Socio-Economic Impact Assessment

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socio-economic impact assessment of select technologies of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research

A Report by

Administrative Staff College of India Hyderabad 2018


Š 2018, Administrative Staff College of India

A Study Report - produced by Administrative Staff College of India Bella Vista, Raj Bhawan Road Hyderabad 500 082 Submitted to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Anusandhan Bhawan New Delhi

Designed by ISHTIHAAR 511 Surya Kiran Building 19 KG Marg New Delhi 110001


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Select Technologies of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research

A Report by

Administrative Staff College of India Hyderabad 2018


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Administrative Staff College of India


Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.................................................................................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................................................ 9

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4

Background and Context.............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Methodolgy......................................................................................................................................................................................10 Major Findings................................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Arrangement of Report............................................................................................................................................................... 11

CHAPTER 2: AGRO TECHNOLOGY OF LAVENDER.............................................................................................................................13 Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................................................................................14 2.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................................16 2.2 Scope.................................................................................................................................................................................................19 2.3 Terms of Reference......................................................................................................................................................................19 2.4 Methodology...................................................................................................................................................................................19 2.5 Stakeholder Mapping and Role Evaluation..........................................................................................................................20 2.6 Theory of Change..........................................................................................................................................................................21 2.7 Key Survey Findings ....................................................................................................................................................................23 2.8 Conclusion and Recommendation..........................................................................................................................................29 CHAPTER 3: KOLHAPURI COUTURE: REACHING THE UNREACHED..........................................................................................31 Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................................................................................32 3.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................................34 3.2 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................................................................39 3.3 Terms of Reference......................................................................................................................................................................40 3.4 Stakeholder Mapping...................................................................................................................................................................40 3.5 Findings from Facilitating Bodies: ASCENT and Toehold................................................................................................43 3.6 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................................................................54 CHAPTER 4: ALGAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT...............................................................................................................................................................................................55 Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................................................................................56 4.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................................58 4.2 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................62 4.3 Terms of Reference......................................................................................................................................................................62 4.4 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................................................................62 4.5 Stakeholder Mapping and Role Evaluation..........................................................................................................................63 4.6 Theory of Change ........................................................................................................................................................................65 4.7 Evaluation Findings.......................................................................................................................................................................72 4.8 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................................................89 4.9 Recommendations........................................................................................................................................................................92


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CHAPTER 5: KANGRA TEA ADVISORY SERVICES..............................................................................................................................93 Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................................................................................94 5.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................................97 5.2 Scope & Terms of Reference................................................................................................................................................. 100 5.3 Methodology & Data Collection.............................................................................................................................................101 5.4 Chronological Account of the Intervention by CSIR-IHBT............................................................................................101 5.5 Stakeholder Mapping................................................................................................................................................................ 106 5.6 Theory of Change....................................................................................................................................................................... 106 5.7 Findings......................................................................................................................................................................................... 107 5.8 Conclusions...................................................................................................................................................................................116 5.9 Some Issues and Recommendations...................................................................................................................................119 CHAPTER 6: AGRO TECHNOLOGY OF STEVIA...................................................................................................................................121 Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................................................................... 122 6.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................................. 124 6.2 Scope.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 127 6.3 Terms of Reference................................................................................................................................................................... 127 6.4 Methodology................................................................................................................................................................................ 127 6.5 Limitations..................................................................................................................................................................................... 127 6.6 Stakeholder Mapping and Role Evaluation ...................................................................................................................... 127 6.7 Theory of Change ..................................................................................................................................................................... 130 6.8 Evaluation Findings.....................................................................................................................................................................131 6.9 Socio-economic Benefits of Stevia...................................................................................................................................... 136 6.10 Recommendations..................................................................................................................................................................... 138 CHAPTER 7: ENZYMATIC DEGUMMING PROCESS FOR RBO PROCESSING.........................................................................141 Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................................................................... 142 7.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................. 145 7.2 Scope ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 147 7.3 Terms of Reference................................................................................................................................................................... 148 7.4 Methodology................................................................................................................................................................................ 148 7.5 Limitations of the Study........................................................................................................................................................... 150 7.6 Theory of Change ..................................................................................................................................................................... 150 7.7 Evaluation Findings .................................................................................................................................................................. 155 7.8 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................................... 165 7.9 Recommendations..................................................................................................................................................................... 166 CHAPTER 8: HIGH RATE BIOMETHANATION OF ORGANIC WASTE FOR THE GENERATION OF BIOGAS AND BIOMANURE BASED ON ANAEROBIC GAS LIFT REACTOR (AGR)............................................................................................ 169 Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................................................................... 170 8.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................................. 172 8.2 Scope ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 175 8.3 Terms of Reference................................................................................................................................................................... 175 8.4 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................................... 175 8.5 Limitations..................................................................................................................................................................................... 176 8.6 Stakeholders Mapping and Role Evaluation..................................................................................................................... 176 8.7 Theory of Change....................................................................................................................................................................... 178 8.8 Evaluation Findings.................................................................................................................................................................... 180 8.9 Conclusions.................................................................................................................................................................................. 183 8.10 Recommendations..................................................................................................................................................................... 184 ANNEXURES: ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 186


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Acknowledgements

At the outset, we would like to express our thanks to the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) for awarding the study to Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad. In particular, we are grateful to Dr. Girish Sahni, Director General, CSIR and Dr. Anjan Ray, Head, Research, Planning and Business Development for their valuable insights, guidance and feedback on the report without ever influencing the findings. The ASCI team would also like to place on record our gratitude to the Committee on Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select CSIR Technologies for the prompt and timely interventions to help us obtain responses from the respective laboratories. Our thanks are also due to Dr. Arvind Kumar Kundalia, Senior Principal Scientist, Research Project Planning and Business Development Directorate, and various officials of the CSIR Laboratories and officials of technology users, technology licensees who have interacted with us, and in particular to the following officials who provided us immense support during the course of the evaluation: From IHBT: Dr. R.K. Sud, Dr. Pradip Pal, Dr. Sanatsujat and Dr. Ashu Gulati, From CSMCRI: Dr. C R K Reddy; Dr. Arup Ghosh; Dr. K. Eshawaran From IIIM: Dr. Suresh Chandra, Dr. Parvaiz Qazi and Dr. Phalisteen Sultan From CLRI: Dr. B N Das and Dr. Saravanan From IICT: Dr. Pradosh Chakrabarthi, Dr. B.V.S.K. Rao and Dr Gangani Rao From AquaAgri Processing Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Abhiram Seth, Executive Director and Mr. Tanmayee Seth, Senior Official From ASCENT: Mr. Mathivanan and Ms. Madhura Chatrapathy, From Toehold Artisans Cooperative: Mr. Raghu, Marketing Manager From Ricela / A P Organics Ltd.: Mr. Puneet Goyal, Mr. Varun Goyal, Mr. Subodh, Mr. Varinder Singla and Mr. Pushp Singla We would also take this opportunity to thank all the participants at the Workshops/ Focus Group Discussions organized by ASCI for their active participation and valuable suggestions. We would also like to thank all the respondents who have responded to the questionnaires sent to them via email and taking out time to interact with ASCI study team over the telephone.


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Abbreviations and Acronyms

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39.

Administrative Staff College of India Anaerobic Gas Reactor Central Leather Research Institute Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Focus Group Discussions Free Fatty Acids Geographical Indication Government of India Himachal Pradesh Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Indian Institute of Chemical Technology Information and Communication Technologies Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology Khadi and Village Industries Ltd Leather Industries Development Corporation Ltd. Maximum Residue Level Metric Tons Monitoring and Evaluation National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology National Leather Development Programme National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Nitrogen Phosphorous Potassium Prevention of Food Adulteration Project Engineering Companies Regional Research Laboratory Research and Development Rice Bran Oil Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Science, Technology and Innovation Self Help Groups Socio – Economic Impact Assessment Solvent Extractors’ Association of India Standard Operating Procedure Technology Mission on Oilseeds, Pulses and Maize Theory of Change ToeHold Artisans Cooperative Tonnes Per Day

ASCI AGR CLRI CSMCRI CSIR FGD FFA GI GoI HP IFFCO IICT ICT IHBT KVIC LIDKAR MRL MT M&E NIIST NLDP NREGA NPK PFA PEC RRL R&D RBO SC ST STI SHG SEIA SEAI SOP TMOP & M ToC TAC TPD


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List of Tables and Figures List of Tables CHAPTER 1 Table 1.1: List of technologies selected for conduct of Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation Table 1.2: A snapshot of the major economic, environmental and social contribution of the seven select technologies CHAPTER 2 Table 1: Comparative Analysis of Cost of Inputs

9 12 26

CHAPTER 3 Table 3.1: Population description of the number of ToeHold artisans currently involved in manufacturing footwear in 2017 39 Table 3.2: Number of active and inactive members 39 Table 3.3: Samples per city 40 Table 3.4: Details of Training Programmes Designed and Delivered by CLRI 45 Table 3.5: List of International Exposure and Business Visits 46 Table 3.6: Some Progressive Artisan Entrepreneurs 46 Table 3.7: Pairs Exported and Artisan Earnings 47 CHAPTER 4 Table 4.1: Common types of Seaweed 58 Table 4.2: Technology Development: Timeframe and Human Resource 61 Table 4.3: Technology Commercialization: Time frame and Human Resource 61 Table: 4.4: Inputs Produced from Processed Seaweeds 62 Table 4.5: Total number of seaweed cultivators (or SHGs) in the selected districts 63 Table 4.6: Chronology of Intervention done by CSMCRI 66 Table 4.7: Salient Awards and Patents 68 Table 4.8: Number of Scientists involved in Technology Development 69 Table 4.9: Profile of the cultivators Pursuing seaweed cultivation 73 Table 4.10: Years of association with Seaweed Farming 73 Table 4.11: Loan for seaweed cultivation 73 Table 4.12: Amount of Loan taken for seaweed cultivation 75 Table 4.13: Reasons for joining seaweed farming 75 Table 4.14: Involvement in seaweed cultivation (number of months) 75 Table 4.15: Sale of Seaweed 76 Table 4.16: Types of challenges 81 Table 4.17: Profile of the Respondents 82 Table 4.18: Awareness about the Processing Unit 83 Table 4.19: Reasons for joining processing unit 83 Table 4.20: Usage of bank account 84 Table 4.21: Sale of Aquasap from 2012-2017 86 Table 4.22: FGD with farmers in Karnal 87 Table 4.23: Advantage of using Sagarika both in terms of yield in productivity as well as profitability 88 Table 4.24: Cumulative Value of Produce 88

CHAPTER 5 Table 5.1: Area under Tea Cultivation in Himachal Pradesh Table 5.2: Categorization based on Size of Plantation Table 5.3: Employees in Tea Plantations Table 5.4: Estimated Cost of Raising a Young Plantation Table 5.5: Reasons for Growing Tea CHAPTER 6 Table 6.1: Comparative Analysis of various sweeteners Table 6.2: Average yield and Age of plants Table 6.3: Relation between Age and Cost of Stevia plants Table 6.4: Cost of cultivation

108 109 113 113 113 125 133 133 134

CHAPTER 7 Table 7.1: List of Licensees of the Enzymatic Degumming Technology - Project Engineering Companies (PEC) 151 Table 7.2: Increase in gross income due to more oil recovery 156 Table 7.3: Reduced costs due to enzymatic degumming 157 Table 7.4: Increase in net income due to rise in gross income and reduced costs 158 Table 7.5: Cost Benefit Analysis – IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology 161 Table 7.6: Cost Benefit Analysis – IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology 161 Table 7.7: Additional employment generated – as communicated by the beneficiaries 163 CHAPTER 8 Table 8.1: Economic Analysis of AGR for food waste (cooked and uncooked) Table 8.2: Environmental Impact and Larger Societal Benefits Table 8.3: Comparative Analysis of AGR and Mesophilic Anaerobic Reactor Table 8.4: Direct and Indirect Benefits of AGR Technology

181 181 182 183

List of Figures CHAPTER 2 Figure 2.1: Market segmentation of lavender oil Figure 2.2: Lavender Farming Value chain before the intervention Figure 2.3: Technology of CSIR-IIIM Figure 2.4: Stakeholder Mapping Figure 2.5: Theory of Change Figure 2.6: Ownership of Land Figure 2.7: Reasons for Cultivating Lavender Figure 2.8: Evolution in Lavender Farming Figure 2.9: Increase in Income per hectare Figure 2.10: Growth Rate of Income from Lavender Figure 2.11: Growth Rate of Price of Lavender Oil Figure 2.12: Sales Channels of Lavender Produce Figure 2.13: Source of Planting Material Figure 2.14: Sources of Training/Information

17 18 18 20 21 23 24 25 25 25 26 26 27 27


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Figure 2.15: Support from IIIM in reaching to the Potential Customers (in %)

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CHAPTER 3 Figure 3.1: Kolhapuri Footwear Value chain before the intervention 35 Figure 3.2: Chronological Account of the intervention by CLRI and ASCENT 36 Figure 3.3: Stakeholder Mapping 42 Figure 3.4: Theory of Change - Kolhapuri Couture 43 Figure 3.5 Kolhapuri Footwear Value chain after the Intervention of CLRI, ASCENT and ToeHold 44 Figure 3.6: Pairs Exported by ToeHold Registered Artisans 48 Figure 3.7: Trend of ToeHold Exports 48 Figure 3.8: Earnings per pair 49 Figure: 3.9: Level of Education of the Respondents 49 Figure 3.10: The Change Process 52 CHAPTER 4 Figure 4.1: Geographical location of sea growth in India 59 Figure 4.2: Drivers of seaweed production in India 60 Figure 4.3 - Illustration of array of products produced from fresh algal biomass 61 Figure 4.4: Stakeholders and their Core Roles 64 Figure 4.5: Theory of Change 68 Figure 4.6: Growth Trend of Seaweed from 2005–2017 70 Figure 4.7: Increase in agricultural productivity 72 Figure 4.8: Increase in income of farmers 72 Figure 4.9: Information about seaweed farming 74 Figure 4.10: Training for seaweed farming 74 Figure 4.11: Investment for cultivation of seaweed 75 Figure 4.12: Income 76 Figure 4.13: Bank Account 76 Figure 4.14: Possession of house 77 Figure 4.15: Possession of own land 77 Figure 4.16: Purchase of consumer durables 78 Figure 4.17: Benefit accrued from seaweed cultivation 78 Figure 4.18: Profit from seaweed cultivation 79 Figure 4.19: Pattern of usage of income from seaweed farming 79 Figure 4.20: Salient changes in the lives of women 80 Figure 4.21: Steps should be taken for involvement of more women in seaweed farming 80 Figure 4.22: Challenges 81 Figure 4.23: Trend in the production of seaweed 82 Figure 4.24: Level of satisfaction at workplace 83 Figure 4.25: Ownership of land 84 Figure 4.26: Type of House 84 Figure 4.27: Pattern of Expenditure 85 Figure 4.28: Benefits accrued from the job 85 Figure 4.29: Benefits accrued to women 86 Figure 4.30: Sales data of Sagarika in Haryana 87 Figure 4.31: Role of technology 91 CHAPTER 5 Figure 5.1: Tea Processing Methodology Figure 5.2: Processing of Tea

97 98

Figure 5.3: Marketing Channel for Tea 99 Figure: 5.4: Timeline of Kangra Tea Cultivation (1849-1983) 101 Figure 5.5: Situation before and after CSIR-IHBT Intervention 102 Figure 5.6: Challenges faced by Kangra tea planters in 1990s 103 Figure 5.7: Stakeholder Mapping 105 Figure 5.8: Theory of Change Framework – Kangra Tea 107 Figure 5.9: Production of Tea in Himachal Pradesh (1951–2014-15) 108 Figure 5.10: Production of Made Tea in H.P. 109 Figure 5.11: Production of Green Tea and Orthodox Tea 109 Figure 5.12: Year of Inception of the Plantation 110 Figure 5.13: Area under Tea Cultivation since 1990–2017 110 Figure 5.14: Ownership of Infrastructure 111 Figure 5.15: Ownership of Machinery 111 Figure 5.16: Mechanization of Tea Plucking 112 Figure 5.17: Learning about the Tasks Associated with Growing of Tea Crops 114 Figure 5.18: Areas on which the respondents received training 114 CHAPTER 6 Figure 6.1: Technology of CSIR Figure 6.2: Agro-technology of Stevia Figure 6.4: Government Agencies Engaged in Promotion of Stevia Figure 6.3: Stakeholders and their Core Roles Figure 6.5: Theory of Change Framework Figure 6.6: Total Production (in Kilograms) Figure 6.7 Value Chain of Stevia

126 126 128 130 132 133 136

CHAPTER 7 Figure 7.1: Edible and Industrial RBO Production in India (1983-2013) 146 Figure 7.2: Typical Physical Refining Process of RBO 147 Figure 7.3: Stakeholder Mapping 151 Figure 7.4: Beneficiaries of IICT’s technology – Locations and years of commissioning of operations 152 Figure 7.5: IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming – Timeline of events 152 Figure 7.6: Exports of edible grade RBO from India 153 Figure 7.7: IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming – Theory of Change framework 156 Figure 7.8: Market Penetration of IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology 159 Figure 7.9: Overall rating of the technology – frequency 164 Figure 7.10: Rise of technology in terms of ease of adoption – frequency 164 CHAPTER 8 Figure 8.1: Process flow schematic biomethanation of organic waste of AGR Figure 8.2.: Evolution of AGR Technology Figure 8.3: Stakeholders and their Core Roles Figure 8.4: Theory of Change Framework Figure 8.5: Forecasted Cumulative New Benefit

173 174 177 179 184


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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Introduction 1.1 Background and Context The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was established by the Government of India in 1942 is an autonomous body that has emerged as the largest contemporary R&D organization in India. It covers a wide spectrum of science and technology and provides significant technological intervention in many socially relevant areas including environment, health, drinking water, food, housing, energy, leather, farm and non-farm sectors. CSIR recognized that innovation is the only way for achieving inclusive socio-economic growth for a country like India. It has thus provided the S&T knowledge base for enhancing the socio-economic development while improving the quality of life and augmenting income of the people. With thirty-eight laboratories, thirty-nine field stations/extension centres throughout the nation, and a collective staff of over 12,000 scientists and technical personnel, CSIR has undertaken major projects in varied areas which have not only contributed to the generation of valuable knowledge base, but has had significant economic, social and environmental impact. S. No.

In order to gain better comprehension and more informed appreciation of the nature and extent to which its science, technology and innovation (STI) initiatives have been influencing economic advancement and societal well-being, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research felt it appropriate and in the fitness of things to conduct a study on the socio-economic impact evaluation of certain select technologies. Such stock-taking was necessary for the Council to enhance the value of its scientific discoveries, knowledge base generation, industrial research, technology development and entrepreneurship-development effort. The study was awarded to the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), a reputed, independent, public-purpose institution, recognized as a scientific and industrial research organization (SIRO) by the Ministry of Science and Technology, GoI. Seven technologies developed by various laboratories of CSIR were identified by the Council for the purpose of socioeconomic impact assessment. They are listed in Table1.1.

Identified Technology

Parent Laboratory

1.

Agro Technology of Lavender

CSIR - Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu (CSIR-IIIM)

2.

Kolhapuri Couture: Reaching the Unreached

CSIR – Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai (CSIR-CLRI)

3.

Algal Research for Improving Agricultural Productivity and Women Empowerment

CSIR – Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar (CSIR-CSMCRI)

4.

Kangra Tea Advisory Services Agro Technology of Stevia

CSIR – Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur (CSIR-IHBT)

5.

- Enzymatic Degumming of Rice Bran Oil - Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor (AGR) Technology for the generation of Biogas and Bio manure from Organic Waste

CSIR – Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad (CSIR-IICT)

Table 1.1: List of technologies selected for conduct of Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation


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The study aimed at understanding the direct and indirect impact resulting from the adoption of the identified technologies. The specific criteria for evaluation of each of the selected technologies are enumerated in the report in the respective chapters dealing with the identified technology. This report provides the details of findings in each of the technologies identified for socioeconomic evaluation.

The study aims at understanding the potential range of direct and indirect impacts resulting from the adoption of the identified technology.

1.2 Methodology Socio-economic assessment is an iterative process. It must be mentioned that the suitability of the methodology to simulate the socio-economic impacts of a specific technology depends closely upon the individual technical characteristics of the identified technology and varies from one another. Broadly the following steps were followed for each technology: • Context analysis was done to understand the pre and post circumstances associated with the adoption of the technology. This highlighted the need for intervention. • A Theory of Change (ToC)/Logic Model involving key stakeholders, including community representatives. This is a ‘conceptual model’ or hypothesis of how the technology achieved its intended purpose, describing logical, causal links between activities, short-term outputs, midterm outcomes and longer-term impact. While developing the ToC, the study focused on the impact of technology on efficiency, economy, effectiveness, quality of life and equity while ensuring sustainability in the long term. Some of the key elements that were studied are:  Input: Time & Resources of CSIR in research, delivery of training, follow up etc.,  Output: Numbers of farmers/entrepreneurs/ licensees trained, number of acres of land brought under cultivation  Outcome: Additional productivity from the use of land during off season/ additional

output due to increased land brought under cultivation, additional income, better product, less drudgery etc.  Impacts: Structural changes in production and income of farmers/craftsmen/technicians/ users engaged in this activity, wider regional changes in income patterns, changes in quality of life/ standard of living, savings, assets, increased voice etc. depending on whatever is relevant.

Based on the Theory of Change Model, a questionnaire was developed and a primary survey was conducted by ASCI on the basis of the beneficiary list received from each of the laboratories. Notwithstanding development of such elaborate methodology, the study faces two broad limitations: • No control group - It may be noted that for all the technologies selected, there was no control group or counterfactual available. The evaluation relied heavily on secondary data and recall of participants to understand the ‘prepost’ scenario. • Age of the technologies - For some of the technologies selected for evaluation, the intervention by CSIR was done more than a decade ago. For example, the intervention in Kangra Tea started close to 25 years ago. In such situations ascribing technological intervention in the area as a causal factor that led to socio-economic improvement in the area is not desirable. In order to tackle both the above limitations, the study relied heavily on reports, published literature and documents which gave details of the situation before the intervention was undertaken by CSIR. Moreover, the framework of analysis and primary survey were carefully designed to evaluate the technological intervention and establish a logic chain without attributing causality. The details of the survey methodology is provided in Annexure 1A.


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1.3 Major Findings The study finds that, for all the technologies that were assessed, a strong synergistic relationship exists between a Research Institution and the Industry/Farmer/Entrepreneur which is rarely witnessed. The users of the technology still come to the respective labs for any updates, queries or issues that they may face. This points to sustained engagement (after technology transfer) of the CSIR scientists with the beneficiary or the industry partner. The technologies that were developed by the CSIR labs were relevant and suitable for local production and business. Commercial production with greater use of local resources, enabled significant development of those regions, and has proved to be a boon to the local communities. Not only have these technologies provided them with stable source of income, which in turn has led to the improvement of the human development indicators (education, health and standard of living) in those areas, it has also led to greater financial inclusion leading to cumulative betterment in quality of life. A key point that has emerged from the study is that, in each of the technologies assessed, the licensing fees/ royalty charged by the CSIR lab is very low. In specific cases of the Agro-Technology of Kangra Tea, Lavender and Stevia, the associated Laboratories in fact provided planting material to the farmers free of cost. Therefore, even if the revenues from technology commercialization were low, it was not because of the low value of the technology, but rather due to the fact that CSIR aimed to provide technology-based solutions which were accessible and affordable by a large majority of the population. One common recommendation that came across was that efforts for popularization and commercialization of the technologies need to be strengthened across CSIR labs. The major economic, social and environmental contribution of the selected technologies of CSIR to the wellbeing of the country are summarized in the table 1.2 below.

1.4 Arrangement of Report The following chapters are devoted to discussing the technologies and their socio-economic impact in detail. Hereafter, each chapter of the report is dedicated to one technology. Preceding each chapter is the executive summary of that technology.

The Agro Technology of Lavender is discussed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 talks in detail about the intervention of CSIR-CLRI in reviving Kolhapuri Couture industry. The CSIR-CSMCRI’s work on seaweed cultivation in India for improving agricultural productivity and empowering women has been dealt with in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 discusses in detail how the timely intervention of CSIR-IHBT helped improve the quality of the Kangra Tea. The Agro technology of Stevia has been discussed in Chapter 6 where the efforts of CSIR-IHBT to promote the cultivation of Stevia have been discussed in detail. Chapter 7 titled Enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil talks about the positive socio-economic benefit that resulted in larger gains to the RBO processing industry as well as the consumers due to the intervention of CSIR-IICT. Chapter 7 talks about developing Anaerobic gas (AGR) as an alternative fuel and appraises the efforts of CSIR-IICT towards the same.


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Select Technology

Net Cumulative Economic Contribution

Agro Technology of Lavender

Environmental Benefit

Social Benefit

INR 44.56 Crores over the period 2005 - 2017

Utilisation of wasteland through intercropping practice.

Provided alternative means of livelihood leading to increased harvest and also social welfare

Kolhapuri Couture – Reaching the Unreached

INR 50.4 Crores over the period 1998 - 2016

Saving of 78 lakh litres of water every year

Helped in bringing the artisans (backward communities) to the mainstream society resulting in increase in selfesteem and welfare

Algal Research for Improving Agricultural Productivity and Women Empowerment

INR 80 – 90 Crores over the period 2005 -2017

Significant reduction in carbon footprints due to almost 50% reduction in the use of inorganic fertilizers

Created employment for women which led to their economic empowerment, independence, and assured their control over resources. This led to the overall betterment of human indicators.

Kangra Tea Advisory Services

Over the period 1984 – 2016, INR 191 Crores (present value) due to increased productivity, and INR 700 Crores (present value) in terms of income generation.

Potential for annual carbon mitigation is about 140 – 650 tonnes per year

Geographical Indicator obtained for Kangra Tea based on its biochemical signature properties as a symbol of originality, uniqueness and exclusivity – increased production, demand, income and welfare.

Agro Technology of Stevia

INR 22 Crores in 2017. Potential of net benefit to reach INR 130 Crores in the next 5 years.

Increased acreage to about 100 acres through development of varieties suitable for different climatic conditions

With zero fat, zero calories, zero carbohydrates and zero glycemic index, Stevia is safe for people with diabetes and obesity, and also helps lower blood pressure with no toxic or side effects.

Enzymatic Degumming for Rice Bran Oil Processing

INR 17.44 Crores over the period 2005-06 to 2015-16.

Saving of water up to 390 lakh litres per year. Cumulative savings due to less use of effluents over the last 10 years is to the extent of INR 5.6 Crores (present value)

Safety in the refinery premises have improved with the intervention, as there is now no need to store highly corrosive acids. Health benefits in the form of retention of the nutritional aspects (Oleoresin) of the oil.

Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor (AGR) for the Generation of Biogas and Bio-manure from Organic Waste

INR 25 lakhs for 1 TPD plant per year. Potential for cumulative net benefit to grow exponentially to INR 26 Crores in the next 4 – 5 years.

1440 tonnes of organic solid and liquid waste is treated at source and the release of 4,14,720 kgs of greenhouse gases (Carbon dioxide and methane) in the environment is avoided per annum.

AGR Technology is energy efficient and cost effective compared to other anaerobic reactors. The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) have adopted the AGR technology, where few lakh children and adults eat meals prepared in its hygienic kitchens.

2

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Table 1.2: A snapshot of the major economic, environmental and social contribution of the seven select technologies


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Agro Technology of Lavender Executive Summary

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An initiative by CSIR-IIIM Sponsored by CSIR

Study conducted by Administrative Staff College of India


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Administrative Staff College of India

Background Lavender has a significant position in the perfumery trade all over the world due to its essential oil which has multifarious uses. It is also widely used as antiseptic and antibacterial oil. It is a hardy perennial plant, having the ability to tolerate drought conditions once the roots get established in the soil. Bright sunlight is required to allow oil sacs/ glands to develop in the flowers, which produce lavender oil of high aroma and value on steam distillation. Production of high-quality Lavender oil depends on a number of factors, such as the degree of blossoming, picking during suitable hours of the day, atmospheric conditions, the method of harvesting, storage, and flower transport. Lavender cultivation is extensively carried out in the Kashmir valley of India. The current Indian production is 400 kg mainly in the Srinagar valley, worth INR 1 million, per annum. The primary reason behind the increasing demand for Lavender oil in the global market is its rich texture and organic nature. It has been assessed that the major demand for lavender oil is from the cosmetic industry (perfumes, skincare, haircare and beauty products), followed by the food and beverage industry (food flavor in dairy products, culinary herb, jelly), and the pharmaceutical industry (therapies, dermatitis, diabetes, cold, asthma, insect repellant). In view of the lucrative scope of lavender, the CSIR – Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) has developed a highquality variety of Lavender angustifolia known as IIIM-L18 through mass selection procedure. The technology developed is end to end from seed germination to the extraction of oil. The first phase (2005 – 2012) focused on the development of the technology, whereas in the second phase (2012 – 2017), the focus shifted towards technology stabilization and large-scale commercialization. The final objective was the upliftment of the lavender farming community, employment generation and of course, enhanced revenue generation. The Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine and its associated Field Stations at Bonera (Pulwama) and Yarikha (Gulmarg) have been working towards the raising of quality planting material of Lavender at a large scale over the last decade. IIIM’s work has focused on developing Agro technology and process technology of lavender. The agro technology segment focused on improving the variety and cultivation practices of the plant. The process technology involved developing the Hydro and Steam distillation processes which not only led to greater recovery of oil but also better-quality oil. Such fixed and mobile distillation facilities were developed and provided to the farmers.

The Study ASCI conducted a socio-economic impact assessment of lavender technology developed by CSIRIIIM, to assess: • Changes in cropping pattern, cropping system and cropping intensity due to introduction of lavender crop, and increase in agricultural productivity • Increase in income of farmers in the lavender growing area as compared to earlier commercial/ traditional crops grown by the farmers, and also through employment generation. • Developing marketing channels for sale of lavender produce and establishing Linkages of lavender farmers with essential oil entrepreneurs.

Social Benefit CSIR-IIIM has provided alternative means of livelihood by utilizing the wasteland. Moreover, it has also made farmers aware of intercropping practices, especially with apple. This resulted in increased harvest per unit of land since freshly laid apple orchards take several years to come to fruiting. It has also increased social welfare of the farmers by promoting and establishing market linkages and processes to produce value added products which meets international quality standards. Moreover, CSIR-IIIM also provides testing and certification facilities for the oil produced by the farmers.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Economic Benefit Given the environmental and other conditions in the valley, lavender is one of the most suitable options which require minimal intervention in terms of care and irrigation facilities, other than the fact that it is suitable for waste land and can flower for almost 20 years after it matures. It is disease and animal resistant, and is therefore, a relatively maintenance free crop that needs less labor. This means that the farmers growing lavender get almost 100% return on their investment per hectare compared to those growing traditional crops. It has been observed from the study that over the five years from 2012 to 2016, the mean price of lavender oil has increased by about 11 percent on an average, resulting in a 7 percent increase in the mean income of the farmers over that period. Cultivation of maize and pulses gives the farmers a net benefit of INR 30,000 - 40,000 per annum per hectare, whereas, cultivation of lavender gives the farmer a net benefit of INR 1.70 – 2.00 lakh per annum per hectare. A cumulative net gain of INR 44.56 Crores was obtained over the period 2005 -2017 using this technology.

Recommendations • Some female entrepreneurs have adopted lavender farming successfully. Based on their successes, more women may be encouraged to take up lavender farming. • CSIR-IIIM needs to develop a strong network by way of awareness camps and trainings so that farmers are given accurate and scientific information. • It also needs to play the role of a mediator for planting material and oil pooling so as to avoid inferior quality of planting material and finished product entering into the mainstream. • Majority of farmers have faced the problem of planting material becoming dry, leading to high mortality of plants. This seems to be related to ignorance about scientific know how of lavender farming. • There is a need to create awareness about the financial instruments and credit facility available to the farmers. • It is suggested that CSIR-IIIM may consider selection of cluster-wise progressive/nodal farmers who may be trained as trainers for technology know-how dissemination. • CSIR-IIIM may introduce agro-advisory services through interventions like bulk messaging services for conveying technical advice to the growers at critical stages of cultivation.

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Agro Technology of Lavender

2.1 Introduction Lavender is an incredible and much sought after aromatic plant having a significant position in the perfumery trade all over the world due to its essential oil which has multifarious uses and market outlets. It is a hardy perennial, actually more like a semishrub or a xerophyte having the ability to tolerate drought conditions once the roots get established in the soil. It is one of the most versatile as well as one of the most beautiful plants – a virtual feast for the eyes and fragrant nose. Lavender plants can tolerate a wide range of soils and climatic conditions but they prefer well-drained alkaline soils and can also tolerate dry conditions fairly well due to the presence of deep rooting system. However, to get a reliable high yielding crop, irrigation is recommended although Lavender requires less water than most of the other essential oil crops. Irrigation, however, is not always desirable, as the plant roots should be encouraged to travel downwards, seeking water, not remaining close to the surface around the irrigation drip outlets. Full sun is required to allow oil sacs/ glands to develop in the flowers, which grow into a beautiful spike. The flowering spines on steam distillation produce lavender oil of high aroma and value. Lavender has a wide utility as antiseptic and antibacterial oil. Production of high-quality Lavender oil depends on a number of factors, such as the degree of blossoming, picking during suitable hours of the day, atmospheric conditions, the method of harvesting, storage, flower transport etc.

Mediterranean countries have the longest history of distilling lavender oil but, with the globalization of the plant, lavender is cultivated all around the world on nearly every continent. Countries like India, Australia, South America, and South Africa offer some of the most sought-after scents. The US is also cultivating lavender for essential oil, primarily on the West Coast and, more recently, in the Southwest. On the basis of regional outlook, the lavender oil market is grown in seven different regions of the world: America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Asia-Pacific region, Japan and the Middle East and Africa. In the lavender oil market, Western Europe accounts for the majority of share in terms of volume contribution and from which Bulgaria is expected to be a lucrative market in terms of production of lavender oil, followed by Asia-Pacific region. On the other side, in terms of consumption North America is expected to be the largest consumer of lavender oil in the world. Lavender cultivation has been extensively carried out in the Kashmir valley in India and the flowers bloom between June and July every year. The current Indian production is 400 kg mainly in the Srinagar valley, worth Rs. 1 million, per annum. The major driver behind increasing demand for lavender oil in the current market scenario is due to its fragrance and flavored eminence. Present day consumers are mostly influenced by the natural quality, organic nature and health benefits of the oil, due to which it has a higher demand among growing economies of the world.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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Given the scented, mystic, blue flowers of the plant, it could also be instrumental in promoting eco-tourism in the Kashmir valley, like in France, Spain and Italy.

like in dairy products, tea, culinary herb, jelly etc.) and pharmaceutical industry (therapies, dermatitis, diabetes, cold, asthma, insect repellant etc).

Market Segmentation of Lavender Oil

In view of the lucrative scope of lavender, the CSIR – Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) has developed a high quality variety of Lavender angustifolia known as IIIM-L18 through mass selection procedure with its full end to end technology from propagation of plant to extraction of oil.

Lavender oil market is segmented into two bases - application and distribution channel. Market segment as per application is segmented on the basis of its application in cosmetic, food and beverage and pharmaceutical divisions. Amongst these, in the application segment, cosmetic and pharmaceutical divisions are expected to contribute more than 50% market share and expected to grow at higher pace. Another segment is on the basis of distribution channel which includes health and beauty stores, pharmacy and drug stores, online retailing and other (direct selling) distribution channels. On analyzing the demand for lavender oil, it was assessed that cosmetic industry acquires the majority of share in terms of volume followed by the demand for lavender oil in food and beverage industry. The primary reason behind its increasing demand of Lavender oil in the global market is due to its richness in natural quality and organic nature. Lavender oil has wide application in the products of the cosmetic industry such as in perfumes, skin care, and hair care and in many other beauty care products. The demand of Lavender oil is also growing in the food and beverage (as a food flavor Figure 2.1: Market segmentation of lavender oil

Technology description The CSIR-IIIM has been working on the agro and process technology of lavender in Jammu and Kashmir for the last 10 years. The institute has already developed Lavendula angustifolia variety IIIM L-18 through mass selection procedure in July 2010. It is believed that this full end to end technology can prove an asset to the upliftment of farming community, employment generation and revenue generation. The Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine and its associated Field Station at Bonera (Pulwama) and Yarikha (Gulmarg) has already been working towards the raising of quality planting material of Lavender at large scale from last one decade now. It will be distributed to the farmers this year after checking the results of large scale experiments.


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Figure 2.2: Lavender Farming Value chain before the intervention

Figure 2.3: Technology of CSIR-IIIM

Source: Representation of interaction with IIIM team

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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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The CSIR-IIIM’s 6 scientists and 4 technical officers worked on the agro technology of lavender from 2005 till 2012. Large scale commercialization was under process from 2012-17 when the institute established marketing linkages between the growers and industrial houses of the country.

• Changes in cropping pattern, cropping system and cropping intensity due to introduction of lavender crop.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – IIIM’s work was focused on developing Agro technology and process technology of lavender. The agro technology segment focused on improving the variety and cultivation practices of the plant. The process technology involved developing a better distillation process.

• Farmers covered under contract farming (if it exists in the area).

The R&D efforts were carried out in two phases as follows: First Phase: (2005-2012) • The institute has developed Lavendula angustifolia variety IIIM-L18 variety through mass selection procedure. • Full end to end technology including cultivation, harvesting and distillation. • Providing technical know-how. • The focus to provide employment • Mobile distillation facilities Second Phase: (2012 -2017) • Large Scale Commercialization • High demand • Market linkages

2.2 Scope The impact assessment report aims at understanding the role of CSIR-IIIM’s R&D efforts in developing the agro-technology and process-technology for the cultivation of lavender in India.

2.3 Terms of Reference The socio-economic impact evaluation was done based on the following Terms of Reference given by CSIR: • Area (in hectares) and farmers covered under lavender farming from Kashmir to Bhaderwah region of District Doda of Jammu & Kashmir state.

• Number of essential oil units installed in the lavender growing area. Cost and return of the essential oil units.

• Increase in income per hectare as compared to earlier commercial/traditional crops (e.g. wheat, maize, paddy, pea, potato etc.) grown by the farmers. • Employment generation (man days) due to introduction of agro technology of lavender crop developed by CSIR-IIIM. • Net income generation from sale of lavender produce (essential oil, flowers/spikes etc.) and planting plants/cuttings) of lavender. • Marketing channel for sale of lavender produce (essential oil, flowers/spikes etc.) and planting plants/cuttings) and share of producers (farmers), commission agents, and retailers in the marketing channel. Linkages of lavender farmers with essential oil entrepreneurs.

2.4 Methodology Socioeconomic Assessment of Lavender consists of both primary and secondary data collection. Secondary data relevant to the study has been collected from reports, articles and presentations shared by CSIR and web based resources. Primary data has been collected through personal and telephonic interviews which will be supplemented with field survey. • As part of the study in-depth interviews with senior scientists and technical officers of CSIRIIIM were conducted. • Physical site visits to identified farms were also conducted. Relevant data was collected by way of direct observation, key informant interviews and focused group discussions. • Interaction with entrepreneurs involved in cultivation and processing of Lavender were done during the site visits.


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• Research instruments were developed and validated based on the objectives of the study. • Piloted questionnaires were used to gather information from the beneficiaries by way of field survey (Annexure 1). • Key data sources for this evaluation study are: • All documents on the technology including annual reports, technology profiles, brochures etc. • Previous study reports / research publications / articles Field survey was carried out in Kashmir to Bhaderwah region of District Doda of Jammu and Kashmir state. Data collected through various instruments was triangulated with the available published literature.

2.5 Stakeholder Mapping and Role Evaluation The Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) is a constituent laboratory of the CSIR based out of Jammu and has been closely working with the lavender cultivators and had initiated R&D efforts, towards the same from the year 2005.

Role and Responsibilities of CSIR-IIIM The CSIR-IIIM’s work in Jammu and Kashmir focused primarily on developing agro and process technology of lavender, for the benefit of cultivators in the northern States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. From 2005 to Figure 2.4: Stakeholder Mapping

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2012, the CSIR-IIIM worked on developing a high quality variety of Lavender with a team of 6 scientists and 4 technical officers. The Institute developed Lavendula angustifolia variety IIIM-L18 of Lavender through mass selection procedure with its full end to end technology for employment generation in the valley and upliftment of the farming community. CSIR – IIIM and its associated field station at Bonera (Pulwama) and Yarikha (Gulmarg) have been working towards increasing of quality planting material of Lavender at large scale. In the first phase (20052012) entire focus was on technology development whereas the focus shifted towards technology stabilization and large scale commercialization in the second phase (2012-2017). The team worked to establish market linkages between the growers and industrial houses of the country (e.g. Sankhubaba International, Mumbai). The institute under publicprivate partnership (PPP) has engaged farmerentrepreneurs to cultivate and process Lavender plants at large scale. These entrepreneurs have been supported with full technical knowhow regarding the cultivation, harvesting and distillation of essentials oil and its value added products. Thus, this bio-business is better protected from market fluctuations at national/international level. Training and awareness programmes were conducted from time to time regarding cultivation and processing of lavender. Quality planting crops and technical know-how were imparted to the farmers during these sessions along with provision of mobile distillation units to farmers belonging to far flung areas.


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

The institute also extended its services to farmers cultivating lavender from Kashmir to Bhaderwash region of District Doda of J&K State where they are overlooking 500 hectares of land under cultivation with 1000 farmers.

Role and Responsibilities of EDI The Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) is an initiative to encourage professionals to work at the grassroots to generate awareness and readiness amongst the youth of the state to take up entrepreneurship activities. They have worked to promote the lucrative lavender cultivation among the youth and conducted training and awareness activities in the Kashmir Valley.

below. Data collected through various instruments as mentioned above has been triangulated with the findings of the desk research.

Inputs Financial support from various Government agencies coupled with involvement of a dedicated team of scientists of IIIM has helped propagate the knowledge of lavender in India. The key inputs are categorized as follows: 1.

Financial resources (funding)

2.

Human resources from IHBT - 6 scientists and 4 technical officers worked for 7 years on technology development and 5 years on technology stabilization/commercialization. The institute has already established marketing linkages between growers and processing units from whom oil will be purchased by different companies for retail sale.

3.

The cultivation also received support from Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute

2.6 Theory of Change Based on the above, a theory of change (ToC) was developed by identifying how the inputs and activities lead to the outputs and outcomes of this initiative. The ToC thus developed is given in detail Figure 2.5: Theory of Change


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The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare (MAFW) in its report of the Committee for Doubling Farmer’s Income, Volume VIII, “Production Enhancement through Productivity Gains” has discussed about Lavender as one of the aromatic crops grown in J&K which has to be promoted. The Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) is a nodal ministry in approving funds to the Department of Science and Technology and DSIR to encourage lavender farming in J&K through its laboratories like IIIM and IHBT.

Activities Major activities of IIIM

a. Creating awareness/educating growers on Lavender farming.

b. Organising awareness camps, training and demonstrations.

c. Providing disease free quality Planting Material for up to 1 acre of land – Free of cost. d. Providing disease free quality Planting material in excess to 1 acre of land - Rs 1.25 / rooted plant

e. Making provision for buyback of planting material from farmers- Rs 3.75 / rooted plant.

f. Developing and providing lavender oil extraction facilities a) Hydro distillation and b) steam distillation process

g. Creation of oil pool and minimum purchase price from lavender growers.

h. Awareness on market prospects, Utility in fragrance, food industry and pharmaceutical industry.

i. Awareness on value added products like body creams, lotions, soaps, perfumes and other cosmetic products.

j. Providing various distribution channels and options for direct selling as well as online markets and foreign markets.

CSIR-IIIM has been involved in both developing and spreading the knowledge of agro-technology and process technology of lavender. The Institute is based out of Jammu where it held workshops for farmers and trained them on demo plots for imparting

the knowledge of agronomic practices. Various agronomic practices like nutrient management, weed management, resource conservation technology, and post-harvest technology was developed by the team of scientists working closely with the farmers. These labs were involved in research and technology stabilization for 12 years and they have come out with an improved variety of lavender which meets international quality standards called IIIM L-18. Technology was developed to utilize the waste lands (Karewas) for cultivating Lavender. Karewas are futile for many crops but more apt for cultivating flowers. By employing genetic modifications through breeding and agro techniques for the development of elite varieties CSIR-IIIM has served its long term vision of employment generation in the valley and up-liftment of the farming community. Experiments for intercropping of Lavender with other crops Experiments were conducted by IIIM at farms to see the possibility of intercropping of lavender. Experiments at farms in Bonera have revealed that lavender can be intercropped with apple and can result in increased harvest per unit and better economic returns for the farming community. The freshly laid apple orchards take several years to come to fruiting. During this lean period of 8-10 years there are no direct returns from the land and can be utilized for lavender farming. Extraction of oil Immediate processing is required to achieve higher yield of oil. Technology for economical recovery and high quality of oil was developed by IIIM. Flowers are immediately distilled in a still operated by a boiler. Recovery and quality of oil is higher in steam distillation as compared to direct wood fired hydro distillation still. Developing and providing lavender oil extraction facilities Oil extraction technology was developed by IIIM a) Hydro distillation and b) steam distillation process. Fixed distillation units and mobile distillation facilities were provided to the growers in distant places. Provision for selling in the open market and buy back policy IIIM have provided the growers with the option to


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

either sell their produce in the open market or avail the buyback policy where IIIM will purchasetheir plants. IIIM has made a provision for buyback of planting material from farmers - Rs 3.75 / rooted plant. IIIM also provides various distribution channels and options for direct selling as well as online markets and foreign markets. Testing/certification of Oil and Creation of oil pool IIIM also provides testing and certification facilities for the oil produced by the growers. IIIM certified oil has high market value. IIIM has is looking into creation of oil pool and minimum purchase price for lavender growers as assurance is also given. Creation of livelihood By development of lavender variety with end to end technology, IIIM has provided alternative means of livelihood by utilizing the wasteland. Given the environmental and other conditions in the valley, lavender is one of the most suitable options which require minimal intervention. Crop requires minimal care and irrigation facility other than the fact that it is suitable for waste land and can produce for almost 20 years makes it one of the most suitable crops. IIIM conducts a host of awareness and skill development training programmes on MAPs throughout India. The lab has been able to generate quality planting material which is suitable for cultivation even in non-traditional areas. Marketing linkages have also been established between growers and processing units and retail chains. This has made sure that value added products were generated for consumers in the food and beverages industry and pharmaceutical sector.

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the major outputs of this technology is development of IIIM L-18 variety. This variety produces lavender oil which meets international quality standards and the plants are available at CSIR-IIIM, Jammu and the same will be shared with the farmer-entrepreneurs soon. Outcomes The major outcome of lavender cultivators is the increase in socio-economic welfare of the farmers by promoting and establishing market linkages and processes to produce value added products which meets international quality standards. This maintenance free crop’s talent in increasing the income of farmers by catering to the demand for lavender oil in the market has led to exponential increase in the area under cultivation in the last three years specifically in the Kashmir Valley.

2.7 Key Survey Findings A primary survey was conducted among the lavender cultivators. A total of 126 cultivators were interviewed and a structured questionnaire was administered in person1. Lavender cultivation is done almost entirely by farmers on their own land. Around 98 percent respondents said that they have their own farm land where they cultivate lavender. A miniscule 1 percent takes the farm on lease to cultivate lavender and the remaining 1 percent declined to disclose whether the farm lands they cultivate are either their own or leased. Figure 2.6: Ownership of Land

Outputs The efforts of the CSIR-IIIM team have been reflected in the expansion in the area under cultivation of lavender. There has been an increasing trend of farmers choosing to grow lavender in the last three years. Currently, there is about 200-250 hectares of land under lavender cultivation. Lavender is a relatively maintenance free crop and needs less labor. This means that the farmers growing lavender gets almost 100% more income per hectare compared to those growing traditional crops. Further, one of 1 However, for several questions total number of respondents was less than 126.


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Lavender is a remunerative crop and the survey finds that a great majority of the farmers have opted for lavender cultivation because they foresaw increase in their income and also because of this crop gives high productivity. The farmers also agree that they knew that lavender oil fetches high prices (20%) and they knew that it requires less hard work (8%) and its cultivation was gaining popularity (>5%) in the region. Among the surveyed farmers more than 50% started lavender cultivation only after year 2013. It is pertinent to note that the increase in popularity of lavender cultivation has coincided with the technology commercialization phase of IIIM. Since the farmers of other crops could see the benefits Lavender was providing to its cultivators helped a lot of other farmers to shift to lavender cultivation.

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The survey also enquired about the increase in their income after they took up lavender farming. Around 69 percent of farmers said that there has been an increase in income per hectare compared to the income from other traditional crops they used to cultivate. Further, income from lavender farming per hectare was collected from 67 farmers and the mean income per annum per hectare of lavender cultivated comes to just over Rs 2 lakhs (two lakhs). Annual income of the respondents was also collected starting from year 2012 to 2016. The mean income has been on rise since 2012 leading upto 2016. The mean income was Rs 1,37,544 in 2012 which has increased to Rs 1,94,080 in 2016 with a CAGR of 7.13%. Further, more than 88% of respondents said that there annual income has gone

Figure 2.7: Reasons for Cultivating Lavender

Success Story Rubeena Tabassum of Chadoora is a classical case of transition from being a housewife to a successful entrepreneur, a story she has scripted for herself. At her cut flower unit at Chadoora, exuding silent confidence, Tabassum in her early forties, recounts how the arduous yet gratifying journey began in 2006 after a programme on commercial floriculture from EDI made her tread an unexplored path. After undertaking this programme, Tabassum ventured into the business of cut flowers. Initially there was no bank support as most financial institutions were not confident to support or invest. After gaining significant knowledge from CSIR – IIIM on cultivation of high quality variety of Lavender (IIIM-L18), she started her own nurseries. Due to her hardwork, soon came a game changer moment for Tabassum as she won J&K Bank’s Woman Entrepreneur Award in 2007. Soon after this, banks started offering loans and her ideas found acceptance. This helped her set-up a firm, United Floritech. She utilized the waste lands (Karewas) for cultivating Lavender. Karewas are futile for many crops but more apt for cultivating flowers. She intended to grow essential oil flowers on such lands through contract farming where she will provide free of cost planting material and technical help to marginalized farmers living in the areas. They have the option to either sell their produce in the open market or avail the buyback policy where she or IIIM will purchase their plants.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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Figure 2.8: Evolution in Lavender Farming

Figure 2.9: Increase in Income per hectare

up in the five years i.e. from 2012 to 2016. This has been possible because average price of 1 liter of lavender oil has been increasing constantly since the year 2012 to up to 2016. Depending on 126 responses from the lavender farmers the calculated mean price for the oil has increased from Rs. 2853 to Rs. 4727 in five years at a CAGR of 10.63%. CAGR of price for lavender oil has been higher than CAGR of income of lavender farmers. Lavender farmers sell their produce through various channels. However, irrespective of the type of buyers the farmers are fetching a good price for their produce. The contribution of IIIM is very clear

Figure 2.10: Growth Rate of Income from Lavender


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Figure 2.11: Growth Rate of Price of Lavender Oil

from these results as their planting material helped produce better quality of the produce which helps farmers to fetch better prices for their produce. Further, it also tells us that presence of different buyers implies there is competition among buyers and it helps farmers to bargain for a better price. Both secondary literature on lavender cultivation and interaction with scientists of IIIM suggest that lavender is a disease resistant crop and can thrive well in cold harsh conditions. It needs very less water to survive provided proper care is taken in the initial stages until it is well established. Perhaps the lavender cultivation was taken up in Kashmir for this reason as it has suitable conditions for lavender cultivation. The above survey results show that the remarkable performance of lavender farming has been possibly largely due to the efforts put in by IIIM over last few years. Around 60% of the respondents confirmed that they get the planting material from IIIM and around 40% of the respondents received training directly from IIIM. Further, more than 90% of the farmers out of 26 respondents said that they receive the required support from IIIM to reach to the potential customers.

Figure 2.12: Sales Channels of Lavender Produce

Table 1: Comparative Analysis of Cost of Inputs Particulars

CSIR-IIIM estimates

Primary Survey findings

Irrigation

Rs 1880

Rs 1386.55

Fertilizer

Rs 2933.33

Rs 4729.58

Labor Planting material

Rs 11086.63 Rs 23333.33

Land (rental) Total

Rs 16250.42 Rs 140063.03

Rs 1, 42, 280

Rs 1, 73, 516

The cost of inputs found through the survey is 21% higher than the claim made by CSIR-IIIM.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Findings from FGD Majority of farmers in the workshop were aware of economic and profitable varieties of plants including Lavender, rosemary and geranium. Fellow farmers had given a positive feedback on lavender farming. As part of the workshops farmers were taken on the farms and entire process is of lavender farming and processing was demonstrated. Being a public sector scientific institution farmers rely on IIIM for information on lavender farming and have lot of trust on IIIM. Earlier plant varieties of other crops have also benefitted them. Â

Figure 2.13: Source of Planting Material

Figure 2.14: Sources of Training/Information

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Activities conducted by IIIM for awareness/ training of farmers Lot of training and awareness related activities are conducted by IIIM for the farming community. Activities for information dissemination on lavender farming and its benefits include activities under Aroma Mission, awareness camps, field visits as part of workshops and lavender festival. Along with lavender information is also given on high value crash crops like rose, rosemary, mint and geranium. Â


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Lavender propagation, fertilizers and Irrigation.

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Figure 2.15: Support from IIIM in reaching to the Potential Customers (in %)

Most of the farmers use cuttings for lavender propagation. Even though they are aware of propagation by means of seeds, they often use cuttings to have maximum output. These cuttings are provided free of cost to the farmers by IIIM. Minimal fertilizer usage has been seen, urea is most commonly used fertilizer. As most of these farm lands are rain fed, it is not irrigation dependent except for 2-3 times in initial years, till the plants develops roots.

Planting Time/ Season Ideal planting time is November-March since climatic conditions are adequate for planting.

Income generation Over a period of time rates/market price of lavender oil has increased based on ever increasing demand for lavender oil. Last year farmers have earned approximately 6-7 thousand rupees per kilogram of oil on an average whereas almost 3-4 years back prices were only thousand rupees per kilogram. Farmers have to usually struggle to sell their produce as the produce is less that even 1kg.

Knowledge about value added products like (lavender water, soap, creams etc) Farmers are not aware about the value added products and have seen these products only in these workshops. These farmers do not have necessary training or equipment to produce value added products.

Expectations and Challenges faced Some of the farmers expected IIIM to demonstrate lavender cultivation in their own fields as high plant mortality is seen while transfer of cuttings from nurseries to the fields. They wanted IIIM to directly purchase oil from them as it is difficult to sell the oil in open market. They iterated that middle men purchase oil at very cheap price and hence they are unable to get complete benefit.

Economic Impact Assessment The cultivation of Lavender in the region has had immense socio-economic impact. The suitability of the crop to the climate of the region and the fact that it requires minimum care makes it ideal for cultivation

in the Jammu & Kashmir region. The institute through its work has been able to provide the farmers with alternate cropping options and related technologies so as to reap benefits and compliment their present livelihood practices. Further, the feedback from the farmers has also corroborated the benefits accrued as a result of activities undertaken by CSIR-IIIM. The CSIR-IIIM has been extending extension activities in form of technical guidance for nursery raising, transplanting, inter-culture, watering, hoeing, weeding, pinching, disbudding, insect and disease management, grading, packaging and transportation of flowers. Around 40% of the Lavender growers from the surveyed districts reported being aware about the extension activities or having participated in the programmes organized by CSIR-IIIM. Around 60% of them got the planting material from IIIM. With regards to field level demonstrations, it was reported that 35% have been benefitted from CSIR-IIIM. As indicated by the survey, the cultivation of Lavender gives higher returns to the farmers and cultivators in the region as opposed to other crops. Based on the discussion with experts as well as interviews conducted, the ASCI team came to the conclusion that since the Lavender is cultivated only in the Karewas, the other possible crops that can be cultivated on that land are maize and pulses. Cultivation of maize and pulses gives the farmers a net benefit of INR 30,000-40,000 per annum per hectare. In contrast, cultivation of lavender gives the farmer a net benefit of INR 1.7-2.00lakh per annum per hectare. It may be noted that additionally,


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

maize and pulses require hoeing, weeding and care throughout. Lavender, by its very nature requires minimum time investment by the farmer. The crop is also disease and animal resistant. Based on the above, the team calculated the cumulative net benefit derived by the farmers. It was assumed that in Year 1 and Year 2, the farmers got no returns. The returns started from Year 3 onwards. The net benefit per annum was calculated based on the incomes indicated by the farmers in the field survey. Thus the economic impact created by the technology between 2005-2017 is around INR 44.56 crores (in present value terms). Further, while no secondary employment in form of farm labour etc. was seen. It may be noted that the Institute has developed value added products of Lavender. Thus, in the future, availability of Lavender at a large scale and the availability of technology for development of value added products would lead to entrepreneurial spurt in the area.

2.8 Conclusion and Recommendation Based on the field visits to the lavender farms, interaction with farmers, entrepreneurs and scientists it is evident that Lavender technology along with other essential oils is most apt for the Jammu and Kashmir region. Lavender can be grown on high altitudes, steeps and continues to give produce for approximately 20 years. Along with lavender oil there are various other products including flower spikes, lavender water, perfumes and value added products which fetch a good price in the market. Lavender farming has become a major source of employment generation in the valley. Increasing number of women is getting involved in lavender farming with majority of successful entrepreneurs being women in the valley. IIIM has developed end to end technology for lavender which starts from the propagation of plants and ends with the sale of the final products. As there is a high demand for lavender oil and lavender based products, it provides a means of high revenue generation. With mobile distillation facilities being provided by IIIM, the technology became even more suitable. Small scale entrepreneurs and lavender

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growers are also able to make use of the facility which is free of cost. IIIM also helps the producers to develop linkages with industry partners along with assurance of minimal support price. The intervention is sustainable in nature as the crop requires low maintenance. There is no need to purchase the saplings/cuttings from the market every year as older plants can produce sufficient number of cuttings. Lavender crop continuously gives the produce for around 20 years. As per CSIR Aroma Mission (2017-2020), Quality Planting Material (QPM) is being provided free of cost for 1 acre of land to individual farmers. Planting materials required for additional land (in excess to one acre) is being provided to the farmers after charging processing fee of 1.25 / rooted plant cropwise rate list of buyback of quality planting material from the farmers if required by the Institute is 3.75 / rooted plant which generates good revenue for farmers. There is an ever increasing demand for lavender products because of the following factors: • Fashion • Back to nature movement • Increasing popularity of aromatherapy • Increase in number of social institution • Awareness about cleanliness • Increased consumption of Beverages • Demand for spicy food The scenario of the primary occupation of the respondents before Lavender farming and after has changed significantly. Traditional farmers have adopted lavender farming to a great extent. There is a significant change in the income of the farmers after getting involved in lavender farming and related activities. There is a need to encourage the female entrepreneurs in lavender farming. Valley has seen female entrepreneurs adopting the lavender farming successfully. As the lavender crop does not requires significant attention after first two years and can yield production up to 20 years with minimal intervention, it seems to be a good option to promote entrepreneurship and self-employment. IIIM needs to develop a strong network by way of awareness camps and trainings so that farmers are given accurate and scientific information. IIIM


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also needs to play the role of a mediator for planting material and oil pooling so as to avoid inferior quality of planting material and finished product entering into the mainstream. Majority of farmers have faced the problem of planting material getting dried and hence very high mortality. Higher mortality seems to be related to ignorance of scientific know how of lavender farming. There is a need to create awareness about the financial instruments and credit facility available to the farmers. This may be due to due to limitation with regards to the availability of required number of scientists at the Institute, and with the emerging possibility of simultaneous increase in the area under Lavender cultivation in Jammu & Kashmir and north east regions, it may be difficult to cover all the potential districts under their guidance. It is suggested that CSIR-IIIM may consider selection of cluster-wise progressive/nodal farmers who may be trained as trainers in technology dissemination with respect to package of practices. These nodal farmers may act as extended arm of

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CSIR-IIIM to support the Lavender growers in far flung and difficult areas so that the farmers could have easy access to the latest know-how related to Lavender cultivation. These nodal farmers will also facilitate the marketing of Lavender flowers. Moreover, CSIR-IIIM may introduce agro-advisory through interventions like bulk messaging services for conveying technical advice to the growers at critical stages of cultivation. The technologies should also be popularized through DD’s Kisan, Krishi Darshan and AIR programmes for spreading greater awareness about the method of cultivation and related aspects among the farmers. Majority of the farmers provided information on recall method which lacks accuracy especially in case of production and productivity. CSIR-IIIM should ensure documentation of all the key processes involved in cultivation of Lavender crop in form of Kisan Diary. This would enable the availability of authentic data for any modification in package of practices and also for future research on Lavender.


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Kolhapuri Couture: Reaching the Unreached Executive Summary

3

An initiative by CSIR-CLRI Sponsored by CSIR

Study conducted by Administrative Staff College of India


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Administrative Staff College of India

Background India produces around 2065 million pairs of leather footwear, providing employment to about 3 million people and accounts for almost 49% of the total leather product exports of India. Kolhapuri is a traditional leather craft with history that dates back to the 13th century. A cluster of villages near Kolhapur district namely Athani, Nippani, Miraj, Chikodi, Madhubhavi, Malgaon, Jhamkhandi and Ananthpur, on the border side of Karnataka and Maharashtra produce this famous leather footwear called ‘Kolhapuri’. Aiming at integrated development of the leather industry, the National Leather Development Programme (NLDP) was the first initiative taken to revive this industry in 1992. It was launched by the Government of India’s Ministry of Industry backed by the UNDP. The UNDP had launched SIDE-NLDP as an extension of the first phase taking the artisanal sector into their fold. In 1998, Project Enter Price was approved by UNDP which was to be implemented by The Asian Centre for Entrepreneurial Initiatives (ASCENT) and CSIR-CLRI to further develop the artisanal cluster at Athani and continued to provide technical assistance to the artisans till 2001. CSIR-CLRI has been instrumental in extending the technical knowhow mainly focusing on improved production methods and wider variety of designs to propel the Toehold initiative whereas ASCENT has been instrumental in chalking out the societal intervention by bringing together the artisan community, forming self-help groups and providing the artisans managerial and organizational skills. Additionally, ASCENT brought in the emphasis on entrepreneurship, market linkages, access to credit and empowerment. CLRI and ASCENT thus worked with the artisans on both fronts – to develop products for display in fairs – both national and international and to identify quality conscious buyers, who could become partners in the development processes by just highlighting the quality issues and by showing their willingness to pay higher prices for the quality products.

Economic Benefit As per the export data provided by ASCENT and Toehold, the earnings per pair has increased from Rs.67.58 in 2004 to Rs. 213.02 in 2016. On an average, an artisan can make around 400500 chappals per month or 4800-5000 chappals annually. Based on the study the cumulative net benefit estimated from the technology until 2016 is around INR 50.4 crores in present value terms. The average income of the artisans was around INR 6260 per month

Environmental Benefit The technology intervention helped to reduce the amount of water required for processing the leather from 12 litres of water per kg of raw hide to 8 litres of water per kg of raw hide used. Therefore, using estimates of production of chappals and the amount of raw hide required to make the chappals, it is estimated that the technology intervention by CSIR-CLRI led to saving of around 78 lakh litres of water every year.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

The Study ASCI conducted an impact assessment study to assess primarily • Increase in output efficiency due to CSIR-CLRI intervention • Increase in employment generation • Rise in income and standard of living of the artisans • Revenue generation from sale of Kolhapuri Couture products • Environmental and health benefits of the intervention

Social Benefit Impact of the technical and social intervention under Toehold Initiative was improvement in quality of leather used as raw-material and reduction in processing time. Moreover, TAC led to increased productivity and standardization of manufacturing methods. The training and up gradation of skills helped to enhance the quality of Kolhapuri footwear and new and vibrant designs were created using information technology. Networking and knowledge transfer enabled the credit availability and competence building of artisans. As the artisans belong to the backward communities, this initiative helped them to bridge the gap in the society, increase their income and expose them to main stream society. Enabling financial inclusion for all SHG groups and its members, encouraged them to utilize all government benefit schemes. All this has also enabled artisan families to avail modern amenities such as gas connections, access to education including private schooling.

