal, Director of Extension Education at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, said a lot of technologies are available; whether they work is the question. He said TNAU imparts training to a number of youth to become entrepreneurs in the food space. Giving the example of marigold cultivation in Tamil Nadu, which TNAU introduced, he said farmers even with small patches of land are earning better as the price of the flowers, which is also used for extracting a pigment, went up substantially.

High-Premium Policies The Centre wants the States to shoulder higher burden of PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) if the premium rates exceed a reasonable level, said a senior Agriculture Ministry official.

If the premium rates go beyond 30% for unirrigated and 25% for irrigated farms, the States may have to cough up more to pay for the crop insurance scheme, said Ashish Bhutani, PMFBY CEO and Joint Secretary (who looks after agricultural credits at the Ministry).

Burden on States Bhutani also said that

higher burden on the States may prompt them to take steps to bring down the premium rates. During the first three years of PMFBY, weather had been more or less fine. But the claim ratio for these three years combined was around 85%. Considering the insurance firms would have paid 10-12% for reinsurance, their profits would have been less than 5%. And this was the case for normal years, he said.

Bhutani said around eight States has had claim ratios which were far beyond 100% in these years. He said the government is coming up with a new crop insurance scheme for 151 water-starved districts in the country. It is currently being worked on and may take a little while before it is announced.

Greater Access to Farm Credit Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and land lease markets need to be developed in the country so as to enable farm credit reach the small and marginal farmers, said Nabard CGM Niraj Kumar Verma. Stressing that credit is a powerful tool in the agriculture sector, he pointed out that only 45% of the small and marginal farmers are covered under institutional credit out of the 85% belonging to that segment.

Referring to trends in farm credit, he said 75% of such credit goes through commercial banks, 12% by cooperative banks and 13% through RRBs; RRBs and cooperative banks have taken a backseat and stay away from extending credit to farmers.

Priority sector lending According to Verma, the share of agriculture credit in the eastern region is poor with regard to the gross cropped area of small and marginal farmers and area under tenancy, which is much high in eastern States compared to national figures. He suggested that the increase in size of large loans, inclusion of dealers, food processing companies in priority sector lending may help.

Chart a strategy Ram Kaundinya, Director General, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), expressed that in a vast country like India, a single technology can’t be a uniform solution for the country.

Kaundinya, while pitching for the Genetically Modified (GM) crops to meet the growing need of grains, stated that the government should have policies to encourage use of these technologies, which may be coming from the users.

He also stated that there is already a next level that is available, which is gene-editing. Giving a perspective on sustainability and productivity, SimonThorsten Wiebusch, COO, Bayer India, stated that one can’t exclude each other, but sustainability is more important. He laid stress on the agriculture input data and how technology can drive the change. Sharing a farmer experience and whether the current government intervention towards sustainability is on track or not, GV Ramanjaneyulu, Executive Director, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, said that farmers have realised the economic and ecological crisis they face and started responding to it.

Now, Yellow Revolution On the lines of sustainability in areas of White Revolution for milk

production, and Green Revolution for wheat production, India can now look to achieve yellow revolution -- achieving sustainability and selfsufficiency in edible oil production. Stressing on the point, Nasim Ali, CEO, Oil Palm Plantations Business, Godrej Agrovet, stated that India imported 15 million tonnes of edible oil last year, of which 8 million tonnes was palm oil and its derivatives amounting to about Rs. 4550,000 crore.

BusinessLine’s Deputy Editor Vishwanath Kulkarni moderated the session, where John Mathews, President — Marketing, T-Stanes, as a manufacturer of bio-fertiliser stated that overall there is a need for integrated pest management and chemical management suitable to crop.

The government should set in motion a yellow revolution to boost oilseeds cultivation in the country to meet the growing edible oils demand, said Ali. Ali pointed out that India should achieve sustainable self-reliance in edible oil production and the focus should be to get assured returns.

Awareness, modern technology Agri technology major Dhanuka Agritech CMD RG Agarwal said farmers are vulnerable to insect attacks and crops are susceptible to diseases. However, while identifying drought as India’s biggest risk to agriculture, Bhutani stated that a greater challenge is to generate awareness among the stakeholders, especially the farmers. He admitted that in spite of the special efforts made by the government to increase the insurance coverage for the farmers, “one area where we need to work harder is awareness.”

Complex problem On the risks associated with farming, Vijay Kumar, MD, National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), highlighted the risks on the profit side and how to protect the margins.

Himanshu Goyal, Sales and Alliances Leader, The Weather Company, an IBM Business, identified lack of modern technology, applications and a robust check on the weather technology as the complex problem in agriculture.

On the financial risk for farmers, Chief Business Officer (CBO), National Stock Exchange (NSE), Ravi Varanasi maintained that monetisation of produce that finally puts money in the hands of farmers is a critical risk. The panel discussion, which was moderated by Shishir Sinha, Senior Deputy Editor, BusinessLine outlined the measures to be taken to address the risks farmers are exposed to.