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Administrative Staff College of India

Kolhapuri Couture: Reaching the Unreached

3.1 Introduction India is the second largest leather footwear producer after China. The annual production of leather footwear is around 2065 million pairs. Of this, 95% of the footwear is sold in domestic markets. Leather footwear consumption in India is predominantly in the form of chappals and sandals and ethnic products such as Kolhapuri and Jutis. Currently, the per capita consumption of footwear in India is around 2 to 3 pairs and is likely to go up to 4 pairs by 2035 (Technology Vision, 2035). Footwear exports account for 49% of the total leather & leather products exports from India. The leather industry is an employment intensive sector, providing job to about 3.00 million people, mostly from the weaker sections of the society (Council for Leather Exports). Women employment is predominant in leather products sector with about 30% share. Kolhapuri is a traditional leather craft with history that dates back to the 13th century. A cluster of villages near Kolhapur district namely Athani, Nippani, Miraj, Chikodi, Madhubhavi, Malgaon, Jhamkhandi and Ananthpur, on the border side of Karnataka and Maharashtra produce this famous leather footwear called ‘Kolhapuri’. The entire process of footwear manufacture is manual and involves vegetable treatment and special skills. These skills are passed from generation to generation. The manufacture of Kolhapuri footwear

from tanned leather is a traditional occupation that has assumed the proportions of a cottage industry with hundreds of families being involved in this vocation. Every member of the household contributes to the process by being involved in any of the following activities like cutting the leather, dipping it in water for soaking, stitching the ‘patta’ or weaving the ‘veni’. The jobs are clearly divided within the family with the men doing the cutting, the women doing the stitching while children weaving the ‘veni’. The entire family works laboriously and produces approximately 35 to 45 pairs of Kolhapuri chappals per week. These chappals are sold either to Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) or to Leather Industries Development Corporation of Karnataka (LIDKAR) Before the intervention by CLRI the leather for the footwear was sourced locally. The leather made locally through bag tanning suffered quality as well as productivity problems. The tanning process was traditional and in some cases inefficient. It had to be soaked in water, and then hammered to smoothen it out and then the chappals were made in this condition, which is then dried out. The entire process of tanning the leather took about 35 days. The manufacturing techniques were very traditional and conventional. The sides were cut when the leather is semi wet. The top-sole patterns were prepared and they were stitched along with heel after attaching them temporarily using a unique ‘mud’ taken from nearby river. A piece of canvas was also placed in between to increase the stiffness of


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

the sole. The ‘patta’ pattern were pre-fabricated in various designs and then attached to the top sole. The ‘anghtha’ or toe-ring was also cut and then stitched to form a ring. The artisans used very crude group-grading techniques for different sizes e.g. the diameter of the ‘anghtha’ was “two fingers” for sizes up to size 7 and “three fingers” for sizes from size 8 upwards. Moreover, once these chappals dried out, they shrinked resulting in smaller sizes and fit. Thus, Kolhapuri sandals suffered a setback due to poor quality of material and non-standard fabrication methods.

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It is in this background the Mission Mode project, formally known as Leather Technology Mission (LTM) was formulated and launched on January 12th 1995. The Mission focused on fostering and enhancing the traditional and new skills of workers and artisans engaged in the leather sector, especially the tiny and small unorganized units, and promoting their viable links with the organized sector. In this way it admirably complements the UNDP assisted NLDP, which was launched by the Government of India in April 1992.The mission gained national visibility with the commissioning of 146 activities in 17 States.

Figure 3.1: Kolhapuri Footwear Value chain before the intervention


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LTM is one of the few missions, which address social issues. The mission envisions value additions to leather through technology. Technology extension and human resource development activities account for nearly 64% of LTM initiatives. The leather industry is technology-based industry. The technology is continuously developing and technicians have to keep pace with the development in such sectors. Technology addition to this sector has made significant socio-economic impact. Under the Leather Technology Mission, CLRI successfully demonstrated improved process of bag tanning to the artisans with the following advantages: • Reduction in process time from 35 days to 15 days • Uniformity of product and improvement of quality • Reduction in volume structure of leather on wetting-drying cycle • ~30% higher yield • Ease of adaptability

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• This process has been demonstrated to 30 tanners who have received the process with enthusiasm. Chronological Account of the Intervention by CLRI and ASCENT Aiming at integrated development of the leather industry, the National Leather Development Programme (NLDP) was the first initiative taken to revive this industry in 1992. It was launched by the Government of India’s Ministry of Industry backed by the UNDP. The UNDP had launched SIDE-NLDP as an extension of the first phase taking the artisanal sector into their fold. In 1998, Project EnterPrice was approved by UNDP to be implemented by ASCENT and CLRI with NLDP support to further develop the artisanal cluster at Athani and continued to provide technical assistance to the artisans till 2001. Under this project, 450 new designs were created and made under strict international specifications. Advanced methods of stitching following templates and disciplines to meet delivery deadlines were inculcated into their daily work. Three years beginning 1999 till 2002,

Figure 3.2: Chronological Account of the Intervention by CLRI and ASCENT


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

ASCENT provided entrepreneurial interventions for the artisans through formation of Self Help Groups, creation of awareness regarding micro credit system, savings schemes, market linkages etc. In three years, ASCENT also developed women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Athani, and had worked closely with the artisans, both women and men, to develop business skills. ASCENT also established links with agencies such as LIDKAR, KVIC, banks and other local organizations for implementation of its activities. Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), and the Asian Centre for Entrepreneurial Initiatives (ASCENT) formed an alliance and created Toehold a unique initiative for emancipation of rural artisans involved in production of Kolhapuri leather footwear on the one hand and growth and development of Kolhapuri leather footwear on the other. A ToeHold Artisans Cooperative (TAC), which is registered as a Trust, was created in 2002 and is still in existence. It has helped the business reach the threshold level of sustainability with good sales turnover. CLRI has been instrumental in extending the technical knowhow mainly focusing on improved production methods and wider variety of designs to propel the Toehold initiative whereas ASCENT has been instrumental in chalking out the societal intervention by bringing together the artisan community, forming self-help groups and providing the artisans managerial and organizational skills. Additionally, ASCENT brought in the emphasis on entrepreneurship, market linkages, access to credit and empowerment. Shoe Design and Development Centre (SDDC), CLRI embarked on the task, sponsored by NLDP, to standardize the Kolhapuri footwear manufactured at Athani with the introduction of relevant lasts and templates. Also the various measures suggested by CLRI earlier were incorporated in the process, improving the manufacturing technique. The families were provided with a set of lasts and templates. The artisans during the pilot production in December 1996 fabricated about 400 pairs of chappals. These chappals were given to identified users in order to access the comfort and for wear trials. Based on the feedback from the users, minor modifications were provided to the families. Artisans already trained at CLRI were used as trainers

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who demonstrated sequentially the various steps involved in manufacture of Kolhapuri chappals using CLRI method right from cutting of leather up to final assembling using the lasts. The demonstration was carried out using leather available both at Athani and the leather developed using CLRI method. The programme was conducted in the vernacular and even the elderly among the artisans accepted to adopt the new techniques. About 2800 pairs of chappals were fabricated during the second pilot production. The final products were checked for quality and only those, which passed the quality checks, were accepted for marketing by LIDKAR. As a follow up of the tremendous response received from the artisans for standardization and enhancement of quality of Kolhapuri chappals at Athani, 1000 families in the region were trained with NLDP support. The project was extended under SIDE-NLDP Programme of UNDP. In order to address the problems at the grass root levels like dealing with a group of local artisans who are not very educated, CLRI approached ASCENT to participate in a co-operative effort to develop the overall economic well being of the artisans engaged in making Kolhapuri chappals. ASCENT initially conducted small workshop with a few representatives, selected by the artisans themselves, to jointly analyze the problems and the possible solutions. Initially, the key issues that emerged were – lack of capital and poor raw materials for good quality products. Most artisans wished to leave the trade and wanted training in alternate vocations. One key problem identified by ASCENT was the fact that there was intense rivalry among the artisans, and as a consequence mutual distrust and lack of cooperation was high. Even when the artisans selected the representatives for the workshop, they still had apprehension that these representatives would gain some benefits and would not share these with others. Only after repeated clarifications from ASCENT, representatives were assured that the workshop was for everybody’s benefit. Among the issues raised in the workshop, it was seen that due to the high raw material costs, many artisans took recourse to buying cheaper materials of much poorer quality. Consequently, prices for the chappals dropped further, leading to a vicious cycle of lower prices, poorer materials, even lower prices and much lower incomes.


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Another major issue, lack of capital was traced to the fact that most artisans had taken loans from banks, and a majority had come to defaulters. Loans from private moneylenders were too prohibitive in terms of interest. Hence getting money for any capital needs was very difficult. The Self-Help Groups The main motive was to help the artisans become self-reliant so that they could help themselves in most areas, and also to help create an atmosphere of trust among group members, to enable future working together in the group for production. Over a period of time ASCENT representatives worked with the groups, providing informal training on the role of the groups (SHG’s), the procedures and processes. The impact of the SHGs has gone beyond just savings and the self-confidence of the members. For the first time, women artisans were given a clear role, and were in public view. Many SHG members shifted from the earlier dependent attitude to more self reliant one. Even more important is the fact that women are now getting accustomed to taking part in decision making processes. This has spread from the SHGs to many homes, and recently to pricing and costing chappals, hitherto a male prerogative. Recent costing and pricing for chappals have been made by SHG members themselves. The Production System Simultaneously with the efforts of ASCENT in forming SHGs, CLRI organized a series of training programmes – in production methods, in varied designs, in sourcing alternate materials, and in developing products for International Trade Fair. Participants for these programmes were selected jointly by SHG members, ASCENT and CLRI. In a departure from earlier customs, both men and women were selected for training. This, for artisans of Athani, was a radical change. In earlier programmes, it was exclusively the men who attended the training, and the women hardly saw any place outside Athani itself. Training was provided in a range of new designs and products, in the use of different materials, and the difference such use could make to the product – the feel, the color, the suppleness and the eye-appeal. The idea was to provide the artisans a window to the outside world in terms of what a customer might

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feel and think, and the possibility of combining their traditional skills with modern materials and designs. The Market Links Development of a market link was therefore the key to the final success. Also the earlier experiences, as observed in the evaluation of the National Leather Development Programme, it was clear that providing technical input alone would not help artisans adopt the improved practices to improve quality. It was also necessary to find alternate markets looking for quality product and bring about a change in the attitudes of the artisans. The entire market could also be classified into two types 1.

Export market

2.

Domestic market

Domestic market referred to the market within India, which normally did not give the advantage of higher margin and other export benefits. Sales in India were mainly to retailers. The export market, however, was more lucrative as the margins were much higher. The primary method for generating orders from this market was participation in international trade shows and the ToeHoldTM website. Designing Along with the search for the alternate market, the need to provide the buyers with wider choice of the product was obvious. It is a well-known fact that better designs lead to higher value addition and better sales. From the earlier survey carried out, CLRI found that though the product consistency tended to be very low, the designs were appealing. Creativity and traditional vocational skills of the artisans were very high and they could easily create new designs. But new designs, if complicated were not welcomed by the artisans as it slows down their total output. In order to enhance the designing skills of the artisans and come up with more innovative and better designs CLRI gave training to them. Also it introduced simple tools, which would help them in coming up with finer designs. ASCENT also felt it important to encourage the artisans to develop their own designs, and bring to light their innate creativity. To support the artisans in doing so, and make the artisans realize the need for better designs, quality and standardize chappals in relation to market demands, ascent organized a design competition


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

developed. These indicators evolved from the discussions with key stakeholders, secondary research and ToC framework. These indicators were validated by the Scientists of CLRI.

at Bangalore. The competition was sponsored by LIDKAR, the Leather Industries Development Corporation of Karnataka. CLRI and ASCENT thus worked with the artisans on both fronts – to develop products for display in fairs – both national and international and to identify quality conscious buyers, who could become partners in the development processes by just highlighting the quality issues and by showing their willingness to pay higher prices for the quality products. The upshot of all this was that the groups first worked with selected local buyers, where they made chappals of both traditional and new design, as ordered by the buyers, and for which they received slightly higher prices – this was the first understanding that better production could translate to better prices.

3.2 Methodology

The research methodology was designed objectively keeping in view that the above indicated research questions or objectives are met, drawing from the review of above existing literature. Sampling Strategy and Triangulation The sampling framework took into account the direct beneficiaries as indicated above and the methodology followed are as follows: • Sample description: Toehold Artisans currently involved in manufacturing footwear in 2017 Table 3.1: Population description of the number of ToeHold artisans currently involved in manufacturing footwear in 2017

The study broadly included the following steps:

Place

Persons

Athani

110

Madhubhavi

10

Nippani

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a. Context Analysis to provide a description of a ‘social reference’ scenario, to understand what the scenario was before the adoption of technology. b. Developing a Theory of Change (ToC) / Logic Model together with key stakeholders, including community representatives. A ToC is a ‘conceptual model’ or hypothesis of how the technology achieved its intended changes, describing logical, causal links between activities, short-term outputs, midterm outcomes and longer-term impact. While developing the ToC, the study focused on the impact of technology on Economy, Environment, Energy, Quality of life and Equity while ensuring sustainability in the long term. Some of the key elements studied were • Inputs used for developing and commercializing the technology • Outputs

The total number of active members is 139 from the 162 listed members. The difference is due to death or unavailability of the member. Table 3.2: Number of active and inactive members Total No. of Members

No. of Active Members

Proportion

Athani

116

108

0.78

Madhabhavi

10

10

0.07

Nippani

36

21

0.15

Total

162

139

1

City

Sample Size Taking the p value 0.5 and at 95% confidence interval the sample size of the study will be 102 by using the following formula.

• Outcomes realized • Impact created c. Emerging from the ToC framework, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Accepted, Relevant and Time-bound) indicators were

Where,


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Administrative Staff College of India

n=Sample Size N=Population Size Here we have taken e=.05 which gives a margin of error of plus or minus 5%. Assuming 10% non-response rate the sample size will become 112.

3.3 Terms of Reference The socio-economic impact assessment of ‘Kolhapuri Couture’ technology is done based on the following Terms of Reference given by CSIR: • Artisans covered in Athani-Nippani belt of Belagavi district of Karnataka, India

Distributing the total sample as per the proportion the city wise sample size will be

• Number of trainings imparted.

Table 3.3: Samples per city

• Increase in output efficiency (no. of pairs per day with no. of personnel).

City Athani

Sample Size 87

Madhabhavi

8

Nippani

17

Sampling

• Number of artisans trained.

• Increase in net income of the artisans. • Increase in employment generation (mandays) of artisans. • Number of wholesalers involved in Kolhapuri Couture products.

• Random number will be assigned to the active members of the SHG.

• Number of retailers involved in Kolhapuri Couture products.

• The list of members will be arranged in descending order and the required numbers of members will be selected randomly.

• Market Channel and Share of artisans and middleman in the marketing channel of Kolhapuri Coutures products.

• A representative sample of artisans was surveyed using structured questionnaires in English and local language (Kannada/ Marathi).

• Rise in standard of living of artisans families using this technology.

CLRI Scientists • The study team ensured that the Scientists from CLRI were on-board right from the inception of the study • Validation of the “Theory of Change” and the questionnaires developed for interviewing artisans was done by IICT Scientists. Suggestions of the team of Scientists were duly incorporated in the ToC as well as the Questionnaires. The study team visited the office of Scientists of CLRI, seeking their support and guidance on the study along with periodic telephonic interactions.

• Revenue generation from sale of Kolhapuri Coutures products. • Number markets covered in different states. • Number of markets covered in other countries (if any). • Assessment of environmental impact of this technology (e.g. requires less chemicals and less water for tanning the leather used for Kolhapuri Couture products). • Assessment of health benefits by using this technology (Reduction in incidence of diseases, less expenditure on medical services etc.).

3.4 Stakeholder Mapping Efforts were made to triangulate the data gathered from the beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries by interacting with experts and taking the feedback of the team of Scientists from CLRI. Also, where possible, existing literature was referred to bring in more relevance and to relate the findings of this study to the similar studies in the past.

ASCENT initiated a project with the objective of transforming the artisans to entrepreneurs in January 1999. It started a project called ‘EnterPrice’ with the overarching objective to ensure that the artisans got the right price for their handcrafted footwear and in the process transform them into


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

entrepreneurs particularly women. Workshops were organized to assess the problems faced by rural artisans and possible solutions for their upliftment. Formation of SHGs for instilling savings habit and availing credit at low interest rates was the first step taken which ultimately led to formation of TAC with the technical help of CLRI and monetary support from National Leather Development Program (NLDP) which was a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) assisted national programme undertaken by the Government of India, working on the development of all aspects of leather and leather products. Development of artisans was a strong component of the NLDP.

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Selective mechanization was required to ease the overall production process, enhance quality of the product and increase labour productivity. To this end, CLRI helped install clicking machines, sewing machines and stamping machines in the village. The artisans both women and men received joint training from CLRI in design development, entrepreneurial, leadership and soft skills. CLRI introduced modernization of designs, new materials and new colours to provide variety to customers and ensure wider acceptability across different customer segments.

Snapshot of CLRI team working with the Kolhapuri artisans at the India International Leather Fair, Chennai

Snapshot of a Kolhapuri couture artisan

Rural artisans involved in production of Kolhapuri footwear formed a collaborative called Toehold Artisans Collaborative (TAC) with their own brand ‘Toehold’. The collaborative was formed by 150 women who organized into 11 women Self Help Groups (SHGs) jointly exercising ownership of the collective. CLRI introduced shoe lasts and templates and the artisans were trained in using these to ensure standardization. The training programmes were conducted in the vernacular and even the elderly among the artisans accepted to adopt the new techniques. A common facility centre and a raw material bank with a design studio was set up at Athani village which is the hub of Kolhapuri footwear production. A centralized quality checking, packaging and dispatch cell was also set up to ensure uniformity in quality and packaging of finished products.

Artisans were sent to participate in the India International Leather Fair, Chennai, Delhi Shoe Fair and in the GDS International Shoe Fair in Düsseldorf, Germany and International Leather Fair in Shanghai. The direct exposure to international markets had improved understanding of the artisans with respect to international customer and the demands in terms of quality, delivery commitments and design. Thus the stakeholders for this entire project were

a. Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) – Technological Support

b. Asian Centre for Entrepreneurial Initiatives (ASCENT) – Social Support

c. National Leather Development Programme (NLDP) – Sponsors

d. Leather Technology Mission (LTM) – Sponsors

Based on the chronological account and the stakeholder mapping, it is clear that the TAC had


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Figure 3.3: Stakeholder Mapping

two objectives. First, TAC takes footwear designed and created in Athani by artisans and exports its unique products to international markets, such as the United States Europe and Japan, targeting consumers through high-end boutiques. The second, overarching objective was to provide the artisans with business administration knowledge and experience, so that they can turn profits and eventually improve the quality of life of artisan families.

Impact of the technical and social intervention under Toehold Initiative was improvement in quality of leather used as raw-material and reduction in processing time. Moreover, TAC led to increased productivity and standardization of manufacturing methods. The training and up gradation of skills helped to enhance the quality of Kolhapuri footwear and new and vibrant designs were created using information technology. Networking and knowledge transfer enabled the credit availability and competence building of artisans. Moreover, TAC helped in increasing the standard of living of the artisans. The Toehold transformed lives of the women artisans to such an extent that many of them have stopped eating tobacco, paan, and have helped their men to quit alcohol, bidi etc. Their children are now getting better education and an opportunity to raise their social and economic status. Based on the above Figure 3.3 below discusses the Theory of Change for their intervention.

Snapshot of ToeHold artisans


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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Figure 3.4: Theory of Change - Kolhapuri Couture

3.5 Findings from Facilitating Bodies: ASCENT and Toehold The section of Primary Data is divided into three : • Findings from Facilitating Bodies: ASCENT and Toehold • Findings from data provided by artisans: Toehold and Non Toehold • Final analysis and conclusion Discussions with Ms. Madhura Chatrapathy, Trustee Director, ASCENT and Mr. Raghu, Marketing Manager, Toehold Artisans Cooperative. 1.

2.

ASCENT is an NGO working with rural artisans. According to Ms. Chatrapathy, majority of the artisans were in a debt trap with ‘sahukars’, many of the male artisans were alcoholic and women were not empowered in any way. Activities of ASCENT focussed on empowering artisans to become entrepreneurs and in control of all aspects of business by creating a ‘co-operative’

3. Artisans were exposed to national and international fairs, they were taught entrepreneurship and business skills

4.

The women artisans travelled with their husbands’ to various fair locations

5.

The intervention led to empowerment of women by bringing them in the forefront of business

6. All transactions between artisans and toehold are through bank cheques and hence artisans are now used to utilising banking and credit facilities 7.

Formation of SHGs has also contributed to improving their social standing as artisans belong to SC/ST community

8.

The children of artisans are pursuing higher education and a few have become engineers and doctors.

9.

The overall income of artisans has increased significantly from each pair of footwear manufactured (Rs. 45-65/pair in 1997, to Rs. 400-500 /pair in 2017)

10.

Artisans are now independent and no longer in a debt trap

11.

The overall quality of life of artisans has improved significantly. Artisans are availing of health facilities, sanitation, removal of caste inferiority, confidence building etc. has taken place.


44

Administrative Staff College of India

Figure 3.5 Kolhapuri Footwear Value chain after the Intervention of CLRI, ASCENT and ToeHold

ASCENT’s role in using CLRI’s Technology ASCENT worked with CLRI, since 1998 in the implementation of the Artisan Project at Athani. Shoe Design and Development Centre of CLRI was working with the artisans much before the project. After the collaboration with ASCENT, CLRI has provided technical, training, design , several support systems such as setting up a design studio, Common Facility Centre for selective mechanization for better production, training for artisans in machine operation, stitching, new design development, alternate material etc. CLRI also trained artisans in their facility in SDDC for new design development and use of alternate material for footwear making. While CLRI provided technical and design development activities, ASCENT has provided entrepreneurial interventions for the artisans through formation of self-help groups, created awareness amongst artisans about micro-credit system, savings schemes, credit facilities from banking institutions etc. The

role

of

ASCENT

was

need

analysis,

identifying technology and resource need, outcome in terms product improvement suiting today’s market needs to ensure better price realization above all transforming the artisans to entrepreneurs. Project was thus called Project EnterPrice, with tag line transforming artisans to entrepreneurs. Some of the activities carried out by ASCENT were: • Building improved market channels and market image • Created a brand ToeHold instead of the generic name Kolhapuri • Range building of products; • Design Innovations for artisanal products; • Created a website www.toeholdinida.com which created a corporate image • Establishment of Common Facility Centres; • Social Group formation and entrepreneurial competence building in artisans and an artisan collaborative called ToeHold Artisans Collaborative • Entrepreneurship

development

training

for


45

Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

artisan couples with the help of professional training institutes While today there is huge stress on skill plus entrepreneurship, this was introduced to footwear artisans in 1999.

exact measurement of girth, toe ring etc to make the product most user friendly. Improvement in Design Through CLRI Intervention Bantu then

• Establishment of Raw Material Bank

Bantu now

• Annual confluence of all stake holders Manufacturing Process and Design Innovations Decentralised hand crafted production, selective mechanization facility has been created with Common Facility Centre under the guidance of CLRI. Training included exposure to Trade Fairs Exhibitions, training at CLRI at the Design Centre and also with designers working with artisans to make their own design. Handcrafting a new design or standardization product, finish etc was hand held by ASCENT identified facilitators. For instance in the first phase the project had an experienced and qualified footwear technologist from Mumbai. ASCENT created a website (http://www. toeholdindia.com/people.html) with entire range of new designs, with brand ToeHold which gave it a corporate image. Digitization helped in buyers sending the picture of the particular design with modifications. Artisans were quick in uptake on the design indicated. ToeHold received Manthan Award from Digital Foundation. There are basically two designs in Athani produce i.e., Bantu and Kapsi. Artisans used to make these designs in bag tanned leather, without much comfort for the end users. ASCENT with the help of CLRI developed around 300 designs, improved version of Bantus and Kapsis using alternate materials and comfortable leather. They also taught artisans to use cushion for comfort, anti slip rubber,

Snapshot of Bantu after the CLRI Intervention Soure: CSIR-CLRI

Artisans Details and Capacity Building Programs 150 artisans were initially enrolled in the project and 15 Self Help Groups were formed. The training programs addressed the following areas: technical production, business and leadership aspects. Technical training content was delivered by CLRI with interaction with artisans, marketing and coordinating staff. It was joint decision between CLRI and ASCENT representing the artisans. The above table depicts the various types of capacity building programs designed and delivered from 1999 to 2012. It is clear that the intervention by ClRI focussed not only on technical skill enhancement but rather also on overall business skill development. The training thus focussed on

Table 3.4: Details of Training Programmes Designed and Delivered by CLRI S. No.

Type of Event

Number of Events

Women Artisans

Men Artisans

Time Period

1

Entrepreneurship Development Programmes

20

300

218

1999-2012

2

Business Skills Training – Finance Management & Business Development

10

142

135

2002

3

Skill Augmentation Programme

10

114

38

2002

4

Leadership Training Programme

4

105

0

2002-2011

5

Design Development Training Programme

10

40

51

2003-2012

6

Material Training, Machine Training Belt and Bag Making Training and Others

7

60

67

1999-2012


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Administrative Staff College of India

finance, management, economics and leadership as well. 61 training programmes were held between 1999-2012. Table 3.5: List of International Exposure and Business Visits S. Type of No. Event 1

2 3 4

Number of Events

International Exhibitions International Trade Fairs in India Domestic Trade Fair Exposure Tour

10

Men Women ArtiArtisans sans 15

7

Ascent Representative

and discussion. There are no middlemen and the footwear is directly supplied to the client/exported in case of foreign orders. Hence there are no financial losses to artisans. The marketing support from ASCENT as part of the project ensured 100% exports. The community of artisans sold through traders also directly. They now have acquired business and negotiation skills and are able to resist exploitation.

10

13

21

21

17

13

11

11

15

2

20

9

0

Artisans were exposed to international market situations by enabling them to visit exhibitions, apart from domestic fairs. More than 100 artisans majority of them women were taken abroad to participate in international trade fairs and exhibitions. Market Access Before ToeHold artisans cooperative was formed, artisans would ply their footwear in local markets or to other cities and to retailers such as Big Bazaar, Pantaloon on the condition that if they were unsold, the footwear would be returned. This caused losses to artisans. ToeHold registered artisans make footwear against confirmed orders, with specifications decided through proper consultation

After the intervention, the traders and exporters, mainly from Mumbai and Delhi came to know about the improved quality and standardisation of the product and have directly approached the artisans. Prior to CLRI training and technical inputs, lasting was not in practice and footwear were a size less. Now artisans are able to match UK, USA, Japan or German , other sizes at ease. Further, training in designing has helped in creating new designs, working with designers, to adopt suggested designs and to add other values. Some of the artisans have employed few others and are making use of the machinery at Common Facility Centre and have started supplying to the exporters directly. This has made a huge impact on the financial and social status of several artisans. The following artisans, members of ToeHold, have their own units and are employing other artisan workers. They are producing around 6000 pairs annually with an average price of Rs. 350 per pair.

Table 3.6: Some Progressive Artisan Entrepreneurs S. No.

Name of the member

Name of Husband/Co-prenuer

Name of the SHG

1

Parvathi

Mallesh Sannakki (export)

Aarathi Shg

2

Kastura Tanaji Devmane

Tanaji Devmane (export)

Ashwini SHG

3

Rajashree Sunil Yellamalle

Sunil (export)

Jyothi SHG

4

Kalavati Krishna Sannakki

Krishna Sannakki (local)

Samyuktha SHG

5

Sumitra Subhash Sannakki

Subash Sannakki (local)

Preethi SHG

6

Sunita Shivling Sannakki

Shivaling Sannakki (local)

Ashwini SHG

7

Tarabai Gangaram Kamble

Gangaram Namdev Kamble

Aarathi SHG

8

Kastura Krishna Ajetrao

Krishna Ajetrao (local)

Preethi

9

Balabai Maruti Kamble

Maruti Kamble (local)

Dhanashree

10

Asha Gajanan Bhandare

Gajanan Bhandare (local)

Jyoti


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

The ten artisan entrepreneurs are able to sell around 6000 pairs annually at an average price of Rs. 350 per pair. Therefore, the approximate total income for these ten artians is around INR 2.1 crores. There are 11 traders (Sahukars) from the artisan community in Malagalli, Athani. There are three big traders, selling around 50,000 pairs in a year for the local market i.e. 1,50,000 pairs in a year with an average selling price about Rs 250. Eight smaller traders sell on an average 500 pairs a month, 6000 pairs in a year. Exports and Earnings per pair The total number of artisans registered in ToeHold as of 2017 is 140. A total of 40 artisans have either passed away or moved out of the region. The artisans belong to the following areas: Athani, Madhabhavi and Nippani. The total number of pairs sold by registered ToeHold artisans are depicted in Figure 3.7. According to the data received from ASCENT and Toehold, in the year 2016, 6560 chappals of the Bantu variety were sold through Toehold. For the last five years, there has been no sales of the Kapsi variety through Toehold.

Exports and Earnings Per Pair Through the Toehold cooperative, the Kolhapuri chappals have been exported to countries across the globe. The ‘Kapsi’ variety has been exported to US, Belgium, Australia, Norway, Ukraine, Italy, Turkey and Tunisia. The ‘Bantu’ variety has been exported to US, UK, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Norway, Tunisia, Belgium, Italy, Australia, Norway, Ukraine and France. Table 3.7 below shows the data regarding the trend of exports of Toehold manufactured footwear, along with artisans earnings and earnings per pair. The data shows that the number of pairs exported has reduced significantly from year 2004 to year 2016 while the artisans earnings have actually increased marginally during the same period. There has been a steady increase in the earnings per pair from Rs.67.58 in 2004 to Rs. 213.02 in 2016. Figure 3.7 above depicts the status of number of pairs exported by ToeHold and the Earning per pair for Artisans. Participating in International exhibitions are key for getting the export orders. ToeHold could not participate in any exhibitions from 2012 due to lack of funds. During the project period from the year 2000 to 2012 Toehold participated around 15 international exhibitions in Germany, Italy etc., which made a difference.

Table 3.7: Pairs Exported and Artisan Earnings Year

Total Pairs Exported

Total Artisans Earnings

Earnings per pair

2004

18342

1239620.5

67.58

2005

17444

1367081

78.37

2006

5818

550687.25

94.65

2007

7127

688746.5

96.64

2008

7675

753262.5

98.14

2009

8938

1035248

115.83

2010

6206

841085.5

135.53

2011

13205

1960782.5

148.49

2012

10926

1718677.5

157.30

2013

7463

1269230

170.07

2014

5683

1051862.5

185.09

2015

2457

525105

213.72

2016

6560

1397397.5

213.02


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Administrative Staff College of India

Number of pairs

Figure 3.6: Pairs Exported by ToeHold Registered Artisans

Year Source: Toehold/ASCENT

Number of pairs

Figure 3.7: Trend of ToeHold Exports

Year


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Earnings in Rupees per pair

Figure 3.8: Earnings per pair

Year

Number of Respondents

Figure: 3.9: Level of Education of the Respondents

49


50

Findings from Primary Survey of Toehold Artisans A total of 113 artisans were surveyed using a questionnaire in Madhubhavi, Athani and Nippani. The total number of Toehold artisans in these areas is 140 (after accounting for 40 artisans who either passed away or migrated to other places). Demographic Profile of the sample A total of 113 artisans (80% of the population) were surveyed using a questionnaire in Madhubhavi, Athani and Nippani. The total number of Toehold artisans in these areas is 140 (after accounting for 20 artisans who either passed away or migrated to other places). Majority of the artisans were women (82.3%). More than 90% of the respondents were below 60 years of age. It is important to note that 41 percent of the respondents were illiterate and only around 20 percent of the respondents had higher secondary education or above. Details of Kolhapuri Chappal Making More than 70 percent of the respondents claimed that they have been engaged in chappal making for the last three decades or more. It can be concluded that craft of Kolhapuri chappal making is a family occupation/ tradition which is carried on for generations. Our survey results showed that the amount of footwear produced varied across artisans. More than 60 percent of the respondents claimed that they are able to make less than 200 pairs of chappals in a month. Around 30% of them claimed that they could make around 250-500 pairs in a month and the remaining claimed that they could make more than 500 pairs in a month. Artisans are using a variety of different channels to reach the market, through middlemen (32.7%), only through Toehold (4.4%) and both Toehold and middlemen (6.2%), other mediums (52.2%). It appears that majority are sourcing their orders through networking and contacts (45.1%), and sell the most quantity through the same channel (52.2%). Majority (84.1%) of products made by artisans are sold. 28.3% of respondents have received formal training in chappal making and 6% of the surveyed samples have been trained abroad. Majority of the artisans have stated that they are not using only the methods of Chappal making provided by CLRI in early 2001-2003 but have improvised and modified as per customer requirement and their costs.

Administrative Staff College of India

Technical and Business Support Artisans claimed that they are no longer in consultation with CLRI for technical support. Majority (98%) have stated that that they did not receive any additional work because of the technical and business support from CLRI-ASCENT-TOEHOLD combine. Upon probing artisans revealed that the technical training was all provided in early 2000s and they require refresher programs to a larger number of artisans for more meaningful impact on chappal making. The survey shows that only 6% of artisans believe that they are receiving support from Toehold. 3.5% agreed that Toehold has helped in sourcing cheaper raw material, and majority (93.8%) either did not know or did not reveal the revenue and profit division between SHG and Toehold. Majority of the respondents (58.4%) said they require more facilities such as low cost material, low cost interest-rate bank loans, education and health benefits. Artisans view on Socio-economic Development A significant portion (36.28%) of the artisans stated that their socio-economic condition has improved and 20.35 % have stated that they need free education, healthcare, loan facilities and support for new businesses. 39.82% of artisans have stated that there has been no improvement in the socioeconomic status. An assertion that was made by ASCENT was that more women are being sent for trainings. The respondents were asked about the same. 96.5 % have agreed that women have been trained. It may be noted that 98.2% of the respondents have a bank account, and 93.6% use it regularly. A large majority of the respondents (71.6%) save money in the bank and do not have any unpaid debts. This is a significant improvement over the earlier scenario where the artisans were caught in a debt trap. 16 respondents said they found help from Toehold to open bank account. Overall Impact Perceived by Artisans 84 respondents out of the total of 113 gave a very positive response to the question regarding intervention by CLRI. Among the 84 respondents


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

most of them said they have learned about leather cutting, and pasting, a good majority of them also said that they have learned to make new designs and how to do stitching, few said they have learned about designing and making belts and bags, few said they learned how to do business and how to use machines and make shoes. Around 25 respondents said they did not receive any training. However, when enquired about newer business opportunities, 92% of them claimed that ASCENT-Toehold did not help them identify newer business opportunities. Training Received Around 40 respondents out of the total of 113 respondents some said the training provided by CLRI had helped them to learn new design and how to design, some said they learned new stitching and cutting techniques. Around 62 participants said the training did not have any impact on their skills. Some said the training was of no help. Few said they could not use the skills as they had no machines, some said their profits did not increase after training, few said they did not receive training at all from CLRI. Development of Value Added Products Around 80 respondents out of total of 113 respondents said either they do not get any help from Toehold, some said they do not work with toehold anymore. A small minority of respondents i.e. less than 10 said they sometimes receive order from toehold. Credit Access Around 110 respondents said they received no help from Toehold to access credit. Among the remaining 3 one said they save and invest and two said they got credit from Toehold.

in the status of these artisans after the intervention. This was also enquired in the survey. Around 94 respondents said no change in status in society. 18 respondents chose to not answer the question. Education and Health Only 3 respondents said there is some change in education level among children. 18 respondents chose to not answer the question. 92 respondents said there was no change in education level of children. All 113 respondents said no change in health status of children. Attitude towards education of girl child Another impact of the initiative was the empowerment of women and social upliftment of the girl child. This is evident from the data collected. More than 100 respondents said that the girls are going to school, the attitude towards girl education is good, even small girls are going to school and most of the girls are going to school now. Discussion and Conclusion As per the theory of change conceptualised for this project, the outcomes and impact are achieved to a significant extent. Meetings were held with Dr. B N Das. Dr. Saravanan and Mr. Mathivanan from CLRI at CLRI, Chennai on 21st September 2017. The findings from these discussions are as follows: 1.

Artisans were using old methods to make Kolhapuri footwear, which were of poor quality, unstandardised designs and in appropriate materials.

2.

After the Project began CLRI conducted systematic interventions, initially to fully understand the process of manufacturing used by artisans then conducting training programs for transferring new skills with advanced technological inputs to make footwear. CLRI provided starter kits to 1000 household (lasts and templates), encouraged them to make footwear with new skills, and specifications to ensure transfer of skills and usage of new methods. (detailed in the status of TOR achievement )

3.

CLRI later facilitated creation of common service facilities, material bank, market access through ASCENT

Income from Chappal making and selling: The average income of the artisans interviewed was around INR 6260 per month. Around 80 respondents said there is no change in their income, their income did not increase, their profit did not increase. There was no response from 10 respondents. A few respondents (10%) mentioned that the income and profits increased between 10-20 percent. Change in status in society due to increased income In our personal interview with ASCENT and Toehold, it was asserted that there has been a major change

51


52

Administrative Staff College of India

Based on the triangulation of information provided by CLRI, ASCENT, Toehold and primary survey of registered artisans of Toehold, the following change process is created. CLRI, ASCENT and Toehold combine has triggered the process of change in the Kolhapuri chappal making communities in Athani, Madhubhavi and Nippani. There has been value enhancement and market connectivity for the artisans which has not only created primary impact of improving livelihood income but many secondary and tertiary benefits such as overall improvement in social status of backward community artisans, opening bank accounts has enabled them to avail benefits of state governments and central government, access to health and education, created an entrepreneurial spirit amongst few of the artisans. Impacts seen 1.

Empowerment of rural artisans:

a. As per the data provided by CLRI, CLRI executed the Technical Support to Artisans project in III phases (1998-2001). Phase I: standardization of lasts and templates, size grading and training of 40 families of artisans in improved manufacturing process of Kolhapuri footwear. Phase II: identification of NGOs for establishing market linkage, identification of trainers, training of trainers, training of 1000 families and establishment of common facility centre. Phase III: development of market channels, training of artisans on marketing and management of assets with NGOs, Government departments, banks etc, participation in domestic fairs, procurement of equipment for common facility centre, testing of input materials and establishment of material bank.

b. ASCENT and Toehold: ASCENT and Toehold organizations joined the project in the second phase. ASCENT and CLRI together trained 150 artisans in improved production techniques, trained 6 groups (of 9 groups) for group production and common quality control, 150 artisans were also trained on business and entrepreneurship skills, 30 artisans in quality control steps. 40 new designs developed, 100 artisans began using new designs, 9 self help groups created and

started savings and credit operations of Rs.7000/group. Savings accounts opened for 5 group members. Participation in 2 fairs in India and 1 fair in Europe. ToeHold brand was introduced.

c. During the final phase CLRI and ASCENT enabled the formation of Toehold Collaborative (artisans group) and all transactions were executed through banks only. A total of 761 female artisans and 509 male artisans were trained in business and

Figure 3.10: The Change Process


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

entrepreneurial skills. ASCENT and toehold continued the capacity building initiatives till 2012. A total of 37 events were participated in (domestic fairs, international exhibitions). 67 female artisans and 48 male artisans were exposed to these events. 1.

Increase in income and Sales Revenue

As per the export data provided by ASCENT and Toehold, the earnings per pair has increased from Rs.67.58 in 2004 to Rs. 213.02 in 2016. There has been a major drop in the number of pairs manufactured and exported from 18342 in 2004 to 6560 in 2016.

As per the primary survey, artisans have not indicated any major increase in their earnings, there are several reasons why their opinion may be questioned.

a. Artisans may not want to share real information for fear of losing government welfare benefits if they indicate the exact earnings

b. Artisans are using different market channelsToehold, middlemen, networks, direct sales to other cities etc so they make not be in apposition to distinguish between the different sales made.

c. Anecdotal information during field survey indicates that the number of artisans engaged in the profession is declining as chappal making is not very attractive for the younger generation and many other professions or educational pursuits are more appealing.

d. The entire intervention is now 17 years old from the start date in 1999, many artisan families have migrated from the region, few have passed away.

e. The children/family members of the original beneficiary artisans are not fully aware of the training and other support received.

Economic Impact Assessment The ASCI team made every effort to find the data on total production, sales and profit per pair for the entire market for Kolhapuri chappals. However, as is evident from above, a large section of artisans

53

now sell through their own contacts and only a few of those who are registered with Toehold sell through the Toehold network. As a result organised data regarding total production, sales, price over the years is not available. We therefore estimated total production based on the number of beneficiary artisans and the average monthly production (as reported by them in the primary survey). On an average, an artisan can make around 400-500 chappals per month1 or 4800-5000 chappals annually. Therefore, based on this, estimates were made regarding the total production by the beneficiary artisans. Data on exports of chappals was obtained from Toehold. Information on export price and profit percentage was also obtained from Toehold for each year from 2004 onwards. Further, for the year 2016 net income per pair was calculated based on information from primary survey. For net income per pair for previous years, information from published secondary sources was used. The total income accruing to the beneficiaries was then calculated as the sum of net income from domestic sales plus the net income from exports2. Based on the primary survey, information received from other stakeholders and literature review, the ASCI team concludes that the cumulative net benefit derived from the technology until 2016 is around INR 50.4 crores in present value terms. Further, the technology intervention helped to reduce the amount of water required for processing the leather. Before the intervention, the artisans used 12 litres of water per kg of raw hide. After the intervention, there was a reduction of 4 litres of water per kg of raw hide used. Therefore, using estimates of production of chappals and the amount of raw hide required to make the chappals, it is estimated that the technology intervention by CLRI led to led to saving of around 78 lakh liters of water every year3. Challenges

a. The sustainability of the project depends on increasing exports and creating demand for high-end domestic footwear. The ToeHold

2 It may be noted that in all estimations Net Income = Income Cost of Inputs has been used. 3 Based on estimate that 1 hide weighs 23 kgs and 9 pairs of chappals can be made from 1 hide.


54

Administrative Staff College of India

Collaborative does not have dedicated management team to take this kind of initiative forward. Even though the earnings/ pair for exports has increased the number exported has fallen significantly. b. It is possible that the technical inputs support given by CLRI before 2002 have to be re-looked into, considering the different type of modern methods now available. CLRI can initiate a Needs Assessment study to find out how the quality of Kolhapuri Footwear can be strengthened after 15 years.

c. The expectations of domestic buyers are distinctively different from the foreign buyers. In order to carve out a niche in the domestic market, Toehold needs a professional advice on market strategy, market mix and necessary resources.

d. How to increase the number of people who could benefit from this model without diluting the benefits?

e. Toehold also faced multiple challenges in convincing and assuring international players that this model involving rural artisans would deliver quality products consistently. However, this skepticism seemed to be vanishing and the repeat orders flowing in are a testimony of that. Though the number of pairs exported has reduced.

3.6 Conclusion The socio-economic impact of the Kolhapuri Couture has been quite encouraging in the short term. Reports and assessments conducted by CLRI and ASCENT indicate that it is now 17 years since the initiative started and CLRI has not engaged in any technical support activity after 2002. Documented

evidence from CLRI and ASCENT indicate the following: 1.

Major shift in the Perception of Artisans’ about self worth: as the artisans belong to the backward communities this initiative helped them to bridge the gap in the society, increase their income and expose them to mainstream society.

2. Enabling financial inclusion for all SHG groups and its members, encouraged them to utilize all government benefit schemes. 3.

Enabled artisan families to avail modern amenities such as gas connections, access to education including private schooling.

4. According to Ms. Madhura Chatrapathy, Trustee, Hon. Director, ASCENT artisans seem less fearful of authoritative bodies and more courageous in taking control over their own destinies, e.g. having saved money via the saving and credit groups, the women now have the confidence to approach banks to negotiate loans. 5.

The success of the project was largely due to the collaborative alliance of the CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI, the National Leather Development Program (NLDP) and Asian Centre for Entrepreneurial Initiatives (ASCENT). Their synergy led to the catapulting of the artisans from the shadows to the threshold of global footwear fashion. Problem areas were targeted, solutions devised and the plan implemented.

6. Â CSIR-CLRI focused on improved production methods and wider variety of designs while ASCENT brought in the emphasis on entrepreneurship, market linkages access to credit and empowerment. The project support was provided by the NLDP.


55

Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Algal technologies for improving Agricultural Productivity and Women Empowerment Executive Summary

4

An initiative by CSIR-CSMCRI Sponsored by CSIR

Study conducted by Administrative Staff College of India


56

Administrative Staff College of India

Background Seaweeds constitute a valuable source of raw material for industries such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, fertilizers and animal feed. 10 Asian countries (including India) contribute 95 percent of the world’s commercial seaweed volume. It has been estimated that India has the potential to earn more than INR 200 crores in foreign exchange annually through export of seaweed. While revenue is the predominant driver for commercial farming of seaweed; other factors such as employment generation, decrease in carbon footprint, and reduction in import of seaweed play an important role as growth drivers for seaweed production. The Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) pioneered a technique for successful commercial farming of seaweed in India. CSIR-CSMCRI developed an integrated technology (called algal technology) for production of seaweed sap and carrageenan from fresh seaweed. In 2000 first commercial farming of Kappaphycus alvarezzi began using this new technology. From 20052015 commercial production of seaweed in India reached 7,187 tons biomass (dry weight) valuing Rs. 140 million farm gate value.

Economic Impact The study highlighted that the net benefit to seaweed cultivators (from 2005–2017) in present value terms is around INR 28.20 crores. In addition, there are 23 sap processing units which provides employment to more than 1000 people with a salary of around INR 1.14–1.25 laks per annum. Thus, cumulative benefit derived by the employees in these processing plants is around INR 46.40 crores in present value terms. Hence, the total benefit derived by the seaweed farmers and the employees of processing plants is around INR 74.60 crores. Moreover, usage of bio-fertiliser developed from seaweed (Sagarika) has led to an increase in the income of farmers by around INR 4170 for 6 acre land. Using the sales figures of Sagarika and assuming the application being three times, we estimate that Sagarika has been used on around 1.38 lakh acres of land. This implies that increase in agricultural productivity would have resulted in a cumulative net increase in income of farmers by around INR 13-15 crores. Therefore the total benefit derived from the technology is estimated at around INR 80-90 crores. Interviews with CSIR-CSMCRI officials has revealed that further expansion of the seaweed industry along the coastal regions of India are in the pipeline and this will provide employment opportunities to 2-3 lakh farmers.

The Study ASCI conducted a socio-economic impact assessment of algal technology to assess • Quality of life of villagers associated with cultivation and production of commercial farming of seaweed • Increase in agricultural productivity and income of farmers after using bio-fertiliser • Marketing channel and other mechanisms involved in popularizing the technology to give fillip to seaweed production.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Environmental Impact Studies have shown that seaweed based bio-stimulant not only lower carbon footprint but also has the potential to reduce and mitigate various environmental impacts. For instance, the carbon footprint for the production of inorganic fertilizers required for growing rice in 1 ha land area was found to be 393 kg CO2-equivalents. It has been observed that when seaweed extract is used as bio-stimulant in rice cultivation, there is 50 percent reduction in the usage of inorganic fertilizer which consequently results in reduction of carbon footprint.

Social Impact Commercial cultivation of seaweed has proved to be a boon for the communities in the coastal region: a) provided them with alternative and a stable source of income; b) stability in income has led to betterment of human development indicators (education, health and standard of living) in the area; c) ensured food security of people and d) led to greater financial inclusion among farmers (as all payments are made to their bank accounts). The most notable contribution was creation of employment for women of the community which led to their economic empowerment, increased their agency and assured their control over resources. Formation of self help groups (SHGs) enhanced entrepreneurial skills of women, served as a platform for raising awareness about government schemes.

Recommendations • Strengthen marketing strategy of fertilizer developed from seaweed –The outreach of seaweed based fertilizer produced by M/s Aquagri Private Limited still has a long way to go. In order to reach out to a larger segment of the farmers it is essential to have a robust marketing strategy. The pace of the also needs to be increased substantially. • Develop IEC for awareness generation of Sagarika: To increase the usage of Sagarika among farmers, it is essential to educate farmers about the advantages of the product– which acts as both fertilizer and soil conditioner. CSIR-CSMCRI should develop short audio-visual clips which will demonstrate the features and impact of Sagarika on crop yield as well as on the soil. • Address issues related to dwindling production of seaweed – CSIR-CSMCRI should play an active role in addressing issues pertaining to growth of seaweed and suggest alternative ways/ technologies which can be adopted by farmers to increase the production of seaweed. • Strive towards sustainability of the seaweed industry: In order to respond to sustainable goals of economic growth and reducing inequalities (SDG 8 & SDG 10) commercial cultivation of seaweed should be a national priority.

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Algal technologies for improving Agricultural Productivity and Women Empowerment

4.1 Introduction Background and Context Seaweeds are macrophytic algae, which do not have roots, stems and leaves. Seaweeds grow in shallow water. Seaweed can be classified into the following divisions – green, brown, red and blue depending on their pigments that absorb light of particular wave lengths and give them their colours. Most seaweeds belong to one of three divisions – Chlorophyta (green algae), Phaeophyta (brown algae) and Rhodophyta (red algae).1 Table 4.1: Common types of Seaweed Type

Common Name

Chlorophyta

Green algae

Phaeophyta

Brown algae

Rhodophyta

Red algae

Number of Species 900 1500 4000

The greatest variety of seaweed is found in tropical and subtropical water while brown seaweeds are found mostly in cooler and temperate water. Seaweeds constitute a valuable source of raw material for industries such as food, cosmetics pharmaceuticals, textiles, fertilizers and animal feed. Seaweeds have been the staple food in Japan 1 http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/10671/1/12.%20Gulshad.pdf

and China for a very long time. They are used in preparation of salads or cooked as vegetables along with rice. Porphyra (Nori), Laminaria (Kombu) and Undaria (Wakame) are used for making fish and meat dishes as well as soups and accompaniments. Moreover, seaweeds have been found to be rich in minerals, vitamins, and bioactive substances. Seaweeds are the only resources exclusively utilized for the production of commercially important phycocolloids such as agar, carrageenan and alginates. Agar is extensively used in food and pharmaceutical industry. Carrageenans is used in gelation (for example in ice cream). The global agar production is 14,500 tons (market value US$246 million) and carrageenan production is 57,500 tons (market value of US$518 million). Similarly the global production of alginate is about 24,644 tons and in value of US$ 345 million (Porse and Rudolph 2017). Kappaphycus and Eucheuma are the two economically important carrageenophytes that are extensively farmed commercially in tropical and subtropical waters. In 2014, carrageenophytes production worldwide, surpassed other red seaweeds and was at the top of the production rankings with 10.99 million wet tones (77% of total production of farmed red seaweed with a value over USD 1.1 billion), and Indonesia being a major producer (Nayar and Bott, 2014; FAO 2016).


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Carrageenophytes farming has indeed developed into a successful enterprise in a number of tropical and some subtropical developing countries and has emerged as a promising alternative livelihood option for low-income, coastal communities (Valderrama et al. 2013).

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Figure 4.1: Geographical location of sea growth in India

Currently, there are 42 countries which carry out commercial farming of seaweed; among them Asian countries are the lead cultivators of seaweed. Studies have reported that China holds the first rank in seaweed production, followed by countries such as North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Chile, Norway, Indonesia, USA and India2. It is important to note that these 10 countries contribute 95 percent of the world’s commercial seaweed volume. Seaweed grows in abundance along the coastline of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Kerala, Maharastra, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. C. Periswamy et al (2013) mentioned that there is also rich seabed in Mumbai, Goa, Ratnagiri, Chilika among others3. According to a review article published by Vaibhav A. Mantri, K. Eswaran et al (2016) exploitation of seaweed for industrial processing of biomass needed for agar and alginate has been traditionally carried out in the southeastern coast of India (refer to Figure 4.1)4. Out of 841 species of marine algae found in the inter-tidal as well as deep water regions of the Indian coastline; nearly 60 species are commercially important. In India, there are 23 agar, 8 alginate and 2 carrageenan producing industries. Most of these industries are of MSME category. The total annual production of agar in India ranges between 250 – 270 tons while alginates range from 320 - 340 tons5. India has the capacity to grow more than one million tonnes of seaweeds in six states of India – Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. In the global markets each tonne of average quality agar is sold for more than US$2000 (INR120,000). India

has the potential to earn more than INR 200 crores in foreign exchange annually through export of seaweed. While the generation of revenue is definitely a strong driver for the growth of commercial market of seaweed; there are other factors which also play a vital role as growth drivers for commercial production of seaweed (refer to Figure 4.2).

Technology Development In this section we will discuss in detail the time frame and human resource involved in technology development as well as commercialization. M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd has set up processing plants in Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu for the extraction of sap from seaweed. The main product derived from K. alvarezii is carageenan, a gel forming substance which is widely used in various industries such as pharmaceutical, cosmetic, pet and food. Since 2008, Aquagri has been marketing a wide range of products produced from dried seaweed as well as seaweed extract. Carageenan can fetch price upto USD 5,000/per ton in the world market. As per Aquagri Processing Private Limited some of the food and agricultural inputs produced from processed seaweed are as follows6:

2 https://gaic.gujarat.gov.in/writereaddata/images/pdf/26-Seaweed-Culture.pdf 3 Periyasamy, C. Anantharaman, P. &Balasubramanian, T., “Social upliftment of coastal fisher women through seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii farming in Tamil Nadu, India”, Journal of Applied Phycology 26 (2) 2014; p. 803 4 Vaibhav A. Mantri, K. Eswaran et al, “An appraisal on commercial farming of Kappaphycus alvarezii in India: Success in diversification of livelihood and prospects,” Journal of Applied Phycology, (2016); p2. 5 Information shared by CSMCRI, August 2017 6 Information provided by Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd


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Figure 4.2: Drivers of seaweed production in India

Administrative Staff College of India


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Table 4.2: Technology Development: Timeframe and Human Resource S. No.

Name of the Technology

Time taken for development of technology for commercial cultivation

Human Resources

1

Kappaphycus alvarezii cultivation technology

5 years (1995-2000)

3 scientists

2

Gracilaria edulis cultivation technology

8 years (1996-1999; 2008-2011)

3 scientists

3

Gracilaria dura cultivation technology

6 years (2004-2007; 2011-2013)

4 scientists

4

Gelidiella acerosa cultivation technology

10 years (2001-2006; 2008-2011)

4 scientists

5

Hypnea musciformis cultivation technology

3 years (2001-2004)

2 scientists

6

Sarconemafiliformis cultivation technology

4 years (2008-2011)

1 scientists

7

Gracilaria debilis cultivation technology

3 years (2014-2017)

1 scientists

8

Gracilariasalicornia cultivation technology

2 years (2012-2014)

2 scientists

9

Sap processing technology

2 years (2003-2005)

5 scientists

10

Agarose processing technology

2 years (2003-2005)

5 scientists

Table 4.3: Technology Commercialization: Time frame and Human Resource S. No.

Name of the Technology

Time taken for development of technology for commercial cultivation

Human Resources

1

Kappaphycus alvarezii cultivation technology

2 years (2004-2006)

5 scientists

2

Gracilaria dura cultivation technology

1 year (2012-2013)

5 scientists

3

Gelidiella acerosa cultivation technology

1 year (2013-14)

3 scientists

4

Sap processing technology

1 year (2004-2005)

5 scientists

5

Agarose processing technology

2 years (2013-14)

5 scientists

Figure 4.3: Illustration of array of products produced from fresh algal biomass


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Table: 4.4: Inputs Produced from Processed Seaweeds Food ingredient Aquagel -250

Aquagum

Aquaum MK 250

Agricultural products Sagarika Z++ Seaweed Granules

Sagarika Foliar

Tata Paras Vita Seawed

Tata Paras Vita Foliar

Aquasap Granules

Aquasap Concentrate

Seaweed Gel

Seaweed Powder -Fortification

WS Seaweed Powder

WS Aquasap Powder

Fresh weed / Dryweed

Source: Aqua Agri Processing Pvt Ltd.

4.2 Scope Given the backdrop, Administrative Staff College of India conducted the study on socio-economic impact assessment of Algal Research for Improving agricultural productivity and women empowerment. The study had a twofold objective –  To assess the socioeconomic impact of seaweed cultivation and production on the lives of villagers living in Ramnad, Puddukotai, Tuticorin and Tanjore districts of Tamil Nadu; with particular focus on empowerment of women  To examine the improvement in agricultural productivity

4.3 Terms of Reference The terms of reference for the study is as follows –  Analyze the quality of life of villagers associated with cultivation and production of commercial farming of seaweed  Examine enhancement in agricultural productivity by reviewing – yield per hectare, improvement in health of the crop, reduction in cost of cultivation after using bio-fertiliser developed from seaweed, increase in income of farmers  Review the marketing channel and other mechanisms involved in popularizing the technology and giving a fillip to seaweed production.

4.4 Methodology The study consists of both primary and secondary data. Secondary data relevant to the study has been collected from reports, articles and presentations shared by CSIR and other stakeholders. Secondary data consists of articles and reports published on commercial farming of seaweed in India, contribution of CSMCRI; ways in which bio-fertilizer developed from seaweed has augmented agricultural productivity and results of trials carried out by State Agricultural Institutes. An extensive desk review of all secondary data was carried out prior to developing research instruments for both personal interviews and fieldbased survey with cultivators and processors of seaweed. The tools used for collection of primary data were – In-depth personal interviews/ telephonic interviews As part of the study we have conducted in-depth interviews with senior scientists from CMCRI as well as with officials of AquaAgri Pvt. Ltd and IFFCO (marketing channel of Sagarika –bio-fertiliser developed from seaweed). Field Survey In order to understand the socio-economic impact of algal research/technology surveys were conducted in 4 districts of Tamil Nadu. The two research instruments were developed are – one for the cultivators of seaweed (Annexure 1) and the other for the employees associated with processing of seaweed at Aquagri Processing Pvt. Ltd (Annexure 2). The research instruments consisted of both open ended and close ended questions and broadly cover the following segments – awareness/training, participation in seaweed cultivation/processing, market, sale of seaweed, access to and control over assets, opportunities provided, socioeconomic advancement. Keeping in the mind the objectives of the study, each questionnaire had a section for women respondents. The questions for women respondents examined ways in which the algal technology has contributed towards their empowerment (in terms of decision making, mobility, skill development and access to resources)


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Geographical coverage The field survey was carried out in four districts of Tamil Nadu – Ramnad, Puddukotai, Tanjore and Tuticorin. As per the data shared by CSMCRI field unit, the total number of seaweed cultivators (or SHGs) in the selected districts is as follows – Table 4.5: Total number of seaweed cultivators (or SHGs) in the selected districts Area

Active cultivators (SHG) till 2013

Currently active cultivators (SHG)

Total

Ramnad

375

82

457

Tanjore

65

3

68

Tuticorin

20

3

23

Puddukotai

132

32

164

63

officials from Aquagri sensitized the field team about seaweed farming and the algal technology (Annexure 3). Focus Group Discussions (FGD) In order to understand improvement in agricultural productivity, we conducted FGD with farmers. The FGD was carried out in two villages of Karnal – Sekhpura Suhana and Nigdhu. The FGD as carried out among 40 farmers in each of the villages. The discussion addressed issues such as knowledge of bio-fertiliser, in particular Sagarika; usage and popularity of Sagarika, impact of bio-fertiliser on crop health and yield; reduction in cost for farmers; future of such fertilizer produced from seaweed and suggestion of farmers for further improvement of fertilizer (refer to Annexure 4).

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Sampling strategy Taking the p-value to be 0.5 and at 95% confidence interval the sample size of the study will be 250 by using the following formula.

Where, n=Sample Size N=Population Size Here we have taken e=.05 which will give a margin of error of plus or minus 5%. • All the currently active cultivators (120) will be covered for the study. • The remaining number of cultivators (130) will be covered from the non-active cultivators from the same SHG where active cultivators are covered • Total number of respondents – Male : 114 and Female: 136 A survey was conducted among workers in Aquagri Pvt. Ltd. The processing unit employs 75 people. Among them 16 male and 16 female workers were interviewed. Prior to conducting the survey among cultivators and in the processing unit, an orientation session was organised for the field investigators. Dr. Eswaran from CSMCRI and 7 Periyasamy, C. Anantharaman, P. et.al;p 804 8 Ibid p2

4.5 Stakeholder Mapping and Role Evaluation As per the literature review, there are various stakeholders involved in seaweed cultivation, processing and marketing of products developed from seaweed. The figure below provides a detailed illustration of the stakeholders involved at each stage of technology development, funding for technology commercialization, cultivation, financial assistance and training for cultivation, processing and marketing of seaweed. Role and responsibilities of CSMCRI Since 1964, institutes such as Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) have attempted experimental cultivation of agaryielding seaweeds such as Gelidiella and Gracilaria. The purpose of these trials was to develop suitable technologies which will enable commercial-scale cultivation of raw material for the agar industries7. However, the commercial farming of these species was not successful in India. Thereafter in early 1980s, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and under Bay of Bengal Programme (BOBP) with Swedish International Development Agency, Overseas Development Administration of United Kingdom, and Department


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Administrative Staff College of India

Figure 4.4: Stakeholders and their Core Roles

of Fisheries, Government of Tamil Nadu, initiated trials of Gracilaria edulis farming along southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu8. The project did not prove commercially viable due to technical impediments. Meanwhile farming of seaweed continued in an indiscriminate and unorganized manner which resulted in the depletion of the natural resources and closing down of several seaweed processing units. It was realized that the gap between the demand and supply can be bridged only through proper mariculture practices by cultivating seaweeds on commercial scale. Towards the end of the 1980s, CSMCRI initiated experiment for commercial cultivation of Kappahycus alvarezii. This alga originated in Philippines and was also grown in Japan in 1980s. The scientists from CSMCRI brought this species from Japan. The initial

experiments were carried out between 1989-1996 at port Okha while the subsequent field experiments took place at in the coastal water of Mandapam, south east coast of India from 1995-1997 (Mantri, Eswaran et al, 2016). In 2000, MARS (an international pet food and chocolate manufacturing company) requested PepsiCo to explore seaweed farming as a business opportunity along the coastline of India. PepsiCo got in touch with CSMCRI and initiated the process of large scale commercial farming in India. Initially PepsiCo evaluated two types of red seaweed K. alvarezii and H. musciformis. Evaluation trials revealed that efforts had to be focused on the former given its greater ease of cultivation and market acceptability. In 2008, the farming business rights were transferred from PepsiCo Holdings India Ltd to M/s Aquagri Processing Private Ltd.9

9 M/s Aquagri Processing Private Ltd is a company formed by group of entrepreneurs led by a former PepsiCo executive in a tripartite agreement. The company has its main office in New Delhi.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

The Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), constituent R & D laboratory of CSIR is credited for pioneering the technique for successful commercial farming of seaweed in India. The groundbreaking research of CSMCRI contributed immensely towards the advancement of the seaweed industry in India. The unique contribution of CSMCRI lies in the fact for the first time it developed an integrated technology for production of seaweed sap as well as carrageenan (a polysaccharide) from fresh seaweed. The technology was called Algal Technology. The technology involved the cultivation of a macro seaweed or algae known as Kappahycus alvarezii in shallow water near the sea shores and extraction of sap and carrageenan from the residue of liquefied seaweed. The processing of the seaweed yields two products – a) carrageenan - used as a gelling, thickening, and stabilizing agents in food products and also used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics production; and b) sap - used as plant biostimulant or liquid plant fertilizer. The commercial production in India has reached 7,187 tons biomass (dry weight) valuing Rs. 140 million farm gate value in a decade between 2005 and 2015.