Vijay Kumar maintained that to instill confidence in farmers, the government first needs to be a participant in the institutions and schemes for the farmers. However, experts in the field said that the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) had tried these 30 years back but did not make much progress. But India has come a long way in 30 years and edible oil demand has gone up, increasing the import dependence to 70%.

Therefore, a new yellow revolution may be in order, they said. Sathya Raghu, Co-founder & President of Kheyti spoke about the role

News of start-ups and tech in reimagining Indian agriculture.

He believes the government should do less and give way for start-ups.

Re-imagining a landscape He expressed the hope that agritech can do in this decade what fintech did in the last one, provided agri business stakeholders are willing to change the rules of the game and work across the conventional lines that businesses draw. He encouraged bureaucrats,

AgriTech India March 2020 business leaders and policymakers to re-imagine a landscape with the farmer at the centre. He argued that #FarmersFirst and #SatyamevaJayate are two pre-requisites for this transformation.

By #FarmersFirst, he meant the farmer should be at the centre of decision-making.

By #SatyamevaJayate, he meant that we should be honest about the progress, numbers and that such honesty will be the founding stone for data-driven

decision-making. He felt the need for the government to opt for science and evidencebased decision-making. He pointed out that the success of agri business depends on government deliberately reducing its role in the sector and allowing conditions favourable for market-based models to solve the problems, wherever possible.

He urged the government to focus on local solutions, with the possibility of reversing them based on feedback.

March rains may bring down wheat output

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ains, accompanied by high-speed winds and hailstorm, recently have affected rabi crops, including wheat, in many parts of the north Indian region and experts fear the production loss could be in the range of 1-2 per cent in the case of wheat.

“We estimate that wheat production to come down by 1-2 per cent as adverse weather conditions affected several areas in the region. The wheat output will still be much higher than last year as we are looking at a record bumper production this year,” said GP Singh, Director of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, an Indian Council of Agricultural Research lab located at Karnal in Haryana.

Clear weather ahead “But, no further damage is expected as the weather is slated to be absolutely clear till April, when wheat harvest will happen,” Singh said.

However, even one per cent loss could be substantial as the projected wheat output

during the current rabi season is around 109 million tonnes.

The wheat crop has been affected in many districts in Haryana, including Ambala, Fatehabad, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Yamunanagar. Chandrabhan, a wheat farmer from Fatehabad district, said the estimated 10 per cent wheat growing areas in the district were affected by water-logging which weakened the roots.

An agrometeorology scientist at the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana said the farmers who ignored the advisory to not irrigate the fields on account of impending rains suffered the maximum loss. Several districts in Punjab witnessed heavy rains, strong winds and hailstorms.

An official source with the Punjab Agricultural Department said that more than 3.5 lakh hectares of wheat crop has been affected during the rains between March 10 and 12, which led to lodging of the crop in many parts.

Other crop loss The inclement weather affected other crops too. In Rajasthan, for instance, crops have been hit over an area of 4.53 lakh hectares across 19 districts. The worst affected were Alwar, Bharatpur and Dholpur regions of the State, according to a State agricultural department official.

As per details available with Rajasthan Agricultural Department, 1.66 lakh hectares of wheat, 1.88 lakh hectares of mustard, 82,000 hectares of horticultural crops and 38,000 hectares of chana were affected by the rains.

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COVID-19 outbreak could help agri exports: Agriculture Ministry analysis Ministry marks 21 products wherein India can grab part of China’s market share

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n the wake of the COVID19 outbreak, the Centre has identified 21 agricultural products, including honey, potatoes, grapes, soya beans and groundnuts, in which Indian exports could benefit from trade restrictions against Chinese goods.

The total value of China’s global exports of these products amounted to $5488.6 million in 2018. India exported $4,445.9 million worth of these commodities in the same period and could now have a chance to grab part of China’s market share.

“There may be opportunities for Indian exporters of agri-items, in case some countries impose restrictions on Chinese goods in response to outbreak of COVID-19. Opportunities may arise in case of other countries imposing import restriction on these tariff lines,” said an analysis of the impact of the virus outbreak on India’s agricultural trade, prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

The report was submitted to the Finance Ministry, as part of a wider exercise to analyse the disruptions in global supply chains due to the COVID-19 crisis and chart a government response.

Supply shortages and trade restrictions have already had a harsh impact on China’s total exports, which dropped more than 17% in January and February, in comparison to the previous year. Chinese imports fell 4% in the same period.

“There are 21 agri tariff lines where China’s global

exports and India’s global exports are more than $25 million and where India is price and volume-wise competitive and capable to provide an alternative,” said the Agriculture Ministry analysis.

Some of these products include natural honey, onions and shallots, chillis, potatoes, vegetables, guavas, mangoes, grapes, tamarinds, cashew apples, lychees, black fermented tea, spices, groundnuts, soyabeans, paddy, sesamum seeds, vegetable seeds for sowing and plants used in perfumery or pharmacy. Major markets which currently buy these products from China include Vietnam, USA, Japan, U.K., Philippines, Malaysia, Russia and Korea.

‘Won’t affect us’ The Agriculture Ministry has also said that the impact of the virus outbreak on import of agri items from China “may not affect us to an extent that may lead to any crisis”. India imported agriculture items worth $109.74 million from China in 2018-19, with seven products, including kidney beans, bamboo, cassia, fresh

grapes, live plants and plums and sloes, accounting for 84% of that.

“The import of these items is likely to get impacted in case of supply disruption occurs in wake of COVID-19. However, it may be noted that out of the top seven items, only two items – bamboo and kidney beans – are imported in bulk from China in the sense that they respectively represent 35.5% and 41.2% import from China out of India’s total imports from the world,” the analysis stated. In the case of those two items, India is still striving for self-sufficiency through the Bamboo Mission and the National Food Security Mission.

With regard to Indian exports to China, two items — cotton linter and mango pulp — may get impacted, as they are used as raw material by China for further processing and then export. Apart from these two, most major items are used for domestic consumption in China and may not be too badly hit, said the Ministry analysis. India exported agricultural items worth $191 million to China during 2018-19, including capsicum, isabgol and cumin seeds.

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News

AgriTech India March 2020

NABARD loan scheme should help develop new plantation regions: Rubber Board North-East, Karnataka, West Bengal and Odisha could be focus areas, says KN Raghavan The domestic natural rubber industry has been going through a tough phase.

A prolonged slump in rubber prices has hit the plantation sector, particularly small and marginal growers. Other segments are also beset with challenges such as global competition, dumping, non-tariff barriers and technological bottlenecks.

KN Raghavan, Executive Director, Rubber Board, spoke on the sidelines of the India Rubber Meet 2020 at Mamallapuram, near Chennai, about the measures to mitigate the effect of the slump, and the road ahead for the industry. Excerpts: What is the immediate-term measures planned to revive the sector?

While there is no guess on the price front, the easy way out now is to improve productivity. Low productivity is on account of two reasons. People don’t tap (rubber) at all, and they don’t tap during the rainy season due to lack of rain guarding. Also, there are a lot of senile plantations where the output comes down. Firstly, wherever there is no tapping, we are trying to adopt those estates — something like contract tapping. This started in a small way last year and we want to take it forward. On rain guarding, we are tying up with some companies to get their CSR funds so that we can supply rain guarding material for free to small farmers. For medium farmers, we will supply the material free, but when they produce and sell, we will try to recoup the cash at that point. For senile plantations, we are now encouraging replanting.

What about the progress in developing non-traditional regions for rubber

cultivation?

Yes, there is a dire need to bring in new areas of plantations. Because the consuming industry is growing very fast, catching up with that is a huge challenge.

Since traditional belts such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu have saturated, we have to go to the North-East and other areas, such as Karnataka, West Bengal and Odisha. For the new regions, the government has decided to extend soft loans through NABARD with interest subvention instead of subsidy, which will be only 10-15 per cent of the total cost. So, in the first seven years, growers don’t have to pay anything due to the subvention. From the eighth or ninth year, interest will have to be paid and, from the 10th year onwards, only principal will be paid. Over 15 years, growers in new regions will be able to handle the cost. We are in talks with NABARD. Maybe in two or three months, a scheme will be launched, focussing mainly on the new regions.

How feasible are climateresistant clones?

We have been working on it. Actually, we have already

released two cold-resistant clones — one in 2016 and the other, in Jan-Feb 2020. The development of clones is a time-consuming process and takes 25 years. The entire life of the rubber plant has to be monitored. However, we have come out with two (clones). Now we are trying to get something with droughtresistant qualities as the maturity period in States like Odisha is too long — 10 years.

The National Rubber Policy 2019 says at least 75 per cent of consumption should be met by the domestic industry.

When do you think it will happen?

Actually some years ago, the rubber industry was meeting about 90 per cent of the consumption. After that, the consumption industry grew and plantation slowed down. However, the industry is now trying to catch up.

Meeting 75 per cent should not be a problem. Even today we have the capacity to produce 1 million tonnes.

Last year, we produced 6.5 lakh tonnes and this year we expect 7.25 lakh tonnes.

Maybe next year we will go to 8 lakh tonnes. Also, once

the price moves northwards, production will also see a spike.

The gap between production and consumption should not be more than 25 per cent for any healthy industry. But in the last two years, the gap has gone up to 45 per cent. This year we will bring it below 40 per cent.

But it has to improve further, though it is a challenge.

What is being done for quality improvement?