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Table 4.5 enumerates the chronology of the intervention done by CSMCRI in order to develop a viable method of commercial farming of seaweed in India10. Table 3 lists out the other significant achievements of CSMCRI with respect to development of the technology for commercial farming of seaweed. The box below describes the story of Sagarika (bio-fertiliser created from seaweed) currently marketed by IFFCO across India.

4.6 Theory of Change In order to examine the effectiveness of any technological advancement or achievement, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the context of change, why a certain change is needed and the desired level of output. Based on Sec 4.5 above, the next section provides an illustrative description of the overarching Theory of Change which was espoused by CSMCRI. The Theory of Change explains the link between change strategies and the delivery of outputs that contribute to higher level results, including the Sustainable Development Goals.

Success story of ‘Sagarika’ Sagarika, liquid fertiliser (produced from sap of seaweed), marketed by IFFCO has a great impact on growth and yield of crops. Aftab Ali, a farmer cultivated Pairatooni variety of brinjal in his one bigha land in the village Jalalabad under Bhangore-II block of 24 Parganas (South). The farmer transplanted brinjal saplings on 12th April 2016 with application of 24:12:12 kg N, P and K respectively as basal dose. He applied additional 12 kg N and 6 kg K in top dressing and harvested 8 quintals of brinjal in several pluckings from 14th June’16 to 26th August’16. After a few days he noticed that the plants were in a stressed condition without any flower or fruit in the plants. Then he applied Sagarika (Sea weed extract) on these plants at a dose of 2ml per lt of water on 1st September’16 and he noticed emergence of flowers after 4-5 days. He went for another top dressing with 12 kg N and 6 kg K immediately and harvested another 12.8 Quintals yield of brinjal within 7th November’16. The farmer was very happy for his successful experiment Snapshot of Aftab Ali spraying Sagarika on his with an additional income of Rs. 25,000/- and shared Pairatooni variety of brinjal cultivation in Jalalabad his experience at IFFCO Bazar, Chandaneswar. Source: Aquagri Processing Private Limited

10 Refer to Personal interview with Dr. C R K Reddy, Chief Scientist, CSMCRI (July 2017); Mantri VA, K. Eswaran, M. Shanmugam, M. Ganesan, V. et al., “An appraisal on commercial farming of Kappaphycus alvarezii in India: Success in diversification of livelihood and prospects,” Journal of Applied Phycology (2016); p3.


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Administrative Staff College of India

Table 4.6: Chronology of Intervention done by CSMCRI 2000

2001

2002

PepsiCo enters into an formal agreement with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) to develop technology for commercial farming of seaweed

First commercial farming of Kappahycus alvarezii began by the technology developed by CSMCRI

Perforated polythene bag method adopted for releasing the germ plasm in the sea, followed by net bag method.

Tamil Nadu State Government granted PepsiCo and CSMCRI access to 1 km of water front (1 ha) for pilotscale cultivation at Palk Bay.

Farming undertaken in Munaikkadu (Mandapam area) by adopting monoline method

Export of first container (21 t)

Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) officials visited the PepsiCo cultivation site to monitor the cultivation area spread over 10 ha.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study conducted by CSIR-CSMCRI

Efforts made to develop more viable method of farming that can protect the seed material from grazing; this step was taken in response to entire crop loss in the cultivation area.

Exploratory studies on feasibility of farming were carried out along Diu (Union Territory), west coast of India.

Floating bamboo raft method emerged as viable method for undertaking commercial farming along the Palk Bay after conducting over 100 test trials.

Daily wage model withdrawn and contract farming model implemented.

Seaweed farming over 3500 rafts culminating into harvest of over 126 t, seeding of 5000 rafts completed.

Self-help groups (SHGs) were formed. Farming was carried out by SHGs

Trial cultivation conducted in Prakasham District, Andhra Pradesh.

Pilot-scale cultivation initiated at Port Okha, Mithapur and Beyt Dwarka, Gujarat under sanctioned project from Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt of India, New Delhi.

Integrated method of production of carrageen and liquid fertilizer from fresh biomass patented (US Patent No. 6893479B2)

PepsiCo extended farming to Tuticorin District, Tamil Nadu.

Three SHGs received subsidy from District Rural Development Agency.

Seaweed farming become the vehicle to successfully rehabilitate tsunami-affected people in southern districts, DBT sanctioned Rs 9 million.

The cultivation of over 5500 rafts achieved under tsunami rehabilitation program along Kanyakumai District, Tamil Nadu.

PepsiCo entered into an agreement with State Bank of India for establishing buyback guarantee and loan for infrastructure.

Production of low sodium salt patented (US Patent No. 20050220975 A1).

Pilot cultivation carried out at Vizhinjam, Kerala

Expansion of farming to Tanjore District, Tamil Nadu.

The harvest of over 8000 rafts accomplished producing 244 dry t of biomass.

The purchase price of dry weed reached Rs 10 kg−1.

The trials of sap (liquid fertilizer) successful in boosting yield of several test crops.

Expansion of farming to Pudukkottai District, Tamil Nadu.

Trial cultivation been attempted in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh.

Cultivation technology formally acquired by M/s. Navedar Navgav Boreshwar Sarvoday Machhimar Sahakari Society Limited, Navadar Navaav, Raigarh, Maharashtra

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

2008

2009

2010

2012

2013

2014

M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd takes over the farming from PepsiCo in tripartite agreement.

CSMCRI licenses integrated method of production of carrageenan and sap (plant biostimulants) to M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd.

M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd commences industrial production of seaweed liquid fertilizer under the brand name Aquasap and Paras.

Studies on deep sea/offshore methods of farming initiated.

Feasibility of cultivation of K. alvarezii carried at Purunabandha and Gokharakuda by Department of Marine Science, Berhampur University, Odisha.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt of India, sanctioned the project on Assessment of technoeconomic feasibility of large scale seaweed cultivation integrated with biofertilizer and ethanol production

New designs suitable for deep water/off shore farming developed and tested for their stability and yield improvement.

M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd initiated construction of its semi refined carrageenan plant at Manamadurai, Tamil Nadu.

The process for converting carrageenan to ethanol developed. Ethanol was recovered through fractional distillation and the final product was converted into E10 gasohol.

Cultivation in Tamil Nadu reached over 16,000 raft scale with production of 650 dry t of biomass.

Liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) protocol for quantification of plant growth regulators (PGRs) in K-sap developed.

The cultivation in Tamil Nadu reached about 20,000 raft scale with production of 1273 dry t of biomass.

Prefeasibility study to initiate commercial farming along Gujarat coast completed along the Amerli District, Gujarat

Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company (GLPC) Ltd., formally entered into an agreement with CSMCRI for initiating commercial activities along the coast of Gujarat.

Experimental cultivation trials attempted at Palshet, District Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.

Tube net farming initiated along five sites: Sarkeshwar, Amreli District; Madvad, Junagadh District; SimarJunagadh District; Navibandar, Porbandar District,MiyaniPorbandar District of Gujarat state.

Capacity building of 2000 beneficiaries in seaweed farming.

Process for obtaining fuel intermediates, agricultural nutrients, and potable water from fresh biomass developed.

M/s. Prasmoagri, Kumbhakonam, Tamil Nadu, acquired knowhow of seaweed cultivation and downstream processing of integrated production of seaweed liquid fertilizer (plant biostimulant) and refined as well as semirefined carrageenan.

Aquaculture Foundation of India initiated farming along Andhra Pradesh coast.

Device for efficient and cost-effective seaweed harvesting from tube net developed (PCT WO2015/087356 A1).

Patent for process of production of graphene sheets with tunable functionalities from seaweeds using deep eutectic solvents filed (Provisional Patent Appl. No. 1520/DEL/2015).

Patent for a scalable process for liquid phase exfoliation of graphite to graphene using biomass derived solvents filed (Provisional Patent Appl. No. 4344/DEL/2015).

Aquaculture Foundation of India initiated tube net cultivation at Chepala Thimmapuram and Mangamaripeta (Visakhapatnam district); Mukkam, Yerra MusalayapalamandNeelagaddapetta (Vizianagram district), Andhra Pradesh.

Honourable Union Minister of Science and Technology, Government of India, released another plant bio stimulant Sagarika based on CSIR-CSMCRI technology.

2015

2016

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Administrative Staff College of India

Table 4.7: Salient Awards and Patents 2002

CSMCRI bestowed with Technology Award in Biological Sciences Category pertaining to seaweed farming.

2005

Process of cultivation including in vitro somatic embryogenesis and regeneration of somatic embryos from pigmented callus of K. alvarezii patented (US Patent No. 6858430B1)

2006

Process for preparation of biodegradable films from semi refined kappa-carrageenan patented (US Patent No. 7067568B1).

2015

CSMCRI and Aquagri jointly awarded prestigious CSIR-Science and Technology Award for Innovation for Rural Development. Process for improved seaweed biomass conversion for fuel intermediates and fertilizer patented (PCT WO2014027368 A3).

Figure 4.5: Theory of Change


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Inputs Macro algae cultivation was initially started about two decades back wherein seaweed cultivation technologies were developed at Mandapam and Palk Bay of Tamilnadu. CSIR-CSMCRI pioneered seaweed cultivation for large scale farming of different economically important agarophytes (Gelidiella acerosa, Gracilaria dura, Gracilaria debilis, Gracilaria edulis and Gracilaria salicornia) and carrageenophytes (Hypnea musciformis, Sarconema filiformis, and Kappaphycus alvarezii). Particularly, technology for cultivation of a seaweed called Kappahycus alvarezii was developed which enabled the coastal fishermen community to have additional livelihood opportunity by cultivating the seaweed under near-shore conditions. A number of scientists have worked on the technology over the past two decades. The table below gives details about the involvement of scientists over the years. Table 4.8: Number of Scientists involved in Technology Development Kappaphycus alvarezii cultivation technology

3 scientists

Gracilaria edulis cultivation technology

3 scientists

Gracilaria dura cultivation technology

4 scientists

Gelidiella acerosa cultivation technology

4 scientists

Hypnea sps cultivation technology-

2 scientists

Sarconema filiformis cultivation technology

1 scientist

Gracilaria debilis cultivation technology

1scientist

Gracilaria salicornia cultivation technology

2 scientists

Sap processing technology

5 scientists

Agarose processing technology

5 scientists

The Institute received funding for the technology development from CSIR and DBT. Apart from CSMCRI, other agencies involved in the technology were M/s. PepsiCo India Holdings Ltd. Gurgaon and SNAP Natural and Alginate Products Pvt. Ltd, Ranipet, Tamilnadu; Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust, Ramanathapuram. Tamil Nadu. Activities Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Bhavnagar devised raft method of seaweed cultivation and has also invented (US Patent No. 6,893,479) a technology for production

of sap of the seaweed, Kappaphycus alvarezii, along with a residue that yields kappa carrageenan. The sap derived from fresh Kappaphycus alvarezii is an effective biostimulant. It is inexpensive which makes it suitable for broad acre crops; and its price point makes it affordable and within the means of a small and marginal farmer. Specifically, CSIR- CSMCRI did the following : 1. Arranging field visit for industry partners for demonstrating the success of seaweed cultivation technology 2. Conducting Meet

Periodical

Entrepreneurship

3.

Publishing in Institute web site

4.

Publishing in leading international journals.

Outputs Initially commercial farming of K.alvarezii was implemented in Ramanathapuram district coastal villages (Tamilnadu) during 2003. Later on it was extended in Pudukkottai, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts in 2005 and further extended to Thanjavur district coastal areas of Tamil Nadu in 2006-2007. Then, it was introduced in Kerala in 2005 and Gujarat in 2013. Now it is in experimental level in Andhra Pradesh coastal region. The sap/extract of the seaweed was found to be a very effective plant biostimulant that could enhance the yield of crops by 11-36% over and above the recommended dose of chemical fertilizers. The seaweed cultivation knowhow and technology of carrageenan sap extraction was licensed to several SMEs among which Ms Aquagri Processing Private Limited, New Delhi is the prominent one (around 2010) Large scale crop trials in field were done in collaboration with 43 Agriculture Universities and ICAR Institutes who validated the efficacy of the product (sap) supplied by Aquagri. IFFCO is currently marketing the product with the license from CSMCRI. Outcomes The commercial cultivation of seaweed has had several significant impacts on the lives of people, economy and environment. Due to the technological contribution of CSIR, there has been increase in the growth of seaweed and it has led to the following:


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a. Provided an alternative means of livelihood to fishing community leading to efficient usage of marine frontline to diversify livelihood production and enhancing the livelihood security of people in the coastal regions

b. Contributed towards production of biofertiliser and increased agricultural productivity

c. Created opportunities for effective use of biomass as source of alternative energy

d. Facilitated towards making India self sufficient with regard to commercial farming of seaweed to reduce expenditure on import of seaweed Creation of source of livelihood and income - One of the most significant benefits of seaweed production in coastal areas was creation of alternative source of livelihood for fisher folks thereby increasing their levels of income substantially. Studies have shown that commercial farming of seaweed can provide employment to approximately 20,000 fisher folk during harvesting and post harvesting season. The seaweed sources along the coast of Tamil Nadu provide a ready-made source of livelihood for both

Figure 4.6: Growth Trend of Seaweed from 2005–201711

11 Source: CSMCRI, 2017 12 Based on discussion with experts

men and women from the fishing community. Large scale commercial farming of seaweed improved the standard of living of communities (refer to figure 4.5). Seaweed growth has increased exponentially ever since 2005. However, since 2013 seaweed farming has witnessed a drastic decline. This sudden decline was caused by mass mortality of seaweed in Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai and Tuticorin districts where 100% of the crop got destroyed owing to severe climatic conditions. Though attempts were made to restart the cultivation but whatever seed material was available was inadequate to restart the cultivation by all cultivators. Non-availability of quality seed materials is the prime reason for the decrease in cultivation as well as cultivators of seaweed12. The decrease in scope of seaweed farming led many cultivators, especially male members to return to fishing and earn their livelihood. Nevertheless, CSMCRI has approached state government to facilitate acquisition of new seed material or strain of Kappaphycus Alvarezii from Indonesia or Philippines. It is very likely that the state government will help as according to CSMCRI cultivation of Kappaphycus Alvarezii will provide employment opportunities to 2-3 lakh farmers in the coastal region. On the other


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

hand, CSMCRI is planning to use biotechnology to develop an improved version of the existing strain of Kappaphycus Alvarezii till they can get the permission to import the seed material. Besides that CSMCRI is also planning to promote commercial farming of indigenous seaweed. Crop growth and enhancement of agricultural productivity — It has been well documented, globally that seaweed extracts contains major and minor nutrients, amino acids, vitamins, and growth promoting substances which have been reported to stimulate the growth and yield of plants; develop tolerance to environment stress; increase nutrient uptake from soil and enhance antioxidant properties. Hence, seaweed extract is used as soil conditioners and as foliar spray to increase growth and productivity of several crops. Between 20052007 limited trials of the foliar application of sap of the seaweed carried out by PepsiCo India in collaboration with M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd showed improvements in yields of sugarcane and vegetables like potato, okra, tomato and brinjal. Rathore, Chowdhury, Ghosh et al (2009) in their review of effect of seaweed extract on soyabean highlighted that how foliar application of seaweed extract led to enhancement of yield of soyabean. The field experiment was carried out in the rainy season at the ICAR Research Complex, NEH Region, Nagaland. Seaweed extract was sprayed at two stages – seedling stage (30 days after sowing) and flowering stage (60 days after sowing)13. The use of seaweed extract increased all the growth parameters for soybean. In general, a gradual increase in plant height was observed with increasing sea weed extract application. Numbers of plant per square meter increased significantly. During the period beginning 2011 to 2017, CSMCRI carried out multi-locational and multi-crop demonstration trials. These trials were undertaken in farm and farmer’s field at more than 40 locations across 20 states of our country in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities and ICAR Institutes.

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For instance, in 2012, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of seaweed extracts on the productivity and economics of rice cultivation in the red and lateritic soil of West Bengal, during the kharif season at the agricultural farm of Institute of Agriculture, Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan, Birbhum, West Bengal. Sharma, Banerjee, Ghosh et al. (2016) in their article stated: rice crop give good response to the spray application of seaweed extracts during the critical growth stages like tillering, flowering and milking14. It was observed during the trial that when seaweed extract was added to fertiliser, there was availability of better nutrients, which resulted in better seed and straw yield. It was concluded from the trial that in future seaweed extract may reduce consumption of fertilizer which may prove beneficial under the changed climatic situation15. Various studies have shown that sap application has the potential to reduce usage of chemical fertilisers by 25 percent in sugarcane production. Sap production of M/s. AquAgri Processing Pvt. Ltd. has grown upwardly from 5.25 kL in 2008 to 1875 kL in 201516. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has supported its promotion in Africa, while it is being marketed under the brand name “Paras” domestically. The sap was also found to enhance the maize crop yield in moisture stress condition even when it was applied only once during the grain filling stage. The life cycle assessment of Kappaphycus sap production was performed and was found to have a very favourable carbon foot print (118.6 kg CO2 equivalent per kilo litre) rendering it as a very potent green plant bio-stimulant. CSIR-CSMCRI’s extensive trials carried out PanIndia affirmed that Kappahycus bio-stimulant is an excellent means to improve the yield of several crops including pulses and oilseeds. The blackgram yields were increased by 20-37% in agro & demonstration trials, thus it can raise Pulse production in India. Results on floriculture and vegetable crops have also indicated a positive response. Based on the

13 S.S. Rathore, D.R. Chaudhury, Arup Ghosh et al, “Effect of seaweed extract on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of soybean (Glycine max) under Rainfed conditions,” South African Journal of Botany, 75 (2009); 352. 14 Loknath Sharma, M. Banerjee, Arup Ghosh et al, “Performance of seaweed extracts on the productivity and Economics of rice cultivation in the red and lateritic soil of Eastern India,” International Journal of Bio-resource, Environment and Agricultural Sciences, Vol. 2, Issue 3 (2016); 362. 15 Ibid 361-362 16 Deshmukh P.S. and D.B. Phonde (2013) “ Effect of Seaweed extract on Growth, yield and Quality of Sugarcane”, International Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Vol 9(2), 750-753


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crop trial data, apparently, the states can reap yield increase by an average 24%. Figure 4.7: Increase in agricultural productivity

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that it provided employment to women of the fishing community. According to Periyasamy, C et al. (2014) and Bindu, S (2011) cultivation and processing of K.alvarezii created job opportunities for women in the coastal regions. Women SHGs were provided training on seaweed farming. Thus, women have been involved both at the level of cultivation and processing of seaweed. M.S. Bindu (2011) in her article on empowerment of coastal communities in cultivation and processing of seaweed mentions how fisherwomen of villages in Kerala were trained in harvesting and post harvesting technologies so that can effectively contribute to seaweed production. The article also highlights how this became a source of additional income for women in the village17.

4.7. Evaluation Findings The crop trials have proved that application of seaweed extract as fertilizer can be cost effective for farmers as it brings down the usage of chemical fertilizers. The sap also enhances yield of the crop which will subsequently lead to increase in income for farmers (see figure 4.8). Creation of jobs for women – Another significant contribution of commercial farming of seaweed was

This section is divided into three parts. The first segment discusses findings from the survey carried out with the cultivators. The second segment discusses the data which emerged from conducting survey respondents associated with processing of seaweed. Finally, the third segment illustrates the findings from Focus Group Discussions carried out among the farmers residing in villages of Karnal, Haryana.

Figure 4.8: Increase in income of farmers

17 M S Bindu, “Empowerment of coastal communities in cultivation and processing of Kappaphycus alvarezii—a case study at Vizhinjam village, Kerala, India,” Journal of Applied Phycology, 23 (2011); 157-158


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Respondents Associated with Cultivation of Seaweed As mentioned in the section on methodology, the field survey was carried out among both cultivators and processors of seaweed. The questionnaire for the cultivators was divided into two parts. The first part aimed at understanding the reasons for joining seaweed farming, source of information regarding seaweed farming, training/loans received for the same, earning from this cultivation, challenges involved in the process of cultivation, ways in which it had helped to improve the quality of life of the cultivators (creation of assets, opportunities, financial inclusion, possession of consumer goods, improvement in health and education) and measures which can be adopted to improve the process of cultivation of seaweed. The second part sought to map the empowerment of women through their participation in commercial farming of seaweed. The table 4.6 below illustrates the profile of the respondents who participated in the survey. Table 4.9: Profile of the cultivators Pursuing seaweed cultivation Profile

Male (%)

Female (%)

Active cultivators

48.2

47.8

Non active cultivators

51.8

52.2

25 – 34

23.7

22.1

35 – 44

36.8

36.8

44+

39.5

41.2

AGE

OCCUPATION Housewife Business

38.2 1.8

0.0

Seaweed Farmer

67.5

54.4

Fisherman

11.4

1.5

Coolie

7.0

3.7

Others

4.4

2.2

It is important to note that although majority of the respondents who were interviewed were primarily associated with seaweed farming; however there were respondents for whom seaweed cultivation was secondary occupation. At least 11% respondents had fishing as their primary occupation. Some respondents worked as contract laborers and some were auto drivers. There were a few respondents who also worked in private organizations as unskilled laborers.

Table 4.10: Years of association with Seaweed Farming Years

Male (%)

Female (%)

1-3

15.79

11.85

4–7

48.25

49.63

8 -10

25.44

28.15

10+

10.53

9.63

Majority of the respondents (male – 49% and female – 50%) have been pursuing seaweed cultivation for over 6 years. In fact 25% of the respondents have been associated with commercial cultivation of seaweed for almost a decade. Although, few in number still 10 percent of the respondents, have been seaweed cultivators for more than 10 years. Awareness/Training/Support As is evident from the figures above, respondents identified Self help groups (SHGs) as the major source of information regarding seaweed farming; followed by fellow cultivators and then Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd. Majority of the respondents said it was the SHGs who also provided training to enable people (both men and women) undertake commercial farming of seaweed. Other than the SHG, fellow cultivators and Aquagri also played a proactive role in imparting knowledge about seaweed cultivation as well as providing training to new cultivators. Source/amount and repayment of loans The survey highlighted that on an average a cultivator spends Rs. 800 – 1000 to buy the raw materials for the construction of rafts. The raw materials needed for seaweed farming are as follows – bamboo rafts, five cornered anchors, nylon ropes, anchor ropes, seed, knives, mats, ladders and transportation charges. As indicated in the tables below, cultivators take loan for buying the raw materials for seaweed farming. Table 4.11: Loan for seaweed cultivation Source

Male

Female

SHG

75.4

77.9

Bank

10.5

14.0

No response

14.0

8.1


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Figure 4.9: Information about seaweed farming

Figure 4.10: Training for seaweed farming

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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Table 4.12: Amount of Loan taken for seaweed cultivation (in Rs) Amount

Male

Female

Not Reported

4.0

1.5

<=10000

2.0

3.8

10001 - 20000

19.8

46.6

20001 - 30000

59.4

35.1

30000+

14.9

13.0

Both males and females stated that they had taken loan from their respective SHGs to start the cultivation of seaweed. The total amount of loan taken by majority of the male respondents (60%) is to the tune of Rs. 30,000. The loan amount for female respondents was in the range of Rs.10,00020,000. All respondents said they have been able to repay their loan amount. It is interesting to observe that female respondents have been more proactive in repaying their loans in comparison to male cultivators.

Table 4.13: Reasons for joining seaweed farming Male

Female

Additional income

86.0

80.1

Income for fishing not adequate

39.5

57.4

Lack of stability in the first occupation

36.8

30.1

Stable source of income

24.6

23.5

More opportunities

5.3

11.0

No response

0.9

1.5

Table 4.14: Involvement in seaweed cultivation (number of months) Months

Male (%)

Female (%)

6

1.8

0.0

7

0.0

.7

10

1.8

.7

12

96.5

98.5

As mentioned earlier large proportion of the respondents have taken up seaweed cultivation as their primary occupation. Hence, most of the male and female respondents are associated with the cultivation of seaweed throughout the year.

Seaweed cultivation: Participation, investment, income and sale

Reasons

A large proportion of respondents (both male and female) have undertaken seaweed cultivation to augment their current levels of income. Women, in particular, pointed out that income from fishing is not sufficient to meet household expenses. Seaweed farming provides them additional source of income and helps them to meet their daily expenses. 25% male respondents were of the opinion that cultivation of seaweed provides them with a stable source of income which is important to improve their standard of living.

Investment for cultivation of seaweed Each cultivator needs to buy the above mentioned items prior to start of seaweed cultivation. Financial assistance for purchase of all these items is provided by the bank. On an average, a cultivator spends Rs. 800 – Rs.1000 to start cultivation of seaweed.

Amount in rupees

Figure 4.11: Investment for cultivation of seaweed

Inputs


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Income from seaweed cultivation 88% of the female respondents earn around Rs.10, 000 per month from cultivation of seaweed. Only a handful of female respondents (12%) earn more than Rs.10, 000. In case of male cultivators - 70% earn approximately Rs.10, 000 per month; while 26% earn more than Rs.10, 000 per month. Table 4.15: Sale of Seaweed  Buyers of Seaweed

Male

Female

Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd

98.2

99.3

Market

.9

0.0

Others

0.0

.7

.9

0.0

No response

As is evident from the table above, cultivators primarily sold seaweed to Aquagri Processing Pvt

Ltd. Aquagri is the only processing unit in the area. The organisation transferred the money directly to the account of the cultivators. Only 1% male respondents reported selling seaweed directly in the market. Creation of assets Almost all the respondents have a bank account on their name. As mentioned above Aquagri transfers the value of the seaweed directly to the respective account of the cultivators. This has ensured that all cultivators have their own bank account. This has also led to greater financial inclusion of women in that area. A large proportion of the respondents stated that their participation in seaweed farming has been a boon in their lives. It has provided them

Number of people

Figure 4.12: Income

Income

Figure 4.13: Bank Account


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

with additional income, bank account and most importantly helped them create valuable asset such as house. As the figure above highlights, more than 50% of the respondents stated they have pucca house while approximately 35% of the respondents have semi-pucca house. Only about 10% have kuccha house. It is interesting to observe that 56% of the female respondents said they own land; while 63% of the

Figure 4.14: Possession of house

Figure 4.15: Possession of own land

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male respondents do not have land on their name. However, a large proportion of the respondents do not have their own plot of land. The survey highlighted that although there has been improvement in the standard of living of and an increase in the income of the people from the fishing community; the income is not sufficient to enable them purchase other durable goods such as television, refrigerator, stove, bike, mobile phones


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etc. The respondents pointed out that to purchase other consumer goods the income from seaweed cultivation has to be supplemented by other source of income. Respondents who are engaged in other profession (apart of seaweed cultivation) has been able to buy consumer durable goods. Socioeconomic advancement (welfare) Majority of the respondents mentioned that their occupation as seaweed cultivators has proved to be beneficial for themselves as well as for their family. Women, in particular, stated that income from seaweed cultivation has helped them in a big way to meet their household expenses. Earlier they had no source of income and hence their general Figure 4.16: Purchase of consumer durables

Figure 4.17: Benefit accrued from seaweed cultivation

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standard of living was poor. They were completely dependent on the earnings of their husband which was insufficient to run the household. Seaweed cultivation has helped them earn additional income and this facilitated women to send their children to schools and also helped them build their own houses. The additional income from seaweed farming has enhanced the decision making of capacity of women too. More than 35% of the respondents reported having earned approximately Rs. 26 per kg of sale of seaweed. 30% cultivators earned between Rs. 2125 per kg from sale of seaweed.


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

As per the data, a large part of the income from seaweed cultivation is used for meeting daily household expenses. Further the income is used to pay loans, tide of health-related costs and pay for education of the child. 28% male and 19% female respondents stated that they also use a part of income for fulfilling their personal needs.

Empowerment of women The questionnaire had a few questions exclusively for women cultivators in order to examine the ways in which they have benefitted from seaweed cultivation. The figure below enumerates ways in which seaweed cultivation has bought about radical changes in the lives of women belonging to the fishing community.

Figure 4.18: Profit from seaweed cultivation

33.2%

15%

2.4%

Figure 4.19: Pattern of usage of income from seaweed farming

33.4%

16%


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All women unanimously pointed that seaweed cultivation has given them agency and voice in their own households. Further it has increased their mobility and enabled them to successfully contribute towards their improving their quality of lives. Prior to commencement of seaweed cultivation, only 1.5% women had a source of income. The women were majorly involved with household activities. Commercial farming of seaweed created opportunities for livelihood for women, enabled them acquire new knowledge and

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skill set, increased their mobility and gave them the confidence to contribute effectively to the process of cultivation. The most significant aspect was through this occupation women had money at their disposal which they could also spend on themselves. The additional income of the women also brought about changes in household relations and helped them acquire respect among family members. The ASCI team also enquired from the women cultivators regarding the steps that can be taken

Figure 4.20: Salient changes in the lives of women

Figure 4.21: Steps should be taken for involvement of more women in seaweed farming

Source: (Percentages increase 100 due to multiple responses.)


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

to ensure greater participation of women in seaweed cultivation. The figure below describes the suggestions put forward by the women cultivators who had participated in the survey. 72% women mentioned that more loans should be given to women so that they can be associated with seaweed farming. 18% female respondents stressed on the need to generate more awareness regarding seaweed cultivation and ways in which it can benefit them. The need to impart training also was flagged as an important measure which should be undertaken to improve the rate of participation of women in seaweed cultivation. Challenges involved in seaweed farming As Figure 13 shows both male and female respondents have faced challenges in seaweed farming. In fact more women than men have faced challenges in seaweed cultivation. The types of challenges faced by cultivators are described in Table 4.13. As is evident from the table below the major challenge flagged by most respondents is decomposition of seaweed, followed by decaying of seaweed. Another major issue pointed out by cultivators was the dwindling growth of seaweed.

Figure 4.22: Challenges

According to the respondents (as highlighted in the figure below) in 2010 the production of seaweed was highest. After that the growth of seaweed has decreased. The respondents stated that high temperature caused mass mortality and stunted growth of seaweed. Table 4.16: Types of challenges Â

Sex

All

Male

Female

Heavy rain

1.6

0.0

0.6

High waves

1.6

1.0

1.2

No seaweed growth

17.1

30.7

21.8

Not sufficient income

1.6

0.0

0.6

Increase in temperature of sea water

9.4

3.0

5.5

Seaweed decompose

31.3

13.9

20.6

Sharing farm should be closed

0.0

4.0

2.4

Seaweed eaten by fish

3.1

2.0

2.4

Rotten seaweed

18.8

25.7

23.0

Seepage of waste water from prawn factory

0.0

1.0

0.6

Seepage of waste water from sharing farm

1.6

3.0

2.4

No response

14.1

11.9

12.7


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As a consequence the income of the cultivators also declined. Cultivators who used to earn over Rs. 25000 per month by selling seaweed in 2015-2016 earned only Rs. 10,000 per month. Respondents associated with processing of seaweed The processing unit chosen for the survey was M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd. The main activities carried out in the processing unit include – seaweed cleaning, drying, packing, extraction of sap, preparation of fertilizer and other products among others. According to the data available from Aquagri, 65-70 people are employed in the unit. A sample of 32 respondents was selected for the survey. The sample comprised of 16 male and 16 female respondents. The profile of the respondents is presented in Table 4.14. The average age of the respondents is 38.8 years. Among the group of respondents 50% were male and 50 % female. While 56 % of the respondents were literate; only 25% had obtained secondary education. A large proportion of the respondents were labourers (58%), 16% were operators and 13% were engaged in the cleaning process.

Figure 4.23: Trend in the production of seaweed

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The questionnaire for the processing unit sought to understand the following – source of information for people regarding processing plant of seaweed, reasons for taking up jobs in the processing unit, their level of satisfaction, challenges faced in their occupation, benefits accrued from this employment in terms of assets and opportunities, social welfare of the respondents. The questionnaire also examined how women have benefitted from this occupation and sought to understand ways in which more women can become associated with such occupation. Table 4.17: Profile of the Respondents Basic Characteristics

Value (%)

Age (years) Up to 30

21.9

31 – 35

15.6

36 – 40

31.3

41 & above

31.3

Mean Age

38.8

Sex Male

50.0

Female

50.0

Level of Education Illiterate

9.4


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Literate

56.3

Primary

9.4

Secondary

Table 4.19: Reasons for joining processing unit  Reasons

25.0

OCCUPATION Labour/ Packing

58.1

Fisherman

3.2

Cleaning

12.9

SRC Processors

6.5

Operator

16.1

R & D Assistant

3.2

Total N

32

Respondent Types

Total N

%

29

90.6

Cultivators of Seaweed

2

6.3

Others (Specify)

1

3.1

32

100.0

Neighbours

Total N

N

%

Closer To Home

23

71.9

Stable income

16

50.0

Salary High Than Other Occupation

3

9.4

Only Option In The Area

4

12.5

32

100

Total N

Table 4.18: Awareness about the Processing Unit

Majority of the respondents (90%) said they had come to know about Aquagri from their neighbours. Although small in number, still, 6.3% respondents pointed out that the cultivators of seaweed had provided them information about this processing unit. Figure 4.24: Level of satisfaction at workplace

Total

Choice of job The respondents cited proximity to their house as one of the primary reasons for taking up jobs in the processing unit (see table 3.2.2). In Aquagri there are more female employees in comparison to their male counterparts. Most women said it was the strategic location of the unit which made them take up jobs in this organisation. It helped them to balance household chores and their professional work. However, 50% respondents also said stability of income was the other major reason for joining the processing unit. According to a smaller percentage of respondents (13%), it was the only option in their vicinity which provided a stable and a high income in comparison to other jobs. Job satisfaction As per the responses, majority of the respondents


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(60%) are highly satisfied and 31% moderately satisfied with the nature of job and the work environment at the processing unit. In order to understand the socioeconomic impact of the algal technology – the questionnaire addressed topics such as financial inclusion of people, possession of assets – land, house, other durable consumer goods; pattern of expense of the income earned and general social welfare of the people.

Figure 4.25: Ownership of land

Creation of assets The section on creation of assets had questions related ownership of bank account, land, house and consumer durable goods. Bank Account All the respondents have a bank account on their name. They stated that their salary is transferred to their respective accounts so it was important to have their own bank account. The policy of Aquagri to transfer salary to the bank account has led to greater financial inclusion for all categories of women employed in the processing unit. While majority of the respondents (81%) operate the bank account by themselves; 19% need assistance to operate their own bank account.

Figure 4.26: Type of House

Table 4.20: Usage of bank account

N

%

Regular Use

32

100

Know how to Operate the bank account Yes

26

81.3

No

6

18.8

Do you put your saving in bank Yes

19

59.4

No

13

40.6

Total N

32

Ownership of assets Only 34% of the respondents have land as asset on their name. A large proportion of the respondents said they do not own land as asset. However, it was heartening to observe that 66% of the respondents have utilized their income to build pucca house in comparison to 34% who have kachha house. Socio-economic advancement: Income and Pattern of Expense The average income of the respondents who participated in the survey was Rs. 7000 per month.

A large part of this income is spent on household activities. The other major heads under which respondents spend their income are as follows – health, education of the children and payment of loans. Some respondents also invest their income in banks and 12% spend it on themselves. The respondents mentioned that their job has improved their quality of life and helped them build a house and ensure the education of their children. The respondents (both male and female) were asked about the benefits/ socioeconomic gains they have made through their employment in the processing unit. As is evident from the table above, majority of the respondents said this profession has given them an opportunity to contribute to their household expenses. Further, it was pointed out that the job has given them financial independence, source of stable income and enhanced their self confidence. 13% respondents spoke about their asset creation due to this job.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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Women, in particular pointed out that this job helped them to contribute to household expenses and most significantly created the space for them to participate in the decision making related to household.

job was it provided greater mobility to women. The female respondents stated that job at Aquagri has not hampered their household responsibilities. In fact, it has enhanced their self esteem within the family and given them a greater sense of agency.

The questionnaire further probed into ways in which job at Aquagri has led to empowerment of women in the area.

Focus Group Discussions with Farmers in Karnal, Haryana Given the objectives of the study, we conducted focus group discussions (FGD) with farmers in villages of Karnal, Haryana. Aquagri had initially chosen Tata Chemicals as their marketing agency to sell the bio-fertiliser produced by them. As per the data shared by Aquagri, the sale of Aquasap was as follows:

The most important change that came about in the lives of women working in the processing unit was they had money at their disposal and this led to their greater participation in household decision making. The other noticeable contribution of the

Percentage of cultivators

Figure 4.27: Pattern of Expenditure

Particulars of expenditure

Percentage of cultivators

Figure 4.28: Benefits accrued from the job

Particulars of benefits gained


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Administrative Staff College of India

Number of women

Figure 4.29: Benefits accrued to women

Benefits accrued

Table 4.21: Sale of Aquasap from 2012-2017 Particulars

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

2016-2017

1561.5

2723.62

2836.05

1100.64

31.10

6866

115181

11654

4464

167

Tata seaweed (folier) in lakhs

143.89

125.49

124.14

63.58

0

Quantitative (MT)

101.57

113.36

79.72

34.85

0

Tata Seaweed (granules) in lakhs Quantitative (MT)

Aquagri in its bid to further expand the sale of bio-fertiliser and to have a greater outreach among farmers decided to change their marketing partner. Thus, in 2016, the organisation began collaborating with Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) Ltd to market the fertiliser produced from seaweed. IFFCO began marketing Sagarika fertiliser through IFFCO Bazaar in early 2016. Since May/June 201618, IFFCO has also been selling Sagarika fertiliser through its Farmer Service Centres (FSCs). Sagarika is a seaweed extract of red brown algae and acts as an organic bio-stimulant. This product is marketed in both liquid as well as in granular form. The farmers using this product have gained significantly by realizing higher crop yields and consequently increased income. The product is known to increase

the agricultural productivity by 15-20%. The sales of Sagarika during the last financial year are as follows19: I) Sagarika Liquid: 54672 litres ii) Sagarika Granules 526050 Kg The focus group discussion was conducted in two villages in Karnal on 4 December 2017. The purpose of the FGD was to understand the perspective of farmers towards bio-fertiliser, their level awareness about Sagarika fertiliser, the improvements they have witnessed in crop texture and yield after usage of Sagarika, problems faced by them. The officials from IFFCO who are associated with the marketing of Sagarika stated that sale of liquid fertiliser was low as spraying the fertilizer on large

18 IFFCO Annual Report (2016) 19 http://www.iffco.in/assets/download/IFFCO_Annual_Report_2016-17_web.pdf


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

plots of land is a labour intensive process. Due to absence of labourers, farmers do not prefer liquid fertilizer. Sagarika in granule form is preferred by most farmers. Sale of Sagarika fertiliser is still at a nascent stage. Although IFFCO has done marketing of the fertiliser, sale is gradually increasing. The figure below illustrates the sale of Sagarika (in litres) in the state of Haryana20. Focus Group Discussion with farmers in Karnal Table 4.22: FGD with farmers in Karnal Place of FGD

Sekhpura Suhana Village Nigdhu Village

Participation of farmers

30 farmers attended the FGD in Sekhpura Suhana 17 farmers attended the FGD in Nigdhu

Area of land owned by farmers in respective villages (approximately)

5-10 acres

Crops grown in the two villages

Wheat, paddy, vegetables, sugarcane

Salient findings from FGD The first trial of Sagarika was carried out in a plot of land in Sekhpura Suhana village. The fertiliser was applied to wheat. The farmer reported improvement

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in crop growth. He also said there has been increase in yield of the crop (by approximately 7%). Given the improvement in the quality of crop the farmer said he would now apply Sagarika on other crops. Two most important developments after using Sagarika was – usage of urea has reduced significantly and attack of pesticide on the crop has reduced. Other farmers in Sekhpura Suhana have recently started using Sagarika after being convinced by their fellow farmer about its benefits. The positive aspect about the farmers in Sekhpura Suhana was that they are all inclined to use bio-fertilizer. The farmers stated that to reduce the disease burden on people it is essential that usage of organic fertilizer is promoted. In Nigdhu village more farmers had used Sagarika. Farmers have used fertiliser primarily on wheat and vegetables. They have used Sagarika for both Rabi and Kharif crops. They have witnessed improvement in crop growth in both kinds of crop. Sale of Sagarika in this village is gradually increasing. In the course of the FGD, the farmers mentioned that they prefer to use liquid fertiliser for vegetables and granules for wheat. The farmers in Nigdhu village said they noticed significant impact on vegetables in comparison to crops. They noticed that the vegetables looked healthier and there was an increase in size of the leafy vegetables.

Figure 4.30: Sales data of Sagarika in Haryana

20 The details of sale of Sagarika has been shared by IFFCO Area office in Karnal, Haryana, 4th December 2017


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A few farmers mentioned that pest attack on crops has reduced substantially after the use of Sagarika. Another important point which emerged from the FGD was after utilization of Sagarika the soil looked healthy. Currently 1 litre of Sagarika costs Rs. 500. The farmers are however not satisfied with the price and requested IFFCO officials to lower the price. The table below describes the advantage of using Sagarika both in terms of yield in productivity as well as profitability. Table 4.23: Advantage of using Sagarika both in terms of yield in productivity as well as profitability Particulars

Scenario 1 Scenario 2

a. Production of Paddy – 1121 (in quintal)

14

15.5

b. Price per quintal of Paddy (in Rs.)

3000

3000

42000

46500

d. Price of Urea (in Rs. / bag)

295

295

e. Price of Sagarika (in Rs./ bag)

405

405

f. Urea used (in bags)

4

1

g. Sagarika used (in bags)

0

3

1180

1510

c. Revenue [a x b]

h. Cost [(d x f) + (e x g)] i. Profit [c – h]

40820

44990

Economic Impact Assessment Based upon the responses from the stakeholders and secondary literature ASCI team has quantified the direct and indirect benefits of the Seaweed technology. The direct benefits of the technology accrue to the seaweed farmers or cultivators and the owners of processing plants for sap processing technology and the employees working in these plants. Table 4.21 below gives details about the cumulative value of produce by the sea weed farmers over the years. Our survey revealed that the input cost for the seaweed farmer is between INR 800-1000. We use the same estimates to derive the net cumulative value of the produce. This net value is then converted to present value. The net benefit in present value terms to the seaweed cultivators for the period 2005 to 2017 is around INR 28.20 crores. Further, there are 23 sap processing units which employ more than 1000 people with a salary of around INR 1.14-1.25 laks per annum. Given this the cumulative benefit derived by the employees in these processing plants is around INR 46.40crores in present value terms. Therefore the total benefit derived by the seaweed farmers and the employees of processing plants is around INR 74.60 crores21. The audited financial statement of Aquaagri Processing Private limited for the period 2008-09 to 2017-18 shows that the company reported a EBITDA of INR 11.57 crores. Table 4.24: Cumulative Value of Produce Year

No. of Beneficiaries

Cumulative Value of Produce (Rs.)

Increase in profit (in Rs.)

4170

2005

150

1,147,000

Increase in profit (in %)

10.22

2006

280

2,440,000

2007

320

3,780,000

2008

525

12,432,000

2009

650

14,880,000

2010

700

11,700,000

2011

900

20,920,000

2012

950

28,006,000

2013

950

37,250,000

2014

200

1,100,000

2015

250

6,160,000

2016

325

6,330,000

2017

300

8,750,000

The farmers generally use 3-4 bags of urea per 6 acre of land. Therefore the profitability analysis of the Sagarika utilization shows that in scenario 1, the farmer gets Rs. 40820 profit out of using 4 bags of Urea, whereas in scenario 2, the same farmer gets Rs. 44990 profit out of using 1 bag of Urea and three bags of Sagarika. Therefore, compared to scenario 1, the farmer obtains at least 10.22 per cent higher profit in scenario 2.

Source: CSMCRI It may be noted that the processing plant owners were not ready to share their profit per year from production of the seaweed sap despite several efforts by the team.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Further, the usage of the bio stimulant by the farmers led to increase in their incomes by around INR 4170 for 6 acre land (refer table 4.20). Using the sales figures of Sagarika (refer Sec 4.7.18) and assuming application of three times22, we estimate that Sagarika has been used on around 1.38 lakh acres of land. This implies that increase in agricultural productivity would have resulted in a cumulative net increase in income of farmers by around INR 13-15 crores23. Therefore the total benefit derived from the technology is estimated at around INR 80-90 crores. Finally, it is well documented that rice production contributes to the bulk (55%) of the agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the world (Alam et al., 2016). Further, Yan et al. (2015) have reported that use of synthetic fertilizers account for approximately 50% of the total carbon foot print during rice production. In this context, seaweed based biostimulants are a greener alternative towards sustainably increasing crop yields (Ghosh et al., 2015). Trials have shown that seaweed based biostimulant not only lower carbon footprint but also has the potential to reduce and mitigate various environmental impacts on account of rice production. A life cycle impact assessment was carried to understand to understand the environmental benefit on account of use of seaweed extract (SWE). The usage of seaweed extracts in rice cultivation highlighted the following results – The carbon footprint for the production of inorganic fertilizers required for growing rice in 1 ha land area under the given conditions was found to be 393 kg CO2-equivalents. it was observed that when seaweed extract is used as biostimulant in rice cultivation, there is 50 percent reduction in the usage of inorganic fertilizer. This decrease in the usage of inorganic fertilizer consequently has also resulted in reduction of carbon footprint. In the words of Sharma, Banerjee, Ghosh et al: Interestingly, a reduction of 50% inorganic fertilizer use in combinations with either of the SWEs brought about 43% reduction in CC impact of rice, which amounts to savings of about 35 kg CO2-equivalents. (p974)

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…Assuming savings of 9.5 kg of CO2-equivalents of rice as obtained in 15% KSWE treatment, enormous reduction to the tune of 1.01 Mt of CO2-equivalents can be expected for rice production in India alone. The experiment with rice cultivation also highlighted reduction in other impact categories - fossil depletion, freshwater ecotoxicity, human toxicity, ionizing radiation, marine ecotoxicity, marine eutrophication, metal depletion, ozone depletion, particulate matter formation, photochemical oxidant formation, terrestrial ecotoxicity by combined dose of SWEs with 100% or 50% RRF. The results of the study clearly indicated that seaweed biostimulant has immense global implication as it can significantly reduce carbon footprint. Thus it has been concluded that seaweed as biostimulant offers great promise towards mitigating climate change as well as other environmental impacts.

4.8 Conclusion The extensive literature review and interviews with the senior scientists of CSMCRI helped to understand the theory of change which was envisioned by CSMCRI. As discussed earlier, the broader objective for developing a technology for commercial farming of seaweed were – • Develop seaweed cultivation as a sustainable industry – ensure diversification of source of livelihood and thereby enhance food security of people in the coastal regions • Contribute to agricultural productivity and facilitate in reduction of expenses of farmers • Reduce import of seaweed • Use marine biomass as an alternative source of energy Section 4.7 which discusses the findings from the survey carried out in four districts of Tamil Nadu clearly points out that commercial cultivation of seaweed has proved to be a boon for the communities in the coastal region. The

22 http://kissaneservicesindia.com/onlineshopping/index.php?rt=product/product&manufacturer_id=21&product_id=122#review 8-10kg of Sagarika Z++ per acre of land 250 ml per acre of land applied three times 23 Assuming income per acre of land to be around INR 25000


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fishing community stated that seaweed cultivation has provided them with a stable source of income which was lacking in the region. This stability in income has contributed towards betterment of human development indicators in the area. While the income has helped families to create assets, it has also contributed significantly towards education of children and improved the health status of family members. The respondents mentioned that their income doubled after they began association with seaweed cultivation. Hence, commercial cultivation of seaweed created alternative source of income for a large set of household in the coastal region, provided them with new skill set and knowledge and ensured food security of the people.

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The most notable contribution of the commercial farming of seaweed was providing employment to women of the community, thereby leading to improvement in the lives of women of the community. Following the Women Empowerment Framework developed by Sara Hlupekile Longwe in 1990; the field survey sought to understand women’s empowerment along the following parameters – • Access and control opportunities

to

over

assets

and

• Agency and decision making • Awareness and mobility • Economic advancement • Social change within the household

Moreover, the practice of M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd to make payments for seaweed through bank account led to greater financial inclusion of people. The respondents stated that earlier having a bank account was not mandatory as they would sell their catch directly in the market and earn money. However, Aquagri made it essential that each of the seaweed cultivators open a bank account then only their payments would be made after they have sold their produce to the processing firm. The financial inclusion led to savings and help families plan better for their future. Similar to the cultivators, interaction with the respondents associated with M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd highlighted commercial farming of seaweed has opened up an avenue of employment in the region. Earlier there was out migration from the area due to lack of suitable employment. The setting up of M/s Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd in 2008 provided opportunity for both skilled and unskilled labour. This also resulted in a decrease in out migration from the region. Data from the survey conducted with respondents from processing unit also showed that commencement of commercial cultivation of seaweed has led to establishment of other associated industries which consequently has resulted in improvement in the various parameters of quality of life such as asset creation, purchasing power, accessing health care and other essential services.

While for many male respondents seaweed farming initially was secondary occupation but for women this became their primary occupation. Women, both cultivators and those working in the processing unit, unequivocally agreed that the development of technology by CSMCRI for commercial cultivation of seaweed has contributed in a large way towards instilling confidence in themselves and enhancing their agency and decision making capacity within the household. The formation of self help groups (SHGs) as part of this process has resulted in the enhancement of the entrepreneurial skills of women. Further SHGs has become the platform for raising awareness about loans, source of loans, necessity of saving in formal financial institutions and provide them knowledge about government schemes and programs which women can avail of for betterment of their lives. Further, the employment opportunities increased their scope for mobility and gave them control over resources owing to their contribution to household expenditure. The findings from the survey are indicative of the positive socioeconomic changes commercial cultivation of seaweed has brought about in the lives of people in the region. However, the respondents also flagged challenges faced in seaweed cultivation in the last few years, in particular from 2013. As per the data shared by CSMCRI and Aquagri, number of active cultivators have dwindled substantially since


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

2013. During our field survey we spoke to both active and non active cultivators. The non-active cultivators mentioned that when they had joined cultivation around 2010 they earned an average income of Rs. 20,000 per month. Since 2013, the production of seaweed has dwindled and consequently per month income has come down to Rs. 7000. One of the major reasons which contributed towards decrease in production was decay of seaweed. The cultivators suggested that steps should be taken to increase the production of seaweed as it was in years from 2010-2012. The respondents suggested that some measures should be taken to ensure that commercial farming of seaweed is made possible overcoming adversities such as climatic conditions and pest attack. According to the cultivators, the seaweed industry can only grow into a more sustainable manner provided there is greater awareness of the diverse usage of seaweed among the seaweed entrepreneurs. The focus group discussions with the farmers in two villages of Haryana have shown that Sagarika fertilizer developed from seaweed has impacted agricultural productivity. This has consequently led to an increase in income of the farmer. The farmers Figure 4.31: Role of technology

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unanimously stated that since the utilization of Sagarika pest attack on the crops have reduced drastically. Furthermore, usage of urea has also come down and this in turn has proved to cost effective as they have some profit. (detailed profitability analysis provided in chapter 3). The gaps which were observed during the course of discussion was that the marketing partner IFFCO needs to further strengthen its communication strategy to generate greater awareness about Sagarika. In addition, farmers lack clarity on the dosage of Sagarika, when it should be utilized, whether it should be combined with urea and related issues. The pamphlet designed for farmers to generate awareness about Sagarika is a good effort but too verbose. Given the literacy level of the farmers in the area it will be beneficial if other methods of communication are used to sensitize farmers about the benefits of Sagarika. The overarching objective of the study was to measure not only the change that has happened but also the extent to which the change can be attributed to a definitive technological intervention. The figure below illustrates the role of technology and the consequent short term as well as the long term changes as inferred from the data gathered through the field survey and the focus group discussions.


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4.9 Recommendations Following are the recommendations to improve algal technology’s widespread use to improve agricultural productivity and women empowerment • Strengthening the marketing strategy of fertilizer developed from seaweed – M/s Aquagri collaborated with Tata Chemicals Limited (20122016) and now with IFFCO (mid 2016 onwards) to market seaweed based fertilizer. The outreach of seaweed based fertilizer produced by Aquagri still has a long way to go. Our Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi while addressing a gathering at Dakhina Kannada on 29 October 2017 remarked that farmers should strive to reduce the use of urea by 50% by 2022 when India will celebrate its 75th year of Independence. In order to fulfill the objective, it is essential to increase the coverage of seaweed based fertilizer (which has been proven to reduce usage of urea). In order to reach out to a larger segment of the farmers it is imperative to have a robust marketing strategy which leaves no farmer behind. The pace at which this coverage needs to be achieved also needs to be increased if we have to achieve the target of reduction in usage of urea by 2022. • Developing IEC for awareness generation of Sagarika: In order to increase the usage of Sagarika among farmers, it is essential to educate farmers about the Sagarika and advantages of utilizing the product – which acts as both fertilizer and soil conditioner. For the purpose of sensitization of farmers, CSMCRI can develop

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short audio-visual clips which will demonstrate the impact of Sagarika on crop yield as well as on the soil. The video should explain the dosage of the bio-fertiliser, time when the fertilizer should be applied, frequency of application of the fertilizer. • Addressing issues related to dwindling production of seaweed – The survey brought to fore the major challenges faced by the cultivators of seaweed. CSMCRI can play an active role in addressing issues pertaining to growth of seaweed and suggest alternative ways/technologies which can be adopted by farmers to increase the production of seaweed. • Strive towards sustainability of the seaweed industry: In order to respond to sustainable goals of economic growth and reducing inequalities (SDG 8 & SDG 10) commercial cultivation of seaweed should be a national priority. Therefore, it is essential to provide support at every stage of the value chain – production, manufacturing, marketing and sales and services. While on one hand interventions need to be planned to scale up the production of seaweed it is equally essential to create a market for the diverse goods which are developed from seaweed.

In other words at the level of policy there should be roadmap which clearly describes the link between supply chain and business strategy and encourage greater usage of seaweed in cosmetics, pharmaceutical, fertilizer and animal feed industries as well as biomass for fuel and as an element in wastewater treatment.


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Kangra Tea Advisory Services Executive Summary

5

An initiative by CSIR-IHBT Sponsored by CSIR

Study conducted by Administrative Staff College of India


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Administrative Staff College of India

Background The Kangra region is famous for its range of green teas (Hyson, Young Hyson and coarse grades) and black teas (Pekoe, Pekoe Suchong, Coarse teas and Fannings) which are globally renowned for their exquisite flavor. The total tea produced by India is around 1200 million tonnes. Kangra Tea accounts for a very miniscule share of the total tea produced in the country (less than 1 percent). Also, the size of plantations in Himachal Pradesh is very small compared to the size of plantations in the major tea growing states such as Assam, Sikkim and West Bengal. Kangra tea is a specialty tea. It is probably the only tea region in India that comprises exclusively China, or China-hybrid, tea bushes. Kangra tea appeals to the Western palate as it is best when taken neat, without milk or sugar. Interestingly, the liquid remains clear and the color remains stable, even with second and third extracts, so much so that the tea adapts perfectly to ready-to-drink and iced teas. The historical importance of Kangra Tea (dating back to the 1880s) is confirmed by the creation of a metre gauge rail (now a heritage line, recognized by the UNESCO) connecting Kangra Valley to Pathankot and the construction of a road bridge over a Khud near Taragarh, for connecting Baijnath with Palampur. However, the success of the Kangra tea came to an end when a destructive class IX earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 Ms hit the Kangra region on 4 April 1905. After the disaster, the European ownership shrunk from 1596 hectares to 69 hectares as they sold the destroyed plantations to the “natives”. Together with the change in ownership, the good agricultural practices stopped and as a result the quality and price of Kangra tea deteriorated substantially. Consequently, in 1984, CSIR-IHBT took over the responsibility of rejuvenating the tea gardens of the Kangra area and bring Kangra tea back to its former glory. The Kangra Tea Advisory Service of CSIR-IHBT was a program that catered to the needs of the Kangra Tea industry and it kept changing based on the emerging needs of the tea planters in the area. CSIR-IHBT conducted its activities in three phases. During the first phase from 1984 – 1991, a threepronged approach was followed: establishment of 1acre (0.4 ha) Technology Demonstration Plots; rejuvenation of an abandoned tea field (12 hectares, with 25,000 surviving bushes), and converting it to a model plot; organizing planters’ monthly meetings and intensive training. In the second phase, beginning from 1992, more emphasis was laid on young tea plantations and development of agro technology of tea cultivation such as elite planting material, nutrition, nursery and pest management. During this phase, morphological and chemical characterization of Kangra Tea was also done which later helped to get the Geographical Indicator for it. In the third phase, during 2000 decade, the challenge was inability of Kangra Tea to compete with the Sikkim and Assam varieties of tea because of high input costs (mostly labor). Thus, 2002 onwards, the Institute concentrated on upgradation of the tea quality and development of diversified products. An additional 100 hectares of abandoned tea plantation were developed through a Tea Board sponsored project (2002-2005). Diversification from traditional low value teas to high remuneration products was also identified as priority areas. CSIRIHBT intervention in this phase focused on educating the tea growers on how to improve the quality of production, and mechanization of field operations for tackling labour shortage.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Economic Benefit The average yield of green leaf per hectare in the region was around 1443 kg. This increased to 5000 kg per hectare in 2016. Taking into account the average price of green leaf and the area under active cultivation the present value of the contribution of CSIR-IHBT due to increase in productivity between 1984-2016 (in 2016-17 terms) is around INR 191crores. Additionally, tea industry gives direct employment to around 3500-4000 people in the area. The workers in the tea industry are employed for around 300 days in a year. Taking into account the average daily wage in the area, the present value of the incomes generated through this intervention from 1984-2016 would be around INR 700 crores. It has also been observed from the study that tea farm mechanization promoted by CSIR-IHBT could cut down the high labour cost (cost of leaf plucking brought down from INR 10-14/kg to INR 3- 5/kg). Another contribution of CSIR-IHBT has been the expansion of tea in non-traditional areas. To popularize tea further, demonstration plots were established in non-traditional areas in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. About 7,700 hectares has been identified as the non- traditional area suitable for tea cultivation whereby, the potential increase in production can be around 3 crore kg. The average income from tea per hectare of land, at an average price of Rs. 15 per kg. green leaf,. is Rs. 60,000/ per annum per hectare, taking a minimum yield of 4000 Kg. of GL per ha. Tea lands are not always suitable for farming other crops. Taking wheat as crop cultivated, income would be Rs. 45,000/- per ha., considering 3 tonne/ ha. yield and a Price of Rs. 15 per kg.

The Study ASCI conducted an evaluation study of CSIR intervention to broadly assess the following: • Area (in hectares) and farmers covered under Kangra ta farming in Himachal Pradesh. • Change in cropping pattern, cropping system and cropping intensity due to introduction of CSIR-IHBT agro technology. • Increase in income per hectare due to yield and quality enhancement of tea due to agro technology services of CSIR-IHBT, compared to income per hectare of commercial/traditional crops grown by the farmers. • Impact of tea mechanization to solve the problem regarding shortage of labour. • Rise in standard of living of tea growers using this agro-technology. • Marketing channel for sale of tea produce and share of producers (farmers), commission agents, wholesalers and retailers in the marketing channel. • Linkages of tea growers with tea processing industrial units.

Environmental Impact Tea is an intensively managed perennial cash crop grown under a canopy of trees. Tea agroforestry system has the potential to sequester a considerable amount of atmospheric CO2 in the plants as well as in the soil. Therefore the intervention of CSIR-IHBT by preserving tea plantations also helped to alleviate environmental damages. Taking into account the additional area under cultivation after the intervention of CSIR-IHBT, the additional annual carbon mitigation potential ranges from 140-650 tonnes per year.

95


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Social Benefit An important contribution of CSIR-IHBT is that it helped to arrest the fall in area under tea cultivation by rejuvenating abandoned tea gardens. The trainings conducted by CSIR-IHBT helped the planters to employ proper plucking techniques, proper application of plant nutrients and fertilizers and better weed management. The outcome of this intervention was that production and productivity of Tea from the Kangra region improved drastically and reached a peak of 17 lakh kg in 1998. Since 2000, the production of tea from this region has been around 8.5-9 lakh kg. The bio-chemical signature properties identified by CSIR-IHBT helped Kangra Tea get a Geographical Indicator, a symbol of originality, uniqueness and exclusivity. The indirect benefits of the Kangra Tea rejuvenation have been the development of tourism in the area.

Recommendations • More emphasis on developing value added products • CSIR-IHBT may consider working with the small growers to establish their own mini and micro processing units to enable them to enter into the manufacturing and marketing space. • Replace century old plantations in a phased manner with promising clones and seed stocks while preserving the original germ plasm.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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Kangra Tea Advisory Services

5.1 Introduction As per the provision of the Tea Act, 1953, tea means the plant Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze and all varieties of the product known commercially as tea made from the leaves of this plant. Based on how the leaf of the plant Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze is processed four main types of tea can be produced (Figure 5.1): • Green tea (non-fermented) • Black tea (fermented) • Oolong tea (partly fermented) • White tea (least processing) Figure 5.1: Tea Processing Methodology

Source: CSIR–IHBT

White tea undergoes the least processing, followed by green tea (non-fermented) and oolong tea (partly fermented). Black tea (fermented) is made to go through an oxidation process, to which it owes a distinctive flavor. The Kangra region is famous for its range of green teas (Hyson, Young Hyson and coarse grades) and black teas (Pekoe, Pekoe Suchong, Coarse teas and Fannings) and are globally renowned for their exquisite flavor. The total tea produced by India is around 1200 million tonnes. Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are the major tea growing states. They account for 97% of the total production. Other traditional States where tea is grown to a small


98

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extent are Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Karnataka. The nontraditional States that have entered the tea map of India in the recent years include Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. Kangra Tea accounts for a very miniscule share of the total tea produced in the country (less than 1 percent). Also, the size of plantations in Himachal Pradesh is very small compared to the size of plantations in the major tea growing states. Kangra tea is a specialty tea. It is probably the only tea region in India that comprises exclusively China, or China-hybrid, tea bushes. There was a time when tea from this part of Himachal Pradesh ranked among the best in the world. In 1883, the Gazetteer of the Kangra District noted that tea produced in the region was “probably superior to that produced in any other part of India”. The China leaf, when processed according to quality norms, yields a distinctive brew that’s gold in color, with a sweet

undertone and none of the astringency associated with Darjeeling teas. Kangra tea appeals to the Western palate as it is best when taken neat, without milk or sugar. Interestingly, the liquid remains clear and the color remains stable, even with second and third extracts, so much so that the tea adapts perfectly to ready-to-drink and iced teas. Cultivation and Manufacturing of Tea Manufacturing of tea is a very elaborate process. The preparation of ‘seed bari’ to packing of tea, the entire practice takes some years for the entrepreneur to get some profit. Before transplanting the seedlings in the field, they are to be grown in the nursery for one or two years, the transplantation of the young plants requires leveling of land. For the strong development of tea plants, proper drainage system, trees for shade, proper application of manure and fertilizers, control of pest attacks and pruning and plucking are essential maneuver for tea industry.

Figure 5.2: Processing of Tea

Plucking

Transport

Withering

Source: CSIR-IHBT

Drying

Fermentation

CTC

Grading

Fermentation

Rolling

Sorting

Packing


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

After plucking, the tea needs to be processed (Figure 5.2). The processing of tea involves many stages: i) withering ii) rolling iii) fermenting iv) firing or drying v) sifting and grading and vi) packing It is pertinent to note that ‘plucking’ is an essential activity in tea production. Plucking requires a defined bud-leaf configuration which needs to be adhered to for producing quality tea. Marketing Channel The economic viability of tea industry depends crucially on profitable disposal of its products. The three main modes preferred for the disposal of tea are: (a) through auction (b) ex-factory or ex-garden sale and (c) forward contract.

In India, marketing process of tea can be divided into two parts, i.e., primary and secondary markets. Primary marketing channels help in moving made-tea from the grower (tea estates) to the bulk tea buyers. It also explains the movement of tea directly from producers to national or international buyers. This channel used to carry tea from producer to auction centers where it changes hands from the producers to the large buyers through brokers. Secondary marketing channel includes the movement of bulk tea (which is purchased in bulk in primary market) through auction trading to ultimate consumers. In this chain, tea passes through wholesalers, commission agents, blenders, packers and retailers. Tea thus moves from tea factory either to auction, or to private agents engaged in tea sourcing both for their own outlet and on behalf of retailers. A large proportion of Kangra tea goes to consumers directly through sales counters in the premise of tea estate/ tea factory or counter set up in nearby market/ city centre/ shops. Figure 5.3 below demonstrates the marketing channel for tea in Himachal Pradesh.

Figure 5.3: Marketing Channel for Tea Small Growers

Estate

Bought Leaf Factory

Estate Factory

Auction Registered Broker

Registered Buyer

National / International Buyers

Retailer

Brands

Consumer Source: Representation based on Interviews with CSIR-IHBT, Tea Board & Tea Plantation Owners


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There are organizations of traders, producers, and picketers, in tea industry in India. The Indian Tea Association of producers was established in 1881 and its membership was opened to proprietary concerns, partnership firms, public and private limited companies and sterling companies. All tea estates of North India are the members of this Association. Consequently, Tea Association of Indian and Bharatiya Chai Parishad came into existence. These associations of tea estates were formed by the Indian planters who purchased tea estates directly from the European tea planters or represented through Indian managing agents controlling the affairs of the companies and the tea estates of North India are the members of these Associations. United Planters Association of South India (UPASI) was established for South Indian tea estates. It also acts as a representative for tea planters to the government bodies and committees. Kangra Tea The history of Kangra tea dates back to 1849 when Dr. Jameson, Superintendent of the Botanical gardens, North West Provinces visited the district in 1849 to ascertain it’s fitness to grow tea. In 1883, the Gazetteer of the Kangra District noted that tea produced in the region was “probably superior to that produced in any other part of India”. Its importance in history is confirmed by the creation of a metre gauge rail (now a heritage line, recognized by the UNESCO) connecting Kangra Valley to Pathankot and the construction of a road bridge over a Khud near Taragarh, for connecting Baijnath with Palampur. However, the success of the Kangra tea came to an end when a destructive class IX earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 Ms hit the Kangra region on 4 April 1905. After the disaster, the European ownership shrunk from 1596 hectares to 69 hectares as they sold the destroyed plantations to the “natives”. Together with the change in ownership, the good agricultural practices stopped and as a result Kangra tea began fetching a measly price even for exports to Afghanistan. The quality of Kangra tea deteriorated to such an extent that traders in Amritsar were jailed for marketing this breed which did not meet the PFA standards. Consequently, CSIR-IHBT (then called CSIR Complex) was established in 1984 to rejuvenate the tea gardens of the Kangra area and bring Kangra tea back to its former glory. The Kangra Tea Advisory

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Service of CSIR-IHBT was a program that catered to the needs of the Kangra Tea industry from time to time. The program kept changing based on the emerging needs of the tea planters in the area. As understood by the ASCI team, based on perusal of documents and interviews, the Tea Advisory Services identified the area of intervention based on the issues and challenges faced by the planters and designed activities to cater to those challenges. This report assesses the intervention by CSIR-IHBT from the mid 1980s to today in terms of the socioeconomic impacts of the work done.

5.2 Scope & Terms of Reference The terms of reference for the study were as follows • Area (in hectares) and farmers covered under Kangra tea farming in Palampur, Dharamshala and Bir areas; and non-traditional area (Sihunta area in Dist. Chamba) of Himachal Pradesh. • Change in cropping pattern, cropping system and cropping intensity due to introduction of tea crop in the region. • Number of tea processing industrial units operational in the Kangra tea growing areas. • Farmers covered under services of CSIR-IHBT.

agro

technology

• Increase in income per hectare as compared to earlier commercial/traditional crops (e.g. wheat, maize, paddy, pea, potato etc.) grown by the farmers. • Increase in income per hectare due to yield and quality enhancement of tea due to agro technology services of CSIR-IHBT. • Impact of tea mechanization to solve the problem regarding shortage of labour. • Rise in standard of living of tea growers using this agro-technology. • Marketing channel for sale of tea produce and share of producers (farmers), commission agents, wholesalers and retailers in the marketing channel. • Linkages of tea growers with tea processing industrial units.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

5.3 Methodology & Data Collection Instruments Following the general methodology listed in Chapter 1 above, first a context analysis of the need for technology intervention was carried out. All documents on the technology including annual reports, technology profiles, brochures etc were reviewed and information was collected on technology demonstrations and related documentation along with dates, agenda etc. The scientists involved in the intervention were interviewed. Based on the above, a theory of change was developed. Physical site visits to identified Tea Plantations and tea factories was undertaken during August-September 2017. A focus group discussion was conducted in CSIR-IHBT where a large number of tea plantation owners, Tea Board of India representative, State Agriculture Department representative and IHBT participated. The ToC thus developed is given in detail in sec 2.6 below. Data collected through various instruments as mentioned above was triangulated with the available published literature. Further a primary survey of beneficiaries was conducted during October 2017 based on the list of beneficiaries received from IHBT.

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It may be noted that the sample of beneficiaries selected, covered more than 35% of the area under cultivation. Sampling • The sample size of the study was 100. • The sample size for each of the three areas was determined on the basis of proportional distribution of the beneficiaries in the area. • Sample List of beneficiaries was used to select the required number of beneficiaries • It may be noted that the sample of beneficiaries selected owned more than two-thirds of the area under active cultivation.

5.4 Chronological Account of the Intervention by CSIR-IHBT Challenges in 1980s CSIR initiated its operations in April 1984. To begin with, the Institute conducted a bench mark survey of tea resources of Himachal Pradesh. The survey revealed that the total area which was reported as 4,232 ha since 1970’s by the Tea Board had shrunk to 2,063 ha, evidently due to uneconomic returns. There were 1,660 tea holdings of which 81% were smaller than 1 ha and about 60% planters

Figure 5.4: Timeline of Kangra Tea Cultivation (1849–1983)


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Dilapidated Tea Garden

CSIR-IHBT: Demonstration of Tea Agrotechniques at Palampur

were getting no income from their tea estates, thus confirming the abandoned state of their tea gardens (CSIR Complex 1986). The average size was 2.75 hectares for small tea gardens and around 35 hectares for big tea gardens (Techno-Economic Survey of Small Tea Gardens 1976-77). The input levels were abysmally low. The small holders had virtually no economic incentive. Average yield of tea in the state was only one-third than that in north-east India. Plucking and pruning was generally absent in the small tea gardens with a few gardens pruning once in 5 years (Techno-Economic Survey of Small Tea Gardens 1976-77). The 197677 report showed that the cost of production was 62 paise per kg of green leaf and the average value realisation per kg of green leaf was 55 paise. The net income earned by small growers was Rs 944 and they needed income from other crops to balance the losses from their tea plantations. In general, there was lack of interest in the growers due to non- remunerative returns. The factors identified for this poor performance were the lack of technical knowhow and of requisite inputs, fragmentation

of the holdings, century old plantations, low plant population with plenty of vacancies, absentee landlords etc. Lack of proper manufacturing facilities and crop husbandry practices had also lead to the decline in quality of made tea. The Institute was thus entrusted with the major responsibility of reviving the dilapidated tea industry. CSIR Intervention in 1980s In the first phase, starting from 1984 and up to 1991, a three-pronged strategy was adopted. The first approach was establishment of 1 acre (0.4 ha) Technology Demonstration Plots numbering 23 in the farmers’ fields. The second approach was of demonstrating the rejuvenation of an abandoned tea field (12 hectares, with 25,000 surviving bushes), to convert it to a model plot under intensive care of the scientists. The third approach was organizing planters’ monthly meetings. Besides, illustrated trilingual technical folders and advisory bulletins were distributed for guidance of the farmers. Also, the Kangra tea growers were sent to Nilgiris and Darjeeling for training in advanced tea agro-

Figure 5.5: Situation before and after CSIR-IHBT Intervention • Challenges in 1980s

• IHBT Intervention in 1980s

• Dilapidated plantations

• Bench mark survey

• Poor agrotechnology

• Evolution of technology package

• Non remunerative business

• Technology demonstrations (23 No.)

• Plantations being uprooted

• Community participation: Lunch meetings • Growers’ training at UPASI & Darjeeling • Technical literature, in Hindi, Urdu, English


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

techniques. Later on, the tea growers and their workers were trained periodically at this Institute or at their own tea estates (Jain 1991, 2012). Challenges in 1990s In the 1990s the major challenge was the unknown quality profile of Kangra Tea and revival of the abandoned tea plantations. Moreover the tea planters were not aware of the pruning and plucking practices. Wrong pruning and plucking practices led to low quality leaf being produced which in turn led to low price realization by the planters. Figure 5.6: Challenges faced by Kangra tea planters in 1990s

Dilapidated and abandoned tea gardens

Wrong pruning and plucking practices, wrong fertilizer application

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• Development of elite planting material – Collection and maintenance of tea germplasm – Screening of suitable cultivars for Kangra region from Darjeeling, South India and Assam – Setting up of tea nurseries of elite planting material • Tea nutrition management – Dose of NPK application in young & mature tea – Dose of other plant-nutrients (Foliar application) • Tea nursery & plantation management • Standardization of nursery techniques • Tea nursery & plantation management – Methods of raising young tea – Interval, methods and systems of plucking – Agrotechniques for planting young tea on slopes – Introduction of tea in nontraditional areas • Weeds, diseases and insect-pests management • Method to control perennial bushes with special reference to Lantana camara

Low prices

Low quality tea

• Weed flora succession in tea plantation as influenced by different pre- and post-emergence herbicides in mature tea • Rate of application of pre- and post-emergence herbicides in mature tea

CSIR Intervention in 1990s In the second phase, beginning from 1992, more emphasis was laid on young tea plantations and on adopting model tea villages in remote areas with smaller and abandoned tea holdings. Two model tea villages were selected and work was initiated. Besides, 10 new Technology Demonstration Plots were initiated in 1992. Apart from these, 7 Demonstration Plots on young tea plantations, 1 acre each, were planted during 1993-94 using tested clones. Pruning cycle vis-a-vis plant nutrient requirement in mature china hybrid tea was also given emphasis. After identifying the issues facing the tea planters, this phase concentrated on revival of abandoned and dilapidated tea plantations by transplanting century old china hybrid tea bushes and young saplings for consolidation of moderately vacant tea gardens. Moreover, the agro technology of tea cultivation concentrated on:

• Rotation of pre- and post-emergence herbicides in mature tea • Management of Blister blight disease • Management of insect-pests in Kangra tea • Fixation of MRLs of pesticides in made tea • Protocol standardized for detection of residues of several pesticides in tea • Standardization of plucking practices for better leaf productivity and quality • Water management in tea plantations popularization of sprinkler system

The focus was to provide employment to the illiterate and semi-literate rural folks, to ameliorate and strengthen the economic condition of the tea farmers, to provide income generating opportunities to a large section of semi-urban and urban population


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through trade and finally to add revenue to the state exchequer.

Kangra tea with respect to other tea growing regions lead to award of Kangra tea GI.

During this decade, morphological and chemical characterization of Kangra Tea was also done which later helped to get the Geographical Indicator for the Kangra Tea.

The focus of CSIR intervention in this phase was on the following:

Challenges in 2000s

CSIR–IHBT focus on improving tea productivity and quality

Kangra’s tea industry was struggling to compete with Sikkim and Assam varieties in the market. The steep rise in cost of inputs and falling margins due to tough market competition led to closure of three cooperative factories. Due to the high cultivation cost and poor returns, a large number of plantations slipped towards negligence. In Kangra, labour accounts for 70 -80 per cent of the unit cost of production. Elsewhere in the country, it is only 40 per cent. Also, the growers were reluctant to cultivate high-yielding varieties of the crop due to long gestation period and high input cost. CSIR Intervention in 2000s 2002 onwards the Institute focused its attention on upgradation of the tea quality and development of diversified products. Additional ~100 ha abandoned tea plantation were developed through Tea Board sponsored project (2002-2005). Diversification from traditional low value teas to high remuneration products was also identified as priority area. This was because the global tea production had increased more than its actual consumption, resulting in the slumps in the market. Hence focus was on quality improvement. In tea biochemistry, the Institute identified 103 compounds in the aroma of Kangra orthodox black tea. Major components identified were (Z)-3-hexenol, (E)-2-hexanal, 1-penten-3-ol, linalool, 2-phenyl ethanol, ß-ionone, linalool oxides, geraniol, 3,7-dimethyl-1,5,7-octatrien-3-ol, benzaldehyde, methyl salicylate. The minor components reported first time were α-irone (2,5-dimethyl-α-ionone), 2,7-epoxymegastigma-4,8-diene and 1,3-dioxolane. Data generated by the Institute on unique VFCs of

a. educating the tea growers on how to improve the quality of production

b. Mechanization of field operations for tackling labour shortage.

In response to the needs of the planters, CSIRIHBT in this phase concentrated on production of quality tea through advisory, training and demonstrations. Moreover, the lab trained the planters on mechanisation of tea plucking, skiffing and pruning. The focus in this decade was to educate and train the small tea growers on the fundamentals of quality production and provide them technical literature. Regular advisory visits to the growers’ field for effective plantation management was done by the scientists and field staff. Demonstration cum evaluation of agro practices for production of Kangra tea was continued. Finally, training was imparted in the following areas: • pruning cycle • tipping measures • standard of plucking • handling of the plucked leaf • nutritional management • improving FUE of the applied fertilizers • shade regulation • water management specifically in water logged sections • insect-pest and disease management • awareness on pesticides’ residues in the tea • tips on improving productivity and quality as per the demand of the market • mechanization of tea farm operations A major contribution of the institute has been the development of value added products including a range of beverages with healing properties that are free from hazardous chemicals. Rain flush which accounts for more than 50% of the total production lacks the quality, and hence needs diversification.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Varieties of Tea

Similarly, low grade and inferior teas which find no market can be diversified for alternative uses. Besides, it also developed a technology for preparing wines from the orthodox variety of tea grown in large areas of the Kangra valley. The institute developed a technology to extract catechin from Kangra tea. The technology can help boost income of the tea farmers of Kangra district. Even low grade tea leaves that are not used for Figure 5.7: Stakeholder Mapping

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tea production can be used for this purpose. This can provide the farmers with an option of selling their high-grade tea leaves to tea producers and low grade that hardly has any market value to tea factory owners for catechin production. The tea leaves from even unmaintained plants can be used for catechin production. A range of products viz., Ready to drink teass, Tea Catechins, Tea wines etc has been developed by the Institute. Tea Catechins technology has already been commercialized both in North (M/s Baijnath Pharmaceutical, Paparola, Distt Kangra) and South regions (The INDCOSERVE, the Nilgiris). Further, the institute developed tea preconditioning machine process improvement through enhancement of chemical and physical wither process of tea leaves and reduction of withering time from 16-20 hours to less than 8 hours. Finally, extraction and fractionation of aroma compounds from tea for use in making high quality


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perfumes was successfully done for Proctor and Gamble under the CSIR-P&G Umbrella MoU.

5.5 Stakeholder Mapping Based on secondary literature review and interactions with IHBT and beneficiaries, Figure 5.9 below maps out the core roles of the various stakeholders involved in the process. The core role identified for CSIR-IHBT is knowledge generation through R&D and knowledge dissemination through training programs, workshops and technical literature preparation. Apart from CSIR-IHBT the Tea Husbandry Department of HP Agricultural University is also engaged in research on tea. As understood from the stakeholders the primary role of the Tea board of India is providing funding while the State Agricultural Department through the Technical Officer Tea was providing the subsidized inputs for production. These subsidized inputs have been discontinued. The State Agricultural Department is also engaged in knowledge dissemination and organises workshops for the tea planters. (Figure 5.7)

5.6 Theory of Change Based on the review of literature and interaction with the stakeholders, theory of change was developed. Given the above objective of revival of the tea industry in Kangra region, CSIR-IHBT identified the causes of the low production, productivity and quality of the tea being produced in Kangra region. The factors identified for the state of tea industry were a. the lack of technical knowhow and of requisite inputs,

b. fragmentation of the holdings,

c. century old plantations,

d. low plant population with plenty of vacancies,

e. absentee landlords

f. Lack of proper manufacturing facilities and crop husbandry practices had also lead to the decline in quality of made tea. Therefore, CSIR-IHBT planned its activities to address these issues. The Figure 5.10 below gives the framework for the Theory of Change. Since its inception, CSIR-IHBT has been involved in basic

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research and development of tea. The institute identified the needs of the tea industry in the area and provided advisory services based on the needs. Some of the prominent activities undertaken by the institute are listed in the Theory of Change in Figure 5.8. Inputs During the period, 1984-1993, one scientist devoted full time and three scientists devoted around 40 percent of their time to the tea extension activities. Apart from this, seven technical staff (of whom three were part time) were also involved in the tea extension activities. After 1993, one scientist and two technical staff have been involved full time in the tea extension activities. These scientists and staff of CSIR-IHBT worked with the Tea Planters of the Kangra region. The funding for the projects came from the Tea Board of India. Finally the Technical Officer for Tea under the State Agricultural Department helped the tea growers to obtain subsidized inputs and machinery. Based on the information received, the CSIR-IHBT completed projects worth more than Rs 85 lakhs between 1997 and 2012. Activities A detailed and chronological account of activities of CSIR-IHBT is given in sections 2.4 and 2.5 above. The Kangra Tea Advisory Services of CSIR-IHBT focused on addressing the challenges faced by the changing needs of the time. While in the decade of the 1980’s the focus was on setting up technology demo plots and model plots to showcase the potential of Kangra Tea and rejuvenate the tea gardens, the focus shifted to improving the quality of tea produced in the 1990s. The decade of 2000s saw labour shortages bring a major challenge and therefore CSIR-IHBT focused on mechanization of field operations. Between 19971998 to 2011-12, 78 training programs and exposure visits were organized apart from radio shows and TV interviews and shows. Output The contribution of CSIR-IHBT is described in detail in section above. It is clear that the intervention by CSIR-IHBT helped to arrest the fall in area under cultivation. The area under cultivation had fallen to around 2000 hectares in the late 1970’s, early 1980’s. The intervention helped to arrest this fall and in fact helped to increase the area under cultivation to 2300 hectares by rejuvenating abandoned tea


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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Figure 5.8: Theory of Change Framework – Kangra Tea

gardens. Further, the trainings conducted by CSIRIHBT helped the planters to employ proper plucking techniques, proper application of plant nutrients and fertilizers and better weed management. The biochemical signature properties identified by CSIRIHBT helped Kangra Tea get a GI. Finally, CSIR-IHBT worked with entrepreneurs to produce value added tea like Rose tea, Chamomile Tea etc. Outcome The outcome of this intervention was that production and productivity of Tea from the Kangra region improved drastically and reached a peak of 17 lakh kg in 1998. Since 2000, the production of tea from this region has been around 8.5-9 lakh kg.

5.7 Findings Present Status of Tea Cultivation and Production in Himachal Pradesh As mentioned earlier, production from the Kangra region is miniscule compared to the overall tea market in India. Therefore, Kangra tea being a low volume industry, has never had demand side issues. No producer has ever reported stock stagnation. Notably, HP State is a tourist destination, which helps off take of tea from garden and factory counters, itself. Both Kangra Black Orthodox and Green tea sells effortlessly. Further, Kangra Black Orthodox is positioned between Darjeeling and Nepal high elevation Orthodox and has the closest affinity to Darjeeling in appearance and liquor appearance, thus blends well for mid grade


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Orthodox mix of medium price range to be made available to consumers. Both the Tea Board and the Tea plantation owners iterated that it is not the demand side issues but rather supply side that is more important for analyzing the market situation for Kangra tea. Kangra tea was on the verge of extinction during 1980s due to continuous uprooting of tea plantations. This was arrested after setting up of CSIR Complex (now CSIR-IHBT) and plantations started taking shape. Credit goes to the Institute for creating awareness through 23 Technology Demonstration Plots which were set all across the tea growing region in the state. As per information received from Tea Board, the total area under tea cultivation in HP, majority of which is concentrated in Kangra district, is 2312 ha. Out of this only 1150 ha area is under active cultivation and the remaining area has been abandoned for various reasons, mainly family fragmentation, absentee landlord, or landlord occupation in alternate job or business and small size of holding to support livelihood.

Due to consistent and aggressive advisory by CSIR-IHBT, the production of made tea in Himachal Pradesh witnessed a peak in 1998 with over 17 lakh Kg. of made tea being produced in that year. Since the year 2000, after closure of three cooperative tea factories located at Dharmshala, Baijnath and Bir due to their unprofessional management, the production of made tea from the state fell to 7 lakh kg. Again CSIR-IHBT through its Rural Development, CSIR-800 and RSP projects continued its efforts through training, advisory and demonstration on improvement of tea quality and farm mechanization to boost tea production and quality and production steadily increased to 9.0 lakh kg. It is important to mention that though the closed factories were taken by private parties but the entire tea area developed through CSIR-IHBT advisory could not come to plucking as these factories were not continuously run by the private parties and keep on changing the hands. The private operators did not offer remunerative leaf price to the growers Figure 5.9: Production of Tea in Himachal Pradesh (1951–2014-15)

The following reasons were identified for abandonement and area loss: • subdivision and fragmentation of holdings and small size becoming unviable to sustain one family, leading to neglect/ diversion; • non-availiability of family members to attend to plantations; • labour constraint; • closure of co-operative factories thus snapping the supply chain and stopping leaf intake and consequently fields going out of plucking; and escalation of land price. Table 5.1: Area under Tea Cultivation in Himachal Pradesh S. No.

District

1

Year

1990

2000

2005

2010

2015

2016

2017

2

Kangra

1900

2117

2117

2117

2110

2111

2112

3

Mandi

160

193.4

193.4

193.4

200

200

200

4

Non-Traditional Area (Sihunta area in Chamba)

0.6

0.6

0.6

0.6

Source: Tea Board of India

Area (in hectares)


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Figure 5.10: Production of Made Tea in H.P

Figure 5.11: Production of Green Tea and Orthodox Tea

and consequently growers preferred to stay away. Currently it is only the Palampur Cooperative Tea Factory and few self owned tea factories which are running successfully and CSIR-IHBT team is providing all technical support to the growers of these factories.

noted that the sample covered two thirds of the area under active cultivation in the region.

Data regarding the price of tea in the last five years was also collected from Tea Board and the plantation owners. The price of green tea has been around INR 60–90 per kg. However, in the year 2016 the price of green tea went upto INR 130. The price of orthodox tea was around INR 150. The Black Orthodox tea made in HP is auctioned in Kolkata; and green tea is auctioned/ sold mainly in Amritsar. Tea Plantation Owners: Survey Results One hundred tea plantations were surveyed based on the sample beneficiary list received from CSIRIHBT. Most of the respondents were owners of the tea plantations. As reported by most of the respondents most of the plantations were fairly old. Tea Board of India defines plantations with area less than 10.12 hectares as small plantations. We use the same definition for characterizing plantations based on size. Of the respondents surveyed, there were 11 big plantations and 89 small plantations. More than 50% of the small plantations had area less than 1 hectare. The average area under tea cultivation of the sample surveyed was 7.68 hectares. It may be

Table 5.2: Categorization based on Size of Plantation Type of Plantation

Number of Plantations

Big Plantations

11

Small Plantations

89

Source: Primary Survey of Beneficiaries

On an average, there was very small change in the area under tea cultivation since 1990. The same pattern follows in the case of small plantations and large plantations. More than 95 percent of the respondents surveyed reported the nature of ownership was proprietary/partnership. The survey also enquired about the ownership of infrastructure by the Tea Plantation owners. Almost all respondents owned a leaf shed and around 40% owned a factory building. Regarding ownership of machinery, while minor farm implements were owned by 80% of the respondents around 30% owned pruning machines plucking machines and power sprayer (Fig 2.16). A major issue plaguing the industry is the availability of labour due to migration of labourers to cities. Moreover, interaction with the tea planters


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Figure 5.12: Year of Inception of the Plantation

Source: Primary Survey of Beneficiaries

Figure 5.13: Area under Tea Cultivation since 1990–2017

Source: Primary Survey of Beneficiaries

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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

of the region revealed that tea plucking is a very ardous job and not many young people want to do the job. This shortage of labour was affecting the quality of tea being produced. CSIR-IHBT thus has been working with the planters for mechanisation of plucking, skiffing, weeding etc. The tea board has

Figure 5.14: Ownership of Infrastructure

Source: Primary Survey of Beneficiaries Figure 5.15: Ownership of Machinery

Source: Primary Survey of Beneficiaries

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various subsidy schemes which the planters can avail. A one man plucking machine costs around Rs. 40,000 and can be used for around 1500 hours. Discussion with experts revealed that single worker harvesting machines can harvest 450 kg of raw tea leaves per day. A two men plucking machine costs


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around Rs 120,000 and can harvest 600-750kg per day. The unit of plucked leaf costs Rs. 3 with machines as compared to Rs 10-11 with manual harvesting. As per the survey, close to 30 per cent of the respondents are currently using plucking machines. 63 percent of the respondents reported that the entire crop is hand plucked and only 7 percent of the respondents reported full mechanization of tea plucking, 17 percent reported that more than 50% of the crop was cut through machines while the remaining reported that between 10- 50% of the crop was cut by machines. The increase in mechanization of tea plucking will help to increase the tea production. The respondents were also asked whether IHBT intervention helped solve problem of labor. Around 45 percent of the respondents said that the information on mechanization that was given by CSIR-IHBT helped to solve the problem of labor. Around 55 percent of the respondents claimed that they received no help from CSIR-IHBT. However, it may be noted that 92 percent of those who claimed that they did not receive any help from CSIR-IHBT owned small plantations. As discussed earlier, plucking machine is a costly input and hence cannot be afforded by the small growers. In the 12th Plan, Figure 5.16: Mechanization of Tea Plucking

Source: Primary Survey of Beneficiaries

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CSIR- IHBT prepared a project proposal on the behalf of the tea growers to revive Kangra tea through mechanization. This was approved by the Tea Board as Scheme for the state - Special Kangra Revival Programme (SKRP) and last year onwards machines are being provided to the farmers who have been organized in SHG. Cost of Tea Plantation a. Labour As per the data received from the Tea board of India, the overall number of employees in the industry is around 400 with around 60% females. Most of the employees are ‘casual’ employees with a contract period of 8-9 months. It is however pertinent to note that experts, scientists and tea board officials agreed that each hectare of land would require a minimum of three labour for plucking, pruning and skiffing activity. Given that the area under active cultivation is around 1150 hectares, this would translate to around 3500 employees as opposed to 400 reported by Tea Board of India. The primary cause of discrepancy is that the declaration of actual no. of employees would require the plantation owners to adhere to the payment of Minimum wages as per the Minimum Wages Act 1954 and Plantations Labour Act 1951


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and provide for other social security benefits. In our calculations of economic impact we therefore take the thumb rule of 3 workers per plantation.

Table 5.4: Estimated Cost of Raising a Young Plantation

Table 5.3: Employees in Tea Plantations 201314

201415

201516

201617

Overall Number of Employees

388

385

395

400

Percentage of Female Employees

60%

60%

60%

60%

Particulars

Source: Tea Board of India

The average income of other crop per hectare of land depends on crop cultivated. Also tea lands are not always suitable for farming other crops. Taking wheat as crop cultivated, income would be Rs. 45,000/- per ha., considering 3 tonne/ ha. yield and a Price of Rs. 15/- per Kg. However, all are traditional local rainfed/ un-irrigated wheat and yield touches maximum 1-1.5 ton per ha. Wheat or any other cereal has never been a preferred crop in Kangra region. Monkey and wild animal menace, weather calamities discourage the growers for their cultivation, Today the farming of these traditional crops has been abandoned by the farmers for these reasons. Thus for older plantations, tea still turns out to be a better economic proposition. Moreover, tea is less susceptible to natural vagaries and spells of biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the huge initial cost and the time required for payback may explain the reasons why there are almost no young tea plantations in the region. The average age of tea plantations in the region is around 100 years.

Amount

Input Cost

1,60,000*

Labour (per man day * no. of days)

3,428 mandays @ Rs. 210/= Rs. 7,19,880/-

Fertilizers

25,000/-

Capital

25,000/-

Water (Irrigation):

67,000/-

Total

b. Other inputs The cost of raising a young tea plantation is very high. The consolidated cost for five years is around Rs. 10 lakhs per hecatare. The maintenance cost of bearing tea per year ranges between Rs. 15000 to Rs. 20,000 per ha. The average income from tea per hectare of land depends on prevailing green leaf price –at an average price of Rs. 15 per kg. green leaf, the income per ha. is Rs. 60,000/ per annum, taking a minimum yield of 4000 Kg. of GL per ha.

Item

Rs. 9,96,880/-[ 5 years. Consolidated cost at current wage rate]

*Considering usage of well grown & healthy Plants of superior variety and vigour. Plants available at subsidized rates @ Re 1/- per plant are not field-worthy , failing to establish and thus not taken for working out Plant cost

Most of the respondents reported that the average cost of production of tea has increased over time. Labour and input costs are the main issues for the tea production as reported by the respondents. Out of 100 respondents 67 respondents suggest that they should be given subsidized inputs for the reduction of cost of production, 30 respondents suggest for minimum wage set by Govt. of Himachal Pradesh should be reduced. The remaining felt that CSIR-IHBT could also look at technological intervention to reduce the cost of tea production. When enquired about the reasons for growing tea, around 30% of the respondents said that tea was a lucrative business and hence they were pursuing it while a majority of the respondents reported that they are growing tea because it is an inherited business and exit was prevented. As per the HP Ceiling of Land Holdings (Amendment) Act of 1999 complete ban was put on sale of land under tea cultivation and gave the government the power to acquire it if put to any other use. Table 5.5: Reasons for Growing Tea Inherited business and land ceiling act prevents exist

97.0

Lucrative Business

31.0

Any other reason

2.0

Total N

100

Note: Numbers of respondents reported exceed 100 due to multiple responses.


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Training from IHBT 90% of the respondents acknowledged that they had learnt about the tasks associated with growing tea from CSIR-IHBT and had been trained by them. The remaining 10% said that it was from forefathers, fellow plantation owners. 3% claimed it was from Tea Board or South India plantations.

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The respondents who had attended monthly planters meeting or had been trained by CSIR-IHBT mentioned that the planters meetings and trainings helped them to understand the scientific aspects of plant management. They learnt about proper plucking, fertilizer application, composting, and application of medicines incase of plant diseases etc.

Figure 5.17: Learning about the Tasks Associated With Growing of Tea Crops

Note: Numbers of respondents reported exceed 100 due to multiple responses Figure 5.18: Areas on which the respondents received training


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Development of Value Added Products Tea is a labour-intensive crop and the quality of tea depends critically on when the shoots are plucked. Delays of just two or three days in plucking produces less succulent overgrown tea shoots that can severely affect the processing of black tea, lowering tea quality, and fetching poor market prices. IHBT developed the tea-wine technology which can help add value to otherwise un-remunerative low grade teas. One of the young entrepreneurs of the region has signed an MoU with CSIR-IHBT for the wine technology. However, the process of actual production is delayed due to the licenses required for manufacture and sale of drinks containing alcohol. Apart from this, the scientists of CSIR-IHBT, have also been working with the local entrepreneurs to help them develop value added flavoured teas which can attract a better price in the market. The survey also collected information of whether the respondents were manufacturing value added teas. 7 out of the 100 respondents surveyed were producing value added teas like rose tea, jasmine tea, tulsi, herbal, masala, mango and pan roasted oolong tea. However only 3 of the 7 mentioned that IHBT helped them in development of value added teas. Geographical Indicator (GI) A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place. In addition, the qualities, characteristics or reputation of the product should be essentially due to the place of origin. Since the qualities depend on the geographical place of production, there is a clear link between the product and its original place of production. GI is thus, a symbol of originality, uniqueness and exclusivity. The GI for Kangra Tea has been able to elevate the perception around Kangra tea and indirectly built an assurance in consumers of its specialty and delectability. The GI has been a culmination of joint initiatives of State S&T Council, KVSTPA , State Tea Wing, IHBT and Tea Board. It is

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very difficult to apportion IHBTs contribution to GI but GI could be assigned only after CSIR-IHBT helped to identify the bio-chemical signature properties of Kangra tea. The symbol of Kangra Tea GI was designed in the premises of CSIR-IHBT. Tea tasters from Broking houses have also documented the organoleptic traits of Kangra Tea. During the personal interviews, FGD as well as the survey, all respondents agreed that the GI has benefitted the industry. However, the volume of production of Kangra Tea industry is less than one million and hence, it has not meant much of translational effect, considering that earnings come from combination of both volume and value. A few big producers like the Mann Tea estate have been able to derive benefits directly since they are exporting to certain European countries. For others, there has not been much direct impact except for building the reputation of the Tea and hence enhancing the overall market. But the Kangra tea volume is less than the consumption of the HP state, implying that the possibility of exploring new markets is very low. As a speciality tea, Kangra tea has no demand constraint , but supply limitation. Effectiveness of Intervention The agro-technology of tea concentrated on improving the production, productivity and quality of tea being produced in the region. All the respondents who had received training from CSIRIHBT on its agro-technology for tea reported that the overall production, productivity per hectare and the quality of tea being produced by them has improved from before. The respondents were asked to rate the quality of tea before and after the intervention. All the respondents said that the quality of tea being produced by them improved by atleast one point on a scale of 1 to 5. In order to assess the intervention, we created a dummy variable which took the value 1 if the respondent had attended training at CSIR-IHBT and attended the monthly planters meeting and was still using the techniques that were specified by CSIR-IHBT. A simple regression model was created to understand whether there was any statistically significant difference in the total production of the planters who had availed the training at CSIR and attended planters meet compared to those who had not. The results are given below


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Box 5.1: ‘Himalyan Brew’ Himalayan Brew is a leading tea factory in Palampur. It is run by a young couple who left their high paying jobs to pursue their passion for tea. The company owns its own tea plantations, processing, blending units and packing facility. This first generation tea factory has developed a variety of value added teas like rose, jasmine, chamomile, mango and orthodox black and green teas which are retailed through Amazon. Over the last few years they have expanded to the extent that they are now buying green leaf from other planters in the region in order to manufacture flavoured teas. They have also begun tea tourism where foreign delegates come and visit the tea garden, factory and taste the varieties of teas available as a part of the tea. Total Production = -472.96 + 2374 Land + 4.3 Inputs + 23957.6 IHBT intervention + e (0.94) (0.15)

(0.19)

(0.09)

Adjusted R squared =0.6 The dummy variable for the intervention was found to be positive and significant. This clearly demonstrates that the intervention by IHBT has been effective in increasing the production of Tea in the plantations that attended the trainings on agrotechnology, attended the monthly planters meeting and are still consulting IHBT for any issues that may arise during the year. However, an area of concern here is that despite the above, the overall production of Kangra Tea has stagnated in the last few years. This is due to other factors such as fragmentation of land, nonavailability of the younger members of the family to attend to plantations and increasing cost of land etc. Development officers of Tea Board posted in these regions are responsible for educating farmers regarding business potential of kangra tea/ green tea. Efforts are on to organise small growers into small SHGs. Small growers development directorates have been estd. in 2013 in Dibrugarh. There are 67 tea processing factories registered with the Tea Board. However, there are only 39 factories which exist now, but processing is being done in very few factories. The most important ones among these include Mann Tea Estate Factory, Wah Tea estate factory, Mansimbal Tea Estate Factory,

Snapshot of the value added products of Himalayan Brew tea factory in Palampur

Khalet Tea Estate factory,etc. Out of these, 4 tea factories are in cooperative fold viz. Palampur Cooperative Tea factory, Sidhbari Cooperative Tea Factory, Beed Cooperative Tea Factory and Baijnath Cooperative Tea Factory. Cooperative Societies were expected to perform better but it could not happen that way and now 3 of these cooperatives factories except Palampur Cooperative Tea factory have been leased out to the private sector.

5.8 Conclusions Relevance The contribution of CSIR-IHBT with respect to Kangra Tea can be summarised by saying that the existence of Kangra Tea today is due to the timely intervention by CSIR-IHBT. The stakeholder survey revealed the same. The ASCI team concludes that if the timely intervention of CSIR-IHBT had not happened, tea would have been wiped out from the region. Some of the older plantation owners who were personally interviewed by the team recounted that CSIR-IHBT taught them all that they know about Tea growing. The activities like pruning, skiffing, plucking etc. were demonstrated by the IHBT team in the late 80s and early 90s and this helped in revival of the Kangra Tea. This intervention also helped in improving the quality of the tea being produced in the region. The hand-holding by CSIR-IHBT continues till date. In the focus group discussion which was conducted at Palampur in Aug 2017, many plantation owners admitted that the entire framework for rejuvenation of the tea was very well designed by CSIR-IHBT keeping in mind the socio-cultural environment of the people. The demo plot was created to showcase


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the best practices. The planters meeting was hosted by one planter every month. It concluded with a lunch and get together. This inculcated a sense of camaraderie and oneness among the scientists and the planter community. Further, this also ensured that the hand holding continued beyond just demos and model plots that IHBT had created. In recent times, with development of technology, the planters showed us how their concerns were addressed by the scientists of the lab even when they raised their concerns on Whatsapp with pictures regarding the pests, plant growth etc.

Although, IHBT has evolved HIMSPHURTI, this variety is not being used currently. Further interaction with tea board and other stakeholders helped to highlight that currently there are more small growers interested in Kangra tea. While there is market for kangra tea (although small in comparison to others) but marketing is not done in a systematic manner. Earlier higher proportion of Kangra green tea Kangra tea would come to Amritsar market from where it would be sold. Now the larger part of the tea is manufactured as Kangra black tea and sold from Kolkata Auction Centre.

Thus, the ASCI team concluded that the intervention by IHBT was critical in reviving the Kangra Tea Industry. The project was timely and there was a felt need due to the dilapidated condition of the tea plantations.

There is lack of awareness about the potential market of Kangra tea among the growers. Education and awareness about Kangra tea needs to be enhanced. Some young entrepreneurs who are aware of the potential market are now coming forth to develop the Kangra brand however more needs to be done. A case in point is the ‘Himalayan Brew’ brand discussed earlier.

Effectiveness All the planters acknowledged that whatever they know about Kangra Tea is because of CSIR-IHBT or CSIR Complex as it was so called. Some of the older planters narrated stories of how at one point of time, the Kangra Tea that was sent to Kolkata for auction was rejected and the entire lot had to be recalled. There was a unanimous agreement between them that in the entire journey of Kangra Tea from that point to today where it has a GI, CSIR-IHBT played a huge role. The monthly meetings which were started at the initiative of the then CSIR-IHBT Director, Dr. N.K. Jain became the platform to discuss and resolve issues and problems that were faced. The intervention by CSIRIHBT was extremely effective in enhancement in tea productivity by two-fold in the participating farmer’s field. Average price of the tea also improved tremendously, expressing clearly that the quality of the produce had also improved. Some of the young plantatation owners who are now retailing the Kangra Tea are able to get better price of tea. Some entrepreneurs have also taken the technology developed by IHBT for production of ready to drink tea, tea wine etc. The state’s tea production started improving and now has reached to 9.75 lakh kg in 2013 and 15 lakh kg in 2014-15.

Sustainability The intervention by CSIR-IHBT is sustainable. Today Kangra Tea has a GI. Tea is getting a good price in the market. Some of the young entrepreneurs are engaged in producing value added teas and expanding to retail trade. Socio-Economic Impact Based on the literature review, interviews with experts, Focus group discussion and the primary survey, the ASCI team concludes the following: 1.

The existence of Kangra Tea today can be attributed to the efforts of CSIR-IHBT. If CSIR had not intervened at the right time, Kangra Tea would have been wiped out from the map of the region. The intervention further helped Kangra Tea by getting its own Geographic Indicator. Sec 2.7.7 details the effectiveness of the intervention.

2.

CSIR-IHBT intervention on tea arrested the trend of tea uprooting and stabilized the plantation area at around 2300 ha, 1100 ha of which is well managed and source of livelihood to approximately 3500 people

3. The Institute educated the planters on various aspects of quality tea cultivation and processing


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4.

The Institute generated and provided crucial biochemical parameters of Kangra tea which led to the award of GI for Kangra Tea.

5.

Tea farm mechanization promoted by CSIRIHBT could cut down the high labour cost (cost of leaf plucking brought down from Rs 10-14/ks to Rs 3-5 and off set the labour requirement (to one fifth to one tenth) .

6.

Young entrepreneurs area being supported by the Institute and few of them not only marketing the tea in the country but exporting abroad as well.

The team therefore tried to quantify the socioeconomic impact of Kangra Tea Advisory services of CSIR-IHBT by taking into account the additional productivity of green tea that was possible due to the intervention by CSIR-IHBT. The average yield of green leaf per hectare in the region was around 1443 kg1. This increased to 2700 kg per hectare in 1990, 3200 kg per hectare by 2000, 4000kg per hectare by 2010 and 5000 kg per hectare in 2016. Therefore, taking into account the average price of green leaf per decade and the area under active cultivation the present value of the contribution of CSIR-IHBT due to increase in productivity between 1984-2016 (in 2016-17 terms) is around INR 191crores. Additionally, tea industry gives direct employment to around 3500-4000 people in the area. The workers in the tea industry are employed for around 300 days in a year. Taking into account the average daily wage in the area, the present value of the incomes generated through this intervention from 1984-2016 would be around INR 700 crores. Another contribution of CSIR-IHBT has been the expansion of tea in non-traditional areas. To popularize tea further, demonstration plots were established in non-traditional areas in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. As reported in Sec 2.7.1, currently 0.6 hectares of area in nontraditional areas is under cultivation. More area (about 7,700 hectares) has been identified as the non- traditional area suitable for tea cultivation in the districts of Kangra, Chamba and Mandi2. The current contribution from non-traditional areas is

very miniscule, however, if the entire 7700 hectares identified can be put under cultivation, the potential increase in production can be around 3 crore kg. Indirect Impacts The indirect benefits of the Kangra Tea rejuvenation has been the development of tourism in the area. Some of the well maintained tea gardens are able to attract tourists - both domestic and foreign. This helps the industry in two ways. First, it helps them develop an alternative revenue stream. Second, tea, being an agricultural commodity, is subject to cyclical fluctuations and there are times when the gardens are hard hit by falling international prices, vagaries of weather and labour troubles and various other factors and experience shows that in such difficult times, the promotion of tourism helps gardens overcome their crisis, if not wholly, at least partially. Finally, the state also gains as inflow of tourists help to support a variety of allied jobs and activities like hotel, transport, food, crafts etc. Global warming risks from emissions of Green House Gases by anthropogenic activities have increased the need for the identification of the ecosystems with high carbon sink capacity as an alternative mitigation strategy of terrestrial carbon sequestration. Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) is an intensively managed perennial cash crop grown under a canopy of trees. Tea agroforestry system has the potential to sequester a considerable amount of atmospheric CO2 in the plants as well as in the soil and can be a preferable option for climate change mitigation coupling economic benefits along with environmental services. The rate of CO2 mitigation potential in tea agroforestry range from 0.46-2.16 t ha-1 yr-1 (Kalita 2015). Therefore the intervention of CSIR-IHBT by preserving tea plantations also helped to alleviate environmental damages. Taking into account the additional area under cultivation after the intervention of CSIR-IHBT, the additional annual carbon mitigation potential ranges from 140-650t per year3. Thus, the importance of this sector assumes a deep social dimension in view of its capability to provide gainful employment, both direct as well as indirect, to a large chunk of population in the area

1 Jain N.K. (2012), Saga of Kangra Tea 2 District Human Development Report: Kangra, 2009 3 It may be noted that total carbon mitigation potential of tea agroforestry in Kangra ranges from 1000-5000tonnes per year.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

apart from many environmental benefits. These plantations help sustain the fragile ecosystem of the region. The lush greenery which the sector epitomizes can fill any country and its citizens with pride and inspiration. These plantations are big carbon sinks and conservatory of flora and fauna in the world. The efforts at CSIR-IHBT and the timely intervention helped rejuvenate the tea gardens at Kangra and Kangra Tea owes is existence today to the Institute.

5.9 Some Issues and Recommendations The total area under cultivation which was ~4000 ha pre-independence shrunk to 2000 ha in 1970s( before setting up CSIR institute). The intervention by CSIR stabilized the area under cultivation at 2300 ha. But the concern is that the same 2300 hectare area has remained under tea plantation. This is primarily because additional chunk of area is not available in the traditional area. Even though 7700 hectares of non-traditional areas has been identified as being suitable for tea cultivation, only 0.6 hectares of land under non-traditional area is presently under cultivation. Most of this area is either forest land or farmers’ holding and hence tea expansion in this area is difficult and requires concerted efforts of multiple stakeholders including local government. Suitablity of tea cultivation in Chamba district has already been demonstrated by CSIR-IHBT through its demonstration plots conducted in Sihunta region of the district. The emphasis on tea farm mechanization by CSIR-IHBT has started paying dividends to the growers. The intervention has helped to reduce tea plucking cost to below half the hand plucking cost and offsetting the dependency on labour. Out of four tea cooperative factories started by the state government in in 1960s to 1980s, three - Bir, Baijnath and Sidhbari - have been given on lease to private companies, and have been changing hands, and being managed as per their convenience. Problems ranging from labourers being taken away by government schemes like NREGA and discontinuation of fertilizer subsidy in 2002 have forced others to sell their plantations as land cost has gone high or build commercial businesses like

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dhabas and small-time hotels. Land holdings have fragmented over the years as families split up. Poor marketing of local 5-7 brands like Kangra Gold, Dharamsala Tea, HP Krishi Organic who make tea out of leaves collected by small planters. Till recently, the focus of CSIR-IHBT intervention in Kangra Tea had been on mechanization of tea farm operations and rejuvenation of the dilapidated gardens of Kangra Tea. The institute has been successful in doing so. In recent times, the focus is also on development of value added products viz., tea catechins, ready to serve teas and tea wines. More needs to be done. Our survey revealed that 3 entrepreneurs have been helped by the Institute to market value added teas and earning well. Moreover, unless the volume of Kangra Tea being produced increases, the industry will not develop. Hence, CSIRIHBT may consider working with the small growers to establish their own mini- and micro- processing units and thereby enable them enter manufacturing and marketing space. This will help enhance the revenues of the small tea growers and generate an interest in the next generation entrepreneurs. One of the recommendations that came in the survey was that tea should be included in MNREGA. Neighboring State Uttarakhand has leveraged MGNREGA for tea, but same has not happened in HP. Promotion of tea farm mechanization is excellent effort by the Institute to revive the Kangra tea, which now being followed up by Tea Board by providing machines to the growers of cooperative tea factories or SHGs. The Institute need to take up another pilot scheme to utilize that portion of machine plucked leaf for making value added products which is not fit for making quality tea. Further, the survey revealed that most of the plantations in the region were very old. In coming years, CSIR-IHBT would need to work with the growers for replacing century old plantations in phased manner with promising clones and seed stocks while preserving the original germ plasm. The improved “Him Sphuriti” variety developed by the Institute can be extensively be used plantations along with the other suitable varieties tried and tested by the Institute from other tea growing regions.


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Agro technology of Stevia Executive Summary

6

An initiative by CSIR-IHBT Sponsored by CSIR

Study conducted by Administrative Staff College of India


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Background Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni or Madhukari (hereinafter called Stevia) is an herbaceous, perennial native to Paraguay. The leaves of Stevia are rich in a non- caloric compound called steviol glycosides which makes it a low-calorie sweetener, about 300 – 400 times sweeter than sucrose. Due to these health benefits and no toxicity, Stevia stands out to be the best option for daily consumption and has hence, gained popularity among the health-conscious consumers. The global stevia market was valued at US $ 347 million in 2014 and is projected to reach US $ 565.2 million by 2020. World consumption of stevia in 2014 was to the extent of 5,100.6 tonnes and is expected to increase to 8,506.9 tonnes by 2020. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India in November 2015, allowed use of Stevia as a Non-nutritive sweetener in eleven products and as a table top sweetener in tablet form and liquid thus opening up the market for both the producers and the consumers. Some of the major issues with stevia cultivation and processing are lack of suitable varieties, proper technology, large initial investment, access to land and market. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) initiated R&D work stevia in 2000. The work was focused on developing Agro technology and Process-technology, for the benefit of Stevia cultivators in India. Their sustained efforts have made their technologies the only agro and process technologies available in India. The technology developed by CSIR-IHBT includes nursery development, better cultivation practices, awareness generation and training, improved cultivar (with high rebaudioside-A content) and processing of high purity (95%) steviol glycosides – in accordance with international guidelines. CSIRIHBT dry stevia leaf processing plants at Palampur and Ghaziabad have been helping the farmers in processing their leaves into concentrate powder which is later converted into table top sweeteners, tablets and liquid for consumption in the market. Moreover, CSIR-IHBT has been recognised as one of the incubation centres by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Department of Science and Industrial Research.

The Study ASCI conducted an impact assessment study to understand the role of CSIR -IHBT’s R&D efforts in the following: • Area (in hectares) and farmers covered under stevia farming in Punjab, Haryana, U.P., J&K, H.P., M.P., Uttarakhand and other states promoted by CSIR-IHBT, Palamapur. • Changes in cropping pattern, cropping system and cropping intensity due to introduction of stevia crop. • Increase in income per hectare as compared to earlier commercial/traditional crops grown by the farmers. • Employment generation (man days) due to introduction of agro technology of stevia crop developed by CSIR-IHBT. • Net income generation from sale of stevia produce and planting material. • Rise in standard of living of farmer families using this agro-technology • Marketing channel for sale of stevia produce and planting material and share of farmers, commission agents, wholesalers and retailers in the marketing channel.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Economic Benefit Stevia is a perennial crop with a life-span of 4-5 years which can be harvested 5 times per year. The yield ranges from 1500kg in the first year to 4000kg in the second and third years. It is expected to drop to 3500kg in the fourth year when the plant’s life ends. On an average, annual dry leaf produce of stevia is 30 – 35 q/ha, which fetches a market price of INR 100 to INR 120 per kg, resulting in a net return of INR 2.00 – 2.70 lakhs/ha/year. Thus, the net income from Stevia is 2 to 2.5 times higher than traditional crops. Currently around 850 hectares of land is under cultivation of Stevia. Stevia provides employment for about 250-man days per hectare of land. Assuming a minimum wage of around INR 250, the direct cumulative benefit of the technology in 2017 was around INR 22 crores. Assuming that the area under cultivation of Stevia would grow at 5-10 percent per year the cumulative net benefit to the farmer entrepreneurs in the next five years is expected to be approximately INR 130 crores.

Social Benefit The major social benefit of the agro-technology efforts of CSIR-IHBT is the production and availability of Stevia. With its zero fat, zero calories, zero carbohydrates and zero glycemic index, Stevia is safe for people with diabetes and obesity, and also helps lower blood pressure with no toxic or side effects. With the rising consumption of sugar in India, there is an urgent need to find an alternative low calorie/safe/ natural alternative according to changing diet and lifestyle needs of the consumers and Stevia meets these needs.

Recommendations The market for stevia in India is still developing both at the level of demand from consumers and the supply from farmers, entrepreneurs and processors. Therefore CSIR-IHBT would need to work with the various agencies like NMPB and Horticulture Board to popularise the consumption and production of stevia, and efforts need to be put to increase the area under cultivation in Stevia. While a few progressive farmer entrepreneurs who have understood the potential of stevia in the future started the cultivation, small and marginal farmers are still wary of entering into this crop. A primary reason identified for this was that there is no ‘Mandi’ where the crop can be sold. Creation of a local market or Mandi or e-market can therefore help in expansion of area under cultivation. CSIR may consider working with Ministry of Agriculture regarding this aspect. One of the concerns highlighted by the Stevia growers is the high cost of setting up a Stevia processing plant at around INR 3 crore to 6–7 crores. Given this, it was suggested that CSIR-IHBT may look at technologies which can help lower the cost of setting up the processing plant. This will help a great deal in terms of development of the Stevia market.

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Agro technology of Stevia

6.1 Introduction Background and context Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni or Madhukari (hereinafter called Stevia) is an herbaceous, perennial native to Paraguay. The leaves of Stevia are rich in a noncaloric compound called steviol glycosides which is a mix of stevioside and rebaudioside – A (Reb-A), B, C, D and E, dulcoside-A, steviol biosides etc. This chemical composition makes it a low calorie sweetener, about 300 – 400 times sweeter than sucrose. Reb-A is of particular interest among the glycosides produced in the leaves of stevia because of the desirable flavour profile, while, stevioside is responsible for the aftertaste bitterness1. Steviol glycoside is extracted from the dried leaves in the form of a white amorphous powder2. Manufacturers of value-added products of stevia assert that 1 teaspoon of sugar equals 1/8th to ½ teaspoon of stevia. In order to help balance out the intense sweetness of stevia leaf extract the manufacturers typically combine it with other ingredients such as erythritol/dextrose. Coupled with numerous medicinal properties and health benefits, stevia has gained popularity

among the health-conscious consumers. The global stevia market was valued at US$ 347 million in 2014. It is projected to expand at a healthy single-digit CAGR to reach a valuation of US$ 565.2 million by 2020. Stevia consumption as an ingredient, which was valued at 5,100.6 tonnes in 2014 is forecasted to reach 8,506.9 tonnes by 2020.3 From Table 6.1, it can be inferred that together with lower calories, higher sweetening capacity and no toxicity – Stevia stands out to be the best option amongst the other two generation of sweeteners on a daily consumption basis. However, sugar is cheaper than synthetic sweeteners as well as stevia. The second generation synthetic sweeteners are expensive and toxic. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India in November 20154 allowed use of Stevia as a Nonnutritive sweetener in eleven products and as a table top sweetner in tablet form and liquid thus opening up the market for both the producers and the consumers. Some of the major issues with stevia cultivation and processing are lack of suitable varieties, proper technology, large initial investment, access to

1 A. K. Yadav et al., A review on the improvement of Stevia, 91 Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 2067 1–27 (2011). 2 Saurabh Sharma et al., Comprehensive review on agro technologies oflow-calorie natural sweetener stevia (Steviarebaudiana Bertoni): a boon to diabetic patients, 96 J. Sci. Food Agric. (2015). 3 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/stevia-market.asp 4 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), Notification 13 November 2015


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Table 6.1: Comparative Analysis of various sweeteners Sweetener 1st Generation : Sugar

3rd Generation: Stevia

2nd Generation: Aspartame

Price range/kg Min: Rs 45 Max: 87 Min: 2, 145 Max: 3, 500 Min: Rs 1000 Max: Rs 1200

Per capita annual consumption 20.2 kg5/31.56

2.5 kg7

3 kg9

land and market. In order to address these issues, the CSIR-IHBT initiated R&D work on stevia in the year 2000. The Institute generated and supplied the quality planting materials to the growers from 2002 onwards together with providing handholding support during the initial years and consultancy services during times of need.

Annual Cost to Household Min: Rs. 909 Max: Rs. 2740 Min: Rs. 5362.5 Max: Rs.8750 Min: Rs. 3000 Max: Rs. 3600

Calories

Toxicity

78, 174

No

0 – 2,5008

No

0 – 12,00010

Yes

improved variety has higher Reb-A content which reduces the bitter after taste. The standardised techniques included nursery technique, nutrient management, weed management, plant geometry and architecture, water management and post harvest management right from the field preparation stage till the end. Figure 6.2 on the next page shows the agrotechnology promoted by CSIR-IHBT.

Technology Description The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (CSIR-IHBT)’s work was focused on developing Agrotechnology and Process-technology, for the benefit of Stevia cultivators in India.11 Their sustained efforts have made their technologies the only agro and process technologies available in India. Figure 6.1 gives a brief overview of the agro and process technology developed by CSIR-IHBT. The agro-technology of stevia developed by CSIR-IHBT is less than 20 years. Under agrotechnology their efforts were focused on developing standardised techniques suitable for different climates and improving the variety called Him Stevia – through clonal propagation of germplasm taken from mother plants in Nagpur and Jodhpur. This

The technology of CSIR-IHBT titled ‘Complete package of production technology including nursery development, cultivation practices, improved cultivar (high rebaudioside-A content) and processing of high purity steviol glycosides’ has been registered in India, Vietnam and Korea and under the Patent Cooperation Treaty of WIPO. This is used to convert the green stevia into white steviol glycosides with 95% purity – in accordance with international guidelines. CSIR-IHBT has a 40 kg and a 300 kg/batch capacity dry stevia leaf processing plant at Palampur and Ghaziabad.12 The laboratory has been helping the farmers in processing their leaves into concentrate powder which is later converted into table top sweeteners, tablets and liquid for consumption in the market.

5 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/Lakhs-of-Indians-becoming-sugar-dependent/articleshow/19456525. cms 6 “Handling Sugar and Sweeteners Intakes – Indian Experience” Rekha Sharma R.D, Director, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Diabetes Foundation ( INDIA), Former Chief Dietician, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, INDIA 7 Computed using ratio of sweetness of Stevia to Sugar and consumption of sugar 8 Depending upon the substance added to reduce the bitter aftertaste 9 Computed in relation to ratio of sweetness of Apartame to Sugar and consumption of sugar 10 Four calories per gram 11 Pal, PK, Mahajan, M (2017). Tillage system and organic mulch influence leaf biomass, steviol glycoside yield and soil health under subtemperate conditions. Industrial Crops & Products 104 (2017) 33–44. Pal PK, Kumar R, Guleria V, Mahajan M, Prasad R, Pathania V, Gill BS, Singh D, Gopichand, Singh B, Singh RD, Ahuja PS (2015). Cropecology and nutritional variability influence growth and secondary metabolites of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. BMC Plant Biology 15 (1): 67. Pal PK, Mahajan M, Prasad R, Pathania V, Singh B, Ahuja PS (2015). Harvesting regimes to optimize yield and quality in annual and perennial Stevia rebaudiana under sub-temperate conditions. Industrial Crops and Products 65: 556-564. Pal PK, Prasad R, V Pathania (2013). Effect of decapitation and nutrient applications on shoot branching, yield, and accumulation of secondary metabolites in leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Journal of Plant Physiology 170: 1526-1535. 12 For more information, please see annexure table no 2


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Figure 6.1: Technology of CSIR

Source: Representation of interaction with key scientist of IHBT13

Figure 6.2: Agro-technology of Stevia

Source: Representation of interaction with key stakeholders and desktop review 13 Dr Probir Kumar Pal, Senior Scientist,& Dr Sanatsujat Singh, Principal Scientist , CSIR-IHBT

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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

6.2 Scope This impact assessment report aims at understanding the role of CSIR-IHBT’s R&D efforts in developing the agro-technology and process-technology for the cultivation of Stevia in India.

6.3 Terms of Reference The socio-economic impact evaluation was done based on the following Terms of Reference given by CSIR: • Area (in hectares) and farmers covered under stevia farming in Punjab, Haryana, U.P., J&K, H.P., M.P., Uttrakhand and other states promoted by CSIR-IHBT, Palampur • Change in cropping pattern, cropping system and cropping intensity due to introduction of stevia crop • Farmers covered under contract farming (if it exists in the area). • Increase in income per hectare as compared to earlier commercial/traditional crops (e.g. wheat, maize, paddy, pea, potato etc.) grown by the farmers. • Employment generation (man days) due to introduction of agro technology of stevia crop developed by CSIR-IHBT • Net income generation from sale of stevia produce (dry leaves or any value added product etc.) and planting material (nursery plants/ cuttings) of stevia • Rise in standard of living of farmer families using this agro-technology • Marketing channel for sale of stevia produce (dry leaves or any value added product etc.) and planting material (nursery plants/cuttings) and share of producers (farmers), commission agents, wholesalers and retailers in the marketing channel • Linkages of stevia farmers with stevia processing entrepreneurs/traders.

6.4 Methodology All documents on the technology including annual reports, technology profiles, brochures

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etc were reviewed and information was collected on technology demonstrations and related documentation along with dates, agendas etc. ASCI study team had face-to-face interactions with the key scientists at CSIR-IHBT, based in Palampur and Delhi, who were involved with the development of this agro-technology. A focus group discussion was conducted at ASCI where stevia farm owners and representatives of CSIR-IHBT participated. Telephonic interactions with scientists were also carried out to get a complete understanding of technology. Based on the discussion, a questionnaire was prepared by the ASCI team in consultation with CSIR-IHBT (Annexure 1). The questionnaires were sent to all beneficiaries. Private manufacturers and nursery owners were also contacted by the study team, however except for one private manufacturer, no other respondent gave inputs despite repeated attempts. The study team also interacted with government agencies like National Medicinal Plant Board and National Horticulture Board to understand the prospects of stevia and the support that the government is offering to stevia farmers.

6.5 Limitations The study required data to be collected from the four beneficiaries. Four Stevia growers who owned three farms in total responded to the questionnaire circulated to them. Several telephone calls and follow up emails to two out of five technology users did not yield any result. While maximum efforts were made by the ASCI Study Team to collect the data, the methodology and results emerging there from would be subject to the limited amount of data received from technology users. In order to overcome the above limitation efforts were made to contact government agencies and collect secondary literature and information on Stevia.

6.6 Stakeholder Mapping and Role Evaluation The Ministry of Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Ministry of Agricultural and Farmer’s Welfare (MAFW), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MH&FW) and Ministry of Science and Technology (MS&T) are the four major Government


Figure 6.4: Government Agencies Engaged in Promotion of Stevia

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organizations funding stevia cultivation in India. The MIDH and MAFW together fund the National Horticulture Mission, which extends subsidies to the state governments for cultivation purposes. The National Horticulture Board which comes under the same umbrella extends subsidies directly to the farmers. The Department of AYUSH under the MH&FW funds the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) and National Ayush Mission which supports the R&D activities and cultivation of Stevia in India. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, established under MS&T, aids its autonomous institutions like CSIR which in turn provides support to its laboratories like the CSIR-IHBT.

Role and Responsibilities of CSIR-IHBT

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• Field exposure, training and extension activities for stevia cultivation in different states viz, Uttarakhand, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. • Development of good agricultural practices (nutrient management, water management, weed management, harvesting method, plant population and crop geometry, resources conservation technology, post harvest management etc.,) by the Institute for higher biomass yield (3.5t/ha) for different agroclimatic conditions. • Development of agro-technologies to increase productivity by 20-25% compared with traditional cultivation practices.

The CSIR-IHBT’s agro-technology and process technology is the only available technology in India presently for cultivation and production of Stevia. CSIR-IHBT plays an important role in the awareness generation and promotion of Stevia cultivation using their technology and this is given free of cost to the farmers. CSIR-IHBT has played a key role in development of technology and provided hand holding support to the farmers to publicize the benefits of Stevia cultivation in the entire region. CSIR-IHBT has been recognised as one of the incubation centres by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Department of Science and Industrial Research. The Institute invites small and medium entrepreneurs to use their facilities and is also equipped to cater to customized need of the client.14

• Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) was advanced to protect the ecosystem from the harmful effect of overuse of chemical fertilizers.

Based on the interaction with the scientists and engineers at CSIR-IHBT, secondary literature and information collected through questionnaires and interviews of technology licensees, the various roles and responsibilities of CSIR-IHBT can be summed up as follows:

• Transfer of technology (see annexure no 3)

• Initiation of R&D work on Stevia, since the year 2000. • Development of an improved variety called Him Stevia through hybridization and selection approach. • Generation and supply of quality planting materials to the growers from 2002

• Conservation agricultural practices were developed to protect the ecosystem from soil erosion and to conserve energy • Consultancy services were provided to the farmers when they encounter problems during cultivation • Standardization of tissue culture protocol for mass production • Supply of saplings to private nurseries • Provides warehousing support by incubating their stevia leaf in the Ghaziabad plant and later on by processing it.