It is a big challenge. Our vehicles have undergone a huge transformation. At one level we have splendid roads and, on the other side, we also have village roads. So the stress on Indian tyres is tremendous. The raw material used should be top class as we also have world-class factories in India. There are two challenges — firstly, the quality is not consistent and there are dirt elements. We are working with the industry and have also invested heavily in training for tappers and graders.

What are the emerging models to support the growth of the industry?

We have mooted an idea that is actively under the consideration of the Government of India. We have proposed a separate institutional mechanism on the lines of big Chinese firms that acquire and own estates.

Our entity will be a joint effort between producing and consuming sectors with all of them having a stake in that.

This entity can do contract farming, processing and provide technical expertise.

We have a huge reservoir of technically qualified people, but there is no proper forum to use it effectively. A viable and profitable business model with everyone on board will help take on the Chinese competition. We have got the technical permission, but the plan is still in an early stage.

More than rain, wind can ruin wheat crop: Experts Farmers in Punjab,Haryana worried over forecast of widespread rain in next upcoming days

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he rain anticipated over the impending days may impact wheat and other rabi crops in the north-western States of Haryana and Punjab if it is accompanied by strong wind, said experts.

“We are not sure whether there would be strong winds along with the rains. Strong winds can lead to lodging of wheat resulting in crop loss,” said GP Singh, Director of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, an Indian Council of Agricultural Research laboratory, located at Karnal.

According to Singh, otherwise, a bumper wheat crop is expected this year.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and private weather forecasting agencies such as Skymet have forecast widespread rain across many parts of North India. According to IMD, some parts of North India can expect gusty winds of up to 40 km per hour.

“Light to moderate rains can be beneficial to the crop, as they can help the grains to become bigger. But hailstorms, which are expected in some pockets, can damage the standing crop,” said GP Sharma of Skymet. He said there could be rains, which would peak on March 6.

Ajay Vir Jhakhar of Bharat Krishak Samaj and Chairman of Punjab Farmers’ Commission, said that with rains, wet soil can loosen up and if there are winds, they can upset the balance of the standing wheat crop, which is already heavy with grains.

But rains alone will have very little impact on the crop, Jhakhar said.

Meanwhile, Rajinder Singh, a former Haryana government agricultural

extension worker in Karnal district, said farmers in many villages in the district are worried even about heavy rainfall. This is because due to encroachment as well as road construction, drainage is in disrepair in these villages.

Water-logging at this time can lead to stem rotting, affecting the crop. Many wheat farmers in and around Gharaunda already suffered losses in the rains that lashed on February 29. They have already complained to the government, Singh said.

Mustard crop loss February 29 rains, accompanied by hailstorms, also impacted mustard and other crops in many Haryana districts, including Rewari, Mahendragarh, Nuh, Bhiwani and Jhajjar, prompting the Haryana government to direct insurance companies to assess the crop damage for compensating the farmers.

The rains happened when the mustard crop was almost ready for harvest and as a result, the crop damage was substantial in many areas.

“The assessment is currently on to decide on the compensation,” said Suresh Gahlawat, a senior Haryana Agricultural Department official looking after agricultural extension services.

Article

AgriTech India March 2020

Odisha’s new agriculture policy focuses on crop diversification, market linkages & use of technology

Bayer, Agribazaar in tie-up to provide market linkages for farmers

SAMRUDHI is based on an 8-pillar strategy focused on simultaneous reforms.

– Saurabh Garg and M Muthukumar

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he first agriculture policy in Odisha was formulated in 1996, which conferred the status of industry to agriculture.

Subsequent versions of agriculture policies were released in 2008 and 2013 with an even greater impetus on input management and focus on allied sectors, respectively.

Odisha is predominantly a rural and an agrarian economy. In January, the Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government released its Agriculture policy, 2020, which focuses on profitability for farmers.

Odisha’s agricultural GDP has nearly doubled in real terms between 2002 and 2016. It has clocked an average annual growth rate of about 4.5%, compared to an all-India average of 3.1%. The average income of an Odisha farmer grew at a CAGR of 8.4%, compared to the allIndia average of 3.7%. Farmer incomes in Odisha grew the fastest in the country, even faster than the growth in agricultural GDP, indicating an orientation towards improving farmer income.

However, there have been challenges.

To accelerate the growth trend set by previous policies, the state government launched its new State Agricultural Policy (SAP) 2020-SAMRUDHI—focused on the social and economic well-being of farmers, sharecroppers and landless agriculture households. It aims to actualise the untapped potential of agriculture, while ensuring growth process is environmentally, economically and technologically inclusive.

SAMRUDHI is based on an 8-pillar strategy focused on simultaneous reforms.

The policy lays emphasis on diversification, market linkages and use of technology. The policy also identifies and suggests mechanisms to orient governance reforms towards farmer-centricity, which is in alignment with the flagship programmes-5T and MoSarkar.

The policy recommends the creation of agriculture production clusters. It paves the way for the creation of an agro-ecological map, which will help in identifying an ideal cropping pattern.

The policy also suggests that these clusters should be linked to the market aggressively by removing all the existing barriers.

Innovative market reforms like the electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM) portal, Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAM), creation of market information system for disseminating current and forecasted prices have been laid down in SAMRUDHI. Special focus has been given to the adoption of model acts like the Model Contract Farming Act, etc, with suitable changes necessary for the implementation in Odisha.

The policy also emphasises development of warehousing and quality testing infrastructure for better marketing of the crops.

Through data analysis, it was found that livestock and fisheries have contributed the most to the growth of farmer incomes. SAMRUDHI provides recommendations for developing these. It includes elements like protection of animals from diseases, artificial insemination, conservation of indigenous species and encouraging the private sector to create value chains. For fisheries, the focus is on the promotion of inland fisheries and digitisation of Odisha’s assets like ponds and lakes.

The imprints of technology are increasing in agriculture with major advancements in data science (machine learning, artificial intelligence etc.), remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS), etc. The agriculture policy pushes for widespread usage and adoption of new-age technology to increase the quality of farming and farm products.

The process followed for the creation of SAMRUDHI has been participative with the involvement of various

Telangana agri varsity VC wins Swaminathan Award

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Praveen Rao, ViceChancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), has won the seventh Dr MS Swaminathan Award for the period 2017-2019.

“The Selection Committee has decided to select Praveen Rao for the award recognising his contributions in the fields of agricultural research, teaching, extension and administration,” a statement said.

The award will be conferred on him in June.

This biennial national

award was constituted by Retired ICAR Employees Association (RICAREA) and Nuziveedu Seeds Limited (NSL). It carries a prize of Rs 2 lakh and a citation.

The Award Selection Committee met in Hyderabad under the chairmanship of RS Paroda, former Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Praveen Rao, the maiden VC of PJTSAU, handled 13 research and six consultancy projects on micro irrigation in India, Israel and South Africa.

government departments, policy experts, NGOs working within Odisha and outside it.

To create the policy, relevant data for the last 15 years was analysed and specific opportunity areas for policy interventions were identified.

This policy is a time-bound, action-oriented document which clearly lists outcome targets the state should achieve over the next five years. As such, Odisha has publicly declared the targets the government should achieve within a specific time frame.

Garg is principal secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Odisha, and Muthukumar is Director, Agriculture & Food Production, Odisha

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ayer India has roped in agritech platform Agribazaar as an alliance partner for ‘Better Life Farming’ projects in India. Agribazaar will provide market linkages to small-holder farmers through its e-market place and help farmers get better prices for their produce. Bayer will also work independently with Agribazaar to improve access of crop advisory and enable transfer of agri technologies to small-holder farmers.

Simon Wiebusch, Chief Operating Officer, Bayer’s crop science division in India, said when farmers get the right remunerative prices for their produce, they are encouraged to adopt good agricultural practices and can afford modern agricultural technologies.

However, he said no

company can achieve this change alone, as it requires the right eco-system and meaningful collaborations along the agri value chain.

With Agribazaar, Bayer aims to enhance its reach to small-holder farmers and offer personalised solutions, enabling them to achieve better harvests more sustainably, he added.

Amith Agarwal, CoFounder and CEO of Agribazaar, said the digital platform, along with Bayer’s expertise in providing crop advisory and inputs, will help address Indian farmers’ problem of timely availability of advisory, inputs, price discovery, crop traceability and quality assurance.

This partnership will help both buyers and sellers transact in a transparent and trusted ecosystem, providing integrated, cost-effective and timely solutions, he said.

Bayer is also working with a network of small-holder farmers who practice agrientrepreneurship under its

Better Life Farming projects for rice, corn and horticulture crops. With its growing network of agri-entrepreneurs, Bayer aims to serve 25 lakh small-holder farmers across India by 2025.

Most farmers in India are small-holder farmers who farm on less than two acres of land.

These farmers are vulnerable to challenges such as pests and crop diseases, lack of finance, adverse climate impacts, irrigation management, rural migration and fluctuating commodity prices.

In 2018, Bayer formed the Better Life Farming alliance that brought together global and local partners across the agri value chain to help smallholder farmers unlock their farming potential. In India, the Better Life Farming alliance is led by Bayer, International Finance Corporation (IFC, a member of the World Bank Group), Netafim, Yara Fertilisers, DeHaat and Big Basket.

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AgriTech India March 2020

Govt educating farmers through YouTube and Facebook: Tomar More than 100 Mobile Apps compiled to help farmers

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nion Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar said in Rajya Sabha that govt is using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube to educate farmers across the country.

“The central govt has compiled more than 100 mobile apps developed by ICAR, State Agricultural Universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in the areas of crops, horticulture, veterinary, dairy, poultry, fisheries, natural resources management and integrated subjects for the benefits of farmers”, informed Union Agriculture Minister in Rajya Sabha.