• Provides incubation facilities to the stevia entrepreneurs Apart from the farmers and entrepreneurs, stevia leaf procurers who collect leaves from the farms and provides the raw materials to the factories or processing units. indirectly benefit from the intervention. These middlemen who charge a percentage of the price gained from Stevia get a higher income compared to the traditional crops. These middlemen provide an important function since they connect the growers with the entrepreneurs and hence are an important part of the entire

14 Incubation Centre, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur, http://www.ihbt.res.in/en/incubation-center (last visited Jan 22, 2018).


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market structure. There is no market or local mandi for selling Stevia. This is infact a major issue that has been highlighted by various stakeholders. There is a need to set up more warehouses till a proper system is arranged to trade the leaves.

2.

Human resources from IHBT - 7 scientists worked for different time periods over a period of 15 years to develop this agro and process technology of Stevia and 5 scientists were involved for over 10 years in stabilizing and commercializing the technology with not much concrete output as regards transfer of technology to the farmers.

3.

Support from CSIR, NMPB, NHB- This has been discussed in detail in Sec 6.6

6.7 Theory of Change Based on the above, a theory of change (ToC) was developed by identifying how the inputs and activities lead to the outputs and outcomes of this initiative.

Inputs Financial support from various Government agencies coupled with involvement of a dedicated team of scientists of CSIR-IHBT has helped propagate the knowledge of Stevia in India. The key inputs are categorized as follows: 1.

Financial resources (funding) from various Government agencies

Figure 6.3: Stakeholders and their Core Roles

Activities CSIR-IHBT has been involved in both developing and spreading the knowledge of agro-technology and process technology of Stevia. The Institute held workshops for farmers and trained them on demo plots for imparting the knowledge of the agro technology developed. Various agronomic practices like nutrient management, weed management, resource conservation technology, and postharvest technology was developed by the team of scientists working closely with the farmers. The


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

farmers and CSIR-IHBT signed the Memorandums of Understanding to facilitate the collaboration. CSIRIHBT has a processing unit of 40 kg/batch capacity where value-added products are manufactured and a warehousing facility to incubate the Stevia leaves in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. CSIR-IHBT has developed an improved variety of Stevia with a higher Reb-A content (~7.3%) and has been able to generate quality planting material which is suitable for different climatic conditions.

Outputs The efforts of the CSIR-IHBT team are reflected in the expansion in the area under cultivation of Stevia. According to the data received from NHB the total area under cultivation for Stevia in 2017 is around a 100 hectares. Of this around 40 hectares has been added in the last two years. Further, one of the major outputs of this technology is development of Him Stevia variety. This variety has a Reb A content of about 7.34% and the plants are available at CSIR-IHBT, Palampur and the same have been distributed to the farmer-entrepreneurs in the year 2017. CSIR-IHBT has developed a process technology for conversion of green stevia into white steviol glycosides with 95% purity – in accordance with international guidelines. The laboratory has a patent registred for this technology. CSIR-IHBT has a 40 kg and a 300 kg/batch capacity dry stevia leaf processing plant at Palampur and Ghaziabad.15 The laboratory has been helping the farmers in processing their leaves into concentrate powder which is later converted into table top sweeteners, tablets and liquid for consumption in the market. Moreover, CSIR-IHBT has also been working on development of Value Added Products.

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With the rising consumption of sugar in India (almost double in the last 20 years) there is an urgent need to find an alternative low calorie/safe/ natural alternative according to changing diet and lifestyle needs of the consumers and Stevia meets these needs.

6.8 Evaluation Findings Stevia is a perennial crop with a life-span of 4-5 years which can be harvested 5 times per year. The estimated cropping intensity of Stevia based cropping system is 250%. The survey established that 4 harvests can take place in one cycle of Stevia which can last up to 4 years. The yield ranges from 1500kg in the first year to 4000kg in the second and third years. It is expected to drop to 3500kg in the fourth year when the plant’s life ends. The CSIR-IHBT team’s efforts at promoting the cultivation of Stevia covered approx 850 hectares throughout India spanning the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and others. They were in direct contact with 164 farmers in these States who were facing difficulties to diversify from a cereal-based cropping pattern to a high remunerative crop. The aggressive and sustained efforts of the Institute were complemented by the rising demand in the market for Stevia which had the potential of benefitting about 2530 farmers. Cost of land is a major constraint in the cultivation of Stevia much like some other crops. Out of the 164 farmers getting benefits from CSIR-IHBT around 20 are contract farmers with 30 acres of land in total.

Outcomes

Findings from the Survey

The major outcome of the agro-technology efforts in Stevia cultivation is the production and availability of Stevia as a healthy alternative low calorie natural sweetener. With its zero fat, zero calories, zero carbohydrates and zero glycemic index, Stevia qualifies as safe for people with diabetes and obesity. Together with the benefits towards weight loss and weight management Stevia also helps lower blood pressure with no toxic or side effects.

Four Stevia farmer-entrepreneurs who had licensed the technology from CSIR-IHBT were interviewed for understanding the scenario of Stevia cultivation in India. Of these four farmer-entrepreneurs, two privately owned the farms and one had proprietary ownership. Three of the respondents had begun cultivation quite recently i.e. around 2015-16 . One grower had started cultivation in 2008. Despite this, his plants are only 3 to 4 years old now and he did not divulge information as regards the total area under

15 For more information, please see Annexure Table No. 2


Figure 6.5: Theory of Change Framework

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cultivation. The area under cultivation for stevia varied from around 2 acres to 20 acres. Notably, two of the growers expanded their area under cultivation three to four times the initial demonstrating the positive market outlook that they expect for the future. The respondents, when probed, mentioned that their incentive to stick to Stevia cultivation is propelled by the demand that they foresee in the future for the value-added products of Stevia. All of the farmer entrepreneurs plan to expand their business to manufacture value added products and sell it in the markets. It is important to note that the plants of the respondents are not very old. The age of the plants ranges from 8 months to 3-4 years. On an average, annual dry leaf of stevia is 30 – 35 q/ha, which fetches a market price of Rs 100 to Rs 120 per kg, resulting in a net return of Rs. 2.00 – 2.70 lakhs/ha/year. Thus, the net income from Stevia is 2 to 2.5 times higher than traditional crops. The growers say that the income and possibilities from Stevia are about 2.5 times higher than that from traditional crops in the area even though just one out of the 4 attributed 30% of his income from Stevia. The others said it gave them a negligible or nominal contribution to their income. Except for one all other farmer-entrepreneurs grew other crops apart from Stevia viz, sugarcane, wheat, rice, tulsi, anarkala, bahi, kheti, pulses, bamboo, eucalyptus and teak. Figure 6.5 shows that total production of Stevia has been rising for all the four respondents. Figure 6.6: Total Production (in Kilograms)

Source: Data collected from questionnaires

The average yield per hectare varied for all the respondents based on the age of the plants. According to the CSIR-IHBT scientists, the yield ranges from 1500kg in the first year to 4000kg in the second and third years. It is expected to drop to 3500kg in the fourth year when the plant’s life ends. Our survey shows that for the grower whose plants were less than a year old, the average yield was around 1000kg and for the grower whose plants were about a year old the average yield was around 3500kg per hectare. Table 6.2: Average yield and Age of plants Age of plants

Average yield

1 year

3.5 tonnes

1 year

3.5 tonnes

8 months

1 tonne

Source: Data collected from questionnaires

The survey revealed that the average cost per hectare was around 2lakhs. For one grower, the cost per hectare was found to be higher since he was using drip irrigation system. Table 6.3: Relation between Age and Cost of stevia plants Year of starting

Age of plants

Cost per hectare

2008

3-4 years

Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh

2015

1 year

Rs 2 lakhs

2015

1 year

Rs 2 lakhs

2016

8 months

Rs 5 to 10 lakh

Source: Data collected from questionnaires


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Table 6.2 below gives the cost of cultivation of stevia. It may be noted that the National Horticulture Board estimates of the cost of cultivation of Stevia are almost as double as the average cost of cultivation of the farmers who sought help from CSIR-IHBT and the NMPB estimates. It can be inferred that the CSIR-

IHBT team has helped maintain the cost of cultivation of Stevia as low as possible, when compared to the farmers who sought help from private nurseries and private laboratories selling the agro technology of Stevia in the market.

Table 6.4: Cost of cultivation S. No.

Particulars

Average from farmers who sought help from (CSIR) and NMPB estimates

Average from farmers who sought help from private nurseries

Horticulture Board estimates

A

ESTABLISHMENT COSTS

1

Cost of seeds/ Sapling

Rs. 15000/kg

Varies from Rs 1.50 to 5 rupees per sapling

Rs 5.00

2

Cost of uprooting of nursery plants and Transportation charges from nursery to plantation site

Rs 2205.00 (@Rs 250 per man day)

Rs 2500-3000

No data

3

Preparation of land: 2 ploughing and 1 final ploughing with bed preparation: 10 hours @Rs 650/ h

Rs 6500.00

Rs 6500.00

No data

Total of A

Rs 23, 705.00

Rs 59, 500 (estimate)

Rs 1, 41, 750

B

VARIABLE COSTS

1

Gap filling, plant cost and planting

2,000.00

2,000.00

2

Fertilizer

6,036.00

Varies

3

Fertilizer application cost

1,520.00

1,520.00

4

Irrigation

28, 750.00

28, 750.00

5

Weeding

32, 800.00

32, 800.00

6

Hoeing (one/ year)

12, 600.00

12, 600.00

7

Harvesting and drying,

18, 900.00

18, 900.00

8

Supervision charges/ management cost

10,000.00

10, 000 to 20, 000

Total of B

1, 12, 606.00

1, 22, 606 (estimate)

Rs 1, 79, 000

50, 000.00

C

FIXED COSTS

1

Rental Value Of Land

37,500.00

Generally 40, 000 for fertile land

2, 89, 000 (All fixed assets)

E

Total Production Cost (A+B+C)

1, 62, 561.00

2, 22, 106.00

3, 00, 000

F

Gross Income

3,00,000 to 4,80,000 Sale of dried leaf @ Rs. 100 - 120/ kg, Yield: 2000-2500 kg in 1st, 4000-4500 kg in 2nd, 4000-4500 kg in 3rd and 4000-4500 kg in 4th year

G

Net Income (F-E)

2, 27, 439.00


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

The survey revealed that the grower, who started in 2008 made Rs 5- 6 lakhs profit while another made around Rs 1.5 lakh in the two years after he began cultivation. One of the concerns that was highlighted by the Stevia growers is that the cost of setting up a Stevia plant is very high. The estimates given by the stakeholders ranged from around Rs. 3 crore to 6-7 crores for a processing plant. Given this, it was suggested that CSIR-IHBT may look at technologies which can help lower the cost of setting up the processing plant. Another notable issue that was highlighted during our discussions is that while a few progressive farmer entrepreneurs who have understood the potential of stevia in the future started the cultivation, small and marginal farmers are still wary of entering into this crop. A primary reason identified for this was that there is no ‘Mandi’ where the crop can be sold. The small and medium farmer is thus not convinced about the crop. Creation of a local market or Mandi or e-market can therefore help in expansion of area under cultivation. The scientists engaged in the technology also mentioned that not much has been done as regards marketing and linking Stevia farmers to Stevia processing entrepreneurs owing to limited number of dedicated scientists in the lab.

Interaction with other stakeholders Stevia Biotech Pvt Ltd ASCI team interacted with Mr Sourabh Agarwal of Stevia Biotech Pvt Ltd. Key Learnings Stevia Biotech is one of the private players who is hoping to venture into the processing segment by setting up a processing unit near Baddi, Chandigarh. The firm was started in 2004 by Mr. Sourabh Agarwal. He initially sold stevia as a dietary supplement through medical representatives. The firm helped in expansion of the market of Stevia products by placing it in the super markets and later on by pushing it as the official sweetener of the Commonwealth Games by partnering with Ashok Hotel. The major lacuna in the Stevia sector is the absence of a proper market for sale, opined Mr Agarwal.

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National Medicinal Plants Board ASCI team interacted with the key officials looking after Stevia at the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB). The National Medicinal Plants Board provides support to the Stevia cultivators through the National Ayush Mission (NAM) wing by way of subsidies and R&D projects. These subsidies are given to the State governments to promote cultivation of Stevia from the year 2008-09. The grant amount has been reduced substantially owing to discrepancy in the amount and was revised after consultation with expert bodies including CSIR-IHBT. As of now, the Board has been extending subsidies to Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The farmers receive the subsidy from the respective State governments. The R&D projects are commissioned to various institutes across India. The CSIR-IHBT is one such institute which has been provided funds to by the Board according to an official. At the moment, there are no ongoing R&D projects on Stevia. Despite stevia being an herbal alternative to Sugar, it had not been termed as an ayurvedic product because the plant is originally from Latin America which came to India in 1996. The Indian hybrid versions have been developed thereafter and there is already presence of stevia in chyawanprash of two leading brands. National Horticulture Board The ASCI team also interacted with officials from National Horticulture Board. NHB extends subsidies for Stevia on two accounts – cultivation and primary processing projects directly to the farmers. Projects were proposed for Stevia in the year 2015-16 and funds were allocated accordingly in 2016-17 for their implementation (refer Table 6.5). The NHB has thereafter put Stevia on the withheld list of crops following a policy decision, together with crops like Safed Musli and Vanilla, which did not yield investment-worthy results from the financial year 2017-18. However, subsidies for Stevia cultivation and processing have not officially been discontinued and the guidelines still apply. According to NHB, stevia is not an economically viable crop as the cost per hectare was quite high when compared to the corresponding returns. With their budget constraints during the last financial year, they shifted focus to the core horticulture plants – fruits, vegetables and flowers. Stevia does not come under the category of core horticulture plants. They have also narrowed


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down the scope of subsidies to providing for commercial horticulture as a credit link support agency with the Banks. Value Chain Stevia’s plants can be raised from seeds or saplings. It takes about 3 to 4 months to be ready for harvesting and to move into the production phase. Once harvested, stevia leaves are converted into dried leaves within 12 hours and are crushed. These crushed leaves are then procured by the middlemen and given to factories or entrepreneurs engaged in the processing of Stevia or stored in warehouses or incubation centres (as provided by CSIR-IHBT’s laboratory in Palampur). The quality gradation is carried out before it is cleaned and treated for conversion into the concentrated powder. It is this concentrated powder that is then be converted into value added products for sale in the retail market. The value-added products take the form of liquids, sachets and bottles on store shelves and as dietary supplements in pharmaceuticals.

Figure 6.7 Value Chain of Stevia

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6.9 Socio-economic Benefits of Stevia The socio-economic benefits of consumption of stevia can be grouped into

a. Direct Benefits: The direct benefit of stevia cultivation is the net income that will accrue to the farmers. Based on the interviews with the various stakeholders, it is clear that stevia cultivation can give a net income of around INR 1.5-2 lakhs per hectare to the farmers. Currently around 850 hectares of land is under cultivation of Stevia. Moreover Stevia provides employment for about 250 man days per hectare of land. Assuming a minimum wage of around Rs.250, the direct cumulative benefit of the technology in 2017 is around INR 22 crores. Assuming that the area under cultivation of Stevia would grow at 5-10 percent per year the cumulative net benefit to the farmer entrepreneurs in the next five years is expected to be approx 130 crores (in 2017-18 terms).


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Future Prospects for Stevia Ministry of Food Processing India, Prime Minister’s office have been pressurizing MNCs like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola to reduce the sugar content in their drinks. Stevia as an alternative thus has a growing market. Various estimates suggest that worldwide the market for stevia is expected to reach $550 million. Therefore, the ASCI team felt that for Stevia cultivation, it is not the direct benefit but rather the indirect benefit of stevia cultivation that is more important. Stevia is a third generation low calorie sweetener with no toxicity (ref Table 6.1). Also, the overconsumption of refined sugars, especially sucrose, promotes inappropriate positive caloric balance, loss of body weight control, excessive weight gain and obesity16. In addition, this dietary habit contributes to the etiologies of type 2 diabetes, cancer17, dental caries18, and inflammatory bowel diseases19.

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In a society in which the challenge of maintaining a healthy caloric balance is overwhelming to over half of the population, noncaloric sweeteners may offer some hope to those who desire to avoid the debilitating diseases associated with excessive sugar consumption. Unfortunately, synthetic noncaloric sweeteners are associated with increased likelihood of increased caloric intake and inability to achieve or maintain healthy body weight and provide no other health benefits. In contrast, replacement of sugars with stevioside containing stevia leaf extracts can support healthy glucoregulation.20 Stevioside and steviol have been shown to exert antiinflammatory effects on colonic epithelial cells21. Stevia leaf extract and its major polyphenolic constituents, stevioside and rebaudioside A, are noncariogenic. Various studies suggest that there is an increase in sugar consumption in India, both from traditional sources and from Sugar Sweetened Beverages. Along

16 Malik VS, Schulze MB, Hu FB (2006) . Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: A systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr; 84: 274-88. Linardakis M, Sarri K, Pateraki MS, Sbokos M, Kafatos A. (2008) Sugar added beverages consumption among kindergarten children of Crete: Effects on nutritional status and risk of obesity. BMC Public Health; 8: 279 (doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-8-279. Available from: http:// www.biomedcentral.com/1471-458/8/279). Harrington S. (2008) The role of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in adolescent obesity: A review of the literature. J Sch Nurs; 24: 3-12. 17 Agurs-Collins T, Rosenberg L, Makambi K, Palmer JR, AdamsCampbell L. Dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in women participating in the Black Women’s Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 90: 621-8. Bradshaw PT, Sagiv SK, Kabat GC, et al. Consumption of sweet foods and breast cancer risk: A case-control study of women on Long Island, New York. Cancer Causes Control 2009; 20: 1509- 1515. Tavani A, Giordano L, Gallus S, et al. Consumption of sweet foods and breast cancer risk in Italy. Ann Oncol 2006; 17: 341-5. [13] Potischman N, Coates RJ, Swanson CA, et al. Increased risk of early-stage breast cancer related to consumption of sweet foods among women less than age 45 in the United States. Cancer Causes Control 2002; 13: 937-46. Dragsted LO, Daneshvar B, Vogel U, et al. A sucrose-rich diet induces mutations in the rat colon. Cancer Res 2002; 62: 4339-45. [15] Slattery ML, Benson J, Berry TD, et al. Dietary sugar and colon cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1997; 6: 677-85. Murphy TK, Calle EE, Rodriguez C, Kahn HS, Thun MJ. Body mass index and colon cancer mortality in a large prospective study. Am J Epidemiol 2000; 152: 847-54. Rodriguez C, Patel AV, Calle EE, Jacobs EJ, Chao A, Thun MJ. Body mass index, height, and prostate cancer mortality in two large cohorts of adult men in the United States. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2001; 10: 345-53. Feigelson HS, Jonas CR, Teras LR, Thun MJ, Calle EE. Weight gain, body mass index, hormone replacement therapy, and postmenopausal breast cancer in a large prospective study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2004; 13: 220-4. Patel AV, Rodriguez C, Bernstein L, Chao A, Thun MJ, Calle EE. Obesity, recreational physical activity, and risk of pancreatic cancer in a large U.S. Cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2005; 14: 459-66. Rodriguez C, Freedland SJ, Deka A, et al. Body mass index, weight change, and risk of prostate cancer in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007; 16: 63-9. 18 Sheiham A. Dietary effects on dental diseases. Public Health Nutr 2001; 4: 569-91. [24] Tinanoff N, Palmer CA. Dietary determinants of dental caries and dietary recommendations for preschool children. J Public Health Dent 2000; 60: 197-206. [25] Sheiham A. Sucrose and dental caries. Nutr Health 1987; 5: 25-9. 19 Persson PG, Ahlbom A, Hellers G. Diet and inflammatory bowel disease: A case-control study. Epidemiology 1992; 3: 47-52. [31] Sakamoto N, Kono S, Wakai K, et al. Dietary risk factors for inflammatory bowel disease: A multicenter case-control study in Japan. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2005; 11: 154-63. Reif S, Klein I, Lubin F, Farbstein M, Hallak A, Gilat T. Pre-illness dietary factors in inflammatory bowel disease. Gut 1997; 40: 754- 60. [33] Lucendo AJ, De Rezende LC. Importance of nutrition in inflammatory bowel disease. World J Gastroenterol 2009; 15: 2081-8. 20 Gregersen S, Jeppesen PB, Holst JJ, Hermansen K. Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects. Metabolism 2004; 53: 73-6 21 Chatsudthipong V, Muanprasat C. Stevioside and related compounds: Therapeutic benefits beyond sweetness. Pharmacol Ther 2009; 121: 41-54


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with decreasing physical activity, this increasing trend of sugar consumption assumes more metabolic significance in view of the high tendency of Indians to develop insulin resistance, abdominal adiposity and ectopic fat deposition, hyperglycemia, and atherosclerosis. Type- 2 diabetes is the most common ailment associated with overconsumption of sugar. It is a life-long disorder and an expensive ailment for a very large proportion of population in India. In the Indian context the financial burden is often shared by relatives of the patients. The money spent is from the family’s financial resources. According to the International Diabetes Federation, India has the largest number of people with diabetes from age 2079 years with a total healthcare expenditure around USD 8 bn in 2017 and forecasted to increase to USD 13bn in 204522. Moreover, disability adjusted life years or DALYs attributable to Diabetes were around 8 million (IHME 2013). According to “India: Health of Nation States (2017), among the leading noncommunicable diseases, diabetes has the largest disease burden or DALY23 rate of 80%. The National Programme for the Prevention and Control of Diabetes, Hypertension, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cancer and Stroke (NPCDCS) envisages that prevention strategies, encompassing multiple stakeholders, should target on decreasing sugar consumption and thus limiting its harmful metabolic perturbations through direct effects, and effects secondary to the accumulation of fat. These strategies must be combined with an active lifestyle and physical activity. By providing a safer alternative to sugar, stevia can help prevent these illnesses and the costs associated therefrom. Therefore agrotechnology of stevia provdes an alternative low calorie natural sweetner which can help in reduction in private and public expenditures on medical goods and services including hospital visit and stay, expenditure on medicine and earnings lost due to days not worked as a result of illness associated.

Conclusions Studies regarding Stevia cultivation commenced at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore in the late 1990s. CSIR-IHBT took it from there in

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the year 2000 for domestication and cultivation in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. The theory of change discussed above iterates that the outcomes expected from this Agro technology of Stevia were development of an alternate low calorie sweetner, import substitution and increase in incomes of the farmers. Efforts at crop improvement through conventional breeding and other biotechnological approaches resulted in the development of an improved cultivar called ‘Him Stevia’ with the highest Reb-A content in India –~ 7.34%. With the increasing diabetes population in India, Stevia can easily substitute for sugar and other toxic sweeteners as a healthier alternative. Therefore the first outcome of the technology seems to be met to a large extent. As regards cost of cultivation and profit gained, Stevia farmers are two times better than the sugar or other traditional crop growers. CSIR-IHBT popularised Stevia as an alternative crop with the given resource constraints and has been successful in promoting the growth of Stevia across North India and recently in Nagpur. Various negotiations have taken place on part of the CSIR-IHBT team to improve the scenario with international players from Japan and Australia who have agreed to test the Indian Stevia markets. Therefore, stevia does provide an alternate crop to the farmers and has the potential to increase their living standards. However, the third goal of the technology, import substitution has not been met to a large extent. This is because the domestic production of Stevia in India has not picked up. Our survey revealed that a processing factory for Stevia using the current technology available would require around 400kg of green leaf per day to run at full capacity. The total production of green leaf is currently less than this.

6.10 Recommendations The market for stevia in India is still developing both at the level of demand from consumers and the supply from farmers, entrepreneurs and processors. The contribution of CSIR-IHBT in developing the

22 IDF Diabetes Atlas (2017) 23 Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are a summary measure of the health loss burden caused by different conditions, and take into account both premature mortality and disability in one combined measure.


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agro-technology of stevia is acknowledged by all stakeholders. However, the success of the technology depends on the development of the market. Therefore CSIR-IHBT would need to work with the various agencies like NMPB and Horticulture Board to popularise the consumption and production of stevia.

reason identified for this was that there is no ‘Mandi’ where the crop can be sold. The small and medium farmer is thus not convinced about the crop. Creation of a local market or Mandi or e-market can therefore help in expansion of area under cultivation. CSIR may consider working with Ministry of Agriculture regarding this aspect.

Through our interviews with stakeholders, the study team is confident that the agro-technology of Stevia that CSIR-IHBT has developed is the best available in India. However, efforts need to be put to increase the area under cultivation in Stevia. While a few progressive farmer entrepreneurs who have understood the potential of stevia in the future started the cultivation, small and marginal farmers are still wary of entering into this crop. A primary

One of the concerns that was highlighted by the Stevia growers is that the cost of setting up a Stevia plant is very high. The estimates given by the stakeholders ranged from around Rs. 3 crore to 6–7 crores for a processing plant. Given this, it was suggested that CSIR-IHBT may look at technologies which can help lower the cost of setting up the processing plant. This will help a great deal in terms of development of the Stevia market.


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Enzymatic Degumming Process for RBO processing Executive Summary

7

An initiative by CSIR-IICT Sponsored by CSIR

Study conducted by Administrative Staff College of India


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Background Enzymatic Degumming in Rice Bran Oil processing is a technology developed and commercialized by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad in the year 2003. During the late 90s and early 2000s, it was felt that the industry needed an appropriate pre-processing technology that could reduce the Phosphorous content in the crude oil, which is a pre-requisite for physical refining of RBO. The reduction of P content also was supposed to reduce oil losses during refining. This led to the introduction of CSIR-IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology to process Rice Bran Oil. During 2003 and 2017, CSIR-IICT had licensed the technology to eighteen (18) Rice Bran Oil Processing units and eight (8) Project Engineering Companies across the country.

The Study This study conducted by ASCI used the ‘Theory of Change’ (ToC) framework to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of the technology on the RBO refineries. The study focused on quantifying the benefits accrued to the units in terms of: • Increase in gross income due to increased oil recovery and more Salient Findings fatty acids i.e. better-quality oil due to enzymatic degumming of • Higher production of nutritionally Rice Bran Oil rich edible Rice Bran Oil in India • Cost reduction by enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil • Increased exports of edible grade • Increase in net income by rise in income and reduced costs RBO from India • Increase in income from value addition of by products (high value • Cumulative net gain from 2005-06 lyso lecithin and better-quality wax) through enzymatic degumming to 2015-16 is approximately INR of Rice Bran Oil 17.44 Crores

Environmental Benefits On an average, by using the enzymatic degumming technology, a 100 TPD unit is able to conserve 6000 litres of water per day, translating into 18 lakh litres per annum for a 300-day operation. At a unit level, water saving per MT of RBO processed is 60 litres. At an aggregate level, if all the RBO refineries in the country were to use the technology, the water saving per annum would be to the extent of 390 lakh litres (85.78 lakh gallons). Moreover, usage of the technology result in 70 percent lesser effluents as compared to acid degumming. This directly would result in savings worth INR 40,000 per month. Accordingly, a brown field unit would have saved INR 31 lakhs over the past ten years in present value terms. And, if used by all the 18 licensee units, cumulative savings over the decade would be INR 5.6 Cr in present value terms.

Social Benefit Even though the technology per se could not generate in-direct employment creation, it however, led to the improvement of the health and safety systems in the refinery premises (no need to store corrosive acids such as Phosphoric acid unlike in the conventional process). Moreover, retention of the nutritional aspects of the oil, especially the Oleoresin due to physical refining in general and enzymatic degumming in particular is widely recognized as a direct benefit of the technology.

Economic Benefit • Increase in gross income due to increased oil recovery and more fatty acids i.e. better-quality oil due to enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil: • The reduction in oil losses in the enzymatic degumming process as compared to the conventional process ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 percent.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

• Additional annual gross income for a 50 TPD and 100 TPD units are estimated at INR 36 lakhs and INR 72 lakhs respectively. • Cumulative impact taking into account the annual production of RBO and the market penetration or share of the technology over the past ten years from 2005-06 to 2015-16 is estimated at INR 36 Crores. • Cost reduction due to enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil. • In a 100 TPD refining unit, the water saving is around 6,000 litres per day. • As water saving indirectly impacts saving on power expenditure, approximate per day saving of power is around 30 hp, equivalent to INR 3,500 per day. Assuming 300 days of operations, the power saving in lieu of saving water amounts to INR 10.5 lakhs per annum. Increase in net income due to rise in income and reduced costs. • The net benefit for a 50 TPD unit due to the technology is INR 7,800 per day, excluding the cost saving on power. Annual net benefit is around INR 18.72 lakhs for a 50 TPD unit assuming a 300-day operation and 80 percent capacity utilization. • Thus, the cumulative net gain across all the 18 units, who had licensed the technology during the period 2005-06 to 2015-16 is estimated to be INR 17.44 Cr. Increase in income from value addition of by high quality by-products (high value lyso lecithin and better-quality wax) through enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil.

Cost – Benefit Analysis The Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) of Enzymatic Degumming technology over the last ten years (200506 to 2015-16) is 3.43 which clearly indicates that the benefits of the technology outweigh the costs incurred for technology development, upscaling and additional investments in plant and machinery by the RBO units. Thus, the economic benefit of the technology at an aggregate level is positive. In the coming years, the RBO market is estimated to grow at 15 percent annually, and assuming that the technology would proportionately diffuse further into the market; it is encouraging to note that the BCR would only improve, significantly.

Environmental Benefits On an average, by using the enzymatic degumming technology, a 100 TPD unit is able to conserve 6000 litres of water per day, translating into 18 lakh litres per annum for a 300-day operation. At a unit level, water saving per MT of RBO processed is 60 litres. At an aggregate level, if all the RBO refineries in the country were to use the technology, the water saving per annum would be to the extent of 390 lakh litres (85.78 lakh gallons). Moreover, usage of the technology result in 70 percent lesser effluents as compared to acid degumming. This directly would result in savings worth INR 40,000 per month. Accordingly, a brown field unit would have saved INR 31 lakhs over the past ten years in present value terms. And, if used by all the 18 licensee units, cumulative savings over the decade would be INR 5.6 Cr in present value terms.

Recommendations Based on the evaluation results, the study recommends that the technology is further popularized among the RBO refineries through a laid-out commercialization plan. Smaller RBO units may be skeptical of adopting the technology owing to higher operational costs of purchasing enzymes. There is a need for CSIR-IICT to educate these units on the economic benefits that would accrue over time, showcasing the performance of those units that have already been using the technology. It is highly essential for the benefits to be known to all the RBO refineries.

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To arrest pilferages of such impactful technologies, it is essential CSIR-IICT build a dynamic portal that would keep track of the licensees. Such a system with user access The technology has been at the laboratory level is needed to ease the tracking. Moreover, dedicated experts rated as “Highly Beneficial” on technology commercialization and legal aspects need to be institutionalized for with respect to benefits improved reach and penetration. A similar effort to commercialize the technology abroad may be undertaken in leading RBO refining countries as the technology derived, ease of adoption and adaptation and of course, is first of its kind. A diagnostic study on available opportunities abroad may be initiated to draft a blue print for such an endeavour. time to adopt and

implement.

CSIR-IICT can further work on improving the techno commercial aspects of the by-products of RBO refineries. As a policy measure, domestic firms may be encouraged or incentivized to produce the enzyme; “Phospholipase” commercially. This will bring down the import cost of the enzyme and hence, further improve the profitability of the RBO units. A concerted effort in this direction would naturally popularize the technology in place of acid degumming.


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Enzymatic Degumming Process for RBO processing

7.1 Introduction Background and Context Rice Bran Oil (RBO) is extracted from the Rice Bran, an oily layer between the paddy husk and the white rice. Worldwide, the RBO oil is recognized as a functional food and healthier choice for its good balance of saturated, mono unsaturated and poly unsaturated fats as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and American Heart Association (AHA). Rice bran oil is proven to be a rich source of many antioxidants such as Tocopherols, Tocotrienols, Gamma Oryzanol, Phytosterols, Polyphenols and Squalene. India is the second largest producer of RBO in the world next to China. The country’s potential to produce RBO is estimated at 13 lakh MT according to Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEAI). However, current production of RBO is at 6.5 lakh MT per annum of which 6 lakh MT is of edible grade (roughly 90% of the total production) and 0.5 lakh MT is of non-edible grade. India continues to be a major importer of edible oils with almost 40% of the consumption dependant on imports. Government of India’s Technology Mission on Oilseeds, Pulses and Maize (TMOP & M), launched in 1986, accelerated the production of oil seeds, focussed on post-harvest management and led to advancement in processing technologies. As a result, there has been a significant increase in area

under oilseeds, production and yields. Nonetheless, the county’s dependency on import of oil remains an area of concern. Rice Bran Oil (RBO), popularly known as “Healthy Heart Oil” has potential for growth given that the country is the second largest producer of Rice in the world. Historically, the RBO produced in India was put to industrial use and the share of edible RBO in total production was 10% in 1983-84, 41% in 1989-90 and rose to 55% in 1991-92. A reversal of trend was observed in 1991-92 where the RBO put to edible use outweighed the non-edible oil. Till the time, the RBO in the country was mostly used for soap manufacturing and as a product mix in vanaspathi production. Between 1998 and 2004, the share of edible RBO in total production grew to 81% and reached up to the current levels of 90%, as shown in the figure below. Extraction of oil from the bran and further refining had not been simple. Lipase present in the rice bran hydrolyzes immediately after removal of bran from the grain and leads to rise in Free Fatty Acids (FFA), and therefore making processing technically unfeasible. In case of RBO processing in eighties, chemical refining process adopted for other vegetable oils was proved to be inefficient, led to refining losses and destroyed nutritional properties of the oil. Efforts were made to develop technologies for stabilizing the raw rice bran so as to extract low Free Fatty Acid (FFA) crude rice bran oil which could be further refined for edible


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Figure 7.1: Edible and Industrial RBO Production in India (1983-2013)

Source: Solvent Extractors Association of India Handbook, 2014

purposes. Stabilization technologies such as steam stabilization, chemical stabilization and extrusion were not found feasible technically and financially as well. The industry was on a look out for alternative refining technologies that could economically refine crude rice bran oil with higher levels of free fatty acids. In the mid-nineties, refining of rice bran oil was a challenge and the industry was not successful in reducing the Phosphorous content of crude oil, which is a pre-requisite for refining. Therefore, there was a need to develop appropriate pre-treatment technologies for RBO refining. “Degumming of RBO is the heart of RBO refining process and fine tuning of this step will improve the overall parameters of RBO” (O.P.Goenka, 4th National Seminar on edible RBO) Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEIA) along with Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) had undertaken a campaign to promote the usage of RBO for edible purposes. Due to a series of advocacy activities undertaken by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEIA) in late nineties, the issues in RBO processing had attracted the attention of researchers, technocrats and oil processors. Later, the Ministry of Agriculture, GOI had sponsored research projects under TMOP & M for developing cost effective pre-treatment technologies for physical refining of the RBO.

National Seminar on edible Oil, 1999 highlighted that “Research to be initiated to get better Refining process parameters particularly with regard to the reduction of Phosphorous level, Bleaching and Deodorising of the Rice Bran oil. Industry and Research Institutions such as CSIR- IICT and CFTRI will have to join hands particularly for the economical reduction of phosphorous levels in the oil” (1999. Proceedings of National Seminar on edible RBO. Solvent Extractors Association of India). By this time, CSIR-IICT had initiated work on developing technologies for RBO processing. “When IICT had to develop modernization packages for the then existing RBO processing units, an industrial survey was initiated covering 8 States (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana), 82 Solvent Extraction Units and 35 refineries”. The survey highlighted that the mostly encountered problems during refining were high oil losses and high phosphorous content. Physical refining was adopted in very few units and the results were not satisfactory (1999. Proceedings of National Seminar on edible RBO. Solvent Extractors Association of India). Even though the Physical refining was the need of the hour to reduce the Phosphorous content and for


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

enhancing the nutritional quality of the final product, the physically refined oils had high unsaponifiable matter content as compared to the oils refined with chemical processes and could not meet the standards of Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Standards. Due to the high retention of micro nutrients in this process such as Oryzanol which are part of the unsaponifiable matter of the oil, the oil processed through this technology contains higher levels of unsaponifiable matter. In the National Seminars on RBO in 2000 and 2005, the processors highlighted that there was a need to raise the limit of unsaponifiable matter of RBO to 4.5% as in other countries (the then prescribed standard was 3.5 max; 2000 & 2005. Proceedings of National Seminar on edible RBO, Solvent Extractors Association of India); 5%(max) in Japan and 4.5%(max) in the US. The outdated PFA Standards in India were coming in the way of adopting cost effective latest technologies, according to the processors. As a result, the Industry was forced to resort to chemical refining processes to meet the PFA standards resulting in added costs of production. “Traditionally, Physical refining process has been adopted for oils having low P content and trace metal content. In case of RBO, it is observed if the pretreatment is not effective and wax is not removed, the oil tends to become dark and unbleachable after physical refining” (2004. 7th National Seminar on edible RBO, Solvent Extractors Association of India). Therefore, there was a need for an efficient pre-treatment technology that could reduce the P content of the feedstock.

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Consequently, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT); Hyderabad and National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Trivandrum; a constituent Laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), earlier referred to as Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) developed “Enzymatic Degumming Process” and “Simultaneous De-gumming and De-waxing” for physical refining of RBO respectively. While IICT’s technology is transferred to 8 Project Engineering Companies and being used by 18 RBO processing units in the country, NIIST’s simultaneous degumming has been transferred to 5 units so far (CSIR). The steps involved in physical refining of RBO are illustrated in the Figure below.

7.2 Scope Enzymatic Degumming Technology is a technology developed and commercialized by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad in the year 2003. Rice Bran Oil (RBO) processing in India had reportedly witnessed a transformation due to the introduction of IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology that catered to the need of RBO processing industry in early 2000s. As narrated above, the felt need of the industry was to have an appropriate pre-processing technology that could reduce the Phosphorous content in the crude oil, which is a pre-requisite for physical refining of RBO along with reduced oil losses during refining. According to the available literature, IICT’s enzymatic technology is the first of its kind in the

Figure 7.2: Typical Physical Refining Process of RBO

Source: 2009. Robert A. Moreau. Afaf Kamal- Eldin. Gourmet and Health Promoting Speciality Oils. Adapted from Forster and Harper (1983).


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world where the IICT had introduced enzymatic degumming protocols using the enzyme, “Phospholipase A1” for commercial application. The enzyme enabled effective hydrolysis of both hydratable and non-hydratable phospholipids of the RBO, making the crude RBO fit for refining, leading to reduced oil losses while keeping the nutritional properties intact. Salient features of the technology, as identified by earlier studies are as follows. • Increased oil recovery; 0.6 to 1.5% in case of physical refining, 2 to 3 folds more compared to chemical refining • 40-50% less water requirement compared to other degumming methods • 0.3- 0.6% additional fatty acid recovery

C. Emerging from the ToC framework, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Accepted, Relevant and Time-bound) indicators were developed. These indicators evolved from the discussions with key stakeholders, secondary research and ToC framework. These indicators were validated by the Scientists of IICT.

7.3 Terms of Reference The Terms of Reference (ToR) as provided to ASCI before commencement of the study is as follows: • Assessment of technology transferred to rice bran refineries and project engineering companies (as licensee)

other

• Cost reduction due to enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil.

• Value Addition to By-Products (High value lyso lecithin and better-quality wax)

• Increase in net income due to more oil recovery and more fatty acids i.e. better quality oil due to enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil

This study on “Socio Economic Impact Assessment of select CSIR Technologies” therefore evaluated the socio-economic impact of the technology on the RBO refineries primarily. The study broadly included the following steps;

• Increase in income from value addition of by products (high value lyso lecithin and betterquality wax) through enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil.

• Less liquid effluent degumming methods

compared

to

A. Context Analysis to provide a description of a ‘social reference’ scenario, to understand what the scenario was before the adoption of technology.

B. Developing a Theory of Change (ToC) / Logic Model together with key stakeholders, including community representatives. A ToC is a ‘conceptual model’ or hypothesis of how the technology achieved its intended changes, describing logical, causal links between activities, short-term outputs, midterm outcomes and longer-term impact. While developing the ToC, the study focused on the impact of technology on Economy, Environment, Energy, Quality of life and Equity while ensuring sustainability in the long term. Some of the key elements studied were • Inputs used for developing and commercializing the technology • Outputs • Outcomes realized • Impact created

• Increase in employment generation (man days) by increasing yield and quality through enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil. • Number of industries using CSIR-IICT’s enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil and their increase in net income over the years • Marketing channel of produce produced through degumming of Rice Bran Oil and share of players involved in marketing channel. • Assessment of environmental impact of this technology (e.g. requires less water and release less liquid effluents etc.) • Assessment of health benefits by using this technology (Reduction in incidence of diseases, less expenditure on medical services etc.)

7.4 Methodology As indicated below the primary method employed for Socio Economic Evaluation of the IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology is the “Theory of Change” Framework. The framework developed for the technology is illustrated in detail below.


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Literature Review Documented evidence on the performance of the technology (beneficial or non-beneficial) was reviewed in detail and some of the vivid references are as follows:

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The research methodology was therefore designed objectively keeping in view that the above indicated research questions or objectives are met, drawing from the review of above existing literature.

Sampling Strategy and Triangulation

“Industrially, enzymatic degumming is the competitive process available today for reducing the phosphorous content of crude RBO <5 ppm and to retain the quality of Oil” (Sengar, 2014).

The sampling framework took into account the direct beneficiaries as indicated above and the methodology followed are as follows:

“IICT’s process has many advantages over the existing refining processes. The process is simple in operation. Water wash is not necessary after enzymatic degumming and the oil loss in washing step can be avoided. It can be adapted in the existing refineries with minor modifications” (Chaudhuri, 2004).

• Population size (no of end -users) of the technology is eighteen as shown in 2.1.

“During the mid-1990s, the same technology used to refine palm oil was applied to RBO. This was not very successful owing to a lack of pre-treatment technologies that can lower the phosphorus content of crude RBO to below 5 ppm, a prerequisite for physical refining. Since then, several pre-treatment technologies have been introduced. The National Institute of Inter-disciplinary Science & Technology (NIIST; Thiruvananthapuram, India — earlier known as Regional Research Laboratory) developed a pre-treatment technology known as simultaneous degumming and dewaxing, in which CaCl, is used to remove phosphorus-containing lipids known as phosphatides (or gums). Likewise, the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT, Hyderabad) developed an enzymatic degumming process to remove phosphorus to desired levels. These pretreatment technologies have revolutionized RBO processing in India. Several new RBO refining plants incorporating these new technologies have been built, the majority of which are based on IICT technology” (2013.Oil Technologists Association of India Western Zone). “Over 15 years ago, it was the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad which developed the physical refining process of RBO. Now the need of the hour is to augment the consumption and create awareness about the health benefits of RBO so that its gets its well-deserved attention in the Indian kitchens in the coming years” (SEAI).

Rice Bran Oil Processing Units

• At 95% confidence level and confidence interval of 5, the sample size of Seventeen was arrived at. • Seventeen out of Eighteen were either contacted through personal/ telephonic interviews (Annexure 1 has the finalized questionnaire for RBO units). However, only thirteen units responded positively to the questionnaire and four had either discontinued production of refined RBO or were not willing to contribute to the study. Therefore, feedback of thirteen units has been incorporated in the results and discussions part of the report. It may be noted that all the units registered with Solvent Extractors Association of India were interviewed as part of the study. • Physical site visits were undertaken to three units (M/s Kamal Solvex and M/s Jayashree Solvex from Rajnandgoan, Chhattisgarh and A.P.Organics at Dhuri, Punjab were visited by the study team). Functioning of the RBO units in general and the Enzymatic Degumming Technology in particular was witnessed by the study team. Photographs of the physical site visits are enclosed in the Annexure 2 of this report. • Control units that are not using the technology were contacted randomly. Two such units were contacted either through snowballing or with references from IICT. IICT Scientists • The study team ensured that the Scientists from IICT were on-boarded right from the inception of the study • Validation of the “Theory of Change” and the


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questionnaires developed interviewing RBO units and PECs was done by IICT Scientists, vide a half – a-day workshop organized at ASCI. Suggestions of the team of Scientists were duly incorporated in the ToC as well as the Questionnaires. Annexure 3 provides the proceedings of the meeting held with IICT Scientists at ASCI Hyderabad • Apart from the ToC workshop, the study team visited the office of Scientists of IICT a couple of times, seeking their support and guidance on the study along with periodic telephonic interactions. External Partner for Up-Scaling • Key Informant Interviews with Scientists from IICT • M/s Ramcharan Oil Industries Ltd, Kathedan, the external partner would be contacted for information on up-scaling Efforts were made to triangulate the data gathered from the RBO units (beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries) by interacting with experts and taking the feedback of the team of Scientists from IICT. Also, where possible, existing literature was referred to, to bring in more relevance and to relate the findings of this study to the similar studies in the past.

7.5 Limitations of the Study The information presented in the report may be read taking into account the below limitations: • The study had to rely on the team of Scientists from IICT for the list of beneficiaries (RBO units) and their coordinates. Also, the IICT team had helped the study team from ASCI in building the initial rapport with RBO units. Though this support was crucial and immensely benefitted the study, IICT’s support in breaking ice with the beneficiaries may be a limitation in itself, emanating positive responses from the units. • Quantification of impact on increased oil recovery, reduced losses, and improved returns were not simple to be enumerated for the respondents were reluctant and the enumerators elicited the best responses possible. There were instances where the units refused to respond to

the interviews. However, every effort has been made to make the data as reliable as possible. • In responding to questions on monetary impact, it has been observed that there is a general tendency to under report. This is also applicable to initial investment for adoption of the technology where the respondents tend to over report and few were not acknowledging the grant support from the Ministry of Agriculture.

7.6 Theory of Change Stakeholder Mapping and Role Evaluation The research design was formulated such that the direct and in-direct beneficiaries of the technology were taken into account. Direct beneficiaries included the RBO refining units and Project Engineering Companies (PECs) that licensed the technology from IICT while the in-direct beneficiaries primarily included the RBO consumers. While the direct beneficiaries were interviewed using a standardized schedule (Questionnaire) as validated by the team of Scientists from IICT during a pre-survey workshop held at ASCI, Hyderabad, the benefits to the RBO consumers was documented using secondary research as indicated in the proposal. As far as the Project Engineering Companies are concerned, their recorded observations / written comments about the technology, as documented by IICT are being highlighted as it was felt by the study team and the team of scientists from IICT that the role of PECs was limited in terms of design of equipment and deriving an impact by interacting with them seemed not very essential. Post completion of upscaling studies with support from an external industry partner at IICT, as part of diffusion, the technology was licensed to eight Project Engineering Companies (PECs) during June 2002 and May 2004. End -users or the beneficiaries of the technology included 18 RBO processing units that commissioned their operations during 2002 and 2005. IICT had directly transferred the technology to three RBO processing units namely Paras Vanaspati Pvt Ltd, Anil Modi Industries and Abhay Solvents Pvt Ltd during 2002 and 2003 at 50 Tonnes Per Day (TPD) scale. Later, the PECs had transferred the technology to 15 RBO units under a tripartite agreement with IICT.


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Accordingly, the direct and indirect beneficiaries of the technology were mapped as illustrated in Figure below. Figure 7.3: Stakeholder Mapping

Industries, Kathedan, Hyderabad was involved in trial runs of enzymatic degumming of RBO at 10 MT / batch scale. The up-scaling studies were carried out during November 2002 and February 2003. As part of diffusion, the technology was licensed to eight Project Engineering Companies (PECs) during June 2002 and May 2004. This has been illustrated in the table below: End-users or the beneficiaries of the technology include 18 RBO processing units that commissioned their operations during 2002 and 2005. Figure 7.4. illustrates the location of these RBO processing units along with their years of commissioning of operations.

Role of IICT The need for developing an appropriate pretreatment technology for RBO processing emerged from IICT’s diagnostic study or survey that was conducted in 1996-97. IICT had executed the enzymatic degumming technology as part of the sponsored project entitled, “Refining of Rice Bran Oil and Upgradation of technologies for by-products” with the grant in aid assistance of Technology Mission on Oilseeds, Pulses and Maize (TMOPM) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India during 1999-2001. The enzymatic degumming project was executed, specifically during April 2000 to July 2001. The lab scale development of the technology was performed using 1kg crude RBO. As IICT did not possess the pilot scale facilities for upscaling of the technology, M/s Ramcharan Oil

IICT had directly transferred the technology to three RBO processing units namely Paras Vanaspati Pvt Ltd, Anil Modi Industries and Abhay Solvents Pvt Ltd during 2002 and 2003 at 50 Tonnes Per Day (TPD) scale. Later, the PECs had transferred the technology to 15 RBO units under a tripartite agreement with IICT. 15 out of 18 RBO units had availed financial assistance of Rs. 75 lakhs from the Ministry of Agriculture, GOI as capital subsidy towards plant & machinery and equipment under TMOPM for establishment of 50 TPD refineries. Chronological accounts of IICT’s interventions are illustrated in the Figure on the next page.

Theory of Change (ToC) Framework for the technology The ToC framework for the technology was evolved by detailed literature review, secondary research and interaction with the team of core Scientists from IICT, Hyderabad. Accordingly, it is understood that the goal or primary objective of developing the

Table 7.1: List of Licensees of the Enzymatic Degumming Technology - Project Engineering Companies (PEC) S. No.

Project Engineering Company

Date of Agreement

1

M/s Muez-Hest Process Technologies Pvt Ltd, Mumbai

1 June 2002

2

M/s Chemical Construction International (P) Ltd, New Delhi

26 August 2002

3

M/s Mecpro Heavy Engineering Limited, New Delhi

26 August 2002

4

M/s Alfa Laval (India) Limited, Pune

30 September 2002

5

M/s. Mectech Process Engineers Pvt Ltd, New Delhi

31 March 2003

6

M/s. Glamptech Agro Process Pvt Ltd, Mumbai

17 January 2004

7

M/s. Lipid System Engineers Pvt Ltd, Pune

30 March 2004

8

M/s. PEG Consultants and Engineers Pvt Ltd, Mumbai

7 May 2004


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Figure 7.4: Beneficiaries of IICT’s technology – Locations and years of commissioning of operations

2004 A.P. Organics Ltd., Dhuri 2002 Anil Modi Industries, Pilibhit, UP

2003 Bhatinda Chemicals Ltd, Bhatinda

2004 Dutta Agro Mills Pvt Ltd, Bardhaman, West Bengal

2005 Sona Oil and Chemical Industries, Nagpur

2004 Paceman Sales Promotion, Kolkatta 2002 Paras Vanaspati Pvt Ltd, Raipur 2004 Jaya Sree Solvex Pvt Ltd, Durg

2005 Bagaria Agro Products, Aurangabad 2003 Abhay Solvents Pvt Ltd, Koppal 2004 Murugarajendra Oil Industry, Chitradurga 2005 SSD Oil Mills Pvt Ltd, Chennai

2003 Kamal Solvent Extractors Pvt Ltd, 2004 Ganpati Solvex Pvt Ltd, Rajnandgoan

2003 Saraiwala Agro Refineries Ltd, Hyderabad Ramcharan Oil Industries Ltd, Hyderabad 2005 Sarda Agro Oil Ltd, Hyderabad Lohia Vanaspathi Ltd, Hyderabad

Figure 7.5: IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming – Timeline of events


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

technology was “To evolve a techno commercially viable physical refining process for RBO processing (pre-treatment)”, the then identified gap and felt need of RBO processing units as articulated in section 1.1. The primary outcome of the technological intervention was “increased production of nutritionally rich edible Rice Bran Oil in India” and the secondary or intermediate outcome is the “Increased exports of edible grade RBO from India”. Primary Outcome - Increased production of nutritionally rich edible RBO in India • As can be seen in the Figure 7.1 of this report, there was distinct improvement in the overall production of refined/ edible RBO in the country during 1997-98 and 2004-05 where the share of edible RBO in the total RBO production had increased from 68 percent to 81 percent. • Many refineries were pre-treating rice bran oil with phosphoric acid or organic acids such as citric acid for removing non-hydratable phospholipids. However, these methods failed to reduce the P content less than 5 ppm and no method was known which could reduce P level up to 5 ppm in industrial scale operations. Many industries were going ahead with physical refining without having the feed with lower content of phosphorous, resulting in producing dark coloured oils and resultant oil used to go into vanaspathi and other cheap products fetching less value for the processors. Due to this issue, a relatively smaller amount of oil was Figure 7.6: Exports of edible grade RBO from India

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used for direct human consumption, though the oil was regarded as nutritionally superior to most of the other vegetable oils. (Dr. Prasad, 2004) • Enzymatic Degumming enhances the efficiency of Physical Refining, according to few Scientists as the process removes the gums (phosphorous) completely from the oil and the oil can be bleached, de-acidified and deodorized directly after enzymatic degumming without the need for chemical neutralization using caustic. (Dr. Rao, 2002) • Though the rise in production of edible grade RBO may not be attributed solely to IICT’s technology, it may be logical to claim that the “production of nutritionally enhanced edible RBO” was the primary outcome of the enzymatic degumming. “While the chemical refining of crude rice bran oil yields better product in terms of colour, there is loss of nutraceutical and micronutrients. In the case of physical refining, the micronutrients are retained”. (Dr. Mehta, 2012) Secondary Outcome - Increased exports of edible grade RBO from India • Exports of edible grade or the refined RBO from India commenced during 2003-04 coinciding with promotion of physical refining of RBO by the Solvent Extractors Association of India as depicted in the Figure below. It may be noted that the edible RBO exports were almost nil before 2003. Major importers of edible grade RBO have been China, Malaysia, Thailand, USA etc.


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• Though the exports have been nominal over the past ten years, Government’s nod on bulk exports of RBO in 2015-16 is encouraging small scale processors and exporters which is evident from the quantum jump of exports of refined RBO from 780 kg on 2014-15 to 6954 Kg in 201516 (Source: Director General of Foreign Trade). The policy framework may enable more number of units adopting cost effective and efficient pre-treatment technologies such as enzymatic degumming in the coming days.

Major Outputs Major outputs or the economic and environmental benefits accrued to the RBO processing units include the following. The ToC framework states the outputs as claimed by IICT and as stated in the published secondary literature. These outputs were validated through personal interaction with the key representatives of the RBO units employing the technology, where possible and where the respondents were willing to share information/ data. The responses of the units are presented in the section 3 “Evaluation Findings”. • Increased oil recovery / Reduced oil losses during refining: • Increased oil recovery due to deployment of enzymatic degumming is due to the reduced oil losses during processing. • According to IICT, the intervention had resulted in increased oil recovery to an extent of 0.6 to 1.5%, 2 to 3 folds more compared to chemical refining • As the earlier chemical methods of refining (phosphoric acid degumming) was unviable to the industry due to oil losses during processing, introduction of enzymatic degumming (physical pretreatment) had resulted in more number of units undertaking production of refined RBO due to its cost effectiveness is also one of the claims being made. “In case of enzymatic degumming, soap stock is not generated during the process unlike alkali/ chemical degumming and hence eliminates the need for washing of oil with water for soap removal, thereby no washing losses. This results in reduction in oil losses and hence improved

economy to refineries” (Dr. Rao, 2002). • Enhanced quality of oil (improved colour and nutritionally rich oil): • As highlighted in section 2.2.1, reduction of P content below 5 ppm, before physical refining resulted in an end product that is highly appealing in terms of colour leading to improved usage of the refined RBO for edible purposes while the end product from conventional acid degumming was put to use for vanaspathi making and other non-edible purposes. • The process does not alter the fatty acid composition of the rice bran oil. The enzyme selectively hydrolyzes phospholipids. Hence, the Oryzanol present in the crude rice bran oil remains intact during the enzymatic degumming. • Ease of adoption and adaptation by the RBO unit • The process is very simple in operation. It can be adopted in the existing refineries with minor modifications in the degumming section. The enzymatic degumming process by IICT is much simpler compared to Lurgi process used for pre-treatment of soybean, sunflower and rapeseed oils. The simplicity of the process has attracted the attention of many RBO refineries, according to IICT. • Recovery of additional fatty acids • During the enzymatic degumming process, Free Fatty Acids (FFA) are generated when phospholipids are hydrolysed by enzyme and about 0.3 to 0.6 percent of additional fatty acids are recovered during de-acidification. • Reduced generation of effluents • Chemical refining of Rice Bran Oil produces large quantities of soap stock and wash water (containing soap and alkali) from centrifuge. Soap stock is generally converted to acid oil by treating with sulphuric acid and huge amount of wash water is generated as effluent. In case of physical refining, traditional phosphoric acid degumming generates a lot of acidulated wash water. The enzymatic degumming does not require more than 1.5 percent


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

of water for degumming as compared to acid degumming and also consumes less flush water during centrifugation compared to other conventional degumming processes. Enzymatically degummed oil also does not require water wash. Major Activities Major activities that lead towards realizing the above-mentioned outputs and outcomes are: (i) Technology development at lab scale (ii) Up Scaling and (iii) Transfer/ Diffusion/ Utilization These activities are explained in detail above. Inputs required Inputs required for the above activities constitute institutional, individual and financial resources that can broadly include – in-house manpower, external experts, capital costs for lab development, recurring costs, grant -in -aid, time taken and support from CSIR. • IICT had availed the services of two Scientists (three-man months) and two Technical Officers (twelve-man months) belonging to Lipid Sciences and Technology Division, CSIR funds were not utilized for the execution of the projects.

90 Mandays of Scientists and 80 Mandays of Technical Officers was utilized. A “Theory of Change” workshop involving the core team of Scientists from IICT was held on September 22, 2017 at ASCI, Hyderabad. The ToC framework finalized during the workshop is shown in the Figure 7.7 below and the proceedings of the meeting are enclosed in Annexure 3.

7.7 Evaluation Findings This section of the report summarizes the findings of the study from the primary survey, compiling the responses of thirteen RBO processing units. Findings of the study are presented and discussed viz., sub topics including economic impact, environmental and social impact as indicated in the ToR (section 1.3).

Economic Impact of the Technology As indicated in the ToR, the below-listed parameters are assessed to comprehend the economic impact of the technology, unit wise and also at the aggregate level. • Increase in gross income due to increased oil recovery and more fatty acids i.e. better-quality oil due to enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil

• No additional equipment was purchased for lab scale development

• Cost reduction due to enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil.

• Recurring cost of Rs. 2 lakhs were incurred for lab scale development. The amount was utilized from the fund of TMOP & M project granted for the execution of the project entitled “Refining of Rice Bran Oil and Upgradation of technologies for by-products”. Grant in aid assistance of Rs. 11.25 Cr was spent on the purchase of equipment and the same was supplied to 15 industries (Rs. 75 lakhs for each RBO processing unit).

• Increase in net income due to rise in income and reduced costs

• Recurring cost incurred for upscaling studies was Rs. 1 lakh. • IICT had received Rs. 144 lakhs towards technology transfer fee, as part of the project. • Time taken for technology development at lab scale and upscaling is two years as illustrated earlier. • Support from CSIR was in terms of the time of the Scientific Staff of the IICT. For upscaling activity,

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• Increase in income from value addition of by products (high value lyso lecithin and better-quality wax) through enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil. • Number of industries using CSIR-IICT’s enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil and their increase in net income over the years • Market channel of produce produced through Enzymatic Degumming of Rice Bran Oil and share of players involved in the marketing channel Increase in gross income due to increased oil recovery and more fatty acids i.e. better-quality oil due to enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil Seven among the thirteen respondents agreed that there is a rise in the gross income due to more oil


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recovery resulting from reduced process losses, after employing the enzymatic degumming technology. Increased oil recovery is due to lesser oil retention in gums after centrifugation process where the oil and gums are separated. While in conventional process the percentage retention of oil in gums is around 1.8 to 2 percent, enzymatic degumming results in gums that retain 1.2 - 1.4 percent oil. In percentage terms, 50 percent of the

respondents agree that they had observed a rise in gross income resulting from rise in oil recovery due to enzymatic degumming technology. Rest of the respondents were either green field projects who had never employed acid or water degumming or those who had not quantified the benefit accrued due to enzymatic degumming technology. According to the respondents, the reduced oil loss or the increased oil recovery ranged from 0.5

Figure 7.7: IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming – Theory of Change framework

Table 7.2: Increase in gross income due to more oil recovery Rise in Gross Annual Income in a 50 TPD unit due to enzymatic degumming

Rise in Gross Annual Income in a 100 TPD unit due to enzymatic degumming

Additional oil recovery per day is 0.25 MT (0.5% additional recovery) in a 50 TPD unit Assuming that the unit is operational for 300 days a year* at 80 percent average capacity utilization**, additional recovery per annum is 60 MT At an average factory gate price of Rs. 60 per kg of refined RBO, additional annual gross income for a 50 TPD unit is Rs. 36 lakhs. Additional gross income per MT of RBO processed is Rs. 300/- assuming annual production of 12,000 MT

Additional oil recovery per day is 0.5 MT (0.5% additional recovery) in a 100 TPD unit Assuming that the unit is operational for 300 days a year* at 80 percent average capacity utilization**, additional recovery per annum is 120 MT At an average factory gate price of Rs. 60 per kg of refined RBO, additional annual gross income for a 100 TPD unit is Rs. 72 lakhs. Additional gross income per MT of RBO processed is Rs. 300/- assuming annual production of 24,000 MT.

* and **- Assumptions derived from the responses


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

to 1.5 percent. 0.5 percent additional recovery in monetary terms for 50 TPD and 100 TPD units can be illustrated in the following table. Please note that the monetary impact is illustrative based on the assumptions derived from the responses of the beneficiaries. The rise in gross revenue (as illustrated in the Table above) can be solely attributed to the IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology as the rest of the refining processes and protocols remained intact. Fifty percent of the respondents agreed that there is a tremendous improvement in the quality of the oil as compared to conventional degumming while the rest denied. This denial is found to be primarily due to the colour of the end product (refined RBO) which is dark golden as compared to chemically refined oil which is lighter in colour. As the colour of the oil is a challenge in popularizing among the consumers, the processors feel that there is a need for a technology that could reduce the colour. Otherwise, all the respondents agreed that the nutritional quality of the oil is improved due to physical refining. However, they did not comment on the premium that they gain from improved nutritional quality of the oil. As far as the additional fatty acid recovery is concerned, the respondents indicated that there is a marginal or nominal increment in the recovery as compared to earlier used acid degumming and it may not be significant in monetary terms. Cumulative impact over the past ten years can be assessed taking into account the annual production of RBO during 2005-06 and 2015-16 and the market penetration or share of the technology. Assuming that the technology’s share has grown from 10 percent when it was introduced to 35 percent currently; the cumulative benefit (gross returns) accumulated due to the usage of enzymatic degumming technology over the said ten-year period is estimated at Rs. 33 Crores (Table 7.5). Cost reduction due to enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil Twenty percent of the respondents agreed that there was a significant reduction in costs, due to enzymatic degumming, owing to reduction in usage of water and power. However, 10 percent of the

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respondents indicated that the costs were as high as the conventional degumming as the units had to incur expenditure on procuring enzymes for degumming. 70 percent of the respondents were not sure of the quantification. Quantification of reduction in costs, as per the data provided by the RBO units can be illustrated as follows. Please note that the monetary impact is illustrative based on the assumptions derived from the responses of the beneficiaries. Table 7.3: Reduced costs due to enzymatic degumming Reduced costs due to enzymatic degumming According to the units that agreed that there is a significant reduction in costs, major saving of operational costs was observed in water and as a result, the power In a 100 TPD refining unit, the water saving was around 6,000 Litres Per Day (LPD) as water wash is not required after enzymatic degumming unlike acid degumming As water saving is indirectly the saving on power expenditure for pumping and supply, approximate per day saving of power is around 30 hp, equivalent to Rs. 3,500 per day, according to one of the units. Assuming 300 days of operations*, the power saving in lieu of saving water is Rs. 10.5 lakhs per annum. * Assumption derived from the responses

As the enzymatic degumming results in reduced consumption of water, the cost towards treatment of spent water or effluents is also reduced. According to one of the respondents, they could experience a reduction in effluents to an extent of 70 percent as compared to the earlier acid degumming. Increase in net income due to rise in gross income and reduced costs While 50 percent of the respondents agreed that there is a rise in gross income due to the enzymatic degumming technology, only 20 percent of the respondents were positive on the rise in net income due to the technology. As indicated in 3.1.2, one of the major concerns expressed by the respondents is the cost of the enzyme which is almost equivalent to the incremental gains they accrue due to the usage of the technology. In other words, the gains obtained by using enzymatic degumming, monetarily were offset by the recurring expenditure on enzymes. However, assessing the net benefit to the RBO units, it can be seen from the Table below that there is a rise in net income due to employment of enzymatic


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degumming technology and net benefit is positive, contrary to the respondents’ observations. Table 7.4: Increase in net income due to rise in gross income and reduced costs Increase in net income due to rise in gross income and reduced costs According to the respondents, the enzyme required to process 10 MT of crude RBO is 600 grams. And the cost of the enzyme is Rs. 2,400 per Kg. Accordingly, a 50 TPD unit needs to incur Rs. 7,200 per day towards the cost of the enzyme However, as can be observed from Table 7.2, additional recovery because of using enzymatic degumming is 0.25 MT in a 50 TPD unit (@ 0.5 percent) which is equivalent to Rs. 15,000 per day (assuming a sale price of Rs. 60 per Kg) Accordingly, the net benefit due to the technology is Rs. 7,800 per day. This is excluding the cost saving on power and ETP as indicated in Table 3. Annual net benefit would be Rs. 18.72 lakhs for a 50 TPD unit assuming a 300-day operation and 80 percent capacity utilization. Additional net income per MT would be Rs. 156 for an annual production of 12,000 MT.