The govt is educating farmers through the use of electronic media including Kisan Suvidha mobile app which facilitates dissemination of information to farmers on the critical parameters viz., Weather; Market Prices; Plant Protection; Input Dealers (Seed, Pesticide, Fertilizer) Farm Machinery; Soil Health Card; Cold Storages & Godowns, Veterinary Centres and Diagnostic Labs.

Crop related advisories are regularly sent to the registered farmers through SMSs on mKisan Portal (www.mkisan. gov.in), claimed the Minister in a written reply. Awareness is being created through mediums like DD Kisan, Doordarshan, All India Radio etc, he added.

The Government is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on ‘Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms’ popularly known as Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) Scheme. It is under implementation in 691 districts of 28 States & 5 UTs of the country, Tomar said.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) with its network of 717 KVKs has mandate of technology assessment, demonstration and capacity development of farmers. KVKs are imparting training to farmers for getting higher agricultural production and income. During the year 2018-19, 13.51 lakh farmers were trained by KVKs in various thematic areas, he asserted.

“Four Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institutes (FMTTIs) located at Budni (MP), Hissar (Haryana), Ananthapur (AP) and Biswanath Chariali (Assam) are engaged in imparting training to various categories of trainees including farmers, in the field of Farm Mechanization. During the year 2018-19, these Institutes have trained 9905 candidates”, “claimed the Minister.

National Food Security Mission (NFSM) is being implemented in identified districts of 28 States and 2 UTs viz. Ladakh and J&K of the country to increase the

production and productivity of rice, wheat, pulses, coarse cereals and nutri-cereals (millets) through area expansion and productivity enhancement. During the year 2018-19, 3,42,188 number of farmers were trained, he said.

Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme is being implemented for holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo. All States and UTs are covered under MIDH. During 2018-19, 1,91,086 number of farmers were trained, Tomar stated.

“In addition to the above, training of farmers is an inbuilt component under SubMission on Plan Protection & Plant Quarantine. Farmer Field Schools are conducted for promoting Integrated Pest Management among farmers.

During the year 2018-19, 712 FFSs were organized under the scheme”, Tomar underlined.

NCCE trains cooperators connected with marketing of agri produce

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CCE recently organized a three-day Leadership Development Program for Chairmen & Directors of State and District Agriculture Marketing Societies as well as

Federations of India.

Sixty people from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam and Rajasthan took part in the training

program, informs a press release issued by NCCE. The prime objective of the program was raising awareness about Agriculture Marketing Cooperative Societies among

Farmer grows paddy from rice grains

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ormally, paddy is cultivated through paddy seed, but a progressive farmer is cultivating paddy by using rice grains. Risotto is a north Italian rice variety brought by a rice mill CEO from an international rice expo held in Germany.

Nagula Gangaram, a progressive farmer of Nizamabad district who is popularly known as Chinni Krishnudu, is known for his experiments in agriculture.

He cultivates different types of rice varieties belonging to several countries in his agriculture field situated on the outskirts of Nizamabad.

Till now, agriculture scientists knew that paddy was grown with ordinary paddy seed, but Chinni Krishnudu has successfully cultivated rice using coarse rice or brown rice seed, which is slightly trimmed with grain in mills, without losing their upper layer.

He brought 21 types of rice seed varieties from USA, when he went there with his son and undertook several experiments five years ago when he grew them in his field.

Prof. Jayashankar Agriculture University scientists visit Chinni Krishnudu’s farm at Guthpa village in Nizamabad

High-yielding strain Recently, Nizamabad based Gajanan rice mills CEO Hithin Bhimani visited an international rice exhibition in Cologne, Germany, where he came across Risotta rice variety which belongs to north

Italy and is a high-yielding strain. He observed that this variety was nearer to locally cultivated varieties such as 1010 and Sona Masuri, which are compatible to Telangana’s atmosphere. But according to international laws, there was no permission to bring paddy seed to India. Therefore, Bhimani purchased one kg of Risotta variety coarse rice and brought it to India and gave it to Chinni Krishnudu for cultivation.

Chinni Krishnudu soaked the Risotto rice in cloth for one day and then after germination transplanted the sprouts in the paddy field of another progressive farmer, Basetti Chinna Gangadhar, situated at Guthpa village of Makloor mandal. Some 70 per cent of the sprouts were eaten by ants, and 30 per cent germination was protected from ants, and cultivated in organic method by using cow urine, dung and neem powder in 60 square yards of land.

Good yield Chinni Krishnudu said that the Risotta variety was not being cultivated anywhere in India, consumes less water, compared to 1010, Sona Masuri and BPT varieties, is a short-term variety and the crop arrives 20 days prior than local short-term varieties and gives higher yield compared to Indian varieties.

He said that this variety was very useful to Indian farmers, particularly Telangana and Andhra Pradesh farmers, and also useful for exports.