From the illustration provided in the Table 7.4, it can be observed that the Units’ argument on the gains being offset by the cost of the enzyme is not valid and can be inferred that the benefits outweigh the costs. It can also be noted that the larger units with sufficient working capital and scale may not be facing the issue of rising enzyme costs and the same may have an impact on small units. Given that 70 percent of the respondents agree that there is no other superior technology to enzymatic degumming stands testimony to the fact that there is a significant improvement in the net income of the RBO units that employed the technology. Therefore, it can be concluded that the net benefit due to enzymatic degumming is positive. Cumulatively, the then existing RBO units had to incur capital expenditure for erecting the plant and machinery to an extent of Rs.1.62 Cr (all units put together, as reported by the RBO units). The annual incremental operational costs due to the technology is estimated at Rs. 144 per MT of RBO processed primarily due to the cost of enzymes. Cumulatively, over the past decade, the incremental operational costs were estimated at Rs. 3.02 Cr (Table 7.5). However, the increase in net income per MT of RBO processed is estimated at Rs. 156 (Table 7.4). The cumulative net gain during the said period; 2005-06 to 2015-16 is estimated at Rs. 17. 44 Cr.

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Increase in income from value addition of by products (high value lyso lecithin and betterquality wax) through enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil All the units unanimously mentioned that the rise in income from additional recovery of by-products was nominal and negligible. Also, it was emphasized by the units that further research on high quality by-products and their derivatives is the need of the hour. According to the units, it would be encouraging if IICT undertakes work on lecithin and its improvement. Number of industries using CSIR-IICT’s enzymatic degumming of Rice Bran Oil and their increase in net income over the years Market channel of produce produced through Enzymatic Degumming of Rice Bran Oil and share of players involved in the marketing channel As indicated earlier in this report, 18 RBO units had licensed the technology from CSIR. However, the study team had observed that the technology is being used by more than 18 industries currently without proper licensing. Though the pilferages cannot be quantified, according to the eminent experts in the oil industry, enzymatic degumming is used when the units cater to the markets that demand nutritionally rich refined oil of edible grade, especially the export markets. According to the data from Solvent Extractors Association of India published in 2014, there are 62 RBO refineries in the country (not the Solvent Extraction units). Of the 62 units, 18 have licensed the technology which is 29 percent of the total no of units (Figure 7.7). Even if 15 out of 18 RBO units that licensed the technology between 2002 and 2005 are operational currently, the market penetration of the technology is at 24 percent. According to a recent presentation by Adani Wilmar Limited in the Oil and Fats International India 2017, there are 35 manufacturers of refined RBO in the country. If 15 out of the 35 units had licensed enzymatic degumming, the share of the technology in the market is at 43 percent. In volume terms, as indicated earlier, edible grade RBO produced in the country is 6 Lakh MT per annum of which the RBO units employing the enzymatic degumming technology contribute to


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

1.94 Lakh MT of production1, accounting for 32% of the total production in the country (Figure 7.7). Though the diffusion of the technology has been a token over a period of 15 years, it can be noted that the pilferages are not being accounted for and

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if considered, almost 70 percent of the edible grade RBO produced in the country is from the units using enzymatic degumming, according to the Scientists from IICT and experts in the industry. Also, from our interaction with the experts in the Industry, it is comprehended that the enzymatic degumming

Figure 7.8: Market Penetration of IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology

Source: Author’s own calculations

Box 7.1: Interaction with Shri O.P. Goenka, Director, M/s 3F Industries Ltd •

The study team had an opportunity to interact with Shri. O.P. Goenka, a renowned expert and veteran in the oil industry. The team had sought his views on the enzymatic degumming technology, benefits accrued to the RBO industry over the past fifteen years and futuristic perspective on areas of research.

Shri Goenka was positive on the benefits of the technology, technically as well as financially. According to him, there was no other technology that could bring down the Phosphorous content of the degummed, bleached and de-waxed oil to around 5 ppm. Conventional acid degumming was resulting in an end product with 15 – 20 ppm of Phosphorous content as a result of which the quality and shelf life of the oil was not up to the mark. However, after introduction of enzymatic degumming, the quality and shelf life of the end product has tremendously improved according to him.

Financially, the technology had resulted in additional recovery of 0.3 to 0.6 percent of oil (depends on the retention time of enzyme, higher the retention, more the recovery). However, there exists scope on recovery of better quality by-products. Lecithin from gums is an area that can be worked upon.

When asked about the market penetration of the technology, Shri Goenka mentioned that almost all the RBO refineries in the country are aware of the technology. Usage of the technology, however depends on the market they cater to. Processors supplying to retail markets directly or leading brands may be using the technology as the market is sensitive to the nutritional aspects of the oil. At the same time, units dependent on institutional sales or the blending market may not be using the technology as they would not be able to afford the cost of the enzymes. Therefore, size of the unit and the business strategy play a major role in determining the adoption of the technology and therefore market penetration may not alone justify the merits of the technology.

Comparing the alternatives, he reiterated that there is no other superior technology compared to Enzymatic Degumming. Specifically commenting on the Simultaneous Degumming and Dewaxing from NIIST, Trivandrum, Shri Goenka mentioned that he would still recommend enzymatic degumming as the oil losses were relatively higher in Simultaneous Degumming and Dewaxing.

Sharing his experiences as Chair of National Seminars on RBO, he mentioned that a series of advocacy activities were taken up in order to popularize the technology for the benefit of the industry. However, awareness on the benefits of Rice Bran Oil among the consumers would drive the industry’s performance and adoption of any new and promising technologies, in general.

1 Approximation based on the current production capacities of the units that licensed the technology between 2002 and 2005


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technology is used in the units that adopt physical refining, catering to segments that are conscious on the nutritional aspects of the oil. Employing enzymatic degumming in refineries using chemical processes of refining may not be feasible for the units, financially. It may be noted that the technology is currently being used by few of the large RBO refineries in the country including M/s A.P. Organics Ltd, M/s Kamal Solvex Ltd etc. Therefore, it is evident that the market acceptability and the penetration of the technology is high. As illustrated in the Table 7.4, Rs. 156 per MT of oil refined is the net gain that can be directly attributed to the enzymatic degumming technology. Accordingly, 1.9 lakh MT of annual production of edible grade RBO through enzymatic degumming results in an annual net gain of Rs. 2.9 Cr in current value terms, at an aggregate level. If the entire 6 lakh MT of refined RBO is pre-processed through enzymatic degumming, the aggregate annual net gain would be Rs. 9.26 Cr. Cost – Benefit Analysis (CBA) Cost – Benefit analysis for the past ten years of Enzymatic Degumming (2005-06 to 2015-16) is performed to understand if the accumulated benefits outweighed the costs. CBA is based on relatively sound economic principles, i.e. conventional NPV and IRR. The benefits are expressed in a form of cost-benefit ratio (CBR), and recognise that capital investments produce social benefits over a certain period of time. CBA has found its application in all public expenditure (OECD). “CBA is a standard methodology for project selection, but it is useful after project implementation and closure to measure the actual net effects of the executed project. In principle, ex-post CBA shall be performed exactly as an ex-ante but using historical rather than forecasted data”. “Ex Post CBA refers to a CBA carried out after a project has been completed. At this stage all of the costs are ‘sunk’, that is they have already been invested in the project. This type of project is therefore used primarily to assess the project contributing to ‘learning’, so that the information gathered can be used in assessing future projects”2. In case of the enzymatic degumming technology, though the technology development

2 http://www.cbabuilder.co.uk/CBA1.html

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and commercialization is completed, the evaluation can be considered mid-term as there exists scope for adoption by more number of industries and is a continuous process. The CBA analysis is performed with a set of assumptions that are either derived from the responses of the RBO units or from the published sources. The Table 7.5 above illustrates the key assumptions (benefits accumulated during 2005-06 and 2015-16 and costs) for the Cost Benefit Analysis along with the cash inflows and outflows discounted at a rate of 10 percent. It is important to note that the investments taken into account include the costs for technology development and upscaling incurred by IICT/CSIR and the investments by the units in lieu of additional investments in plant & machinery and licensing the technology. The benefits include the gross incremental gains realized by the units solely due to the technology. All other production factors and conditions of the market are assumed to be constant. Accordingly, the Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) of the technology is at 5.97 which clearly indicates that the benefits of the technology outweigh the costs incurred for technology development, upscaling and additional investments in plant and machinery by the RBO units. Therefore, it can be concluded that the economic benefit of the technology, at an aggregate level is positive. The minimal costs for technology development and adaptation by the then existing brown field units is therefore justified by the high BCR. It may be noted that the benefits accumulated over the years are enormous as compared to the time and efforts invested by the Scientists of IICT. Assuming that the technology would further diffuse or penetrate into the market in the coming years, proportionate to the growth of the RBO market in the country; which is estimated at 15 percent annually, it would be encouraging to note that the BCR would only improve, significantly. Though there is no alternate technology that is available in the market at present, it is important that the technology is popularized among the RBO refineries intensively. It is observed by the study team that the technology is “perceived” to be


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Table 7.5: Cost Benefit Analysis – IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology Cost Benefit Analysis of Enzymatic Degumming Technology Cost of Technology Development (Rs) Includes the recurring cost of Rs. 2 lakhs and salaries of scientific staff (section 2.2.5)

10,00,000

Cost of Upscaling (Rs) Includes the recurring cost of Rs. 1 lakh and salaries of scientific staff (section 2.2.5)

3,18,750

Cost of Licensing the Technology (Rs) This cost was incurred by the 18 RBO units that licensed the technology @ Rs. 5 lakhs per unit

90,00,000

Cost of additional Investments in plant and machinery for adoption of enzymatic degumming (Rs) This is the direct cost incurred by the brown field units or part of the capital cost incurred by green field units @Rs. 4 lakhs per unit

72,00,000

Annual Incremental gain (Rs per MT) owing to IICT’s enzymatic degumming (Table 2) *

300

Incremental net gain (Rs per MT) owing to IICT’s enzymatic degumming (Table 3) *

156

Annual Incremental operational costs (Rs per MT) due to the IICT’s technology (Primarily the cost of enzymes G = E-F)

144

Table 7.6: Cost Benefit Analysis – IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology 200506

200607

200708

200809

200910

201011

201112

201213

201314

201415

201516

1. Edible RBO production (lakh MT) Source: SEAI

3.7

4.1

4.2

4.1

3.8

4.4

4.5

4

4.7

6

6

2. Market Penetration / Diffusion of the technology (volume terms)

10%

10%

12%

15%

18%

20%

22%

25%

30%

35%

35%

3. RBO produced using enzymatic degumming technology (Lakh MT, 3 = 1*2)

0.56

0.62

0.63

0.82

0.76

1.10

1.13

1.00

1.41

2.10

2.10

4. Incremental gross return (Rs in Cr) (4= 3*E)

1.67

1.85

1.89

2.46

2.28

3.30

3.38

3.00

4.23

6.30

6.30

5. Cumulative Gross Return (Rs in Cr)

1.67

3.51

5.40

7.86

10.14

13.44

16.82

19.82

24.05

30.35

36.65

6. Incremental operational costs (Rs in Cr) (6= 3*G)

0.80

0.89

0.91

1.18

1.09

1.58

1.62

1.44

2.03

3.02

3.02

7. Investment (Rs in Cr) (A,B,C,D)

1.62

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

8. Cumulative Investment (Rs in Cr) (8=6+7)

2.42

3.30

4.21

5.39

6.49

8.07

9.69

11.13

13.16

16.19

19.21

9. Net Cash Flow (9 = 5-8)

-0.75

0.21

1.19

2.47

3.65

5.37

7.12

8.68

10.88

14.16

17.44

Discounted Net Cash Inflow (Rs in Cr)

31.25

Discounted Net Cash Outflow (Rs in Cr)

9.11

BCR = Discounted Net Cash Inflow / Discounted Net Cash Outflow

3.43

*Historical prices of RBO not taken into account, however, the benefits are discounted at a rate of 10 percent.


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expensive in terms of higher operational costs by the units (cost of enzymes) and advocacy activities to break this myth is highly essential for improved usage of the technology. Benefits of the technology as experienced by units with positive economic impact need to be showcased in the form of audio/ video testimonials for the benefit of the rest of the units. It is felt important that IICT/ CSIR undertakes commercialization of the technology in a diligent manner for increased uptake as well as arrest pilferages. As known, the technology is the first of its kind in the world. Therefore, it would be appropriate if IICT/ CSIR can invest in time to strategize on commercializing the technology, abroad as well.

Environmental Impact of the Technology As provided in the ToR, the environmental impact of the technology is known by assessing the requirement of less water and release of lesser liquid effluents. Among the respondents interviewed as part of the survey, 85 percent agreed that the technology is environment friendly as compared to other conventional degumming methods and results in reduced generation of effluents. According to M/s Jayashree Solvex of Rajnandgoan, Chhattisgarh, one of the major reasons why the technology is adopted is due to its “pollution free” nature. The technology is environment friendly and safe for the following reasons: • No water wash is required after the degumming and oil losses in washing can be avoided. “The enzymatic degumming does not require more than 1.5 percet water for degumming and also consumes less flush water during centrifugation compared to conventional degumming process (IICT)”. According to M/s Kamal Solvent Extractors Pvt Ltd, Rajnandgoan, Chhattisgarh, the 100 TPD unit is able to conserve 6000 litres of water per day, translating into 18 lakh litres per annum for a 300-day operation. At a unit level, the water saving due to the technology per MT of RBO processed is 60 litres. At an aggregate level, if it is assumed that all the RBO refineries in the country are using the enzymatic degumming and the entire 6.5 lakh MT of RBO is produced using the units employing enzymatic degumming, the water saving per annum is 390 lakh litres (85.78 lakh gallons).

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• As water wash is not required, the effluents generated are lesser and hence the cost of operations of Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) is much lesser than the plants employing conventional degumming methods. According to M/s Abhay Solvents from Karnataka, they could observe that the enzymatic degumming resulted in 70 percent lesser effluents as compared to acid degumming. Earlier incurred cost towards effluent treatment to a tune of Rs. 40,000 per month is directly saved after employing enzymatic degumming technology. Accordingly, a brown field unit would have saved Rs. 31 lakhs over the past ten years in present value terms. And, if used by all the 18 licensee units, cumulative savings over the decade is estimated at Rs. 5.6 Cr in present value terms. • “Since enzymatic degumming enables refineries to reduce the phosphatide content in the oil to about 20 ppm, the concomitant dosage of bleaching earth and carbon in bleaching is also reduced. This has resulted in the production of lesser quality of spent earth per tonne of oil processed” (IICT). This observation was not commented upon by the respondents, in particular.

Social Impact of the Technology Social Impact of the technology is assessed by measuring the additional employment generated by using enzymatic degumming technology and assessment of health benefits due to the technology viz., reduction in incidence of diseases and less expenditure on medical services etc. Accordingly, the study team had assessed the additional employment generated by using the technology by interviewing the respondents (RBO units). However, it was observed that the units had a unilateral opinion that the technology per se did not generate any direct or indirect jobs. As the technology adaptation was a simple process and the eventual operationalization did not require any specialized or skilled manpower, the units confirmed that there was no additional employment that was generated solely by usage of the enzymatic degumming technology. However, according to the letters received by IICT during 2003 and 2005, few units had informed IICT that additional jobs were created after using


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Table 7.7: Additional employment generated – as communicated by the beneficiaries Name of the RBO unit

Date

Communication on additional employment

Kamal Solvent Extractors Pvt Ltd

19.08.2006

We have created 10 (Ten) new jobs in new Refinery

A.P.Organics Pvt Ltd

16.8.2006

The unit has given additional employment to 31 persons.

Ramcharam Oil Industries

26.08.2006

The unit has created an additional employment of 15 persons.

Saraiwwala Agro Refineries Limited

24.08.2006

The unit has given additional employment to 15 persons.

Sarda Agro Oil Limited

23-08-2006

12 to 15 new jobs have been created

Sri Murugarajendra Oil Industry Pvt Ltd.

26-8-2006

We have also created about 15 jobs in our newly established enzymatic degumming process division.

SSD Oil Mills Company Limited

26-08-2006

We have during the year created employment for 25 skilled personnel and 20 unskilled persone.

Lohiya Vanaspathi

26-08-2006

We have created 16 Nos of new jobs in the new refinery.

Ganapathi Solvex Pvt Ltd

28-08-2006

The unit has given employment to 12 people

Jayshree Solvex Pvt Ltd

26-08-2006

This unit has generated additional employment of 32 persons.

the technology (Table 7.6). This may be due to the fact that most of these units were green field projects set up with assistance under the TMOP&M program of Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India and therefore job creation was a natural outcome. However, creation of additional jobs due to enzymatic degumming technology could not be established with the existing data/ evidence. On the health benefits of the technology, almost all the units agreed that their Health and Safety systems at the premises of the refineries improved significantly as there was no need to store corrosive acids such as Phosphoric acid after using of enzymatic degumming technology unlike the conventional process. This can be a direct consequence of enzymatic degumming as the process does not involve usage of chemicals during the degumming and downstream refining. And, retention of the nutritional aspects of the oil, especially the Oleoresin due to physical refining in general and enzymatic degumming in particular is widely recognised as a direct benefit of the technology. Accordingly, the three major advantages of the physical refining process include less pollution, retention of oryzanol and economical and cost-effective refining3. Therefore, it can be inferred that the units adopting physical refining process for RBO refining contribute to the larger well-being of the consumers and hence the positive impact on the health indicators of the general public is significant.

3 www.ricela.com

Apart from the social benefits on employment generation and safety aspects, 50 percent of the respondents agreed that they seek guidance from IICT and they have been indicating further areas of research including improvement in lecithin, value added products from wax etc. 30 percent of the units mentioned that they no longer seek help from IICT while 20 percent refrained from commenting.

Technology rating by the beneficiaries Overall Rating of the Technolog The respondents were required to rate the benefit of the technology on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 implying “very low”, 2 indicating “low”, 3 indicating “moderate”, 4 indicating “high” and 5 indicating “very high”. 80 percent of the respondents had rated the technology as “highly beneficial” and 20 percent had rated “moderately beneficial”. The weighted average rating of the technology in terms of the benefit to the RBO processing according to the responses is 3.8 out of 5. Primary reasons cited by the respondents for usage of enzymatic degumming technology include the following: • Acid degumming leads to reduced quality of the end product. • Losses were more in phosphoric acid degumming and hence adopted IICT’s technology. Usually in phosphoric acid degumming, the wastage after centrifugation is around 2 percent and in


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Figure 7.9: Overall rating of the technology – frequency

Scale Frequency

1

2

3

4

5

0.00%

0.00%

20.00%

80.00%

0.00%

N = 13

Figure 7.10: Rating of the technology in terms of ease of adoption – Frequency

Scale Frequency N = 13

1

2

3

4

5

0.00%

0.00%

20.00%

70.00%

10.00%


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

enzymatic degumming, wastage is only around 1 percent • Phosphorous content of the oil reduced, Recovery of quality by-products • Reduced pollution as the enzyme is biodegradable. • The technology is pollution free as well as economical • Yield of refined oil is higher in enzymatic degumming Uniqueness of IICT’s technology, as perceived by the respondents include the following: • Cost effectiveness • Reduced phosphorous content in the oil with enhanced nutritional qualities (tocopherol is retained in the end product which makes the oil nutritionally appealing) • Better oil yield • Eco friendly • Easily adaptable Rating of the technology in terms of ease of adoption The respondents were required to rate the ease of adoption and adaptability of the technology on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 implying “very low”, 2 indicating “low”, 3 indicating “moderate”, 4 indicating “high” and 5 indicating “very high”. 10 percent of the respondents had rated the ease of adoption as “very high”; 70 percent as “high” and 10 percent as “moderate”. The weighted average rating of the technology in terms of the ease of adoption and adaptation is 3.9 out of 5. This particular variable is applicable only for the units engaged in RBO processing earlier and switched to enzymatic degumming during 2002-2005 and not for the units that were newly established. According to the respondents, the time taken for adoption of the technology is 3 months and is very simple to adopt. “CSIR-IICT RBO technology requires very small additions to already existing small-scale RBO refining plants” (2014. Manisha).

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7.8 Conclusion The technology overall has resulted in a positive socio-economic benefit as illustrated in the section 3. It is evident from the technology’s positive Benefit Cost Ratio that the costs incurred on technology development had resulted in larger gains to the RBO processing industry as well as the consumers and thereby positive economic impact. The intended goal or the primary objective of the technology as described in the Section 2, Theory of Change, “To evolve a techno commercially viable physical refining process for RBO processing (pre-treatment)” hence can be treated accomplished, given the positive social, economic and environmental impact as discussed in section 3. It is also important to note that the technology has resulted in unintended benefit of being environmental safe and pollution free. On the relevance of the technology, it can be inferred that the intervention or the technology is still valid and being employed by almost all the RBO units that licensed in. As discussed earlier, the technology has been widely appreciated for its relevance. However, the commercialization aspect of the technology could have been paid enough attention to plug the leakages and pilferages. The technology development process by IICT was also found to be highly relevant as the needs of the beneficiaries was duly taken into account. As discussed in section 1, the diagnostic study undertaken by IICT and further interactions with the RBO refineries led them to pin point the then need of the hour; “Reduction in phosphorous content (below 5 ppm) of the crude oil to improve the quality and shelf life of refined RBO”. As the beneficiaries unanimously agree that the quality of the end product (refined RBO) is far superior than the ones produced through conventional degumming processes, it can be concluded that the technology could address the need of the processors, very well. Also, the relevance of the technology coupled with the economic, social and environmental benefits accrued over the past fifteen years makes it successful and popular among the beneficiaries. Hence, effectiveness of the technology is high.


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Major factors that contributed to the effectiveness of technology development included the following: 1.

The need of the industry was taken into account

2. Feedback from Solvent Extractors Association of India was duly considered before the technology development 3.

Industry was taken into fold for demonstration and diffusion activities

4.

Scientists were aware of the commercial aspects of RBO processing so that the units could come forward for adoption and adaptation thereafter

Efficiency of the technology is no less than the effectiveness in case of enzymatic degumming, according to the respondents. The respondents were to comment on the process, cost and time efficiency of the technology. • Improved oil recovery: As illustrated in the Section 3, while reducing the P content in the crude oil, the technology led to reduced oil losses in turn leading to improved oil recovery by 0.5% to 1%. • Ease of adoption and adaptation: The project implementation seems to be simple and the time taken for adoption of the technology is 1-2 months only. And, there were no cumbersome processes or major modifications that were required in the then existing plant and machinery. Also, the adaptation of the technology seemed simple as there was no additional requirement of skilled manpower for operating the equipment. • Cost of raw materials: As can be seen from the section 3, significant cost saving was observed in case of consumables including water, power and effluent treatment. However, the Industry’s concern on rising cost of enzymes needs to be looked into. There is a need to develop a domestic substitute for the enzyme given that the units are importing the same incurring high operational costs. Though the net gain of using the technology is positive owing to improved oil recovery, there is a need to achieve optimization in enzyme procurement so as to further

enhance the profitability of the units and wider acceptance of the technology. • Time taken for processing: There is no time efficiency observed implying the time taken before and after adoption of IICT’s technology remain the same. According to respondents, IICT’s technology has nothing to do with the time efficiency, being a pre-treatment technology. Hence, time efficiency may not be a factor for evaluation in this particular case. Economic/ Financial impact of the technology has been positive. As illustrated in the section 3, 0.5 percent of additional recovery in 50 TPD and 100 TPD units translates into an incremental annual gross income of Rs. 36 lakhs and Rs. 72 lakhs respectively. The cumulative benefit (gross returns) accumulated due to the usage of enzymatic degumming technology over the said ten-year period is estimated at Rs. 33 Crores (Table 7.5). It is noteworthy that during the past fifteen years of existence of enzymatic degumming, there has been no other superior technology that has been made available to the industry and 70 percent of the respondents agree with the statement. Also, 50 percent of units still seek the help of the team of Scientists from IICT for any technology related updates and queries, emphasizing the trust and goodwill that the technology has generated. This also can be a case in point for a strong synergistic relationship between a Research Institution and Industry which is rarely witnessed.

7.9 Recommendations Based on the evaluation results above, it is recommended that the technology is further popularized among the RBO refineries through a laid-out commercialization plan. As it emerges from the study, smaller RBO units may not be adopting the technology owing to higher operational costs due to procurement of enzymes. There is a need for IICT/ CSIR to educate these units on the economic benefits they would accrue over a period of time, showcasing the performance of units that have already been using the technology. This activity is


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

highly essential for the benefits to reach out to all the RBO refineries. To arrest pilferages of such impactful technologies, it is essential for CSIR to build a dynamic portal that would keep track of the licensees. Such a system with user access at the lab level and CSIR level is needed to ease the tracking. And, dedicated experts on technology commercialization and legal aspects need to be institutionalized for improved reach and penetration. A similar effort may be undertaken in leading RBO refining countries as the technology is first of its kind. A diagnostic study on the opportunities abroad may be initiated to draft a blue print for commercialization abroad.

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From the results discussed above, it is known that IICT can further work on improving the techno commercial aspects of by-products of RBO refineries. And, the study team is certain that the research on lecithin and its derivatives and improving the colour of the refined RBO has already been initiated by the team of Scientists at IICT. As a policy measure, domestic firms may be encouraged or incentivized to produce the enzyme; “Phospholipase� at a commercial scale, for the benefit of the industry. This may bring down the cost of production and improve the profitability of the RBO units, further. A concerted effort in this direction would naturally popularize the technology in place of acid degumming.


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High Rate Biomethanation of Organic Waste for the Generation of Biogas and Biomanure based on Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor (AGR) Executive Summary

8

An initiative by CSIR-IICT Sponsored by CSIR

Study conducted by Administrative Staff College of India


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Background Solid waste management is a grave environmental concern in today’s world and conversion of waste into energy and other organic by-products is often seen as a viable solution for the problem. Anaerobic digestion, pioneered by German engineers, was adopted by India almost 40 years ago to process cow dung (called Gobar Gas plants). Though these digesters could be constructed at low capital cost, it could treat only 50 to 250 kg of cow dung per day and the biogas produced contained low methane content. Moreover, the digestion took place in one stage leading to operational instability. CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) came up with an advanced high rate bio methanation technology for converting organic waste into biogas and bio-manure. The technology named as Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor (AGR), is superior to conventional digesters as it addresses all the problems associated with conventional digesters. Not only does this technology eliminate scum production, produces biogas rich in methane, it also has the capability to be scaled up to any level. The modern Anaerobic Gas lift Reactor (AGR) technology for waste to energy conversion addresses more than one problem - not only does it convert waste into energy but also provides a cleaner alternative compared to conventional sources of energy, reduces stress on rapidly depleting conventional sources of energy, reduces carbon footprint besides some other ancillary benefits like local employment generation, cost saving and revenue generation for the users of the technology. CSIR-IICT has not only developed the AGR technology, it continues to be involved in its deployment. It has run a large scale demo plant at Toopran in association with the industrial partner, M/s AESPL to fine tune the technology and make it ready for adoption. CSIR-IICT has taken steps to publicize the technology via various media viz. print, video documentary, demonstration stalls at exhibitions and trade fairs, and have also kept its demo plant open for public viewing.

Environmental and Health Benefit Due to adoption of AGR technology, environmental pollution caused in the process of sending solid waste to landfill sites is mitigated. About 1440 tonnes of organic solid and liquid waste is treated at source and the release of 4,14,720 kgs of greenhouse gases (Carbon dioxide and methane) in the environment is avoided per annum. The health risks related to putrefaction of food waste is mitigated which benefitted scores of staff members working in the kitchens.

The Study The evaluation study carried out by ASCI aims to understand the impact of the AGR technology and assess the following: • Assessment of CSIR-IICT technology as compared to other waste treatment technologies • Benefits due to bio digesters in terms of a) safe disposal of waste, b) revenue/income from waste utilization (c) increase in employment generation • Number & rise in net income of industries/entrepreneurs adopting CSIR-IICT’s bio digester • Assessment of environmental and health impact


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Economic Benefit Key survey findings show that direct benefits in terms of net revenue - to the user of the technology is approximately INR 4,33,748 per annum, to AESPL on a 1 TPD Plant is INR 1,62,500, and the royalty earned by IICT on 1 TPD Plant is INR 1,00,000 respectively. Indirect benefits are in the form LPS savings equivalent to INR 9,27,948 per annum, saved carbon credit equivalent of INR 2,28,485 per annum, and employment generation of at least 10 people whenever a 1 or 2 TPD plant is set up which leads to a salary generation of approximately INR 3,96,576 per annum. The net benefit derived from each 1 TPD plant is around INR 25 lakhs. With the success of Swachh Bharat mission, and new solid waste management rules being implemented, multiple AGR projects are expected to be implemented in near future. Cumulative net benefit is expected to grow exponentially (INR 2600 lakhs) in next 4-5 years.

Social Benefit The major outcome of the AGR technology is that it has provided energy efficient and cost effective decentralized technology to the institutions generating substantial organic waste on a daily basis. Few lakh children and adults eat meals prepared in hygienic kitchens of The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), which have adopted the AGR technology. The encouraging fact is that TAPF has given consent to install AGR plants in all their other community kitchens across India in a phased manner, and recognized that CSIR-IICT as the primary biogas technology provider and M/s AESPL as project executor. Comparing the AGR with the Mesophilic Anaerobic Reactor, it is observed that net revenue from the former is much higher, with lower capital and operating costs.

Recommendations Success of AGR technology lies in increasing its awareness. So far, M/s AESPL has managed to install five AGR plants in the privately run institutions and the upcoming three installations are also in the private institutions. To showcase the technology and make it attractive for institutions to voluntarily adopt it, more efforts need to be made towards popularizing the technology. At a time when ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission is a priority area for the Government, government institutions and municipal bodies need to adopt this technology. A recommendation here would be to plan and strategize how the technology can be dove-tailed with the Swachh Bharat Mission.

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High Rate Biomethanation of Organic Waste for the Generation of Biogas and Biomanure based on Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor (AGR)

8.1 Introduction Background and Context Solid waste management is a grave environmental concern in today’s world and conversion of waste into energy and other organic byproducts is often seen as a viable solution for the problem. The Anaerobic Gas lift Reactor (AGR) technology for waste to energy conversion addresses more than one problem i.e. not only does it convert waste into energy but also provides a cleaner alternative compared to conventional sources of energy, reduces stress on rapidly depleting conventional sources of energy, reduces carbon footprint besides some other ancillary benefits like employment generation locally, cost savings and revenue generation for the users of the technology. Anaerobic digestion was pioneered by German engineers as early as 100 years ago. The German engineers designed what is commonly known as Imhoff tank primarily used to treat sewage sludge. India embarked upon technology to process cow dung but much later than Germany did. It began around 40 years ago and Indian engineers developed different models of anaerobic digesters like KVIC,

fixed dome etc. These were designed primarily to treat cow dung and were installed in villages for the biomethanation of cow dung. These indigenously designed plants were aptly called Gobar Gas plants. These plants could be constructed by local masons at low capital costs owing to its simple design. However, these digesters could treat only 50 to 250 kg of cow dung per day and the biogas produced from these plants contained lower methane content. The design did not allow it to be scaled up for treating larger quantities of waste. Besides that these digesters failed after two to three years of operation because of scum formation and chocking issues. Besides that, these digesters also had high hydraulic residence time (HRT)1, low organic loading rate (OLR), lower biogas production, lower volatile solids destruction rate etc. However, in modern high rate digesters, the process of biomethanation occurs in two or three stages while in conventional digesters mentioned above, the digestion occurs in single stage that leads to operational instability of the process. In conventional digesters HRT was high (50 to 60 days), OLR was low (1 to 2 kg VS/m3/day), methane yield was low (0.1 to 0.2 m3CH4/(kg VS added)) and VS

1 HRT is a measure of the average length of time that a slurry remains in a digester tank while OLR is a measure of amount of volatile solids that can be fed into the digester every day.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

reduction was low (30 to 40%). The rate of digestion was multi fold in high rate digesters with low HRT in the range of 20 to 30 days, high organic loading rate (OLR) (volatile solids loading rate) in the range of 5 to 6 kg VS/m3/day, high methane yield in the range of 0.35 to 0.4 m3 CH4/(kg VS added) and high volatile solids reduction in the range of 70 to 90 %. High rate digesters developed in Europe were viable for higher quantities of waste in the range of 100 to 200 tons per day. CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) came up with an advanced high rate biomethanation technology for converting organic waste into biogas and bio-manure. The technology is named as Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor (AGR). AGR technology is superior to conventional digesters as it addresses all the problems associated with conventional digesters. AGR has the possibility for scaling up to any level besides that it eliminates scum formation, increases biogas production rich in methane. Further, it has high OLR and low HRT compared to conventional digesters.

Technology Description AGR encompasses novel design features as high rate digesters developed in Europe and consists of pre and post processing mechanism for the conversion

of organic waste into biogas and bio-manure. AGR is suitable for the treatment of organic solid waste like poultry litter, food waste, press mud, cattle manure, organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), sewage sludge etc. Figure 8.1 depicts the biomethanation process of organic waste for the generation of biogas and biomanure. AGR is designed to minimize HRT and increase solids retention time (SRT)2 while enhancing the rate of biogas production by incorporating the best features of high rate biomethanation such as mixing, retention of high active biomass, buffering capacity, food to micro-organism ratio, feed slurry concentration, microbial culture inhibition mechanisms, delinking of HRT & SRT etc.

Technology Development Initially, CSIR-IICT aimed at developing high rate anaerobic digester suitable for poultry farms to treat approximately 5 to 10 tons of poultry litter per day. CSIR-IICT carried out in-depth R&D and a high rate biomethanation digester was developed with financial aid of Department of Bio-technology (DBT), Government of India. It was named Self Mixed Anaerobic digester (SMAD) and was patented by CSIR-IICT. The high rate biomethanation plant based on SMAD was installed at Sri Venkateshwara

Figure 8.1: Process flow schematic biomethanation of organic waste of AGR

2 SRT is the average time the activated-sludge solids are in the system.

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Figure 8.2.: Evolution of AGR Technology

Veterinary University in Hyderabad in 2007 for the treatment of poultry litter emanating from live stock research station. However, there were some unsolved issues in the high rate biomethanation of poultry litter such as C/N Ratio, temperature, incorporation of ammonia inhibition control mechanism, quenching of stabilized solids, removal of sand and grit from feed etc. To address these problems CSIR-IICT designed another high rate biomethanation reactor namely “Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor (AGR)” in 2012. This technology has been patented by CSIR-IICT and was licensed to M/s Ahuja Engineering Services Private Limited (AESPL), Secunderabad. The high rate digester developed was tested in laboratory with various organic wastes and a pilot plant was installed at Toopran near Hyderabad by M/s AESPL under the technical guidance and supervision of CSIR-IICT. It was specially designed for litter generated from Indian poultry farms containing grit and sand, and low C/N ratio. Subsequently the design of AGR was tested for other kind of wastes such as vegetable waste, food waste, grass, sewage sludge, cattle manure etc., and these trials proved successful. In January 2015, M/s AESPL acquired license from CSIR-IICT and both the technology provider and licensee collectively sought for opportunities for the installation of biogas plants based on AGR Technology for the treatment of organic waste. The first biogas plant based on AGR technology to treat food waste was installed at the kitchen of “The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF)”, Bellary in July 2015. TAPF is a Non-governmental organization (NGO) which operates under the aegis of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) for mid meal programme for school children. There are about 44 kitchens of TAPF across India where about 1,00,000 Lakh meal is prepared for school children. About one ton of food waste is generated at the kitchen of TAPF.

About Licensee of AGR Technology M/s AESPL has more than 25 years of experience/ expertise in project engineering and consultation. Based on CSIR-IICT “AGR” technology, AESPL is executing the projects on turnkey basis under the technical guidance and supervision of CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad. The MoU was signed between CSIR-IICT and M/s AESPL in January 2015 according to which latter is the sole licensee of the AGR technology for a period of 5 years (i.e. from Jan 2015 to Jan 2020). M/s AESPL was a natural candidate for licensing the technology as it has been involved with the development and testing of AGR technology since the beginning. M/s AESPL has provided partial funding for the R&D of the technology at the initial stages and helped CSIR-IICT scientists to test technology’s techno-commercial aspects by installing the AGR plant in Toopran for the treatment of poultry litter for biogas generation and utilize the electrical energy generated from biogas to operate pumps to irrigate 10 acres of agricultural land for 3 years.

Technology Adoption and Live Projects M/s AESPL with technical support from CSIR-IICT has deployed the technology in five different locations in India which are fully functional now. TAPF which is a NGO founded by ISKCON and funded by several institutional and individual donors provides mid-day meal to school going children in several states of India. CSIR-IICT and M/s AESPL has installed and commissioned biogas plants based on AGR at the kitchens of TAPF in Bellary & Hubli (Karnataka), Ahmedabad, and Surat with another plant at Bhavnagar under commissioning stages. These plants are built for the treatment of 1000 kg/day of food waste along with 1000 L of rice gruel water generated at the kitchens of TAPF. About 130 to 140 m3/day of biogas along with 150 kg/day of bio manure could be generated from the waste at TAPF.


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Biogas generated in these plants is being used for replacing LPG (55 to 60 kg/day) for decentralized cooking applications at the kitchens of TAPF. Another plant for the treatment of 250 kg/day of kitchen waste is installed at CSIR-IICT campus in Hyderabad. It has been shown that AGR technology has an edge over other technologies that are in use to treat organic waste. The salient features of AGR are less power consumption; high biogas yields, and achieves high weight/volume reduction compared to all the other technologies.3

8.2 Scope The evaluation study aims at understanding the potential range of direct and indirect impacts resulting from the adoption of the AGR technology and point towards its success factors and limitations, if any.

8.3 Terms of Reference The socio-economic impact assessment of AGR technology is done based on the following Terms of Reference given by CSIR: • Assessment licensee

of

technology

transferred

to

• Benefits due to bio digesters in terms of a) safe disposal of waste, b) revenue/income from waste utilization

8.4 Methodology Primary research methodology Physical site visits to identified CSIR-IICT lab and one AGR facility was undertaken, physical and telephonic interactions with core team of scientists from CSIR-IICT was undertaken through structured protocols, telephonic interactions with users of AGR technology and technology licensee was undertaken to get first hand understanding of the technology. Apart from the above a questionnaire was prepared on the basis of secondary research and interaction with key stakeholders of the technology. The questionnaire was sent out to 5 technology users and one technology licensee to obtain information first hand from them.4 Further, in order to gain an understanding of how the biodigester technology compares with other waste to energy technologies, telephonic interviews were done with three alternative technology providers. Two of the technology providers responded. Based on the information, the ASCI team visited one technology user of an alternative waste to energy plant based in Hyderabad and a personal interview was conducted at the site. Questionnaire Administration There are currently 5 users of AGR Technology, and 1 technology licensee organizations. The questionnaire was administered on all of them. Below are the details of the study population. 1.

• Increase in employment generation (man days) due to installation of bio digesters.

The Akaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), Hubli, Technology User

2.

• Number of industries/ entrepreneurs using CSIR-IICT’s bio digester and increase in their net income over the years

The Akaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), Bellary, Technology User

3. The Akaya Patra Foundation Ahmedabad, Technology User

(TAPF),

4.

The Akaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), Surat, Technology User

5.

• Comparison of the Biodigester Technology with similar and other waste treatment technologies/ methods

CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, Technology User

6.

M/s AESPL, Hyderabad, Technology Licensee

• Assessment of health benefits by using this technology (Reduction in incidence of diseases, less expenditure on medical services etc.).

Moreover, Infosys Gachibowli, Hyderabad, a technology user of M/s GPS Renewables private Limited was interviewed to get a comparative picture

• Assessment of environmental impact of this technology (e.g. GH gases, LPG replacement and reusable byproducts etc.).

3 Annexure C, Response of IICT to Questionnaire sent by ASCI. See Annexure V in the Annexure section below. 4 Questionnaires for technology user and technology licensee are given in Annexure II.


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of the waste to energy technologies compared to that developed by IICT. Secondary research methodology All documents on the Technology including technology profiles, brochures, patent claims, previous study reports, articles in peer-reviewed journals, documentation on awards applications and awards, documentary film etc were consulted as part of the desk research.5 Data collected through physical interactions, telephonic interactions6 and questionnaire administration were triangulated with the available secondary literature.

8.5 Limitations The study required data collection from 5 users of AGR technology and one technology licensee. 3 AGR users responded to the questionnaire circulated to them and technology licensee also provided the required information. Several telephone calls and follow up emails to two out of five technology users did not yield any result. While maximum efforts were made by the ASCI Study Team to collect the data, the methodology and results emerging there from would be subject to the limited amount of data received from technology users. Finally in order to gain an understanding of the Comparison of the Bio-digester Technology with similar and other waste treatment technologies/ methods, three other technology providers were contacted. The identification and selection of the three was done based on information given by CSIR-IICT. The study team made all efforts to get a comparative picture but had to rely on limited information since the private players were wary of sharing information with the study team despite assurance of confidentiality.

8.6 Stakeholders Mapping and Role Evaluation Development and promotion of AGR technology majorly involved CSIR-IICT, a lab of CSIR based in Hyderabad and an industrial partner M/s Ahuja Engineering Services Private Limited (AESPL) also based in Hyderabad. CSIR-IICT core roles involved

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funding, technology development, testing and deployment whereas M/s AESPL was involved in funding, technology testing, technology scale-up and deployment along with detailed engineering at commercial scale. Role and Responsibilities of CSIR-IICT AGR technology is the brainchild of CSIR-IICT. CSIRIICT played a pivotal role in the development of the AGR technology and continues to play a very important role in deployment and dissemination of the AGR technology. Based on the physical interaction with the senior scientist of CSIR-IICT, secondary literature on the Technology and questionnaire administered on technology licensee below is the list of various roles and responsibilities of CSIR-IICT. • Preparation of basic process design and schematic process flow diagram with description and major equipments list with broad specifications • Preparation of detail technical specifications and providing the dimensions of critical equipment including anaerobic digester • Characterization of organic waste for Total Solids (TS), Volatile Solids (VS), pH and other parameters • Advice regarding the testing, selection of seed culture, process-commissioning plant etc. • Overall technical advice for successful installation and operation of the plant; Assistance in preparation of operation and maintenance manual • Periodic performance testing, sample testing of plant to keep the health of the digester and biogas production in check for a period of 24 months • Issue of biogas and bio-manure certification or/ and characterization/reports • Supervision during the erection of the plant, inspection and testing of all critical equipment Apart from the above responsibilities CSIR-IICT has also undertaken several activities to publicize and disseminate AGR technology in to the Indian market.

5 List of documents reviews are mentioned in Annexure I. 6 List of persons contacted during evaluation are mentioned at Annexure III.


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Figure 8.3: Stakeholders and their Core Roles

Below we provide a list of activities undertaken by IICT for promotion of AGR technology: • A documentary on AGR Technology was prepared and uploaded in YouTube for social awareness and technology popularization. • A brochure on AGR Technology was developed for marketing purpose; Technology awareness programmes, workshop and display of 3D model at various conferences held across India. • Display of 3D model on AGR Technology at “National Waste Management Summit”, was organised by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) at Taj Krishna on 24th June 2017. • Display of 3D model on AGR Technology for one month at Nampally ground during “Numaish”. • Display of 3D model on AGR Technology during Nov 2016 (15th to 30th) at Pragati Maidan, Indian International Trade Fair (IITF), New Delhi. • Display of 3D model on AGR Technology in Dec 2016 Indian International Science Fest (IISF), at NPL, New Delhi • Organized two-day workshop “Emerging Trends in Renewable Energy (NWETR-2015)” in association with KLU, Vijayawada. • Organized “One Day Interactive Meet and

Plan Demonstration on Biogas & Bio-Manure From Poultry Litter” at CSIR-IICT and delivered important lecture on high rate biomethanation. • Demonstration of pilot scale high rate biomethanation plant for poultry litter at Agricultural University Hyderabad to various stakeholders. • Demonstration of pilot scale high rate biomethanation plant based on AGR Technology for poultry litter at Toopran by M/s AESPL, Hyderabad to various stakeholders. • Demonstration of pilot scale high rate biomethanation plant based on AGR Technology for Food waste at The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Bellary. • Demonstration of pilot scale high rate biomethanation plant (250 kg/day of food waste) based on AGR Technology for Food waste at CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad. • Display of 3D model of AGR Technology at Exhibition at Nampally (Numaish) from 5th Jan 2018 till date. CSIR-IICT extended its help during operation of the installed AGR plants. M/s AESPL confirmed that during the initial months of plant operation samples from the plant were sent to CSIR-IICT for


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testing and analysis in order to check the health of the digester and the microbial consortia in AGR. CSIR-IICT also provided assistance related to pH management (techniques, pH boosting salts to use, etc.) of organic slurry, depending on the type of waste stream processing. CSIR-IICT provided subsequent testing and analysis facility, as and when required. According to AESPL, team behind AGR in Bioengineering and Environmental Sciences group of CSIR-IICT is highly responsive to any issue that may arise during plant commissioning or operation & maintenance. Role and Responsibilities of M/s AESPL An amount of Rs.6.8 lakhs (six lakhs and eighty thousand only) was sponsored by M/s AESPL to CSIR-IICT to partially fund development of this technology at initial stages. A full scale commercial plant was installed near Toopran (near Hyderabad) based on the AGR technology. The full-scale plant at Toopran was operated with different organic wastes continuously for 3 years (2012 – 2014) to understand the various techno-commercial aspects of AGR Technology. The plant at Tooparan was installed and operated by M/s AESPL. Apart from funding and running the first pilot plant of AGR technology M/s AESPL is the licensee of the Technology and it has played a pivotal role in technology scale-up, detailed engineering for commercialization and promotion of the Technology. Based on the secondary literature, interaction with senior scientist and questionnaire administered on AESPL below is the list of roles and responsibilities of the Technology licensee. • Preparation of P & I Diagram based on the process description generated by CSIR-IICT. • Preparation of layout with area and utility requirements, installation & commissioning of the plant and preparation of operation and maintenance manual with CSIR-IICT. • Fabrication & procurement of all major equipment, bought out items and anaerobic digester and balance of system. • Training personnels during plant commissioning, operation & maintenance • Engineering related to pre-processing system, biogas storage, slurry pumping, plant remote monitoring, automatization etc.

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• Optimized selection of material of construction of AGR and rest of the plant components in terms of plant life and cost. • Final usage of biogas for direct thermal application (cooking and boiler), power or compressed biogas. • AESPL conducts a thorough site survey and waste analysis. The waste samples are collected, tested and analyzed along with CSIR-IICT for complete understanding of potential biogas production rates. • M/s AESPL keeps its installed plant at CSIR-IICT and other plants at Akshaya Patra open for viewing by potential customers. These plants help potential technology users to get a direct feedback from users giving them a complete understanding of the product, process line and feel of the final biogas.

8.7 Theory of Change Inputs Strongly motivated team of scientists at CSIRIICT, financial support from the private industrial partner and unwavering support and funding from CSIR has helped to develop a technology that has managed to transform the decentralized waste to energy paradigm. The key inputs involved in the development of the AGR technology can be categorized as follows: • Financial resources (funding) • Human resources from CSIR-IICT • Involvement of private industrial partner • Support from CSIR Dr. A. Gangagni Rao, Senior Principal Scientist and Dr Y V Swamy, Chief Scientist from CSIR-IICT were involved in the development of the AGR technology. Dr. A. Gangagni Rao, has devoted 80 – 90% of his time towards development and commercialization of AGR technology since 2012. CSIR-IICT has spent Rs 25 lakh from its internal lab funds for the development of laboratory scale reactor. M/s AESPL has sponsored Rs. 6.8 lakhs and made additional R&D investement at Tooparan for technology scale-up, plant installation and operations towards development of this technology at initial stages.


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Figure 8.4: Theory of Change Framework

Activities CSIR-IICT took keen interest in development of the AGR technology and continues to be involved in its deployment. It has run demo plant in the IICT and a large scale demo plant at Toopran in association with the industrial partner, M/s AESPL to fine tune the technology and make it ready for adoption by interested and motivated institutional users. IICT has publicized the technology via various media viz. print, video documentary, demonstration stalls at exhibitions and trade fairs and keeping its demo plant open for public viewing to increase awareness on the technology. AESPL has also ensured that full scale plants that it installs is also open to the public viewing so that more and more institutions can experience it firsthand which is helping them increase their customer base and proliferation of the technology. AESPL also approaches new customers and collects their waste samples, tests it in the laboratory with the help of CSIR-IICT to help potential customers to assess potential bio-gas production rates in their sites. The range of activities that CSIR-IICT and M/s AESPL undertook and their role and responsibilities in the development and deployment of the AGR technology is mentioned in

greater detail above under the head ‘Stakeholder Mapping and Role Evaluation’. Outputs Several benefits in the form of outputs of the technology has been experienced by the technology users. The technology has resulted in high biogas yield in comparison to other technologies in use. It has increased efficiency of the plant in terms of power consumption. The plant has longer life span and requires a lower footprint area for installation. Dumping of organic solid waste was completely eliminated by the users of the technology. This has resulted in huge cost savings that users of the technology spent on transporting their organic solid waste from their premises to the landfill sites. Users have been able to save costs by replacing their LPG with biogas generated from the waste and generate revenue or save costs owing to generation of biomanure which is a by-product of the whole process which they either sell in market or use in-house as a fertilizer in their gardens. Two of the users have managed to completely eliminate use of LPG and use only biogas to run their large-scale community kitchens.


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AGR technology has also resulted in employment generation as people are required during plant fabrication, installation, testing, commissioning and finally for its operation and maintenance. According to CSIR-IICT’s and AESPL’s estimate a typical biogas plant of waste handling capacity of 1 to 2 ton/day, can generate employment for 10 to 15 people at a time. AESPL also employs 15 employees full time to look after their business of AGR plant installation. One of the major outputs achieved by CSIR-IICT in the process of developing AGR technology is that it has acquired two patents for “Self Mixed Anaerobic Digester” (patent number: 1935/DEL/06; PCT/ IN07/00353; W-00 2009 00771) and “Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor” (PT-609/0207NF2012). CSIR-IICT has also generated revenue of about 4 lakhs so far as part of the royalties from AESPL for using the AGR technology pioneered by CSIR-IICT. Quantification of some of the other outputs of the AGR technology as mentioned below under the head ‘Evaluation Findings’. Outcomes The major outcome of the AGR technology is that it has provided an energy efficient, cost saving and cost effective decentralized technology in the hands of the institutions that generate large quantities of organic waste on a daily basis. It has reduced load on landfill sites only marginally but holds huge potential to make a significant contribution towards reducing solid waste management problem emanating from large institutional waste generators. AESPL has installed 5 fully functional AGR plants since 2015 and are pegged to do even better in the years to come. As per their projections they will be able to implement 10-12 projects per year in the next two years and at least 20-30 project/year in years three to five. Their projections look more pragmatic than just merely optimistic owing to the fact that Akshaya Patra Foundation has given consent to install AGR plants in their other community kitchens across India in a phased manner and recognized that CSIRIICT as the primary biogas technology provider and M/s AESPL as project executor.

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analysis of the AGR technology based on responses received from only 3 technology users which is compared to the economic estimates provided by IICT. Key survey findings are that the first AGR plant for treating organic solid waste was installed in 2015 and the latest plant was installed in August 2017. Several AGR plants with one plant with a capacity upto 5 TPD are under installation. On an average to install 1 TPD AGR plant users incur Rs 29 lakhs. On an average operation and maintenance expenditure of 1 TPD capacity AGR plant is Rs. 43,600 per month which amounts to Rs. 5,23,200 per annum while the savings from replacement of LPG with bio-gas from treating 1TPD of solid and liquid kitchen waste is Rs. 77,329 per month amounting to Rs 9,27,948 per annum. Survey findings are in contrast to the claim by IICT which puts savings from replacement of LPG with bio-gas upto Rs. 11,65,080 for 1 TPD plant. Only one of the three technology users said that they save around Rs. 4,500 per month i.e. around Rs. 54,000 per annum by replacing market bought manure with bio-manure produced as by-product of treating 250 kg of kitchen waste per day. However, one of the other users which treats on an average 950 kg of kitchen waste per day said the digested slurry is simply sent to their in-house sewage treatment plant and one other user did not provide any information about the bio-manure or digested slurry. As per the sample the total average saving (LPG saving and bio-manure revenue/saving) from treating 1 TPD of kitchen waste yields a saving of Rs. 9,81,948. Given the above data from three technology users and extrapolation of the data the simple payback period of AGR plant comes to around 6.86 years in contrast to 4.83 years claimed by CSIR-IICT. Please note, the cost of LPG fluctuates every quarter and the average savings are on a rise as the LPG prices are on an increasing trend. Also note that some of the Akshaya Patra users have deployed extra operators at their convenience, which might be increasing their operating cost as compared to the operating expenditure projected by CSIR-IICT.

8.8 Evaluation Findings A detailed questionnaire was designed and administered on 5 technology users and a separate questionnaire was administered on technology licensee. The table below gives out the economic

Majority of the AGR plants have 1 TPD capacity but one of the plants only treats 400-500 kg kitchen waste. The plant at Bellary runs at an average of 400-500 kg/day while the other three plants are continuously operating at an average of 700-


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Table 8.1: Economic Analysis of AGR for food waste (cooked and uncooked)7 CSIR-IICT Estimates (1 TPD Capacity Plant)

Primary Survey Findings (Average 1 TPD Capacity Plant)

11,65,080

9,27,948

81,000

18,000

Total revenue per year (Rs.)

12,46,080

9,45,948

perating cost of the plant for year viz. manpower, electricity and others (Rs.)

5,22,0008

5,23,2009

Net Revenue per year (Rs.)

7,24,080

4,22,748

3,500,000

29,00,000

4.83

6.86

Particulars Revenue from the plant for year through LPG saving (Rs.) @ Rs 57 per kg of LPG equivalent of biogas Revenue/savings from the plant for year through bio manure sales/ replacement of market bought manure with bio-manure (Rs.)

Capital cost of the plant (Rs.) Simple payback period (Years)

7 The table shows the comparison between estimates received from IICT as a response to questionnaire sent to them by ASCI and the findings fo the primary survey undertaken by ASCI on 3 technology users. The figures represent an average of figures given by 3 technology users. ASCI did not receive any response from two other technology users which use AGR plants of 1 TPD capacity. 8 Estimated Operating cost for 1 TPD AGR plant by CSIR-IICT Salary

33000

Consumables

5,000

Power

4,500

Total per month Total per year per 1 TPD plant

43,500 5,22,000

9 Actual Operating Cost for 1 TPD AGR plant (Survey Findings) Salary (3 plants)

74360

Maintenance (3 plants)

5635

Power (3 plants)

13105

Microbial culture (3 plants)

5000

Total per month

98100

Total per month per 1 TPD plant

43600

Total per year per 1 TPD plant

523200

Table 8.2: Environmental Impact and Larger Societal Benefits10 S. No. Environmental and Societal Benefits of AGR Technology 1

Few lakh children and adults everyday eat meals prepared in hygienic kitchens of TAPF and IICT which are free from putrefication of food waste.

2

1,440 tonnes of organic solid and liquid waste is treated at source per annum

3

Release of 414,720 kilogram of CO2 along with CH4 in the environment is avoided per annum

4

Environmental pollution caused in the process of sending solid waste to landfill sites is mitigated

5

Transportation and other costs related to solid waste management saved by municipalities/waste generators

6

Burden reduced on conventional sources of energy like LPG

7

Health risks related to putrefication of food waste mitigated at TAPF and IICT kitchens which benefited scores of staff members working in the kitchens.

8

Around 10 people receive employment every time one plant of 1-2 TPD is installed and AESPL employs 15 full time employees to their AGR business vertical.

10 These are based on response received from 3 technology users, technology licensee and IICT through primary survey and secondary literature available on AGR technology. The extent of environmental and societal benefits are larger than mentioned as 2 other technology users who did not respond to our questionnaires have 1 TPD capacity AGR plants which are fully functional currently.


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800 kg/day. The kitchens are generating lesser waste than estimated. The kitchens are therefore, managing their entire kitchen waste through these installations) and another plant is of 250 kg per day capacity which runs to its full capacity. It was found that the AGR plants are suitable for treating any kind of food waste both solids and liquids. All the respondents confirmed that there are no limitations in the plant and they have managed to treat their kitchen waste in-house and two of the three respondents completely replaced use of LPG with bio-gas for cooking purpose. Apart from the economic benefits the AGR technology also brings along several environmental and societal benefits too which are difficult to quantify accurately but rough estimations show that the technology has a range of environmental and societal benefits that go beyond the benefits that accrue to technology users, technology developers and technology licensee (see Table 8.2). Broadly, it helps reduce release of harmful greenhouse gases, provides workers in large community kitchens hygienic working environment and provides much needed livelihood to workers involved in the construction of the plant and promotion of the AGR technology.

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AGR vis-a-vis other Technology In order to fully appreciate the efficacy of the AGR technology the ASCI team evaluated one more technology viz. Mesophilic Anaerobic Reactor by M/s Green Power Systems (GPS). M/s GPS installed their first plant in the year 2012. Their bio-gas plant is based on mesophilic anaerobic reactor. So far they have installed 40 bio-gas plants which are up and running. They have installed their plants at institutes like Geetam Univeristy, Infosys, The Akshaya Patra Foundation in Hyderabad and BITS Pilani among others. They monitor hourly performance of their 36 plants remotely from their Bangalore headquarters. They claim that simple pay-back period of their technology is 3.38 years. Simple pay-back does not include among other things the tax benefits that clients receive owing to depreciation shown on the wear and tear of the plant.11 In order to understand and assess the claims made by M/s GPS a team member from ASCI visited one of their plants which is operational in Hyderabad. A questionnaire was prepared on the lines of questionnaire for users of AGR technology and was administered on the user of M/s GPS technology. The bio-gas plant visited was of 1 TPD capacity but the user was treating only an average

Table 8.3: Comparative Analysis of AGR and Mesophilic Anaerobic Reactor M/s AESPL Anaerobic Gas Reactor (1 TPD Capacity)

M/s GPS (1 TPD Capacity)13

Revenue from the plant for year through LPG saving (Rs.) @ Rs 57 per kg of LPG equivalent of bio-gas

9,27,948

9,37,080

Revenue/savings from the plant for year through bio manure sales/replacement of market bought manure with bio-manure (Rs.)

18,000

Nil

Total revenue per year (Rs.)

9,45,948

9,37,080

Operating cost of the plant for year viz. manpower, electricity and others (Rs.)

5,23,200

6,11,040

Net Revenue per year (Rs.)

4,22,748

3,26,040

29,00,000

36,00,000

6.86

11.04

Particulars

Capital cost of the plant (Rs.) Simple payback period (Years)

11 Telecon on 24.01.2018 with Mr Ravi Chandran, representative of M/s GPS, Bangalore. 12 It has to be kept in mind that the figures in the table are based on responses of only 1 user of M/s GPS technology as against 3 users of AGR. The simple payback period for of M/s GPS may be different had more users were interviewed. Further, the plant visited was installed in year 2014 which is running on the old technology of M/s GPS. M/s GPS has improved their technology and now they install plants with two phase digestion process whereas the plant visited was based on single phase digestion. It is learned from M/s GPS that the bio-gas productivity is significantly higher in two phase digester than one phase digester. However, this could not be verified from a user of the technology by ASCI team. 13 The bio-gas plant visited was of 1 TPD capacity but the user was treating only an average of 550 kg of organic waste per day. Therefore, the statistics in the table above is extrapolated to 1 TPD to arrive at a meaningful comparison between AGR technology and technology of M/s GPS.


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of 550 kg of organic waste per day. Therefore, the statistics in the table above is extrapolated to 1 TPD to arrive at a meaningful comparison between AGR technology and technology of M/s GPS. As per the response from the user of M/s GPS technology the simple pay-back period is close to 11 years as against 3.38 years claimed by M/s GPS. The simple pay-back period is not only higher than what is claimed by M/s GPS but is also significantly higher compared to the 6.86 years of simple pay-back period that users of AGR technology reported12. Moreover, it should be noted that the plant visited did not treat any vegetable waste. It only treats cooked food waste, which does not entirely solve the purpose of in-house waste management.

8.9 Conclusions AGR technology is addressing one of the most pressing issues in India i.e. of solid waste management. At the very outset it can be concluded that AGR technology has been a success. The comparative analysis showsn in Table 8.3 shows that AGR gives its users more value for money than other waste to energy conversion technology. None of the AGR users consulted had any kind of problem with the AGR technology. They are fully satisfied with AGR

plants they have installed. One of the respondents had a problem with a faulty air-compressor which AESPL has replaced promptly and changed the vendor which had supplied poor quality of the aircompressor. Involvement of both IICT and AESPL at all stages of technology development and technology deployment has resulted in successful commercialization of the Technology. IICT has vigorously publicized the AGR technology to build awareness among the institutions and the public at large. AESPL on the other hand has taken the risk to partially fund the research on AGR technology and ran a demo plant at their site in Tooparan with support from IICT. IICT’s innovation has given waste to energy and waste to wealth paradigm a new push as can be seen from the rate at which the private institutions are adopting the Technology. Direct and Indirect Benefits In summary, there are several direct and indirect economic benefits of the AGR technology. The direct benefits accrue to technology users, technology developer and technology licensee. Indirect benefits come in the form of employment generation and environmental benefits. Based upon the responses from the stakeholders and secondary literature ASCI team has quantified the direct and indirect benefits of the AGR technology. The Table 8.4 below

Table 8.4: Direct and Indirect Benefits of AGR Technology S. No.

Type of Benefit

Amount in Rs

Direct Benefits 1

Net Revenue to the user of the AGR Technology

422,748

2

Net revenue earned by AESPL on 1 TPD Plant

1,62,500

3

Royalty earned by IICT on 1 TPD Plant

100,000

Indirect Benefits 4

LPG Savings Equivalent

927,948

5

Carbon credit equivalent for preventing 85,800 kilogram of Co2 from entering the environment

228,48514

6

Employment Generation (Salary of operator and helper of AGR plant)

396,576

7

Employment generation (Fabrication and installation of the AGR plant)

2,75,000

Source: Calculation by ASCI Team

14 Carbon credit equivalent is calculated using the Gold Standard rates for carbon credits for bio-gas in 2016. One carbon credit represents one tonne of carbon dioxide prevented from entering the atmosphere which is valued at US $ 41 as per Gold Standard. See https://www.goldstandard.org/blog-item/carbon-pricing-what-carbon-credit-worth for details.


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Figure 8.5: Forecasted Cumulative New Benefit (in INR Lakhs)

shows quantification of benefits typically for a 1 TPD plant per annum. However, royalty earned by IICT, net revenue earned by AESPL and employment generation while fabrication and installation of AGR plant is only one time benefit accruing everytime a new 1 TPD plant is installed. Therefore the net benefit derived from each 1 TPD plant is around INR25 lakhs. Currently, there are four 1TPD plants and one plant with a capacity of 300kg per day that are fully operational. However, in future it is expected that owing to the success of the running plants, Swachh Bharat mission, solid waste management rules 2016 being slowly implemented by the municipalities, our estimate is that AESPL should be able to implement ten to twelve projects per year in the next two years and at least twenty to thirty project per year in three to five years. Therefore, the forecasted net benefit for the project, assuming that the net benefit derived from the plant remains constant, is given in figure below. AGR technology helps to solve the problem of treating the organic solid waste at source while making it remunerative for the user of the

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Technology. It is also helping NGOs like The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) to run their community kitchens in environmentally friendly manner besides saving large amounts of money which were otherwise spent on disposing the tonnes of waste they generated every day. For government institutions income generation can be an added advantage besides helping them to manage organic solid waste at source. AGR technology can very well be one of the many tools that can be employed to achieve Swacch Bharat Mission that the present government has embarked upon with great vigour and huge financial outlays. There is one plant based on AGR technology with 5 TPD capacity under installation one in a private institution in Hyderabad which shows the promise this technology holds for future and it also showcases that it is definitely gaining currency among both private and public institutions. On the other hand, TAPF agreeing to install AGR plants in their other community kitchens across India is a proof that even NGOs are finding the technology very attractive.

8.10 Recommendations One of the most important factors that can result in wide spread use of AGR technology is increasing the awareness about it. So far M/s AESPL has managed to install five AGR plants in the privately run institutions and its three upcoming installations out of total four are also in the private institutions. It is going to install its first AGR plant in a government institution in Andhra Pradesh. To build wide-spread awareness and showcase the financial and other benefits of the AGR technology and make it attractive for institutions to voluntarily adopt it, more efforts need to be made towards popularising the technology. At a time when ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission is a priority area for the Government, it seems paradoxical that government institutions and municipal bodies have not adopted this technology. A recommendation here would be to plan and strategize how the technology can be dove-tailed with the Swachh Bharat Mission.


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Annexures


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Annexure 1A

Methodology Details Based on ToC, a questionnaire was developed and a primary survey was conducted. ASCI engaged the services of Sigma Research and Consultancy Ltd. (Sigma, henceforth) headquartered in New Delhi to undertake primary survey. Sigma deployed separate teams for each of the four states- viz, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. They deployed one team per state consisting 3 research investigators and 1 research supervisor. The field teams were selected based on their prior experience of similar kind of studies done earlier. The ASCI team held two training workshops with the state representative deployed by Sigma to provide them orientation so that they had a thorough understanding of the study requirements and tools. Additionally, two days training was conducted in respective state headquarters by the Sigma Senior Field personnel who got orientation from the ASCI team. The training agenda was prepared in concurrence with ASCI team. Field managers and field supervisors were responsible for maintaining quality of the data collection. Supervisors made field visit, reviewed the data quality and provided feedback to the teams on spot or during the debriefing at place of stay every day. At the time of field visit, field executive/research team also assessed the data quality. All the filled questionnaires were dispatched to Sigma office in New Delhi where they were screened. Screening and consistency and range checks were done using CSPro. Finally, data was exported to SPSS for validation and analysis purpose. Further, each technology was assigned a “Lead faculty” who interacted with the survey team at all times. Each survey team was assigned a Supervisor. Thirty percent of the total interviews were checked by the Supervisor on a random basis. Further, five percent of the total interviews were checked by the Coordinator/ Field Executive. Regular team meetings were conducted for de briefing during the field work. Finally, one interviewer was not allowed to do more than 25 – 30% of total interviews.

Study Team The persons engaged in the Study were: Dr. Sutanuka Dev Roy, Associate Professor, Team Lead Dr. Ashita Allamraju, Associate Professor Dr. P. Shahaida, Associate Professor Dr. Sreerupa Sengupta, Assistant Professor Dr. Balbir Singh, Assistant Professor Ms. Srilekha Ravvarapu, Assistant Professor Ms. Anitha Raj, Senior Research Assistant Mr. Shivans Rajput, Research Assistant Ms. Meera Nazer, Research Assistant


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Annexure 2A Questionnaire Questionnaire – Socioeconomic analysis of Lavender Technology (Farmers/Growers) Name of respondent:

Age and Gender:

Profession of respondent:

Address with Contact No:

Name of interviewer:

Date of interview:

I Family profile: 1.

Name

Household composition (male/female/children 12-18/children below 12):

Age

Relation to Head of the Household

Education Level

Occupation Student/daily paid laborer/ farming/ service/ business

II Awareness/ Training/ Support 2.

Why did you take up Lavender farming?

3.

How did you come to know about Lavender farming?

4.

Is lavender cultivation your primary occupation?

5.

How much is the area under cultivation Year

Area under cultivation

6.

What was your primary occupation before Lavender farming?

7.

In which year did you start Lavender farming?

8.

Who provided you training/information for Lavender farming? Give details.

9.

How did you procure the planting material for? Mention the price also.

10.

Is there availability of good quality planting material (seed/seedlings/cuttings)? What kind of planting material do you use, mention the source.

11.

Have you faced any disease problem in planting material during the initial stage of sowing of lavender.

12.

What is the average mortality of lavender crop in your farm during the initial stage of sowing crop.

13.

Did you avail any credit from banks/financial institution for lavender farming? if yes, whether it was subsidized? Give details.

14.

How much loan did you take initially? Have you been able to repay the loan? Yes/ No


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15.

Are you aware of any kind of financial support/scheme for growing Lavender. If yes. Mention.

16.

Do you receive any kind of support from IIIM with regards to training, extension services, storage facilities and marketing? If yes, specify.

17.

Have you heard about any Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative involving progressive farmers to cultivate and process at large scale.

III Participation in Lavender farming 18.

Do you own the farm land or it is on lease/rent?

19.

How many months in the year do you devote for Lavender farming?

20.

What other farming/activities you do other than Lavender farming? Mention time in months.

21.

Cropping pattern and cropping intensity being followed?* Have you ever tried inter crop?

22.

What are the irrigation facility being used (or rain water irrigation)?

23.

What are the various constraints affecting the productivity of lavender crop

24.

What are your suggestions for improving Lavender farming?

25.

Whether the next generation members of your family are also actively involved in Lavender farming?

IV Input Costs -Output 26.

Is there an increase in income per hectare as compared to earlier commercial/traditional crops (e.g. wheat, maize, paddy, pea, potato etc.) grown by you.

27.

What is your net income per hectare (for lavender crop or other crop-mention the crop)

28.

What are your costs of inputs per hectare (for lavender crop or other crop-mention the crop)

Monetary value of farm inputs Particulars (Rs/Ha)

Lavender

Area under crop(ha) Planting material/ seedlings Human labor/ Hired Labor Family labor Machine labor Manure & Fertilizers Plant protection chemicals(PPC) Irrigations Rental value of owned land

V Sale and Marketing of Lavender 29. What are the farming product/outcome you sell? (Fresh Lavender flowers spikes/dry flower/oil/value added products and planting material) 30. Do you sell directly to ultimate customer? Yes/ No.

If no, whom do you sell your products?

31. Give details (quantity) of your product/outcome year wise. 32. Where do you fetch better prices- IIIM, domestic companies, foreign companies, any other. 33. What is the minimum, maximum and average price you have sold your product for? Give product wiseyear wise details. 34. What kind of marketing activities are you involved in specifying the products and the cost of marketing, hiring transport to market the produce etc.


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

35. Whether IIIM has provided any kind of support in identifying and reaching to the potential customers? VI Access and control over assets and opportunities 36. Do you have bank account on your name? 37. If yes, do you use the bank account for receiving payments for your sale? 38. Do you use your bank account regularly? 39. What is the mode of payment for the products you sell? 40. Do you own land or any other asset? Specify. Asset

Owned/Rented

Remarks

Land

Area

Tractor Two-wheeler Car TV Stove etc

VII Socioeconomic advancement (welfare) 41. What is your annual income from Lavender farming? Give year-wise details for 5 years. 42. What is your annual income from other sources? Mention sources with income. Give year-wise details for 5 years. 43. Has there been an increase in income over last 5 years? Yes/ No 44. Do you feel any change in employment and revenue generation because of Lavender farming (compared to traditional crops) 45. How do you spend your income? Household expenses

For health

Children education

Paying loans

Buying land/ asset

Investment in bank

on self

Others (specify)

VIII For Women Cultivators 46. Does Lavender farming affect your household duties? Yes/ No 47. If yes, what kind of changes? 48. Did you face any challenges from your family when you took up Lavender farming? Yes/ No. If yes, what kind of challenges did you face? 49. What is your role in Lavender farming? 50. In your view what steps can be done to ensure more women get associated with Lavender farming?

_____________________________________________________________

For the Information of the Interviewer Q 2 Probe areas: What was the previous occupation and income from the same over the yeards. Any other reason for taking up Lavender farming. Q 3 Probe areas: Awareness camps, Fellow farmers, CSIR-IIIM, Aroma mission mela etc. Q4 Primary occupation to be defined as one which gives the maximum income to the family.


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Administrative Staff College of India

Q 20 * Cropping pattern and cropping intensity on farms. Cropping pattern has to been analysed of the farms in order to work out the relative share of various crops grown as kharif, rabi and perennial crops. The cropping intensity will be worked out to see the number of crops grown on the farms.

a. Kharif Crops-Paddy/ Maize/ Pulses/ Oilseeds/ Vegetables/ Fodder crops/ Sugarcane/ Ginger*/ Other MAP crops

b. Rabi Crops-Wheat HYV/ Oats/ Sunflower/ Other oilseed crops/ Pulses/ Potato/ Pea/ Other vegetables/ Fodder crops/ Mentha/ Celery/ Ginger*/ Other MAP crops/ Winter maize/ Sugarcane

c. Perennial crops-Fruit trees/ Lavender/other

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.

Annexure 2B The cost structure for cultivation of lavender was shared by the IIIM is depicted in the table below: S. No.

Particulars

1st year

2nd year

3rd year

IIIM ESTIMATES 1

Land preparation (ploughing, leveling, tilling of corners etc.)

Rs. 7,500.00

-

-

2

Soil & bed preparation

Rs. 6600.00

-

-

3

Cost of Planting material @ Rs. 3.5/plant

Rs. 70000.00

-

-

4

Transplanting

Rs. 15540.00

-

-

5

Irrigation by hand (rose cans)

Rs. 4440.00

-

-

6

Fertilizer & its application

Rs. 4000.00

Rs.2400.00

Rs.2400.00

7

Circle Hoeing (1) weeding (2) & Hoeing (2)

Rs. 33000.00

Rs. 24420.00

Rs. 24420.00

8

Irrigation

Rs. 1200.00

-

-

9

Harvesting

-

Rs. 3552.00

Rs. 7104.00

10

Processing charges etc. including loading & unloading etc.

-

Rs. 10220.00

Rs. 20440.00

11

Repairs/ maintenance

-

Rs. 2000.00

Rs. 2000.00

Rs. 142280.00

Rs. 42592.00

Rs. 56364.00

TOTAL GRAND TOTAL

Rs. 241236.00

12

Oil yield (kg/ha)

-

10.0 kg

35.0 kg (upto 15 years)

13

Sale value @ Rs 10000/kg

-

Rs. 1.00 lakh

Rs. 3.50 lakh

14

Sale price of lavender oil

Rs. 192646.09

Rs. 194080.43

NET PROFIT/HA (over a period of 20 years)

Rs. 4.50 lakh/ha Rs. 2.60 lakh/ha

SURVEY ESTIMATES 15

Average Income

Rs. 182903.23


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

191

Annexure 2C Field Visit to Jammu and Kashmir Field visit to Srinagar field station and Jammu IIIM (12-17, October, 2017) was organized to understand the grass root impact of the intervention. Multiple interaction and FGD’s were conducted during the awareness workshops organised at Srinagar and Jammu. Field visits to Doda and Kishtwara districts were also conducted.

Field visits included the following • Visit to Jammu Unit and Srinagar Field station of IIIM • Meeting and interaction with IIIM team, • Background information and data on Agro Technology of Lavender (CSIR-IIIM) • Awareness workshop for local farmers and community. • Interaction with local Farmers, Growers and other actors. • Discussion on L-18 technology • Discussion on data collection and sample • Discussion on research instrument. • Interaction with entrepreneurs and industry representatives . Scientists and Technical Officers in the Parent Lab CSIR-IIIM 1.

Dr. Ram Vishwakarma, Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu

2.

Dr. Suresh Chandra (Team Consultant)

3.

Dr. Parvaiz Qazi (Team Leader)

4.

Dr. Phalisteen Sultan (Team Member)

5.

Dr. (Mrs) Suphla Bajpai Gupta (Team Member)

Entrepreneurs involved in cultivation and processing of Lavender: 1.

M/S United Floritech, R/o Yarikalan Chadora, Budgam.

2.

M/S Scion Herbals, R/o Arigam Budgam.

3.

M/S Khyber Bioculture Pvt. Ltd., R/o Srinagar.

4.

M/S Fasiam Agro Farms R/o Mansbal, Srinagar

5.

Alpine Aromatics, R/o Shiwat, Bandipora

Sampling Strategy Taking the p-value as 0.5 and at 95% confidence interval the sample size of the study covered a total sample of 126 farmers determined by using the following formula.

Where,


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Administrative Staff College of India

n=Sample Size N=Population Size Here we have taken e=.05 which will give a margin of error of plus or minus 5%. • All the currently active cultivators have been covered for the study. • The total number of respondents – 126 • All the currently active cultivators and agri-entrepreneurs have been covered for the study. • Survey was conducted in November and December. Data analysis was completed by February 2018. • Site visits to identified farmers and growers involved in cultivation and processing of Lavender has been undertaken The following are the details of the businesses: 1.

M/s United Floritech, R/o Yarikalan Chadora, Budgam.

2.

M/s Scion Herbals, R/o Arigam Budgam.

3.

M/s Khyber Bioculture Pvt. Ltd., R/o Srinagar.

4.

M/s Fasiam Agro Farms, R/o Mansbal, Srinagar

5.

Alpine Aromatics, R/o Shiwat, Bandipora


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Annexure 2D: AROMA Mission Workshop List S. No.

Name of Participant

Contact No.

1.

Sabzir Ahmad Wazd

9797101488

2.

Firdouz Ahmed Bhat

7780961863

3.

Mohd Ayoub Qazi

9419028030

4.

Mudasir Ahmad

9906635417

5.

Ajaz Ahmad Garage

7051635469

6.

Ab Gari Sheik

8082657767

7.

Gh. Ahmad Mir

9622590899

8.

Fayaz Ahmad Mir

9797809366

9.

Kasir Ahmad Mir

9622462986

10.

Mohd. Ramzan Khan

9419977728

11.

Sheikh Gulzar

9858986794

12.

M Hashim Khan

9906400617

13.

Muzamil Ali Khan

9419528160

14.

Tanveer Done

7006917641

15.

Muzaffir Ismail

9596565007

16.

Nazir Ahmed

9018557611

17.

Manzoor Javaid

9622556419

18.

Rubeena Tabassum

8803051325

19.

Gh. Nabi Khandy

9797420329

20.

Shabin Hussain Kargil

9419891747

21.

Ghulam Mohammad Kargil

9469730756

22.

Mohd Mehdi

9469207800

23.

Shafayat Hussain

8492925822

24.

Fayaz Ahmad Ehakan

9596339799

25.

Ghousia

9622030345

26.

Tawheeda

9858291631

27.

Gh. Mohd. Shelu

7051822847

28.

Gh. Hussain Malla

9797803709

29.

Gazala

9858161169

30.

Syed Abbas Sheik

9906830637

31.

Mubutge Azad Waisi

9697541224

32.

Gh. Mazal Safi (Odin)

9697545144

33.

Gh. Qadir Kawa Bai

9858811035

34.

Ab Rehman dar

9797423028

35.

Gh. Adhad Parray

9558483214

36.

Mohd Jaffar Safi

9797195775

37.

Mohd Yousuf Kanai

7006813830

38.

Gh.Hussain Kanai

9596245649

39.

Mohd Assadulla Passg.

7295116593

40.

Gh. Mohd Bhaqar

9858243341

41.

Riyaz Ali Wani

9855703322

42.

Jabal Hussain

--


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Administrative Staff College of India

43.

Nadeem / NRLM

9906396336

44.

Shima Sujad / NRLM

9070630635

45.

Yawarah Bhat (for) NROL

7889704716

46.

Mohd Shafi Bhat

9797409769

47.

Gh. Hussain Rather (NRLM)

8494058126

48.

Gulzar Gojar (NRLM)

49.

Sajad Ali Bhat

50.

Mohd. Hameez Gojar (NRLM)

-8803903455 --

51.

Ab. Rashid Gojar

9596504206

52.

Syed Noor-Allah Rizve

9622226433

53.

Dr Balbir Singh

9030690734

54.

Farooq Ahmed

9906392663

55.

Mohd Ashpat

9906212663

56.

Javid Ahmad

7298879605

57.

Mushtaov Ahmad

3051621218

58.

Hazi Ab. Rahmad

9419505655

59.

Shazia Farooq

9596512555

60.

Poomi Nazer

8825086935

61.

Iqr Anwar

9677791707

62.

Abid Hussain Wasi

8803700396

63.

Ajaz Ah. Bhat

9622727896

64.

Gilt Nabi Itoo

9906732840

65.

Mohd Jabali Itoo

--

66.

Ab. Rashid Wage

8803376306

67.

Dr Hamid Nazaar

99064456514

68.

Mohd Yousuf

9906691845

69.

Ab. Rashid

--

70.

Gh. Mohinuddin

--

71.

Ab. Ahrat Rather

--

72.

Mohd RAmzan

--

73.

Ab. Salami Parry

--

74.

Nazir Ah dar

7298883855

75.

Yasmeena

9797115567

76.

Aashiq Ah larm

9596224209

77.

Danish Ahmad

8803137698

78.

Farida Begum

9697072453

79.

Mohd. Shaban

9906530299

80.

Rajaz Ahmed Don

8803359906

81.

Fiyaz Ahmad Bhat

978840510

82.

Muzafar Ahmed

8491031020

83.

Shoukat Ali Sufi

9858804706

84.

Umar

9086577457

85.

Yousuf

9419012250

86.

Ajaz Ahmad Khan

9469633767


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

87.

Fran Tattoo

9627651949

88.

Fran Tattoo

9622651949

89.

Tahoor Ali Bhat

9906495453

90.

M Rufin Sherion

9906747927

91.

Shamid Nagiz

9459012254

92.

Zahaonisa Bhat

9649026225

93.

Mushq Dhan

9622511383

94.

Dr Bashir Ab Sheik

9797765765

95.

Dr Bashir Baba

9906861334

96.

Dr Malik Ab Waseem

7051446395

97.

Rayeez Ahmad Love

9797974225

98.

Mohamaot Rote

9596314538

99.

Dr Muzamil Ahmed

100.

Shamshuddin Hussain

7051325430

101.

Sheik Baba

9906537364

102.

Nydasir Shafi DAr

8491032266

103.

Isham Ahmad Dar

8493076587

--


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Administrative Staff College of India

Annexures 3A 1. Questionnaire for Toehold Artisans Project Name : CSIR

Kolhapuri Couture Questionnaire for Artisan

Sigma/ SRC/ Nov 2017

Centre Name of respondent

Age: Sex:

Male

Female

1 2

Name of Distirict

Name of Village

Address

Mobile No. Name of Interviewer (INT): ______________________________ Date of interview: __ / __ / 2017 FIELD CONTROL INFORMATION D

Y

Y

START TIME

FIRST VISIT INTV DATE

1

7

END TIME

SECOND VISIT INTV DATE

1

7

SUPV.CODE

D

M

M

INV.CODE

START TIME END TIME CHECKED CODE

ACCOMPANIED CALL

Y 1 N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

SPOT CHECK

Y 1 N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

BACK CHECK

Y 1 N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

SCRUTINY: FIELD

Y 1 N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

ANALYSIS OBSERVATION: EXTENT OF PROBLEM SCRUTINY

: ANALYSIS

NO /MINOR 1 MILD 2 SEVERE 3 YES...........1

NO.........2

BY :

Namaste. My name is _____________________________ I am from Sigma Research, a national social research organisation. We are carrying out a study along with Administrative Staff College of India on behalf of CSIR to assess the social and economic impact of the technological and market linkage support extended by CLRI in collaboration with ASCENT to the artisans of selected districts in Karnataka and Maharashtra during 1999 to 2002.The information provided by you would be kept confidential and used only for improving the programme. Your name would not be used anywhere. Your honest responses would be of great help. The interview would take about 30 minutes.


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Q. No.

Question

Coding Category

Skip

Information on Structure of family Name

Age (in completed years)

Occupation

Education Level

Q101 Codes Education: Illiterate-1, Litarete-2, Primary-3, Secondary-4, Higher Secondary-5, Graduate & Above-6 Occupation: Farmer-1, Housewife-2, Business-3, Artisan-4, Student-5, Others (Specify)-6 Q102

When did you begin making Kolhapuri chappals?(Year)

Q103

What other work did you do before making Kolhapuri chappals?

Farming...............................................1 Business..............................................2 Daily Labourer...................................3 Others (specify).................................4 Name

Q104

Q105

Age As in Q1

PROBE AND GET DETAILS OF THOSE INVOLVED

How many pairs of chappals are you able to make this year ?

In a day..................................................... In a month...............................................

Sl. No.

Q106

Sex

How many members of your household are engaged in making chappals? (In numbers)

Product name

What are the different kinds of Kolhapuri chappals and other leather products that you make?

Input Cost: Q107

Please give details about the cost of manufacturing for every month for making Kolhapuri chappals.

Labour cost(Rs.) Machinery Cost(Rs.) Raw material cost(Rs.) Other input cost(Rs.)

Q108

What is your average monthly income from-------READ OUT

Kolhapuri chappals (Rs.) Other sources (Rs.) Through Middleman.........................................1

Q109

How do you sell the chappals?

Through Toehold...............................................2 Both........................................................................3 Others (Specify).................................................4


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Administrative Staff College of India

Over the Phone.........................................1 Q110

Face to face Contact...............................2

How do you get the order?

Through Broker..........................................3 Others (Specify)........................................4 Yes.........................................1

Q111

Do you sometimes have unsold products? IF YES, Why do they remain unsold?

No.........................................2 If Yes.........................................

Q112

Do you sell the chappals in another country?

Yes.........................................1 No.........................................2

If Yes in Q112, PROBE AND GET DETAILS Country

Product Type

Orders (Last one year)

No. of orders in last 10 years

Order Quantity Order Value

Q113

Q114

Are you manufacturing any other value added products/allied leather products?

Q115

Describe what you have learnt from CLRI regarding Kolhapuri chappals. (Probe: in terms of technical know-how, leather, design, dyeing, stitching technique etc.

Q116

When did you receive the training?(Year)

Yes.........................................1 No..........................................2 If Yes (Product Details).........................................

Father.........................................1 Mother.......................................2 Q117

Who all in your family were trained?(MRP)

Husband....................................3 Wife.............................................4 Son..............................................5

Q118

How did the training from CLRI help you? (Probe: Change in Quality of Chappal, Price, Stitching etc.)

Q119

Were you sent for training abroad? If yes, How did it help you?

Q120

Are you using the methods specified by CLRI till now? IF YES, Please give details

Yes.........................................1 No......................................... 2 If Yes......................................... Yes.........................................1 No......................................... 2 If Yes (Provide Details) ......................................... Yes.........................................1

Q121

Did the support from CLRI-ASCENT-TOEHOLD help you to find work around the year? IF YES, PROBE AND GET DETAILS

No......................................... 2 If Yes No. of months of work before training No. of months of work after training

If NO Q114


199

Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Q122

Did training by CLRI help you to improve the variety of the Kolhapuri chappals? IF YES, PROBE AND GET DETAILS

Q123

Do you still consult CLRI for any problems/ issues that you have? If yes, give instances

Q124

How did ToeHold help you in the development of value added products? (Probe: market access, creation of bank account, participatory approach to deciding who will manufacture how much, soft skills and business skills.)

Q125

How did ToeHold help you to explore new markets and increase sales of Kolhapuri chappals?

Q126

How did ToeHold help you to access credit and financing for production of Kolhapuri chappals?

Yes…………………………….1 No……………………………..2 If Yes Before Training (no. of designs) After Training (no. of designs) Yes…………………………….1 No……………………………..2 If Yes

Q127

Did ToeHold help you in increasing your income?

Yes………………………..1 No…………………………2

Q128

Did ToeHold help you in sourcing raw material at cheaper rates?

Yes………………………..1 No…………………………2

Q129

How many members are there in one SHG? (In Numbers)

Q130

How many SHGs are there in ToeHold? (In Numbers)

Q131

How is the revenue/profit divided between SHG and ToeHold?

Q132

What changes do you think can be brought to increase sales of Kolhapuri chappals?

Q133

How have the lives of artisans transformed socially and economically? Is there are any other area where they feel changes or developments are required? (Probe: increase in Income, education, health status etc.)

Q134

Are women being sent for trainings?

Yes……………………….1 No………………………..2

Q135

IF YES IN 134 Do you have a bank account?

Yes……………………….1 No………………………2

Q136

When did you open it?(Year)

Q137

Do you use it regularly? IF NO, why?

Q138 Q139

Yes……………………….1 No………………………..2 If No Why……….

Do you put your savings in bank?

Yes……………………….1 No………………………..2

After the training of Toehold-CLRI, did you become more aware of the business opportunities?

Yes……………………….1 No………………………..2 If Yes how…………………

139


200

Q140

Q141

Administrative Staff College of India

Are there instances of a fellow artisan who turned entrepreneur and started new ventures? Did you have any Debt/unpaid loan before or now?

Yes.........................................1 No.........................................2 If Yes (Give Details) ......................................... Yes.........................................1 No.........................................2

Describe in your own words how the training of CLRI and ASCENT-Toehold Combine has benefited you in terms of: a. Income from Chappal making and selling: has it increased, by how much? b. Change in status in society due to increased income: are you getting better recognition, better access to facilities?

c. Change in education status of children after the training: Education level of children before Education level of children after d. Change in health status of children due to increased income e. Usage of Health services (Government or Private) f. Attitude towards education of girl child?

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

2. Questionnaire for ASCENT and Toehold

Introduction Administrative Staff College of India is conducting a primary survey on behalf of CSIR to assess the social and economic impact of the technological and market linkage support extended by CLRI in collaboration with ASCENT to the artisans of selected districts in Karnataka and Maharashtra during the period 1999 to 2002. We seek your cooperation in completing this survey. Only aggregate data will be used for the report to be submitted to CSIR, Government of India. 1.

What is the nature and extent of role of ASCENT in utilizing the CLRI technology ?

2.

How has the support of ASCENT impacted the quality of product/manufacturing process/ design development etc translated into outcomes for the Kolhapuri Couture?

3.

Please provide complete description of different designs provided and feedback from artisans / customers incorporated for future designs etc.

4.

How many artisans were covered in the Athani-Nippani belt initially?

5.

How many SHGs have been impacted?

6.

How were the themes of trainings decided?

7.

Kindly provide inputs for the following:

a. Number of trainings imparted Year

Number of Trainings

Number of participants who attended the training Male Participants

Females Participants

Please give details of both technical and business/entrepreneurial trainings

b. Increase in net income of the artisans Year

Number of pairs per day

Income per day

No. of days of employment

c. Number of wholesalers involved in Kolhapuri Coutures products.

d. Number of retailers involved in Kolhapuri Coutures products.

e. Market channel and share of artisans and middleman in the marketing channel of Kolhapuri Coutures products.

f. Increase in overall income of artisans families using this technology.

g. Increase in ownership of assets of artisan families using this technology

h. Improvement in education level


202

Administrative Staff College of India

Before Intervention (on an average)

After Intervention (on an average)

i. Improvement in health status Before Intervention (on an average)

After Intervention (on an average)

ii. Impact on societal status

iii. Number of markets covered in different states. Name the states

iv. Number of markets covered in other countries (if any). Name the countries

v. Please provide details of Export Revenue country-wise Year

Export Revenue

No. of Footwear Sold

Country

vi. Assessment of environmental impact of this technology (e.g. requires less chemicals and less water for tanning the leather used for Kolhapuri Coutures products). Before Intervention (on an average)

After Intervention (on an average)

vii. Assessment of health benefits by using this technology (Reduction in incidence of diseases, less expenditure on medical services etc.). Before Intervention (on an average)

After Intervention (on an average)

viii. Any other component/item which reflects the impact of the technology. 1.

In your opinion, how have the following aspects changed in the lives of artisans after the introduction of modern ‘Chappal Making” and role of ASCENT in the project:

a. Gender mainstreaming e.g. participation of women in trainings, ownership of assets by women, etc

b. Access to credit by artisans

c. Business skills and entrepreneurship skills among artisans

d. Product variety


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

e. Data management

f. Quality management

g. Education levels of artisans’ children

h. Health status of artisans’ families

203

Questionnaire for Toehold 1.

Please provide complete description of activities of toehold in terms of providing a market channel support and promotion activities for artisans.

2.

Please give details of different market strategies employed by Toehold to access new markets and increase market share in existing markets for Kolhapuri Couture.

3.

Please give details of different strategies adopted by Toehold to manage the raw materials, machinery & equipment and the final product of Kolhapuri Couture to support the artisans.

4.

Please give details of initiatives undertaken by Toehold to enhance technical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills of the artisans involved in Kolhapuri Couture.

5.

Please describe in detail how Toehold created market for Kolhapuri Couture and how they managed to provide market linkages to the artisans.

6.

Please describe briefly some instances wherein new markets/customers were brought in by Toehold.

7.

How did Toehold help in building a brand image for Kolhapuri Couture?

8.

Please give details about steps taken to ensure wider visibility of Toehold initiative.

9.

Please give details of various marketing channels used for sale of Kolhapuri Couture like e-commerce, participation in national and international exhibitions, Toehold directly selling in retail markets, Toehold selling in wholesale markets and any other mode of sales.

10.

What are the packaging techniques used to enhance product appeal and customer experience?

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.


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Administrative Staff College of India

Annexure 4A Socioeconomic and gender analysis of Algal Technology (Cultivators)

Project Name : CSIR

Sigma/ SRC/ Oct 2017

Name of respondent Age (In Completed Years) Male Female

Sex:

______________________________________________________ Phone (Landline) No. ______________________

Address

Mobile No. _______________________________ Email: _________________________________

Name of Distirict Name of Village Name of SHG Phone No.

Primary Occupation

Farmer..............................................1 Housewife.......................................2 Business..........................................3 Seaweed Farmer..........................4 Others (Specify) ..........................5

Secondary Occupation

Farmer..............................................1 Housewife.......................................2 Business..........................................3 Seaweed Farmer..........................4 Others (Specify) ..........................5 FIELD CONTROL INFORMATION D

Y

Y

START TIME

FIRST VISIT INTV DATE

1

7

END TIME

SECOND VISIT INTV DATE

1

7

SUPV.CODE

D

M

M

INV. CODE

START TIME END TIME

CHECKED CODE

ACCOMPANIED CALL

Y 1 N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

SPOT CHECK

Y 1 N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

BACK CHECK

Y 1 N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

SCRUTINY: FIELD

Y 1 N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

ANALYSIS OBSERVATION: EXTENT OF PROBLEM SCRUTINY

: ANALYSIS

NO /MINOR 1 MILD 2 SEVERE 3 YES..........1

NO .........2

BY :

Namaste. My name is _____________________________ I am from Sigma Research, a national social research organisation. We are carrying out a study on the Algal Technology of CSIR along with Administrative Staff College of India. The information provided by you would be kept confidential and used only for improving the programme. Your name would not be used anywhere. Your honest responses would be of great help. The interview would take about 30 minutes. If you have any questions, you can ask me.


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INFORMATION ABOUT HOUSEHOLD

Name

Age (in completed years)

Sex Male 1 Feamle 2

Relationship with head of household

Education

Marital status

Occupation

Salary/ income (per month in Rs.)

Codes Relation: Spouse..........................................................1 Married child ..............................................2 Spouse of married child..........................3 Unmarried child.........................................4 Grandchild....................................................5 Father/mother/father-in-law/ mother-in-law..............................................6 Brother/sister/brother-in-law/ sister-in-law/other relatives...................7

Education: Illiterate.....................................1 Literete......................................2 Primary......................................3 Secondary................................4 Higher Secondary..................5 Graduate & above.................6

Marital status: Never married.................................................................1 Currently married..........................................................2 Widowed...........................................................................3 Divorced/Separated.....................................................4 Occupation: Farmer...............................................................................1 Housewife........................................................................2 Business...........................................................................3 Seaweed Farmer...........................................................4 Student.............................................................................5 Others (specify).............................................................6

AWARENESS/ TRAINING/ SUPPORT Q. No.

Question

Coding Category

Why did you take up seaweed farming? MRP

For Additional Income .........................................1 Income for Fishing is not Sufficient ................................................................2 Lack of Stability in the first occupation................................................................3 More dependent source of Income.................................................4 More Opportunities................................................................5 Others (specify)........................................................6

Q102

How did you come to know of this seaweed farming activity?

CSIR................................................................1 SHG................................................................2 Panchayat Office............................................................3 Fellow Cultivators ........................4 Others (Specify)........................................................5

Q103

How many years have you been associated with your primary occupation?

Q104

In which year did you start cultivation of seaweed?

Q105

For how many years are you associated with seaweed farming?

Q101

Q106

Who provided you training for seaweed cultivation? MRP

CSIR...........................................................................1 SHG............................................................................2 Panchayat Office.....................................................3 Fellow Cultivators................................................... 4 Others (Specify).........................................................5


206

Q. No.

Administrative Staff College of India

Question

Coding Category

Please give details about the cost of cultivation of seaweed

Q107

Item Quantity/ Unit Unit price (Rs.) Total Value- Rs Bamboo rafts Five cornered anchors Nylon rope Net Ropes for tying net to raft Anchor ropes Seed Transportation charges of seed materials Mats/ladders/baskets/ knives, etc. Miscellaneous Panchayat.......................................1 SHG...............................................2 Others (Specify).................3

Q108

Who provided you with equipment?

Q109

How many rafts do you have? (In Numbers)

Q110

Who provided you with loan to start the cultivation of seaweed?

Q111

How much loan did you take initially? (In Rs.)

Q112

Have you been able to repay the loan?

Panchayat..............................................1 SHG...................................................2 Bank..................................................... 3 District rural Development Agency...........................4 Others (Specify).................5

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

PARTICIPATION IN SEAWEED CULTIVATION Q . No.

Question

Coding Category

Q201

How many months do you work as a seaweed cultivator in a year?

Q202

Are there any challenges involved in seaweed farming? If yes, what are they?

Q203

What are your suggestions for improving seaweed farming? PROBE

Q204

Which occupation do you follow the entire year?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If Yes......................................................

Farmer................................... Housewife........................... 2 Business............................... Others (Specify)................ 4

What was your production of seaweed in: Year 2005 Q 205

2010 2015 2016 2017

Amount of production

1 3


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

207

SALE OF SEAWEED Q. No.

Question

Coding Category

Q301

How many buyers of seaweed are there in your locality? (In Numbers)

Q302

To whom do you sell your seaweed?

Aqua agri Processing unit................................................................... 1 Market........................................................ 2 Others (Specify)............................................................ 3

Q303

What is the mode of payment?

To the customer....................1 To the Bank Account...................2 Others (Specify)................3

Q304

How does the price of the seaweed get decided? PROBE

Q 305

What was the price of seaweed last year? (Per Kg. In Rs.)

Q306

What was your profit from sale of per kg of seaweed? (In Rs.) ACCESS AND CONTROL OVER ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Q. No. Question

Coding Category

Q401

Do you have bank account on your name?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q402

When did you open a bank account? (In Year)

Year

Q403

Do you use the bank account regularly? IFNO, why don’t you use it regularly?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If No ..............................

Q404

Do you know how to operate the bank account?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q405

Do you put your savings in bank?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q406

What type of a house do you own?

Kutcha............................................... 1 Pucca.................................................... 2 Semi pucca....................................................3

Q407

Did the income from sea weed farming help you in improving your housing?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If No.............................. Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If Yes

Q408

Were you able to buy some consumer durables due to income from seaweed farming? If yes , please give details

Q409

Do you own land or any other asset? IF YES, specify the area:

Item When did you buy? (Year) TV Fridge Stove Mobile phone Bike/cycle Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If Yes......................................................


208

Administrative Staff College of India

SOCIOECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT (WELFARE) Q. No.

Question

Q501

How much do you earn from your first occupation (monthly)? (In Rs.) Year: When did you start earning from this first occupation? Specify Year

Q502

Q503

Q504

Q505

Coding Category

How much do you earn from seaweed farming (monthly)? (In Rs.) When did you start earning from this first occupation? Specify Year Has there been an increase in income from seaweed farming in the past few years?

How do you spend your income? MRP

Has seaweed cultivation benefitted you? IF YES, how did it benefit you? PROBE

Year:

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If Yes...................................................... How much.............................................. Contribute to household expenses..................................1 For health..........................2 Children’s’ education............................3 Paying loans....................................................4 Buying land/ asset.........................................................5 Investment in bank..........................................................6 On self...............................................7 Others (Specify)...............................................8 Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If Yes......................................................

FOR WOMEN CULTIVATORS Q. No.

Question

Q601

Does seaweed cultivation affect your household duties? IF YES, how? PROBE

Coding Category Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If Yes.....................................................

Q602

Did you face any challenges from your family when you took up seaweed cultivation?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q603

If yes, what kind of challenges did you face?

Opposition from in laws..........................................................................1 Opposition from husband......................................................................2 Opposition from other members of the family .............................3 Workload increased................................................................................4 Any other (Specify).................................................................................5

Q604

What is your role in seaweed cultivation? PROB

Q605

What did you do with your time before seaweed cultivation?

Did household work........................................... 1 Had another occupation......................................

Q606

In your view, what steps can be taken to ensure more women get associated with seaweed cultivation?

Generating Awareness...................................................................... Imparting Training................................................2 Giving Loans.............................................................................. 3 Any Others (Specify).......................................................4

2 1


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Q. No.

Question

Coding Category

Q607

What change has come about in your life after you began earning (you’re your primary occupation, if any)? MRP

Increase in Mobility...................................................................................1 Increase in decision making power within household.................2 Have money at hands.............................................................................. 3 Can spend money according to own wish.......................................4 Respect in the family................................................................................5 Others (Specify)................ 6

Q608

Do you spend your income on yourself?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q609

If yes, on what? PROB What change has come about in your life after you began seaweed farming?

Q610

(Note: if women have a first occupation then ask what additional change has come about in her life – other than those mentioned in Q607. If seaweed farming is the first occupation then refer to the options below)

Increase in Mobility............................................................................... 1 Increase in decision making power within household................................................2 Have money at hands.............................................................................. 3 Can spend money according to own wish......................................................................4 Respect in the family...................................................................................... 5 Others (Specify)................ 6

FOR NON ACTIVE CULTIVATORS Q. No.

Question

Coding Category

Q701

When did you leave cultivation of seaweed?

Month___________ Year_________

Q702

Why did you leave seaweed farming?

Q703

What do you do now?

Q704

How much do you earn now? Per month

Q705

What can be done to remove the challenges, difficulties associated with seaweed cultivation?

Did not earn enough……………………………….1 very few buyers of seaweed……………………2 seasonal cultivation, not a viable source of income……………………………………………………3 other reasons (Specify)………………………….4

Rs _______________

FOR NON ACTIVE WOMEN CULTIVATORS Q. No.

Question

Coding Category

Q801

Has it impacted the welfare of the household?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

If yes, how? Q801 A

Q802

Q802 A

209

probe: No money for education, Can’t meet medical expenses, Cannot buy any additional thing for the household Has it impacted the status of women in the family? If yes, how? probe areas: Mobility reduced, No decision-Making power at home No money to spend on self

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2


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Administrative Staff College of India

Annexure 4B Project Name: CSIR

Socioeconomic and gender analysis of Algal Technology (Processors)

Sigma/ SRC/ Oct 2017

Name of respondent Age (In Completed Years) Male......................................1 Female......................................2

Sex: Name of SHG Primary Occupation

Farming...............................1 Business..............................2 Seaweed Farmer...................3 Others (Specify)....................4

Secondary Occupation

Farming..............................1 Business...............................2 Seaweed Farmer...................3 Others (Specify)....................4

Address

.................................................................................................................................................... Phone (Landline) No.:______________________ Mobile No._______________________________ Email: _________________________________

Name of Distirict Name of Village Name of the Organization Information about Household members

Name

Age (in completed years)

Sex Male 1 Female 2

Relationship with head of household

Education

Marital status

Occupation

Salary/ income (per month in Rs.)

AWARENESS / TRAINING / SUPPORT Q. No.

Question

Coding Category

Q101

When did you join this organization?

Q102

How did you come to know of this processing unit?

Panchayat Office............1 Neighbors....................................2 Cultivators of Seaweed.........................................3 Others (Specify).........4

Q103

Why did you choose this profession? MRP

Closer to home.........................................................................1 Stable Income...........................................................................2 Salary high than other occupation...................................3 Only Option in the area.........................................................4 Others (Specify).......................................................................5

Q104

Who provided you training for processing of seaweed?

CSIR.................................................1 Panchyat Office...............2 Others (Specify)........3

Skip


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Q. No.

Question

Q105

What activities are carried out in the processing unit? (PROBE : Steps involved from seaweed processing to sale of final product) PROB

Q106

Coding Category

What is your role in the processing unit?

Skip

Owner......................................1 Manager..................................2 Others (Specify)....................................3

Q107

How many products are made out of seaweed in this unit?(In Number)

Q108

What are the products? PROBE

Q109

Are there any challenges in this profession?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q110

If Yes, what are the challenges MRP?

Long hours................................................................................1 No crèche...................................................................................2 Working environment not conducive for women.........3 Low Pay .......................................................................................4 Commute is a problem...........................................................5 Marketing is a problem..........................................................6 Others (Specify)........................................................................7

Q111

How much satisfied are you with your work? READ OUT

Highly Satisfied..........................................................................5 Moderately Satisfied...............................................................4 Neutral..........................................................................................3 Unsatisfied.................................................................................2 Highly Unsatisfied....................................................................1

ACCESS AND CONTROL OVER ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES Q. No.

Question

Coding Category

Q201

Do you have bank account on your name?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q202

When did you open a bank account?(In Year)

Year:

Q203

Do you use it regularly? IF NO, why don’t you use it regularly?

Q204

Do you know how to operate Yes........................................................1 the bank account? No.........................................................2

Q205

Do you put your savings in bank?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q206

What is the mode of payment?

To the customer....................1 To the Bank Account...................2 Others (Specify)................3

Q207

Do you own land or any other asset? IF YES, please give details

Q208

Q209

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If No..............................

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2 If Yes, details..........................

What type of a house do you own?

Kutcha........................................................1 Pucca..........................................................2 Semi pucca..............................................3

Has the income from Aquaagri helped you in improving your housing?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Skip


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Administrative Staff College of India

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q210

If Yes Item When did you buy? TV Fridge Stove Mobile phone Bike / cycle

Were you able to buy some consumer durables due to income from Aquaagri?

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT (WELFARE) Q. No.

Q301

Question

Coding Category

How much do you earn per month? (In Rs.) Specify the year in which you started eraning?

How do you spend your income? Q302

Q303

MRP

How has this profession benefitted you? MRP

Skip

Year:

Contribute to household expenses…………………………...…..1 For health..................................……………....................................2 Children’s’ education.................................……........................3 Paying loans.........................................................……................4 Buying land/ asset................................................................…5 Investment in bank......................................................….........6 On self............................................……………………….....................7 Others (Specify).......................................................................8 Made me financially independent..............................1 Made me confident...............................................2 Provided a stable source of income.................................3 I can contribute towards household expense...............4 I have my own asset..............................................................5 I have a say in household decision making...................6 Others (Specify).............7

FOR WOMEN EMPLOYERS Q. No.

Question

Coding Category

Q401

Does seaweed cultivation affect your household duties?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q402

If Yes how did it affect your household work?

Cannot carry out your household duties on time .........1 Creates problems at home....................................................2 Others (Specify).......................................................3

Q403

Did you face any challenges from your family when you took up seaweed cultivation?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Q404

If yes, what kind of challenges did you face? MRP

Opposition from in laws.................................................1 Opposition from husband........................................................... 2 Opposition from other members of the family....................3 Workload increased.....................................................4 Childcare..............................................5 Others (Specify)....................................................6

Q405

What did you do with your time before joining Aquaagri?

Did household work...........................................1 Had another Occupation (Specify).........................2

What changes have come about in your lives after joining the processing unit? MRP

Increase in Mobility....................................................................1 Increase in decision making power within household.....................................................................................2 Have money at hands...............................................................3 Can spend money according to own wish........................4 Respect in the family.................................................................5 Others (Specify)..........................................................................6

Q406

Skip


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Q407

Do you spend your income on yourself?

Q408

If yes, on what? PROB

Q409

In your view, what steps can be taken to ensure more women get associated with seaweed cultivation?

Yes........................................................1 No.........................................................2

Generating Awareness..............................................................1 Imparting Training......................................................................2 Others (Specify)..........................................................................3

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.

213


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Administrative Staff College of India

Annexure 4C Focus Group Discussion with Farmers Date: 04.12.2017 Venue: IFFCO, Karnal Schedule/Checklist for FGD Name:

Age:

Village:

District:

Sex: Phone No:

1.

Which crops do you grow?

2.

For how many years have you being growing these crops?

3.

Which fertilizer do you use? (product name)

4.

For how many years have you been using this fertilizer?

5.

How much money do you spend on buying fertilizer?

6.

How did you come to know about Sagarika fertilizer?

Farmers in the locality

Fertiliser shop in the vicinity

Occupation:

Fertilizer shop in the city

Any other source

7.

What is the price of Sagarika fertilizer?

8.

How many farmers in your village use this fertilizer?

9.

When did you start using Sagarika fertilizer?

10.

Why did you start using Sagarika fertilizer?

11.

Were there problems with your earlier fertilizer? Yes/ No

11a. If yes, what kind of problems?

12.

Currently do you use only Sagarika fertilizer or you mix it with your earlier fertilizer?


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

13.

Do you use Sagarika fertilizer for all your crops?

14.

What are the benefits of using Sagarika fertilizer?

15.

Has it improved the quality of crops? Yes/ no

16.

Has it improved the yield of the crop? Yes/ No

17.

Will you suggest your friends to use Sagarika fertilizer? Yes/ no

17a. If yes, why

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.

Annexure 4D 24 OCTOBER 2017 - Tuesday Time

Topic

Resource Person

09:30-10:00 AM

Opening Welcome/ Participant introductions

Irfan Mohammad

10:00-10:30AM

Study overview

Irfan Mohammad

10:30-11:30 AM

About algal technology

Dr. Eswaran

11:30-11:45 AM

Tea Break

11:45-01:00 PM

Cultivators Questionnaire discussion

01:00-02:00 PM

Lunch

02:00-03:30 PM

Processors Questionnaire discussion

03:30-03:45 PM

Tea Break

03:45-04:30 PM

Questions- Answers About Questionnaire

ALL PARTICIPANTS

04:30-05:30 PM

MOC-CALL

ALL PARTICIPANTS

05:30-06:00 PM

Debrief, team formation

Irfan Mohammad

Irfan Mohammad/ CSIR team

Irfan Mohammad/ Aquagri team


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Administrative Staff College of India

Annexure 4E Universe of the survey: List of SHG who participated in the survey Subam adavar

Dharma Muness warar women SHG

Thendral women SHG

Durgai Amman women SHG

Kattu mariamman woman SHG

Thendral women SHG

Kadal pura woman SHG

Gangai women SHG

Vann pookal women SHG

Pathika kali amman mahalir SHG

Kadal Pookkal mahalir SHG

Kaddal vanam

Kaddal pavalam Adavar SHG

Kadal Pasu

Kadal Pura

Dharma Muneeswarrar W SHG

Vidi Velli Adavar SHG

Sri Prathingara devi mahalir SHG

Ganga women SHG

Kattu Sri Rakka Chiamman mariamman women SHG woman SHG

Kadal puri

Kanthari Amman

Yamuna women SHG

Rammanathasmy mahalir

Kadal ulagam

Vallarpirai Adavar

Kadal Alli women SHG

Kadal Muthu

Vensangu Mahalir

Uthayam M/W SHG

Krishna Adavar SHG

Vann pookal women SHG

Kalimman SHG

Sri Rakkachimman Kadal Nila Woman woman SHG

Vensangu Mahalir

Sri Thillai Adavar

Malargal women SHG

Nila Avadar

Kadal puram

Kulasasi SHG

Kadal kanni

Puthiyaparavai SHG

Roja

Pasumai

Thamarai

Panimalar

Madhuram

Valampuri women SHG

Dharma devathai women

Senthuram

Valarvpzhi vinayagar

Jeevan

Nethaji

Panmalar

Malligai women

Pathiniamman women

Kodal thamarai women SHG

Alaiosai

Summary of discussions/FGD/field visit Person interviewed

Month

Organisation

Summary Described the technology and spoke about the sap extracted from Kappaphycus alvarezii which acts as an effective bio-stimulant. Between 2011 -2016 CSMCRI undertook several trails to validate the performance of sap on agricultural crops.

Dr. Arup Ghosh Senior Scientist

September – October 2017

CSMCRI

Discussed the multi-locational multi-crop demonstration trials undertaken in farm and farmer’s field at more than 40 locations across 20 states of India in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities and ICAR Institutes. Spoke about the positive aspects of the sap – how it helps crop survive in drought Shared data regarding increase in crop productivity


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Dr. Eshwaran Principal Scientist, incharge of Mandapam Unit

Abhiram Seth

September – October 2017

September 2017

Tanmayee Seth

September 2017

Interaction with officials of IFFCO

December 2017

CSMCRI

Shared beneficiary list Provided information about the current set of activities carried out by the field unit with regard to seaweed cultivation Sensitised field investigators about seaweed farming and algal technology

Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd

Provided background information about seaweed cultivation in India Growing market for seaweed in India Inception of AquaAgri Challenges involved in cultivation and marketing of seaweed in India Need for government to play proactive role in seaweed farming The products produced by Aquaagri Processing Pvt Limited

Aquagri Processing Pvt Ltd

Spoke about the status of sales of seaweed in India Challenges faced in marketing of seaweed Products developed by Aquaagri from seaweed Help provided to cultivators of seaweed Ways in which seaweed farming has benefitted fishing community and women in the villages Partnership with IFFCO Strategies adopted by Aquaagri to expand the sale of products developed from seaweed farming in India in other countries

IFFCO

Provided information on the marketing strategy of Sagarika fertiliser, steps taken to raise awareness among farmers about Sagarika and expand the outreach of Sagarika among farmers; challenges in the process; future plans

FGD with farmers

Awareness about Sagarika, Perception towards biofertilisers, usage of sagarika, benefits, increase in growth of crops, increase in income

Annexure 5: Photographs from the field Snapshot of cultivators of seaweed

Snapshot of Rafts prepared for the cultivation of seaweed

Snapshot of Raft method of cultivation of seaweed

Snapshot of Field survey with seaweed cultivators


218

Annexure 4F Snapshot of SAGARIKA brand products developed jointly by IFFCO and Aquagri.

Administrative Staff College of India


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

219

Annexure 4G Selected References • Bindu, M.S. Empowerment of coastal communities in cultivation and processing of Kappaphycus alvarezii—a case studies at Vizhinjam village, Kerala, India. Journal of Applied Phycology. 23(2011) 157–163. • Eswaran K, Ghosh PK, Mairh OP (2002) Experimental field cultivation of Kappaphycus alvarezii(Doty) Doty ex. P. Silva at Mandapam region. Seaweed Research and Utilisation 24:67–72. • Ganesan M, Thiruppathi S, Eswaran K , Reddy CRK, Jha B (2011a) Development of an improved method of cultivation to obtain high biomass of the red alga Gelidiellaacerosa (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) in the open sea. BiomassandBioenergy 35(7):2 7- 29. • Mantri VA, K. Eswaran, M. Shanmugam, M. Ganesan, V. Veeragurunathan,S. Thiruppathi, C.R.K. Reddy &Abhiram Seth. 2017. An appraisal on commercial farming of Kappaphycus alvarezii in India: success in diversification of livelihood and prospects. Journal of Applied Phycology DOI 10.1007/s10811-016-0948-7 • Mairh, O. P. Zodape, S. T. Tewari, A. &Rajaguru, M. R. Culture of marine red alga Kappaphycus striatum (Schmitz) Doty on the Saurashtra region, West Coast of India. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences. 24 (1995) 24–31. • Mondal, D. Sharma, M. Maiti, P. Prasad, K. Meena, R. Siddhanta, A. K. Bhatt, P. Ijardar, S. Mohandas, V. P. Ghosh, A. Eswaran, K. Shah, B. G. & Ghosh, P. K. Fuel intermediates, agricultural nutrients and pure water from Kappaphycus alvarezii seaweed. RSC Advances. DOI: 10.1039/c3ra42919a (2013). • Periyasamy, C. Anantharaman, P. &Balasubramanian, T. Social upliftment of coastal fisher women through seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Doty) farming in Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Applied Phycology 26 (2) (2014) 803-810. • Subba Rao, P. V. Suresh Kumar, K. Ganesan, K. & Thakur, M. C. Feasibility of cultivation of Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Doty at different localities on the Northwest coast of India. Aquaculture Research. 39 (2008) 1107–1114. • Valderrama, D. Cai, J. Hishamunda, N. Ridler, N. Neish, I. C. Hurtado, A. Q. Msuya, F. E. Krishnan, M. Leyva, E. G. &Fraga, J. The economics of Kappaphycus seaweed cultivation in developing countries: A comparative analysis of farming systems. Aquaculture economics and management 19 (2015) 251-277.


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Annexures 5A Calculation of Benefits A

DIRECT VALUE CREATION

1984

1990

2000

2010

2016

1

TEA PLANTATION OWNERS

Average Yield of Green Leaf per hectare

1443

2700

3200

4000

5000

Price of Green Leaf

3

5

8

13

17

Total Area Under Active Cultivation

1000

1100

1100

1100

1150

2

LABOUR

1984

1990

2000

2010

2016

No. of Labour

3000

3300

3300

3300

3450

Average Daily Wage

26

43

72

120

200

Mandays

300

300

300

300

300

Documents reviewed 1.

(1977), Techno Economic Survey of Small Tea Gardens in Kangra 1976-77, Himachal Pradesh

2.

(2002), Workshop on Joint Meetings For Recommendations of Agrochemicals For Tea Plantations of H P - Sept 30, 2002, IHBT Palampur

3.

(2007) Kangra Vision 2020, Kangra Valley Small Tea Planters Association, Tea Board of India, 27-28 November 2007.

4.

(2013) 59th ANNUAL REPORT (2012-2013), (8 November 2017, 16:22) http://www.teaboard.gov.in/ pdf/59_English_AR_12_13_pdf6101.pdf

5.

(2014) 60th ANNUAL REPORT (2013-2014), (8 November 2017, 16:22) http://www.teaboard.gov.in/pdf/ bulletin/60AR--English_Report-2013-14(New).pdf

6.

(2015) 61st ANNUAL REPORT (2014-2015), (8 November 2017, 16:22) www.teaboard.gov.in/pdf/bulletin/ Consolidated_AR_2014_15.pdf

7.

(2016) 62nd ANNUAL REPORT (2015-2016), (8 November 2017, 16:22) http://www.teaboard.gov.in/pdf/ Tea_Board_Annual_Report_2015_16_pdf3913.pdf

8.

Details of Tea Extension Activities (1997-2011)

9.

Gulati Arvind, (2011), Tea Agrotechnology and Tea Processing, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur (HP) (7 June 2011)

10.

Jain, N.K. (2012), Saga of Kangra Tea Development, 1984-1991,International Journal of Tea Science, Vol 8(1), 99-112

11.

Krishna KVS (2008) How green is tea. International Journal of Tea Science 7(3&4): 16.

12.

Sud R.K, (2012) RSWNET Project on the Advisory Services for Production of Quality Tea, Project Completion Report, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur (HP) (June 2012)

13.

Sud R.K, (2012), Tea Training Programme - cum - Workshop on Uniqueness of Kangra Tea and Product Diversification, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur (HP) and Tea Wing of State Agricultural Department, (6 April 2012)

14.

Sud R.K, (2015), Tea Workshop on Strategies for Mechanization of Tea Farm Operations in Kangra Valley, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur (HP) and Tea Wing of State Agricultural Department (14 March 2015)


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

221

15.

Sud R.K, (2017), Tea Workshop on Kangra Tea Industry – Current Status and Future Prospects, CSIRInstitute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur (HP) (31 August 2017)

16.

Sud R.K, RSWNET Project on the Production of quality tea, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur (HP)

17.

Sud R.K. (2007), Advisory Services for Production of Quality Tea (RSWNET PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT). Palampur, HP: CSIR, No. RSP 0018

18.

Sud R.K., (2010), Training Programme On Tea Plantation Management For The Staff Of Ethio Agri-Ceft Plc., Ethiopia, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur (HP) (12-18 March, 2010)

19.

Sud R.K., (2010-11), Project Report, Tea advisory services for production of quality tea, Annual Report, RSP-00018

20.

Sud R.K. (2014), Tea In western Himalayas, Planters’ Chronicle, Vol 110 (7)

21.

Jain, N.K. (2012), Saga of Kangra Tea Development, 1984-1991,International Journal of Tea Science, Vol 8(1)

II. Details of Tea Extension Activities (1997-2011) • Training Organized: 78 trainings & exposure visits organized during 1997-98 to 2011-12 • Radio talk: 4 • TV interview: 26 • Coordination in making and telecast of IHBT topics on science & technology on Doordarshan Kendra Shimla under the programme “Badhte Kadam” (Telecast twice) • Coordination in making and telecast of IHBT mandate crops topics for farmers on Doordarshan Kendra Shimla under the programme “Krishi Darshan” • Participation from foreign countries: Ethiopia III. List of Select Training Programs  Tea Workshop on Strategies for Mechanization of Tea Farm Operations in Kangra Valley (A joint Programme by the Tea Wing of State Agricultural Department and CSIR-IHBT)  Four- week Training Programme on “Tea Agrotechnology and Tea Processing”  Tea Training Program-cum-Workshop on Uniqueness of Kangra Tea and Product Diversification (A joint program by the Tea Wing of State Agricultural Department and CSIR-IHBT)


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Administrative Staff College of India

Projects Completed S. No.

Name of project

Year

Organization

Amount invested

1

Development of abandoned and neglected tea gardens in Himachal Pradesh

1997-2002

Tea Board of India

Rs 10 lakhs

2

Introduction of tea in non-traditional area in Himachal Pradesh

1997-2001

“

Rs 6 lakhs

3

Advisory services to tea growers for development of unproductive and neglected tea gardens and inducing awareness for production of quality tea in H.P.

2001-2005

“

Rs 15 lakhs

4

Advisory services and training to tea growers of H. P.

2003-2005

CSIR Rural Development Programme

Rs 3 lakhs

2005-2007

Tea Board of India

Rs 12.4 lakhs

2005-2008

G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development

Rs 5.0 lakhs

5

6 7

Motivation of tea growers of Himachal Pradesh for production of quality tea through demonstration of appropriate agropractices and processing technologies, organizing training camps, and imparting advisory services Survey, collection and maintenance of promising large cardamom germplasm in Himachal Pradesh Advisory services for production of quality tea

2008-2012

CSIR Rural Development Programme

Rs 35 lakhs

Other projects completed S No

Name of project

1

Introduction of tea in non-traditional area in Himachal Pradesh

2

Improvement in productivity & quality of hill area tea

3

Evaluation of the bio-efficacy of Carfentrazone-ethyl in mature china hybrid tea

4

Standardization of different cultural practices for conventional tea (MLP-0011)

5

Conventional improvement, maintenance and characterization of tea germplasm (MLP-0022)

6

Evaluation of bio-efficiency of SIO 001 in china hybrid tea in H.P.

Year

Organisation

Amount invested

1997-2001

Tea Board of India

--

In-house Rallis India Ltd.

1 year, completed on 23.08.2010

M/s Sino Chem India Co. (P) Ltd

Rs 7.69668


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

List of Participants for Focus Group Discussion in Palampur Tea Workshop on Kangra Tea Registration - 31-08-2017 S. No.

Name

Address

Mobile No.

1

Shri J.L. Butail

Kangra Valley Tea Estate

9816199095

2

Shri Yogesh Kumar

Raipur Tea Estate Thakardwara

9418188502

3

Shri Rajeev Kumar

Tanda

9805292007

4

Shri Suksham Butail

Gopalpur Tea Estate

9816125934

5

Shri Sutikshan Butail

Gopalpur Tea Estate

9816142247

6

Shri Prem Chand Vyas

Vili Vandhvihar Diyogram Kangra

9459696288

7

Shri Vijender Singh

Khlete Tea Estate

9418676951

8

Shri Dinesh Butail

Bandla Tea Estate

9816030604

9

Shri Anupam Das

Tea Board, Palampur

9401208826

10

Shri Neeraj Viashisht

Tea Board, Palampur

9459156321

11

Shri Pyar Chand

Tea Promotion Officer, Department of Agriculture

8350845108

12

Shri Sachine

Agricultural Officer

9418632282

13

Shri Kewal Singh

Laboratory A. TOT

9816220239

14

Shri Satish Kumar

Tea Board of India

981839137

15

Shri Prakash, Owner

Waha Tea Estate

9418026354

16

Shri H.N. Gaur, Manager

Waha Tea Estate

9418026354

17

Dr. S. Kumar

Technical Officer-Tea

18

Shri. Shiksha Dhimar

Agriculture Tech. Officer

9459761264

19

Shri Tripta

Agriculture Tech. Officer

8628984472

20

Shri Rajender Singh

Khlete Tea Estate

9418112353

21

Shri Davinder Pathania

Dharmashala Tea Estate

9816190259

22

Shri Aman Pal Singh

Dharmashala Tea Estate

9816170217

23

Shri K.G. Butail

Sungal Tea Estate

9816161616

24

Shri Naval Kumar

D / Sal T. Company

9736083619

25

Shri Rajeev Sood

Himalayan (Tea) Raipur Tea Estate

9816630281

26

Shri Manohar Singh

Tea Board of India, Palampur

9434036166

27

Shri Rajinder Singh

Rajpur Tanda

28

Shri Love Mehra

Pathiyar Tea Estatre P/O Pathiar

--

-09816883209


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Administrative Staff College of India

Questionnaire for Tea Growers Project Name : CSIR

Tea Growers Questionnaire

Centre

Himachal Pradesh

August/ 2017/ SRC

4

Name of respondent Owner Manager

Designation of the respondent Name of Tea Plantation Name of the Owner

Male Female

Sex

1 2

_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Address

Phone :_________________________________ Email : _________________________________

Name of Interviewer (INT): ______________________________ Name of Supervisor (SUP): _______________________________

FIELD CONTROL INFORMATION D

Y

Y

START TIME

FIRST VISIT INTV DATE

1

3

END TIME

SECOND VISIT INTV DATE

1

3

SUPV. CODE

D

M

M

INV. CODE

START TIME END TIME CHECKED CODE

ACCOMPANIED CALL

Y 1

N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

SPOT CHECK

Y 1

N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

BACK CHECK

Y 1

N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

SCRUTINY: FIELD

Y 1

N 2

BY:CODE

SIGN

ANALYSIS OBSERVATION: EXTENT OF PROBLEM SCRUTINY

: ANALYSIS

NO /MINOR 1 MILD 2 SEVERE 3 YES ...........1

NO.........2

BY :

To begin with, we would like to know more about your organization in terms of number of employees, product profile, etc.