Prof. Jayashankar Agriculture University scientists visited China Gandahar’s farm and expressed happiness over the successful transplantation of the crop from rice grains.

Nizamabad Joint Director of Agriculture M. Govindu also visited Gangadhar’s field and appreciated the efforts of Chinni Krishnudu and Gangadhar for their successful experiment.

the participants.

Dr. V. K. Dubey, Director, NCCE inaugurated the program.

As desired by officers and participants, subjects like cooperative philosophy, values & principles, role and responsibilities of Board of Directors in marketing societies, NCDC schemes

for Business Development plan, methods of cashless transactions, GST in Cooperative Organizations, types & styles of cooperative leaders, success stories for agriculture marketing were discussed threadbare.

All participants were awarded a certificate of participation after completion

of the program.

The participants appreciated the program and were satisfied with all the arrangements and the knowledge they gained through the leadership development program.

The program was coordinated by Priyank Singh, Assistant Director, NCCE.

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AgriTech India March 2020

Pesticide sector hit by input issues

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he Indian pesticide industry is heavily dependent on Chinese imports for raw materials, and could be heavily impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, according to an analysis prepared by the Agriculture Ministry.

The Ministry estimates that domestic inventories may be sufficient for the kharif sowing season, but any further supply disruptions could hurt farmers. Industry insiders and analysts say that a good rabi or winter crop season and the possibility of a locust attack could deplete inventories sooner than expected, raising prices by about 15%.

“Pesticide industry in India heavily depends on import of around 15 technical insecticides from China,” says the analysis submitted to the Finance Ministry as part of an overall assessment of the impact of the virus outbreak on Indian industries.

Technical insecticides are an intermediate product used in the manufacture of commercial pesticides.

“Out of the 15 pesticides, Acephate, Cartap, Buprofezin, Pretilachlor represent 80-90% trade from China whereas Imidacloprid, Azoxystrobinb, Imzathapyr, Acetamiprid represent 40-50% import from China. Few technical insecticides, which are manufactured in India, also involve the raw material, which is sourced from China,” says the analysis.

“There is a major supply gap, as no container has come from China in the last two months. In fact, it started in early January when factories were shut for their New Year festival, and then, there was the coronavirus,” says Rajesh Aggarwal, MD, Insecticides India.

“We understand they are now back up to about 40% production capacity, which has restarted in March. But there are still barriers on internal movement in China, plus [delays in] shipping out of China. So, the gap has built up, availability is very tight and now, prices have gone crazy.”

He estimated that there had been a 10-25% increase

in the cost of these inputs from China. According to the Ministry analysis, the impact on farmers may not be immediate. “Functioning of domestic pesticides industries may not be affected immediately by the disruption of supplies from China since the industry in India is having inventories for at least next six months. Hence, for the ongoing kharif season, there may not be any adverse effect on the availability of pesticides to the Indian farmers,” it said.

However, Aggarwal said inventories are lower than usual for this season because of excellent rains extending the rabi season in parts of the country.

He estimated a 15% rise in the wholesale price of pesticides. Ratings and research agency Crisil also raised some red flags, although it felt that the procurement season for the rabi season is largely over.

“In case the manufacturing facilities do not operationalise by end of February, there could be some impact in procuring raw material for the upcoming kharif season,” said an early impact report.

Crisil Research Director Hetal Gandhi added that the news of a locust attack in the region could increase demand and deplete stocks.

“May is peak season for stocking, and there may be a 1520 day delay,” she said, noting that delays in dispatches was the major concern. “The first quarter of the year accounts for 35% of revenue for Indian pesticide companies, so, if the raw material does not reach in time, there could be significant impact.” As India imports only 10% of its urea from China, as well as value-added fertilisers, this could also have

TAFE, IIT-Kanpur to develop tractor engines that run on DME

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ractor major TAFE has teamed up with IITKanpur to develop technology for tractor engines that can run on Di-methyl Ether (DME), rather than engine.

DME, an alternative fuel that has been on the fringes of use for a long time, is a green fuel that can be produced (also) from biomass.

It has a very high cetane number which means it can ignite easily under compression. For this reason, it has been touted as an easy alternative to diesel.

Dr Avinash Kumar Agarwal and Prof Tarun Gupta of IIT-Kanpur have taken up the development of the technology for DME-

powered diesel engines under the Department of Science and Technology’s Imprint-2 initiative, and has been sanctioned Rs 1.60 crore for the project.

TAFE is the industrial partner, which means the company has made a financial commitment to the project.

The researchers say that they intend to modify a base diesel engine and develop a retrofit kit for DME adaptation, so that even existing engines could be made to run on DME. At the end of the project, the researchers will also build a prototype tractor engine that will be fully powered by DME.

a moderate impact on Indian farmers, she said.