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Q No.

Question

Coding Category

Q1

When did the tea plantation begin operations? (Year)

Q2

What is the total area of the Tea Plantation (in hectares) as of Oct 2017

Q3

How old are your bushes? (In Years)

Skip

1990 Pl ask whether land was bifurcated due to division between family members

2000 2005 Q4

How much land is under active cultivation of tea. (In hectare)

2010 2015 2016 2017

Q5

Q6

What is the nature of ownership of the tea plantation?

Nature of ownership

Code

-Proprietary/ partnership

1

-Private ownership

2

Any other, please specify

33

What was your total production of tea during (In Kilograms) Production

1990

2005

2010

2015

2016

2017

Total Production of Green Leaf Average Yield per hectare Cost Per hectare Profit per hectare

Q7

Existing Infrastructure a. Building Building Leaf Shed Tea Factory building Polyhouse/ Nethouse for nursery Green house/ Glasshouse for nursery

1

2

3

Details: are these shared?

when did they buy/ rent

What is the rent?


226

Q No.

Administrative Staff College of India

Question

Coding Category

Skip

b. Available Machinery Owned 1

Building

Leased 2

Rented 3

Details: when did are these they buy/ shared? rent

What is the rent?

Tractor Power Tiller Pruning Machine Skiffing Machine Plucking Machine Weeding Machine Power Sprayer Minor farm implements Q49

How many employees do you have in your plantation? Provide the details Number of employees

FY 2016-17

FY 2015-16

FY 2014-15

Overall number of employees No of Female Employees Q8

How would you classify total employees in your organization by nature of employment? Repeat the question for classification of female employees. Interviewer to read out list. Nature of Employment

Total

Female

Average period of contact

Permanent (1) Casual (2) Contract (Please specify the average period of contract) (3) Total employees

_ _ _ months

Average Wage


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Q No.

Question

Q9

Please apportion employees in your organization in terms of their educational qualification? Kindly specify the same separately for male and female employees. Educational Qualification

Coding Category

Male

Skip

Female

Uneducated(1) No of Female Employees Primary Education (up to 4th) (2) Secondary Education (7th-10th) (3) Inter (12th) and ITI (Engineering Diploma) (4) Graduate (5) Postgraduate (without professional qualification)(6) Postgraduate (with professional qualification) (7)

Q12

Do you grow crops other than tea? If yes, give details

Maize Cardamom Paddy Potato Others, (pl specify)

1 2 3 4 5

Q13

Is tea your only source of income?

Q10

What is the vacancy ratio for your tea garden?

(How should we measure Vacancy Ratio?)

Q11

How do you dispose the tea that you grow?

Sell to private processing factory 1 Process in own processing factory and sell Sell to Cooperative factors Any other method(pl specify)

If no, what percentage of income comes from tea

2 3

Q14

Why do you grow tea?

Inherited business and land ceiling act prevents exit 1 Lucrative Business 2 Any other reason(pl Specify) 3

Q15

How did you learn about the tasks associated with the growing of tea crops?

From CSIR-IHBT From fellow Tea Plantation owners From forefathers Any other

Q16

Please give details about the cost of cultivation of tea.

Input Cost: Rs._____________________ Labour (per man-day * no. of days) Rs,___________ Fertilizers Rs._____________ CapitalRs.______________ Water Rs._______________ Electricity Any other input Rs._________ Rent of building/equipment

Quantity


228

Administrative Staff College of India

Q No.

Question

Coding Category

Q27

Has there been an increase in income per hectare as compared to earlier commercial/traditional crops (e.g. wheat, maize, paddy, pea, potato etc.) grown by you. If yes, give details

Average income from Tea per hectare of land(In Rs.) 1

How do you rate the quality of tea that you produce? (on a scale of 1 to 5)

1- excellent 2- very good 3- good 4- average 5- below average

Average income of other crop per hectare of land(In Rs.) 2

Q12

How do you think cost of production can be reduced? Probe areas: Min wages set by Govt of HP to be reduced, subsidised inputs, technological intervention by CSIR

Q17

Is there any land that is owned but still not under active cultivation? If yes, Why?

Yes No

Do you own a processing factory also? If yes, give the details regarding the capacity of the factory.

Yes

1

No

2

Q18

Skip

1 2

IF YES, Why:_________________________________

IF YES, Specify: year of establishment Capacity: Q19

To what extent is the tea plucking process mechanized?

Q21

What was the price of tea in the last 5 years? (In Rupees)

Q22

Last year were you able to get

Q22a

Please Specify the reasons for higher/lower market price

Q31

Please name two or three of your major competitors in India and outside India. (for BIG PLANTERS ONLY)

a. Entire crop is cut with machines b. More than 50% with machines c. Between 20-50% with machines d. Less than 20% with machine e. Entire crop is hand plucked Years

Green Tea

Orthodox Tea

More than market price 1 Less than market price

2

Equal to market price

3

Name 1 Major competitors in India Major competitors outside India

Name 2

Name 3


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Q No.

Question

Coding Category

Q32

Do you sell abroad? Please provide details of the export markets. (for BIG PLANTERS ONLY)

Yes................................................1 No................................................2 IF YES, Specify: Percentage Yield in India Abroad______________________

How much were your earnings from export?

2016-17 2015-16 2014-15

Q35

Q36

Are you manufacturing any value added products of Tea like Special Teas- rose tea, chamomile tea, stevia tea etc? If yes give details.

Yes................................................1

Did you receive training on agro technology services of CSIR-IHBT. What was the specific intervention? When?

Yes No

Did you receive training from CSIRIHBT on Tea

Yes................................................1

No................................................2 IF YES, Specify:____________________________ 1 2

IF YES, Specify: ______________________________ __

No................................................2 When?__________________________________ On what areas were you trained

Did you participate in monthly planters meetings? If yes, how did it help you? Did you visit the demo plots set up by IHBT? Did it help? Give specific instances where you had a problem that was solved by IHBT Are you able to do better weed and pest management after IHBT Q28

Do you know about the Geographical Indicator for Kangra Tea? Did it help you in exploring new markets? Give details.

Yes................................................1 No................................................2 IF YES, Specify which countries do you export t

Q37

Q38

Q39

Q40

Are you using the methods specified by CSIR-IHBT

Yes................................................1

Did it help you to improve the production?

Production Before intervention

Did it help you to improve the quality of tea?

Before intervention(quality on a scale of 1 to 5)

Did it help you to improve the productivity of tea?

Production per hectare Before intervention

No................................................2

Production After intervention

After intervention(quality on a scale of 1 to 5)

After intervention

Skip


230

Administrative Staff College of India

Q No.

Question

Coding Category

Q41

Are you still using the same techniques that were imparted by CSIR? If no, why not?

Yes................................................1

Skip

No................................................2 If No Specify_______________________________

Q42

Q43

Do you still consult IHBT for any problems/issues that you have? If yes, give instances of specific problems for which you sought intervention by CSIR-IHBT.

Yes................................................1

Has IHBT intervention helped to solve the problem regarding shortage of labour?

Yes................................................1

No................................................2 If Yes Specify ________________________________

No................................................2 If Yes Details ________________________________

Q44

Did IHBT help you in the development of value added products?

Yes................................................1 No................................................2 If Yes Specify

Q45

Did IHBT help you to explore new markets?

Yes................................................1 No................................................2 Which markets?

Q46

What changes do you think can bring about increase in productivity of your Tea garden?

Q47

In your opinion, are there any concerns relating to sustaining competitiveness of the tea industry?

Details __________________________________________ Concerns relating to sustaining competitiveness

Code

Infrastructure constraints

1

Skilled labor shortage

2

Increasing costs

3

Emergence of competitors

4

Any other (please specify)

5

How has growth of Kangra Tea led to development of the area Probe areas: Increase in employment, increased tourism, employment in allied sectors like hotels Q48

In your opinion are there any concerns relating to regulatory measures? For example, are there any outstanding demands of the Tea industry pending with the Government of India?

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

In your opinion how has how has tea industry contributed to the socio-economic development in the area. Give instances. Probe areas: instances where income has increased, standard of living has increased, ownership of consumer durables like cars, fridge, TV, mobile phone. Social factors: No. of children, education levels of children, health indicators, no. of people employed, Please ask to what extent they would ascribe these changes to better tea produced due to IHBTs intervention *The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Inputs by Tea Board of India

Socio-economic Impact Assessment of Select Technologies of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) KANGRA TEA ADVISORY SERVICE — CSIR-IHBT

Questionnaire for Tea Board of India Name of respondent: Tea Board, Research Directorate, Kolkata …………………………………………………………………………….... Designation of the respondent Dr. Biswajit Bera, Director of Research Address : Tea Board, 14 BTM Sarani, Kolkata 700 001 ………..………………………………………………………………………………....... Tel: +91 33 223 5131; FAX-0330221-5715 Mobile No. +91 98368 44111 Email drteaboard@gmail.com; rsdirteaboard@gmail.com; ………………………………………………

231


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Administrative Staff College of India

SECTION I:

Q1. How much is the total area under cultivation of tea in the Kangra region. S. No.

District

Area (in hectares) 1990

2000

2005

2010

2015

2016

2017

Kangra

1900

2117

2117

2117

2110

2111

2112

3.

Mandi

160

193.4

193.4

193.4

200

200

200

4.

Non-Traditional Area (Sihunta area in Chamba)

0.6

0.6

0.6

0.6

1 2.

Q2. How much area is abandoned? why? S. No.

1 2.

District

Kangra

Area (in hectares) 1990

2000

2005

2010

2015

2016

2017

0

927.83

927.83

927.83

720

720

720

3.

Mandi

0

166.65

166.65

166.65

106.77

106.77

106.77

4.

Non-Traditional Area (Sihunta area in Chamba)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Reasons for abandonment & area loss are many—ubdivision and fragmentation of holdings and tiny size becoming unviable to sustain one family, leading to neglect/ diversion; non-availiability of family members to attend to plantations; labour constraint ; closure of co-op. TFs—3 no., thus snapping the supply chain and stopping leaf intake and consequently fields going out of plucking ; escalation of land price. Construction of : IHBT-Campus, CSHPKVV Setting up; Military barracks and cantonments all on tea area uprooted and diverted, besides filial feuds , still keeping tea properties in thrall of dispute and litigations thus abandonment. Poor yield as neither there has been evolution of HYV, nor adoption of Darjeeling clones, nor any high elevation South Indian Orthodox suitable cultivars. Replanting has been thus not taken up or has been of no consequence due to poor yielding spurious seed based plants in circulation still. IHBT although claimed to have evolved HIMSPHURTI, not a single plant has found circulation to date to Farmer’s field or to any Estate. Besides, there has been no resistance from labourers due to closure of gardens/ partial abandonment seen in mainstream plantation belts, as they found alternate source of employment of higher income, thereby not becoming a hindrance to owners to abandon and conveniently to divert. Land ownership being of title deed category, and local revenue officials also not issuing any directive on status-quo of category and classification. Neighbiuring State Uttarakhand has leveraged MGNREGA for tea, but same has not happened in HP.


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Q3. What was the total production of tea in the last 5 years? S. No.

District

Production (Made tea) 1990

1

Kangra

2000

2005

2010

2015

2016

2017—till September

1078905

1383452**

800783

860794

832500

842836.5

767175

2.

Mandi

80000

110000

55000

23450

27500

26200

14000

3.

NonTraditional Area (Sihunta area in Chamba)

0

0

0

0

300

350

500

Total

1158905

1493452

855783

884244

860300

869386.5

781675

**Peak was witnessed in 1998, witnessing over 17 lakh Kg. of made tea being produced in the year.

Q4. Please give details about the cost of cultivation of tea/ha (Young tea raising). Input Cost(Plant) :

Rs. 1,60,000/-[ Considering usage of Well grown & healthy Plants of superior variety and vigour. Plants available at subsidized rates @ Re 1/- per plant are not field-worthy , failing to establish and thus not taken for working out Plant cost] Labour (per man day * no. of days) : 3428 mandays @ Rs. 210/- = Rs. 7,19,880/-

Fertilizers

:

Rs. 25000/-

Capital

:

Rs. 25000/-

Water (Irrigation) :

Rs. 67,000/-

Any other input

:

Total

:

Maintenance Cost of bearing tea per year ranges between Rs. 15000/- to Rs. 20,000/- perha.

Rs. 9,96,880/- [ 5yrs. Consolidated cost at current wage rate]

Q5. What was the average price of tea in the last 5 years? Years

Green Tea(Rs./kg)

Orthodox Tea(Rs./kg)

2012

57

140

2013

63.48

125.29

2014

89.71

157.42

2015

71.10

151.48

2016

130

152

Q6. Where is the Kangra tea auctioned- Kolkata or Amritsar? Black Orthodox tea is auctioned in Kolkata ; and green tea is auctioned/ sold in Amritsar, also moves to Kolkata. Q7. What is the cost of transportation of tea from Palampur to Kolkata for auction For transportation of Black Orthodox teas from Palampur to Kolkata , the transportation cost is Rs. 10.50 per kg, when sent as full lorry consignment


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Administrative Staff College of India

Q8. What is the cost of transportation of tea from Palampur to Amritsar for auction For transportation of Black Orthodox / Green tea from Palampur to Amritsar , the transportation cost is Rs. 2.50 per kg—3 per kg Q9. Has there been an increase in income per hectare as compared to earlier commercial/traditional crops (e.g. wheat, maize, paddy, pea, potato etc.) grown by the farmers. If yes, give details a. Average income from Tea per hectare of land—depends on prevailing GL Price –at an average price of Rs. 15/ per Kg. GL, the Income per ha. is Rs. 60,000/ per annum, taking a minimum yield of 4000 Kg. of GL per ha. b. Average income of other crop per hectare of land—depends on crop cultivated—also tea lands are not always suitable for farming other crops. Taking wheat as crop cultivated, income would be Rs. 45,000/per ha., considering 3 tonne/ ha. yield and a Price of Rs. 15/- per Kg. However, all are traditional local rainfed/ un-irrigated wheat and yield touches maximum 1-1.5 ton per ha. Thus tea still turns a better proposition over and above its generational continuity and its less susceptibility to natural vagaries and spells of biotic and abiotic stresses Q10. How may tea processing industrial units are operational in the kangra tea growing areas. Please give details Unit

Name --------------List Attached ------------

Q11. In your view, has the quality of Kangra Tea improved over the years? If yes, how? a. Better bush management b. better pruning c. better weed management d. better plucking e. any other reason Ans. a) Neither has drastically improved nor has it failed to meet changing quality demand and norm. Price of last 3 years are indicative. b) Quality awareness and upgradation programme of Tea Board has been in implementation, starting 1998-2000 after collapse of USSR in 1991; and its nameshake CIS in 1998 ; and tea price crashing. Intensive training programme both and on- and off-campus mode has been in place since and adoption of GAP by STGs and plantation units and GMP by processing units, including Certification authority putting compliance pressure, introduction of MRL by EU and other tea importing nations; and field workshops on reach-out mode covering all aspect of crop husbandry and post-harvest handling. Introduction of minimum 50% auction norm, thus putting quality requirement pressure for better price discovery in Auction, all these have played their role in bringing salutary impact and plugging the loopholes. Q12. In your view, did the intervention by IHBT help in quality enhancement? If yes, how? Ans.: IHBT has mainly worked on tea derivatives like catechine extraction and product variants like Tea Wine, Tea cola, but on the orthodox black or green tea, it has no worthwhile engagement and output to find mention. Their works are at the level of biomolecules and phytochemicals; and in terms of GMP have


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Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

not brought out anything worthwhile for adoption of the Industry. The work at the Institute are high sci-fi in nature as ought to be for any CSIR institute. They are not dedicated full time tea purpose body after all and only works on project mode sanctioned by various agencies, including Tea Board. Q13. How did the GI help in exploring new markets? Give details. Ans. : GI ,after all, is a symbol of originality and uniqueness and exclusivity, thus it has been able to elevate the perception around Kangra tea and indirectly built an assurance in consumers of its speciality and delectability. This has benefitted all GI holding teas, but since size of production of HP tea is less than one million, it has not been much of translational effect, considering that earnings come from combination of both volume and value. When Kangra tea volume is less than even what HP state consumes and needs, where comes the quanity left out for exploring new market. For a pdn. Of less than a million Kg. market exploration is less a priority than getting back to its past recorded highest volume, as speciality Kangra tea has no demand constraint , but supply limitation. Q14. What was IHBTs contribution in GI— Ans. It has been a culmination of joint initiatives of State S&T Council, KVSTPA , State Tea Wing, IHBT and Tea Board—very difficult to apportion IHBT contribution, except to say that they have also played role in it and has been referral body as regards bio-chemical signature properties of Kangra tea. Tea tasters from Broking houses have also documented its organoleptic traits, having contributed in their way, thus. Q15. What is the total production/ market share of Kangra Tea in India and in other countries? Percentage production/ market share in India Percentage market share outside India—

____

.089

%

____

.0003-- no record of regular export except some seasonal tea despatches happening erratically

%

Q16. Please name major producers of Kangra tea Dahrmshala/ Mann TF, Dharmshala Mansible TE units—I, II, III, Thakurdwara

Wah TE, Palampur Khalete TE, Thakurdwara

Palampur Co-op. TF

Bir Co-op. TF running on Lease given to Pvt. Company

Himalayan Brew TF, Raipur

CSHPKVV TF, Holta, Palampur

List of all TF attached.

Q17. What is the demand scenario for Kangra Tea? Ans.: Kangra tea does not have any marketing difficulty, being a least volume industry. No producer has ever reported stock stagnation. Also, HP State is a tourist destination, which helps offtake of tea from garden and factory counters, itself. Both Kangra Black Orthodox and Green tea sells effortlessly. Further, Kangra Black Orthodox is positioned between Darjeeling and Nepal high elevation Orthodox and has he closest affinity to Darjeeling in appearance and liquor appearance, thus blends well for mid grade Orthodox mix of medium price range to be made available to consumers.


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Q18. What is the marketing channel for sale of tea produce and share of producers (farmers), commission agents, wholesalers and retailers in the marketing channel? Ans. Tea moves from TF either to Auction, or to Pvt. Agents engaged in tea sourcing both for their own outlet or on behalf of retailers. Good portion of tea goes to consumer direct through Sales counters in the premise of TE/TF or counter set up in nearby market/ city centre/ shops. Q19. Please give details about the research and extension activities that Tea Board has funded for the development of Kangra Tea. Ans. : Tea Board continues to undertake implementation of Development Schemes for BG and STGs alike. There is a special package in implementation for mechanization of field operations, and revival of dilapidated tea. The 3rd component of the Scheme is empowerment of STGs through processing infrastructure. This is besides all ongoing Schemes like Plantation Development, Quality upgradation & Product diversification, HRD, SCSP and Small Growers’ Development Scheme and Field Programmes like Training –Workshop, Study Tour , as also Enumeration programme in running. Physical and Financials during 12th Plan as regards Development Schemes has been –432 no. of Programmes and cases—3620.57 ha.; and Rs. 186.0858 lacs. Board built its own Office with facilities for STGs for better delivery of service investing Rs. 2.27 Cr. As regards Research project funded by Tea Board , briefly the same has been as under----

Research Projects: Tea Board funded project at Himachal Pradesh 1.

CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya • Standardization of Package of practices for Organic Tea Production

2.

Zonal office Palampur and CSIR IHBT • Comparative evaluation and feasibility of R&D technologies available on the field management in tea gardens of H.P.

3.

Collaborative projects in XII th Plan • Integration of conventional and nonconventional methods of breeding for development of new clones for productivy,quality and stress tolerance (UPASI- TRF, TRA,DTR&C and IHBT- Palampur) • Integrated mechanized programme ( UPASI ,TRA,IHBT Palampur)

Q20. Do you agree that the intervention by IHBT helped to improve the production of Kangra Tea?

Ans. No perceptible and quantifiable change , as the industry fundamentals like area and production and price realization have been as it is; and all Agencies—CSHPKVV, State Tea Wing, IHBT and Tea Board all have engaged in their own manner. Most importantly, IHBT’s grassroot and field level intervention has not been pronounced. They have worked in research plane, mostly bio-chemistry, not the mundane problems of plantation agriculture and quotidian issues encountered by farmers. IHBT has worked as per project sanctioned, but it has not been in the way State Tea Wing and Tea Board in a full time and only focus area way. Production (average) Before intervention

4000 Kg. average GL per ha. in STG segment

After intervention

Trend has not seen any improvement, rather due to area loss, average has dropped in many clusters, as also abandonment


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Q21. Do you agree that the intervention by IHBT helped to improve the quality of Kangra Tea? Can you rate the quality if tea before and after intervention on a scale of 1 to 5 Quality Parameters Before intervention After intervention

Tea Tasters’ Evaluation and consequent reflection of the same in Price does not bespeak so.

Q22. Are the tea growers still using the same techniques that were imparted by CSIR? If no, why not? Ans. : There is no HP specific technique in adoption in Industry. Its tradition driven and Darjeeling hills like. CSHPKVV recommendation and IHBT recommendations are different from each other. Q23. Has IHBT intervention helped to solve the problem regarding shortage of labour? Ans. Mechanization as a special initiative for HP State has been the theme of the SKRP(Special Kangra Revival Programme) being implemented. IHBT did engage and involve along with other Agencies ,besides Tea Board in drafting of the Scheme and continues to be member of the SKRP Implementation and Management committee. Q24. Did IHBT help tea growers to explore new markets? Ans. : The mandate of IHBT and helping STGs to find market are not complementary and in sync. Even IHBT does not explore market for its produces and patented items—it looks for selling IPR and franchisee for commercialization. Also, as has been fore-mentioned, its research is far removed from common man issues; and general package of practices of tea gardens. Q25. What changes do you think can bring about increase in productivity of Kangra Tea? 1. Introduction of NEW Cultivar of Darjeeling type ; 2. Restoration of abandoned and dilapidated tea; 3. Establishment of Leaf Agreegator mechanism, also called leaf agents who would tap and source every kg of green leaf and thus would keep the STG fields plucked all through and year after year ; 4.Extensive block infilling of high vacancy gardens; 5. Helping STGs to establish their own mini- and micro- processing units and thereby enable them enter manufacturing and marketing space; 6. Re-opening of closed Co-op. TFs/ leasing them to Tea co.s/ professionals of other tea region ; 7. Assistance like Orthodox & Green tea Production Subsidy to STGs; 8.Administrative decision on making owners of bigger size abandoned holdings liable to either lease out or to continue farming; 9. Stopping classified and categorized tea lands to be diverted to non-tea purpose, except for social causes like School, Hospital, etc.; 10. More collectivization of STGs, which is being taken forward by Tea Board intensively; 11.Revival of Amritsar Auction and elimination of cartel. 12. Free service like Soil Testing, sample test , etc. both by IHBT and University like Institutes, as also establishment of dedicated full time advisory set-up/ arrangement as in NER/ SI/NB-Bihar sector. Q26. In your opinion , has the standard of living in the area improved due to Kangra Tea cultivation. Give anecdotes, examples. Ans. : People associated with tea are economically well ensconced and still enjoys a different status and stature, particularly large size tea holding owners and where tea has been in family for generations and till date. They, by virtue of this eminence and prominence, also have excelled in politics and business. The standard of living, comfort and convenience all have flowed from tea to begin with, which has got further reinforced due their success in business and politics. A good number of plantation workers’ ward students are on the roll of Schools in Palampur. They receive concessional fees, because of hailing from plantations, and such schools receive welfare grant from Tea Board and grants from planters.


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Q27. In your opinion, why has Kangra Tea not been able to build a reputation/brand like Darjeeling Tea? Ans.: Critical mass is an important criterion for any business proposition, and Kangra tea does not possess the strength of that criticality. Secondly, Kangra tea is a distinct tea as Darjeeling tea is, but Darjeeling is the gold standard and against it all automatically dwarfs. Brand it is , but not that stronger a brand as Darjeeling. But Brand or no brand, in export market it fetches many a times comparable prices, particularly for first and second flush and hand made oolongs. Q28. In your opinion, are there any concerns relating to sustaining competitiveness of the tea industry? Ans. : Major uncertainty is area loss and total halt in development of new planatations. It has no competitive ability problem—it is a sinking industry as the very fields from where industry draws its sustenance(AroIndustry) is depleting in size and productivity for various backlog issues. Major problems are back end i.e. crop production related. Worries are less on the front end issues as listed in the table below: Concerns relating to sustaining competitiveness

Code

Infrastructure constraints

1

Skilled labor shortage

2

Increasing costs

3

Emergence of competitors

4

Any other (please specify) _____________________

5

Any other (please specify) _____________________

6

Any other (please specify) _____________________

7

Q29. In your opinion are there any concerns relating to regulatory measures? For example, are there any outstanding demands of the Tea industry pending with the Government of India? Q30. None which is impeding growth of the Industry or its competitiveness to suffer. The issues of concern are generic , local and have their solutions within. Tea Board continues to implement Regulatory measures in a level playing amnner.


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SECTION II: Employment Details

Q31. How many people are working in the Tea industry. Provide the details Number of employees Overall number of employees

FY 2016-17

FY 2015-16

FY 2014-15

400

395

385

FY 2013-2014 388

%

% of Male Employees

40

%

40

%

40

%

40

%

% of Female Employees

60

%

60

%

60

%

60

%

TOTAL (MUST ADD UP TO 100%)

1

%

1

%

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

%

Q32. How would you classify total employees in Tea Industry by nature of employment? Nature of Employment

Total

Female

Average period of contact

Permanent

120

70

Not applicable

Casual

280

160

8-9 months—cropping months

Contract (Please specify the average period of contract) TOTAL EMPLOYEES

8-9 months 400

230—60% appx.

Permanent Employment: Under this the employee is on the payrolls of the organization and his/her terms of employment will be government by the contract of employment between the employer and the employee Casual Employment : Employment at uncertain or irregular times. Employment for short time and limited and temporary purpose . By statute in many States, such employment may or may not be subject to workers compensation at the election of the employer. The test is the nature of the work or the scope of the contract of employment or the continuity of employment.” Contract Employment: In this the employee may be hired at any level to serve for a specific period of time. Contracts are normally written for one (1) year terms at the end of which they may be renewed or not-renewed depending on the management’s decision to do so. The contract usually covers the duties, salary, benefits, terms and conditions of employment. Any other issue not mentioned in the contract shall be governed by the personnel policies and procedures of the organization Q33. Please apportion employees in the Tea Industry in terms of their educational qualification? Kindly specify the same separately for male and female employees. Educational Qualification Uneducated

Male

Female

5

%

10

%

Primary Education (upto 4th)

50

%

80

%

Secondary Education (7th-10th)

45

%

10

%

Inter (12th) and ITI (Engineering Diploma)

%

%

Graduate

%

%

Postgraduate (without professional qualification)

%

%

Postgraduate (with professional qualification)

%

%

TOTAL (MUST ADD UP TO 100%)

100%

100%


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Q34. Is the industry experiencing shortages of skilled labour? If so, what has been the response of Tea Board? Opinion : Being a labour intensive industry and skilled hands having greater level of finesse and efficacy; and shortage of skill labour is a nation-wide phenomenon, tea sector also is facing constraints; and SKIL India as a Flagship Programme launched by GOI is a recognition of this economy-wide problem. Ans./Comment: Tea Board mandate is not to engage directly in running and managing Industry or solving its labour and like problems. Policy intervention in the form of Scheme for mechanization is already afoot and running. Also, collectivization of STGs and running operations in a co-operative mode for giving play to group dynamics are being encouraged through special benefits being granted under designated STG Schemes. Research project on exploring more automation and mechanization also are being sponsored under NTRF(National Tea Research Foundation) Research Projects.

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.


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Annexure 6A Project Name : CSIR

Stevia Growers Questionnaire

October/ 2017/ SRC

Questionnaire for Stevia farmer-entrepreneurs Centre

4

Name of respondent Designation of the respondent

Owner Manager

Name of Stevia Stevia farm Name of the Owner Male Female

Sex

1 2

__________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

Address

Phone :_________________________________ Email : _________________________________

To begin with, we would like to know more about your organization in terms of number of employees, product profile, etc. शुरू करने के लिए, हम आपकी संस्था के, कर्मचारियों की संख्या, प्रोडक्ट्स कि जानकारी आदि, बारे में, और ज्यादा जानकारी लेना चाहेगें. Q. No. Q1

Question

Coding Category

When did you start growing Stevia? 2010

Q2

What is the total area of the Stevia farm under Stevia?

2015 2016 2017

Q3

How old are your plants? (In Years)

Q4

What is the nature of ownership of the Stevia farm?

Q5

Why do you grow Stevia?

Q6

How did you learn about the tasks associated with the growing of Stevia crops?

Nature of ownership 1. Proprietary/partnership 2. Private ownership 3. Any other, please specify

From CSIR IHBT…….…………………1 From fellow Stevia Stevia farm owners………2 From forefathers…….………………3 From private labs….………………4

Skip


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What was your total production of Stevia during the following years (In Kilograms) 2010 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 Q7

Total Production Average Yield per hectare Cost Per hectare Profit per hectare Labour (per man-day * no. of days) Rs. Fertilizers Rs. Capital Rs. Water, Rs. Electricity Any other input Rs. Rent of building/equipment Cost of seed Rs. Cost of transplantation Rs.

Q8

Please give details about the cost of Stevia farm of stevia

Cost of fertilizer Rs Fertilizer application cost Rs Irrigation cost Rs Weeding cost Rs Hoeing cost Rs Harvesting and drying cost Rs Supervision charges Rs Fixed cost (land) Rs Input Cost: Total Rs. Quantity

Q9

How do you think cost of production can be reduced?

Q10

Do you grow crops other than Stevia? If yes, give details Is Stevia your only source of income?

Q11

Q12

If no, what percentage of income comes from Stevia

How many employees do you have in your Stevia farm? Provide the details

FY 2016-17 FY 2015-16 FY 2014-15 FY 2013-2014 Number of employees Overall number of employees No. of Female Employees


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How would you classify total employees in your Stevia farm by nature of employment?

Q13

Nature of Employment Total Female Average period of contact Wage Permanent(1) Casual(2) Contract (Please specify the average period of contract)(3) _ _ _ months Total employees Please apportion employees in your Stevia farm in terms of their educational qualification? Kindly specify the same separately for male and female employees.

Q14

Q15

Q16

Educational Qualification Male Female Uneducated (1) Primary Education (up to 4th) (2) Secondary Education (7th-10th) (3) Inter (12th) and ITI (Engineering Diploma)(4) Graduate (5) Postgraduate (without professional qualification)(6) Postgraduate (with professional qualification) (7)

To what extent is the stevia plucking process mechanized?

Do you own a processing factory also? If yes, give the details regarding the capacity of the factory.

Entire crop is cut with machines More than 50% with machines Between 20-50% with machines Less than 20% with machine Entire crop is hand plucked Yes 1 No 2 IF YES, Specify: year of establishment Output of made stevia: Sell green leaf to big Stevia farms Process in own processing factory and sell

Q17

What do you do with the green stevia leaf that you produce?

Sell to cooperative factors Sell directly to consumers Any other

Q18

Has there been an increase in income per hectare as compared to earlier commercial/traditional crops (e.g. wheat, maize, paddy, pea, potato etc.) grown by you. If yes, give details IF YES, give details

Q19

How do you rate the quality of stevia that you produce? (on a scale of 1 to 5)

Average income from Stevia per hectare of land(In Rs.) Average income of other crop per hectare of land(In Rs.) 1- excellent 2- very good 3- good 4- average 5- below average


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What was the price of green leaf in the last 5 years? (In Rupees)

Q21

Last year were you able to get

Q22

Please Specify the reasons for higher/lower market price

Q23

Are you manufacturing any value added products of Stevia like stevia tea, stevia powder? If yes give details

Q24

Q25

Do you sell abroad? Please provide details of the export markets

Please name two or three of your major competitors in India and outside India.

Years Price per kg of Green leaf 1 More than market price 2 Less than market price 3 Equal to market price

Yes No

1 2

IF YES, Specify:____________________________ Yes No

1 2

IF YES, Specify: Percentage Yield in India Abroad______________________ Name Countries: Name 1 Name 2 Name 3 Major competitors in India Major competitors outside India

Q26

What are the products that you are selling abroad?

Q27

What changes do you think can bring about increase in productivity of your Stevia garden?

Q28

In your opinion, are there any concerns relating to sustaining competitiveness of the stevia industry?

Q29

In your opinion are there any concerns relating to regulatory measures? For example, are there any outstanding demands of the Stevia industry pending with the Government of India?

Q30

Did you receive training on agro technology services of CSIR-IHBT. What was the specific intervention? When?

Q31

Did you receive training from CSIR-IHBT on Stevia

Details...............................................................

Concerns relating to sustaining competitiveness Infrastructure constraints Skilled labor shortage Increasing costs Emergence of competitors Any other (please specify) ____________________________________ ___________________________________ Yes No

1 2

IF YES, Specify: _______________________________ Yes.................................1 No.................................2 When?_____________________ On what areas were you trained


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

Did you buy the seeds/saplings from IHBT?

Yes .................................1 No .................................2 If yes, Price: Time of purchase:

Q33

Why did you buy the seeds/saplings from IHBT?

Better quality………………………1 Lower price………………………..2 Both of the above………………….3 Any other………………………….4

Q34

What is the difference in the prices of seeds/saplings from private labs and IHBT?

Q35

Did you visit the demo plots set up by IHBT? Did it help?

Q36

Give specific instances where you had a problem that was solved by IHBT

Q37

Are you able to do better weed and pest management after IHBT intervention/training

Q38

Are you using the methods specified by CSIR-IHBT

Q39

Did it help you to improve the production?

Q40

Did it help you to improve the quality of stevia?

Q32

Yes............................1 No..............................2

Production before intervention Production After intervention

Before intervention(quality on a scale of 1 to 5) After intervention(quality on a scale of 1 to 5) Production per hectare

Q41

Did it help you to improve the productivity of stevia?

Before intervention After intervention

Q42

Were you able to get better price for green leaf after CSIR intervention?

Yes…………………………………………………………1 No…………………………………………………………..2 If yes, Price before Intervention – Price after intervention –

Q43

Are you still using the same techniques that were imparted by CSIR? If no, why not?

Yes..........................................1 No..........................................2 If No Specify ____________________

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Q44

Do you still consult IHBT for any problems/issues that you have? If yes, give instances of specific problems for which you sought intervention by CSIRIHBT.

Yes..........................................1 No..........................................2 If No Specify ____________________

Q45

Has IHBT intervention helped to solve the problem regarding shortage of labour?

Yes..........................................1 No..........................................2 If Yes Details ____________

Q46

Did IHBT help you in the development of value added products?

Yes..........................................1 No..........................................2 If No Specify ____________________

Q47

Did IHBT help you to explore new markets?

Yes..........................................1 No..........................................2 Which markets? ...................

Q48

According to you, how has Stevia contributed to the socio-economic development of the farmers

Q49

Have the farmers in the area showed interest after they saw you cultivate Stevia?

Q50

Why is there reluctance on the part of more farmers to undertake the cultivation of Stevia?

Yes If yes, Why No If no, Why

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.


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Annexure 6B Questionnaire for trade association ORGANISATION LEVEL 1. Please give the following details about the two organizations that you are heading: Name of two organizations

Year of formation

No. of members

India Stevia Association Stevia Global Forum

2. Do they constitute members from all levels? (I.e. farmers, processing units, wholesalers, retailers etc.)

3. Please share the details of the programs spearheaded by ISA/SGF to help promote Stevia cultivation and marketing in India?

4. Do you know that CSIR-IHBT has been working on the agro-technology of Stevia?

5. Has your organization or any members sought help from CSIR-IHBT? If yes, in what ways?

6. Do you know any private labs/private nurseries which help in propagation of the agro-technology of Stevia?

7. What are the issues that should be addressed immediately to help stimulate the widespread use of this agro-technology?

8. Has the organization published any reports regarding Stevia? If yes, please share.


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9. Could you help us enrich the study by referring our team to any experts on Stevia to identify the value-chain elements?

10. Do you have any international tie-ups for Stevia leaf processing technology?

STEVIA SCENARIO 1. Please give details about the following Year

Total Production in India

Average price

Area under cultivation

No of farms

Average cost of cultivation

Average profits compared to other crops

2017-18 2016-17 2015-16

2. Minimum cost of investment for a Stevia processing plant?

3. According to you, how has Stevia contributed to the socio-economic development of the farmers? Indicator

Before Intervention

After Intervention

India

Exports

Income of farmers Inequality rate Unemployment rates Suicide rates

4. Consumption of Stevia Year 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

5. Who are the biggest producers of Stevia in: a. India b. Abroad


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6. Which are the big processing units of Stevia leaf in India

7. During the interview we had conducted with various Stevia retailers, we discovered that many had exited the market. Do you know about the issues they might have faced which lead to exiting the market altogether?

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.


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Annexure 6C Table 6.4: Agreements signed for transfer of Technology, Planting Materials and Collaborative work by CSIR with private players Name of the Client

Agreements signed for ToT/ Planting material/ Collaborative work

1

M/s Himalaya Natural & Herbal Products, VPO Bundla, Palampur (HP)

Processing of stevia leaves and conversion into stevia liquid drops

2

Sh. Manjinder Singh, Ludhiana-141 003

Signed MoU for Setting up a stevia cultivation in 15 acres at Village Sayan Khurd and Kuhli Khurd Distt. Ludhiana

3

M/s Madan Tissue Culture Lab, Alampur, Dist. Kangra (H.P.)

Signed MTA for improved stevia variety HIMSTEVIA

4

M/s DLB Herbs India Pvt. Ltd; Safdarjung Extn. New Delhi

Signed MoU for establishing stevia plantation in 10 acres at Village Gain Chakladiya, Block Bhunga, Distt. Hoshiarpur (Pb)

5

Mr. Virendra Kumar Rajora, District Bulandshahr (U.P)

Signed MoU for establishing stevia plantation at Jasnaoli Kalan and Hazartpur Distt. Bulandshahr (UP)

6

M/s Himalaya Natural and Herbal Products, Palampur (H.P.)

Signed agreement for processing of dry stevia leaves and conversion of pure Steviol Glycosides powder into tablets

7

M/s Svyam Agro, Indore-452 001 (M.P)

Signed MTA for HIMSTEVIA raised through Tissue Culture to establish stevia cultivation in central India

8

M/s Agri Natural India, Ludhiana-141002

Signed MoU for Establishing stevia plantation at Ludhiana, Punjab

S. No.

Source: CSIR-IHBT24

Table: Patented technology profile Title of Product/Process/Design/Equipment

Complete package of production technology including nursery development, cultivation practices, improved cultivar (high rebaudioside-A content) and processing of high purity steviol glycoside

IPR Status Patent/Copyright/Trademark Secured in India/ Abroad IPR Details

Patents granted Vietnam: 0142555 A1/2006 Korea: 049563518/2009 PCT: WO038221/2006

Application/Uses

Food & beverages industry

Salient Technical Features including Competing Features

Green technology with final product as per international guidelines

Level/ Scale of Development

40 and 300 kg/batch capacity per day dry stevia leaf processing

Environmental Considerations

Safe

Status of Commercialization

In progress with two companies

Major Raw Materials to be Utilized

Dry Stevia leaves

Major Plant Equipment and Machinery Required

Extraction, filtration, Purification and drying equipment of GMP compliant

Techno- Economics

Feasible at commercial level

Technology Package

Ready

Source: CSIR-IHBT25

24 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/Lakhs-of-Indians-becoming-sugar-dependent/articleshow/19456525. cms 25 “Handling Sugar and Sweeteners Intakes – Indian Experience” Rekha Sharma R.D, Director, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Diabetes Foundation ( INDIA), Former Chief Dietician, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, INDIA


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Annexure 7A Questionnaire – RBO Units 1.

Name of the Respondent

2. Designation 3.

Name of the RBO processing unit

4. Address 5.

Year of inception of the processing unit

6.

Year of inception of RBO processing activity

7.

Nodal contact

a. Name b. Qualification

c. Total Experience (No of completed years)

d. Experience with the firm (No of completed years)

8.

Is the unit part of a processing complex? (Yes/ No)

a. If Yes, what are the other units other than the RBO processing unit ? Please list them with major products and processing capacities

9.

Processing capacity of RBO unit in Tons Per Day (TPD). Please indicate both input and output capacities

10.

Annual turnover of the firm (Rs in Lakhs)

11.

Annual turnover from RBO processing unit (Rs in Lakhs)

12.

When did you adopt the IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology? (Year)

13.

Why did you adopt IICT’s technology? Can you indicate three major reasons?

14.

What is your product mix? Please list the products and by-products from your RBO unit

15.

Can you list the major customers who use your unit for Third Party Production?

16.

Can you list your institutional buyers?

17.

Do you have your own RBO brand in the market? (Yes/ No)

a. If Yes, what is the brand

b. If Yes, what are the major markets where your product is sold?

18.

What is the percent oil recovery from per unit of raw material used? Before using IICT technology

19.

What is the time taken for processing a batch, if batch process is followed? Before using IICT technology

20.

After using IICT technology

After using IICT technology

What is the percent loss of oil during the process? Before using IICT technology

After using IICT technology


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Administrative Staff College of India

Quantify the inputs used per MT of oil refined

Input

Before using IICT technology

After using IICT technology

Raw Material (Crude Rice Bran Oil) Enzyme Power Fuel Manpower Water Any other applicable ones

22.

Cost incurred for the inputs (either Rs per annum or Rs per MT of oil refined)

Input

Before using IICT technology

After using IICT technology

Raw Material (Crude Rice Bran Oil) Enzyme Power Fuel Manpower Water Repairs and Maintenance Any other applicable ones

23.

Indicate the by-product recovery (in MT) and gross revenue due to the by-product recovery (Rs in Lakhs) due to the usage of the technology

By-Product

Before using IICT technology (Annual Recovery in MT)

After using IICT technology (Annual Recovery in MT)

Before using IICT technology (Annual Revenue in Rs in Lakhs)

After using IICT technology (Annual Revenue in Rs in Lakhs)

Fatty Acids Spent bleaching earth Gums Waxes

24.

Has the quality of RBO improved using IICT’s technology? (Yes/ No)

a. If yes, can you list and indicate the major quality specifications?

25.

Does your product fetch more price in the market due to enhanced quality? (Yes/ No)

a. If yes, can you quantify the increment?

26.

Has your customer base increased after using IICT technology? (Yes/ No)

a. If Yes, Can you list them?

b. If Yes, Can you also the benefits as felt by your customers?


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27.

What is the cost of adoption of the technology (additional investment) and adaptation thereafter?

28.

What is the time taken for erecting the plant and machinery for deployment of the technology?

29.

Is there a rise in your gross revenue after introduction of IICT’s technology(Yes/ No)

a. If Yes, Can you indicate the incremental turnover and indicate the primary reason?

30.

Is there a rise in your net revenue after introduction of IICT’s technology(Yes/ No)

a. If Yes, Can you indicate the incremental net revenue and indicate the primary reason?

31.

Does the technology help in reduction of effluents or residues? (Yes/ No)

a. If Yes, Can you quantify?

32.

Do you find any other alternative technology in the market that is better than IICT’s? If so, what are the comparative benefits of other technologies and are you planning to adopt it?

33.

What according to you are the advantages of IICT’s technology?

34.

What are the major benefits to the RBO industry / edible oil industry on a whole, due to IICT’s technology?

35.

Do you still seek the help of IICT for any kind of intermittent issues, special requests etc? or you manage on your own?

36.

What do you think is the role of Project Engineering Companies in commercializing the technology?

37.

What is the direct and indirect employment created by the RBO unit deploying IICT’s technology? (applicable only for new units)

38.

How do you rate the performance of IICT’s enzymatic degumming technology on a scale of 1 to 5? 1 (Very Low)

Scale

2 (Low)

3 (Moderate)

4

(High)

5 (Very High)

4

(High)

5 (Very High)

Response (Please tick)

39.

How do you rate the ease of adoption of IICT’s technology?

Scale

1 (Very Low)

2 (Low)

3 (Moderate)

Response (Please tick)

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.


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Annexure 7B: Pictures of physical site visits A. Visit to Enzymatic Degumming unit of M/s A.P.Organics Pvt Ltd, Dhuri, Punjab Snapshot of the Enzymatic Degumming unit of M/s A.P. Organics Pvt Ltd, Dhuri, Punjab

B. Visit to M/s Jayashree Solvex, Durg, Chhattisgarh

C. Visit to Enzymatic Degumming unit of M/s Kamal Solvent Extractors Pvt Ltd, Rajnandgoan, Chhattisgarh

Snapshot of Enzymatic Degumming unit of M/s Kamal Solvent Extractors Pvt Ltd, Rajnandgoan, Chhattisgarh

Snapshot of Enzymatic Degumming unit of M/s Jayashree Solvex, Durg, Chhattisgarh


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Annexure 7C: Workshop on Validation of “Theory of Change” Framework for IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology Venue: Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad Date: September 22, 2017 As part of the Socio – Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) study awarded to the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), a half a day workshop was convened for validation of the Theory of Change (ToC) Framework of IICT’s Enzymatic Degumming Technology for processing Rice Bran Oil (RBO). Dr. Pradosh Chakrabarti and Dr. BVSK Rao, the core team of Scientists from IICT were present for the workshop. Ms. Srilekha Ravvarapu and Mr. Shivans Rajput, the Research team handling the technology at ASCI organized the workshop. Agenda of the workshop was to • Validate the ToC framework developed by ASCI • Validate the questionnaire for interaction with RBO processing units • Feedback on the sampling plan and field visit plan • Discuss on the data gaps and information earlier sought by ASCI • Support required from IICT for the study The following is a brief account of the proceedings: • The research team from ASCI had briefed the IICT Scientists, the objective of the study and discussed the draft ToC framework. The Scientists from IICT had helped the study team in fine-tuning the ToC framework for the study. Major observations were as follows  The primary goal of the IICT’s technology was to evolve an efficient and commercially viable physical refining technology for RBO Processing  Major outcomes were increased RBO production in India, availability of nutritionally enhanced oil, reduced imports and increased RBO exports  The team agreed upon the Outputs indicated and suggested that “Enhanced nutritional properties of the oil” and “Ease of adaptability of the technology” be included as outputs in addition to the ones identified by ASCI  The activities and inputs mapped by ASCI were agreeable. ASCI to develop and share a standard template or protocol to capture data from IICT on the activities and inputs for the technology, in a week’s time. • Stakeholder mapping was discussed with IICT. An observation on the role of Project Engineering Companies was made that these companies helped IICT in diffusion of the technology and not up-scaling as identified by ASCI. • On assessment of benefits, it was discussed and consented by the participants that visiting control units in the same cluster as the treatment RBO units would provide a comparative picture. Also, comparison with other prevalent technologies such as Simultaneous Degumming and Dewaxing may be necessary for a holistic perspective. • Data indicators and draft questionnaire developed for RBO processing units was discussed in detail and the team from IICT had agreed to provide comments on the questionnaire by October 5, 2017. Preliminary observations that were discussed were,


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 Ease of adaptation measured by “additional investment” or “time taken” for erecting the plant and machinery for deployment of the technology may be included in the questionnaire.  By-products that can be included in the questionnaire are • Fatty acids • Spent bleaching earth • Gums • Waxes • Sampling methodology was discussed. It was proposed by the ASCI team that the RBO units contributing to an aggregate share of around 75% - 80% RBO production would be physically visited and rest would be telephonically contacted for the survey. IICT had consented with this sampling methodology. On visiting the Project Engineering Companies (PECs), IICT suggested that contacting two out of the six companies would help the study capture the ease of adaptation of the technology, though the role of PECs was nominal. • It was requested to IICT that they provide RBO unit wise latest processing capacities to ascertain on the units to be visited physically as part of the survey. IICT agreed to provide the said data to ASCI by October 5, 2017. • The study team from ASCI had requested that IICT facilitates physical site visits to RBO units by ice breaking calls and context setting for which the Scientists had kindly agreed. • It was requested by ASCI that the IICT provides the telephone numbers and email ids of all the RBO processing units and Project Engineering Companies (major ones) and IICT had consented to this request. • ASCI had requested that the IICT provides details of licensee fee collected from PECs and RBO units and IICT has kindly agreed to share the same. • On the health benefits accrued to the consumers over a period, it was discussed that the same can be captured by secondary literature review of research studies conducted on physically refined RBO. The meeting concluded with a thank you note.


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Annexure 7D: List and contact details of RBO units, control units and PECs contacted as part of the survey S. No.

Name of the respondent

Designation

Name of the RBO Processing Unit

Location

Telephone No of the respondent

1

Mr. Lakshmikant Agarwal

Founder/ Director

Ramcharan Industries

Zaheerabad, Telangana

9391012160

2

Mr.Sonu Agarwal

Director

Saraiwala Agro Refineries Ltd

Maheswaram, Telangana

9912744315

3

Mr. Ramesh Bagaria

Founder

Bagoria Agr Products

Aurangabad, Maharashtra

9822751170

4

Mr. Vijay Sangoi

Founder & Director

Paras vanasathi Pvt ltd

Raipur

9300044313

5

Mr. Puneet Goyal

Chief Executive Officer

A.P.Organics Limited

Dhuri, Punjab

6

Mr. Varun Goyal

Manager

A.P.Organics Limited

Dhuri, Punjab

9815162850

6

Mr. Anshul Agarwal

Founder & Director

Jayashree Solvex Ltd

Durg, Chhattisgarh

9229235204

7

Mr. Mahadev Agarwal

Founder & Director

Abhay Solvents Pvt Ltd

Koppal, Karnataka

8

Mr. Prabhu Dev

Technical Engineer

Abhay Solvents Pvt Ltd

Koppal, Karnataka

9448496331

9

Mr.Sunil Mundra

Director

Kamal Solvex Pvt Ltd

Rajnandgoan, Chhattisgarh

9425234000

10

Mr.Anil Modi

Founder & Director

Anil Modi Industries

Philibhit, Uttar Pradesh

9568009811

11

Mr. Rathi

DGM, Plant

Bhatinda Chemicals Ltd

Raipur

9915030228

12

Mr. Rajeev Arora

Director

Muez Hut Technologies Ltd

Mumbai

9810370455

13

Mr. Deshpande

Technical Manager

Ganpathi Solvex Pvt Ltd

Rajnandgoan, Chhattisgarh

9422107649

14

Mr. Dinesh Agarwal

Chief Executive

Pacema Sales Promotion

West Bengal

9830013265

15

Mr. O. P. Goenka

Founder & Director

M/s 3F Industries Pvt Ltd

Tadepalligudem, Andhra Pradesh

9848023102

16

Mr. Nikhil Agarwal

Director

Sita Refineries

Durg, Chhattisgarh

9301675500


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Annexure 7E: References 2002. Roy, S. K., Rao, B. V., & Prasad, R. B. Enzymatic degumming of rice bran oil. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 79(8), 845-846. 2014. Sengar, G., Kaushal, P., Sharma, H. K., & Kaur, M. Degumming of rice bran oil. Reviews in Chemical Engineering, 30(2), 183-198. 2004. Chaudhuri. Environment, Pollution Control & Waste Management in Vegetable Oil Plants. 4th National Seminar on Technology Upgradation in Vegetable Oil Industry, 23. 2012. Dr. B V Mehta, Executive Director. SEAI. Solvent Extractors’ Association of India plans to maximise rice bran oil production to 14 lakh tonnes. Fnbnews.com 2002. Dr. J. Sambasiva Rao. Advantages of Enzymatic Degumming coupled with Physical Refining over Alkaline refining of vegetable oils. 5th National Seminar on edible RBO. Solvent Extractors Association of India 2017. Chhatterjee. Rice Bran Oil -Growth Story. Oil and Fats International India. 2017. Aavailable at http://www. ofievents.com/india/contentimages/advertising/Chatterjee_Pres.pdf 1997. Piric, A., & Reeve, N. Evaluation of public investment in R&D-towards a contingency analysis. In OECD Conference on Policy Evaluation in Innovation and Technology: Towards Best Practices (pp. 26-27). 2013. Florio, M., & Vignetti, S. The use of ex post cost-benefit analysis to assess the long-term effects of major infrastructure projects. SEA Handbook 2014. The Solvent Extractors Association of India 1999. Proceedings of National Seminar on Edible Rice Bran Oil. New Delhi 2000. Proceedings of National Seminar on Edible Rice Bran Oil. Goa. The Solvent Extractors Association of India. 2001. Proceedings of National Seminar on Edible Rice Bran Oil. Kolkatta. The Solvent Extractors Association of India. 2002. Proceedings of 5th National Seminar on Edible Rice Bran Oil. Chandigarh. The Solvent Extractors Association of India. 2003. Proceedings of 6th National Seminar on Rice Bran Oil. The Solvent Extractors Association of India. 2004. Proceedings of 7th National Seminar on Rice Bran Oil. New Delhi. The Solvent Extractors Association of India. 2005. Proceedings of 8th National Seminar on Rice Bran Oil. New Delhi. The Solvent Extractors Association of India. 2006. Doctor’s Meet Special Presentation on Rice Bran Oil as Health Oil. Mumbai. The Solvent Extractors Association of India. 2007. Doctor’s Meet on Rice Bran Oil Virtues. Chennai. The Solvent Extractors Association of India. 2014. Manisha.; G.; Singh. Study on Economic Impact Assessment (EIA) of Selected Commercialised Technologies of CSIR. CSIR. Indiastat database available at www.indiastat.com


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Annexure 8A: List of documents reviewed

1.

Technology Information Document sent by IICT

2.

Documentary on AGR Technology on Youtube

3.

Sameena Begum, Shruti Ahuja, Kranti Kuruti, Gangagni Rao Anupoju, Sudharshan Juntupally, Devender Kumar Ahuja. Off grid power generation through high rate anaerobic gas lift reactor (AGR) from multiple feedstocks: Full scale experience, presented at VIT, vellore, Tamil Nadu, December 2016.

4.

Gangagni Rao Anupoju, Shruti Ahuja, Kranti Kuruti, Sameena Begum, Bharath Gandu, Devender kumar Ahuja. Decentralised biomethanation system based on anaerobic gas lift reactor for organic wastes. Presented at Venice symposium.November 2016.

5.

A.Gangagni Rao*, Johny Joseph, P.N.Sarma. High rate biomethanation process for the treatment of poultry litter. CHEMCON -2009, Visakhapatnam, 2009.

6.

Sandhya. K, K. Kranti, Bharath Gandu, A. Gangagni Rao *, Y.V.Swamy .Optimization of nutrient requirements and gas yield to derive the benefits of high rate anaerobic co-digestion. SCHEMCO, 2013. Vizianagaram, AP.

7.

Sandhya. K, A.Gangagni Rao and Y.V.Swamy. High Rate Biomethanation Technology using organic solid waste with concomitant energy generation. Green Energy: Biogas, Hydrogen from biological sources. Biofest-2012 Hyderabad, India.

8.

A brochure on AGR Technology developed for marketing purpose

9.

Responses on questionnaire administered on technology users and technology licensee.

10.

Responses on questionnaire administered on user of M/s GPS technology.

11.

Sameena Begum, Shruti Ahuja, A. Gangagni Rao, Bharath Gandu, Kranti Kuruti, D.K. Ahuja. 2016. Process intensification is the key factor for valorization of high rate biomethanation technology in poultry sector: A full scale experience. Renewable Energy, 114, 2017, 43-51.

12.

Sameena Begum, Gangagni Rao Anupoju, Sridhar S, Suresh K. Bhargava,Veeriah Jegatheesan, Nicky Eshtiaghi. Evaluation of single and two stage anaerobic digestion of landfill leachate:Effect of pH and initial organic loading rate on volatile fatty acid (VFA) and biogas production. Bioresource Technology 251 (2018) 364–373.

13.

Kranti Kuruti, Sameena Begum, Shruti Ahuja, A. Gangagni Rao, Juntupally Sudharshan, Bharath Gandu, Devender Kumar Ahuja. 2016. Exploitation of rapid acidification phenomena of food waste in reducing the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of high rate anaerobic digester without conceding on biogas yield. Bioresource Technology 226 (2017) 65–72.


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Annexure 8B: Tools of Evaluation – Questionnaires to beneficiaries and others 1. Questionnaire for Users of AGR Technology

Introduction Administrative Staff College of India is conducting a primary survey on behalf of CSIR to assess the social and economic impact of the technology of Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor We seek your cooperation in completing this survey. Only aggregate data will be used for the report to be submitted to CSIR, Government of India. November 2017

Questionnaire for Users of AGR Technology Name of respondent………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Name of organization………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………… Address…………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Mobile No…………………………………………………………………………… Date : ____ / ____ / 2017 1.

When did you began using the AGR technology for waste to energy conversion?

2.

How much cost is incurred by you for the installation of the AGR technology plant?

3.

How much money is spent every month on labor, maintenance, and electricity etc. by you for running the AGR plant? S. No.

4.

Item

1

Labour (per man day* number of days)

2

Maintenance

3.

Electricity

4.

Microbial culture

Cost per month

How much money did you spend on LPG for your kitchen every month before the installation of AGR plant? Before AGR Expenditure per month on LPG

5.

Do you use the bio-manure from the AGR plant in-house or sell it to others?

6.

If you sell it to others how much monthly income is generated from its sales?

7.

If you use inhouse, how much are your savings from use of this bio-manure?

After AGR


Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Select Technologies of CSIR

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8.

How much organic solid waste can your AGR plant can treat per day?

9.

How many kilos of organic solid waste do you put into the AGR plant every day for treatment?

10.

What are the different kinds of organic solid waste sent into the AGR plant?

11.

Do you experience any technical and other difficulties in running the AGR plant? Please give details.

12.

Are there any limitations in the use of this plant?

2. Questionnaire for Technology Licensee Introduction Administrative Staff College of India is conducting a primary survey on behalf of CSIR to assess the social and economic impact of the technology of Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor We seek your cooperation in completing this survey. Only aggregate data will be used for the report to be submitted to CSIR, Government of India. November 2017 Questionnaire for AESPL

Name of respondent………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Name of organization………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………… Address…………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Mobile No…………………………………………………………………………… Date : ____ / ____ / 2017

1.

What was your role in the development of AGR technology?

2.

When did you install the first AGR plant and where?

3.

How many queries do you receive on an average in a month about AGR plant installation?

4.

How many plant installation requests you have received so far since your first installation request?

5.

How many AGR plants you have installed so far which are fully functional and up and running successfully?

6.

How many plants are under the installation process? Please provide the list with following details:

a.

Name and other details of the clients.

b.

Locations of the AGR plants with per day treatment capacity.

c.

Start date and scheduled completion dates of plants installation.

7.

How many confirmed orders for AGR plant installation are with you on which the work is yet to start?

8.

How do you approach the potential customers who will be willing to install AGR plants?

9.

How many people are employed in your organisation?


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Year

No. of people Males

10.

Females

How many people can potentially be employed for installing one plant of capacity 1-2 tons per day

Plant fabrication Installation Testing Commissioning

Operation and Maintenance

11.

What do you think about the number of AGR plants you will be able to install in the coming five years time? Do you have any kind of data to support your estimates?

12.

Do you think there is scope to further increase the efficiency of the AGR plants or bring down its cost of installation so that it becomes financially attractive to more potential customers?

13.

Do you have any thoughts about how awareness about AGR plants can be spread to facilitate faster adoption of this technology by large institutions like municipal corporations, religious bodies like Temples and Gurudwaras, NGOs, hotels and the likes?

14.

Are there any complaints about the AGR technology from the users? If yes, give details

15.

Are there any competing technologies for waste to energy generation? If yes, please give details

16.

Can you compare these technologies with that of IICT on the basis of Efficiency Cost of Operation Investment Capacity Possibility of Scaling ROI

17.

What support does IICT provide in terms of installation, maintenance or operation of the plant?

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.


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Annexure 8C: Questionnaire for user of M/s GPS Technology – January 2018 Introduction Administrative Staff College of India has conducted a primary survey on behalf of CSIR to assess the social and economic impact of the technology of Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor (AGR) developed by Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad. The present Questionnaire is meant to understand what are the socioeconomic benefits of other bio-gas technologies currently used in India and perform comparative analysis of two or more waste to energy generation technologies. We seek your cooperation in completing this survey. Only aggregate data will be used for the report to be submitted to CSIR, Government of India. Name of Respondent Name of Organization Address Contact Number Email ID Date

1.

When did you began using the bio-gas technology for waste to energy conversion?

2.

How much cost is incurred by you for the installation of the bio-gas plant?

3.

How much organic solid waste can your bio-gas plant can treat per day?

4.

On an average how many kilos of organic solid waste do you put into the bio-gas plant every day for treatment?

5.

How much money is spent every month on labor, maintenance, and electricity etc. by you for running the bio-gas plant? S. No. 1 2

Item Labor (per man day*no. of days) Maintenance

3.

Electricity

4. 5.

Microbial culture Other expenses, if any

Cost per month

6.

Before installation of the bio-gas plant how much money was spent per month on disposing the organic waste?

7.

What is the amount of bio-gas generated per day by your bio-gas plant?

8.

How much money did you spend on LPG for your kitchen every month before the installation of bio-gas plant? Before bio-gas plant

After bio-gas plant

Expenditure per month on LPG

9.

On an average how much bio-manure is generated in your plant per day?

10.

Do you use the bio-manure from the bio-gas plant in-house or sell it to others?

11.

If you sell bio-manure to others how much monthly income is generated from its sales?

12.

If you use bio-manure in house, how much are your savings from use of this bio-manure?

13.

What are the different kinds of organic solid waste sent into your bio-gas plant?

14.

Do you experience any technical and other difficulties in running the plant installed by M/s GPS? Please give details.

15.

Are there any limitations in the use of the bio-gas plant?

*The questionnaire was administered in the local language. The English version is produced here.


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Annexure 8D: List of Persons Contacted During Evaluation S. No.

Details of Persons Contacted

1

Dr. A. Gangagni Rao, Senior Principal Scientist Environmental Engineering & Fossil Fuels (EEFF) department, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT)

2

G. Mahantayya The Akaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), Hubli

3

Mr Shreedhara The Akaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), Bellary

4

Amarnath Sharma The Akaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), Ahmadabad

5

Priyankar Rawat The Akaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), Surat

6

Mr. K. Kranthi Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad

7

Ms. Shruti Ahuja AESPL, Hyderabad

8

Mr. Ravi Chandra M/S GPS, Bengaluru

9

Shri Saidulu Ifosys Ltd., Gachibowli, Hyderabad


Capacity (Kg/day)

250-5000 and above

200-2000

100 to 1000

100 to 1000

250-2000

Company Name

M/s Ahuja Engineering Services Private Limited (CSIR-IICT: AGR Technology)

M/s GPS

NEERU

Mailhem Ikos

Xeon Waste Managers LLP

Yes

Vertical Digester model (Improved conventional digester technology) Floating dome (conventional digester technology)

CSTR/UASB/Plug Flow

Plug Flow

Cooked food waste

Animal Manure, Kitchen waste

All types of organic waste including animal manure, organic MSW

Cooked food waste Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

High rate anaerobic digester based on AGR

Working principle Grind

All types of organic waste

Types of kitchen waste considered

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No (only Biogas based self mixing)

Stirrer for mechanical Mixing

1

1

1

1

1

Operator

Unit operations

Heat

Annexure 8E: Comparative positioning

Drying No

No

No

No

No

20-25

20-25

10-15

40-50

12-15

30

40

40

25

21

Power consumption HRT KWh/day

Wt. reduction 60 to 65%

40 to 50%

40 to 50%

60 to 70%

75 to 80%

Additives Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

End Product Biogas

Biogas

Biogas and Biomanure

Biogas

Biogas and Biomanure

Biogas Production M3/day 70-80

50-60

50-60

90-100

120-135

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