Aggarwal, who is also Vice-Chairman, Crop Care Federation of India, urged the Centre to issue faster clearances for imports and also facilitate manufacturing licences so that India can become selfsufficient here. “We need to use this opportunity to backward integrate and put up capacity, so that we are not dependent on imports,” he said.

Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India President Pradip Dave agreed. “As manufacturing and logistics are paralysed in China, it’s a good time for India to increase its share in global markets. The government must help local manufacturing companies by granting registration from the Central Insecticide Board and manufacturing licences by States,” he said.

“They are being slow and lethargic and we may miss golden opportunities.”

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Centre to allot Rs. 50 cr to create onion storage facilities in Maharashtra

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nion farmers in Maharashtra will get over Rs. 50 crore in subsidy in 2020-21 fiscal year for creating onion storage facilities under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana ( RKVY).

The Central government’s scheme is aimed at enhancing the storage facilities in the State so that farmers are not left at the mercy of market forces and uncertain climatic conditions.

Centre-State share A senior official of the Maharashtra government told that over 6,500 farmers will get the Central subsidy for constructing open onion storage facilities, called Kanda

chawl in local parlance. Of the total project cost, the Centre will provide 60 per cent subsidy and the rest will be provided by the State government, Given the short shelf-life of onions, long-term storage requires a well-ventilated structure, where crops get air and sunlight but it is protected from water, the official said.

Maharashtra produces about 30 per cent of the total onion output in the country. Onion is grown in kharif (June- July), late kharif (August- September) and rabi (November-December) seasons.

The crop produced in kharif and late kharif has limited shelf life and farmers bring the crops to the market immediately after harvest.

Rabi onions can be kept in good condition if stored in scientifically built storage structures.

Price fluctuations Both the Centre and the State government are trying to stabilise onion prices. Creating storage facilities is part of the efforts.

The Nashik region, which is the largest producer of

onions in the State, suffered major crop loses due to heavy rains in September and October last year. It led to a massive rally in prices

by December. In major cities such across the country, retail prices were as high as Rs. 150 a kg. By January, the Centre asked MMTC Ltd to buy onions from Egypt and Turkey, but by that time late kharif crop arrived, leading to massive wastage and distress sale of imported onions.

The onion market is slightly buoyant now as export restrictions have been lifted.

Export of all varieties of onion will be allowed from March 15, after five and a half months of curbs.

Spot prices Onions at Lasalgaon APMC market were traded at Rs. 900 to Rs. 1991 per quintal.

The average traded price was Rs. 1,750. Lasalgaon APMC market serves as the national benchmark.

Onion trader Santosh Kalekar said that following the lifting of ban on exports, there is a positive sentiment in the market. The wholesale prices have increased by Rs. 200 to 300 per quintal.

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AgriTech India March 2020

Coronavirus, a thorn in the side for Kerala pineapple growers Price rise pulled down by subdued demand from North India

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he euphoria over a rising trend in pineapple prices has started waning, with coronavirus dampening the prospects of growers on account of a subdued upcountry demand.

It is peak period in North India, especially after the winter season and setting in of summer, but the virus scare has brought down pineapple prices to a bare minimum.

The rates are now hovering in the range of Rs 20 a kg for A

grade, GI-tagged Vazhakulam pineapple as against Rs 30 per kg in January this year.

Baby John, President, Pineapple Growers Association Keralam, told that there had been good price realisation till March 5, but prices started eroding, especially when APMC markets were about to close down as part of discouraging people from public gatherings. This has affected the fruit movement,

which was down by 50 per cent from 1,000 tonnes per day, he said.

According to John, Delhi and Maharashtra are considered to be the prime markets for pineapple and the main season is expected to start from April, catering to the Ramadan demand. Delhi is a good market for special grade pineapple while Maharashtra is the largest market for other grades.

The virus outbreak across

the country has shattered farmers’ expectations of good returns from the surging prices witnessed since the new year.

However, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu markets, where the coronavirus still has not had any significant impact, hold out some hope. “But we are more cautious in the wake of the spread of the virus to more regions”, added John.

The emerging situation has forced farmers to seek a one-year moratorium from the State Government on their existing agriculture loans, considering the difficulties in repayments due to falling income.

John said the production cost of pineapple has gone up at Rs 20 per kg, which

included the cost of planting material, lease rent, land preparation, etc. Moreover, the government’s decision to decontrol urea prices would seriously affect growers as it is the main manure for pineapple farming.

According to him, pineapple farming started

recouping since January after being hit badly for two consecutive years, in the aftermath of floods, the glut in the market and other climatic conditions.

When prices started moving up, they had brought some hope of a stable return from the harvest, for the farming community.

Printed, Published and owned by Syed Mohammad Baqar Naqvi, printed at Sonu Printer, B-180, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi 110020 and Published from A-44, 1st Floor, Freedom Fighter Enclave, Neb Sarai, New Delhi - 110068 (India). Editor : Syed Jafar Naqvi