Agriculture world feb 2015

Volume I | Issue 2 | Feb-2015 | `70

AGRICULTURE

W RLD SEED

INDUSTRY

Echoing Sustainable Environment and Agriculture www.krishijagran.com

AGRICULTURE WORLD AGRICULTURE WORLD M.C. Dominic Shiny Emanuel M.G. Vasan Sr. Executive‐Editor Dr. K.T. Chandy R.K. Teotia Executive Editor G.S. Saini Associate Editor S.S. Dogra Head‐Research Services Abhijeet Banerjee Head‐Content Development Kumud Shukla Research Assistant Nishant Kr. Taak Hrituparna Banerjee Junior Research Assistant Jayanti Das Admin Head Chetram Head‐Marketing P.S. Saini DGM‐Marketing Farha Khan Sr. Manager‐Marketing K.J. Saranya Manager‐Marketing Mehak Ali Namita Shrivastava Pratibha Joshi Bhatt Pratima Joshi Ritika Kotiyal Sara Khan Asst. Manager‐Marketing Sarla Singh Sarita Singh Jyoti Sharma Megha Sharma Sr. Executive‐Marketing Afsana Malik Sujata Gautam Chunki Bhutia Many Pradhan Dolly Singh Poonam Bishwakarma Head‐Circulation Sanjay Kumar Sr. Executive‐Circulation Rahul Singh Harashankar Mandal Sukumar Dalai Abdus Samad Head Pre‐Press Dharmendra Kumar Designing Yogesh Kumar Office Assistant Devendra Singh Perm Kumar Raju Jana D.D. NAIR VP International Business Russia & CIS Countries Off.: +7 (499) 501 99 10 117198, Moscow, Russia Mob: +7 (903) 729 98 30 Str. Mikluho‐Maklaya, 6 Email: ddnair@krishijagran.com

Editorial

Editor Director

IN THIS ISSUE Availability of Germplasm in India and Its export................................04 INTERVIEW, V.K. Gaur ..... ................................................................09 Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2014...............10 INTERVIEW, Dr. Prabhu.....................................................................14 Sustainability of Indian Agriculture and Seed Technology..................16 INTERVIEW, Bipin Solanki.................................................................22 Vistas in Genetic Engineering and Genetic Modification....................26 Hybrid Rice- ensuring sustainable food security.................................32 The hidden part of food security-Forages and healthy oil...................35 Not a Zero Sum Game........................................................................37

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eed is an embryonic plant along with its temporarily stored up food enclosed in a protec ve cover called the seed coat and there was me when every farmer had his own seeds of the crops he sowed in his field. That was the era of pre‐Seed Technology when no one knew about the genes and the gene c science which gave rise to its major technical branches called gene c engineering (GE) performing gene c modifica on (GM).

Simple observa ons on garden pea's colour combina ons inspired Gregor Mendel (1822‐1884) to inscribe some surprising theories, which evolved in the hands of commi ed scien sts and technicians into the present seed technology influencing human history beyond the imagina on of any one.

One of the crucial aspects in seed technology is the availability of germplasm in a country or between countries. Realizing the great worth of gene c resources countries all over the world have amassed whatever gene c materials in the form of seeds and other germplasm materials available in their own territory for future use and exchange with other countries. Hari Har Ram an accomplished seed technologist explains in detail the situa on of germplasm availability in India and abroad along with the policies that govern its exchange between countries. Compared to all other countries India has perhaps the maximum amount of germplasm in the world but may have lost many of them due to our late entry into the germplasm collec on and storage technology.

Clive James the founder and emeritus chair ISAAA a er briefly explaining the 19 year old growth, diversity and benefits he goes on to emphasizes the role of public‐ private partnership. He further went on to present briefly the impact on consumers and farmers. The presenta on ends with enumera ng the top ten facts about biotech/GM crops in 2014.

Sixty percent of the people in India is dependent on agriculture contribu ng 14% to the GDP and yet according to Arvind Kapur agriculture in India is at cross roads from the point of view of of sustainability of crop produc vity and produc ons. A er surveying the huge network of public agriculture sector in educa on, training and research the author of “Sustainability of Indian Agriculture and Seed Technology” emphasized the role of private sector in seed technology commercializa on in agriculture sector in India.

Today gene c maps of all the crops, animals and humans are available at the click of a bu on. When Dolly the sheep was cloned and when the House of Commons of UK gave its final node to the near future three parent baby no one is s ll able to grasp the far reaching implica ons in the future, whether posi ve or nega ve, of gene c engineering and gene c modifica ons. Less controversial are the gene c research on plants and animals of economic importance and the seed technology is taking full advantage of the same to evolve surprising results in the yield of crops and animals. Such are the trends highlighted in the ar cle on “Vistas of Gene c Engineering and Modifica ons” by K.T. Chandy.

The world famous Bayer company promotes hybrid rice varie es ensuring sustainable food security for a country like India. Further he describes the need for adop on of high yielding hybrid rice varie es extensively to overcome food scarcity. The graph showing the evolu on of hybrid rice in India is very encouraging.

Describing the role of fodder and canola oil in improving the milk produc on Venkatram Vasantavada, Chief Opera ng Officer, Asia & Africa, Advanta Ltd., highlights the in the ar cle “The Hidden Part of Food Security ‐ Forages and Healthy Oils”, the need for use of hybrid fodder is advocated. He further proposes a solu on for the rampant protein deficiency by sugges ng the use of soybean and canola which have protein content 46% and 36% respec vely.

Linked with hybrid seeds and other plan ng material Dhiraj Pant highlights the need for up grada on of all facets of agriculture reminding us that the Na onal security should be given top priority. He draws our a en on to increase of agricultural produc vity through technology and knowledge.

The interviews with K.V. Prabhu on hybrid Basma rice and with V.K. Gaur on merger of SFCI and NSC raise great hope for the people of India both in the valuable high quality Basma rice and also new trends in the organiza onal set up in seed technology.

The interview with Bipin Solanki highlights the research versa lity of a Syngenta on a variety of crop ranging from cereals, vegetables in hybrids and disease control gives a strong sense of strength to both farmers and dealers in seeds.

India is poised for a renewed launch in hybridized seed technology and crop produc on.

M C Dominic Editor‐in‐Chief editor@krishijagran.com

Availability of Germplasm in India and Its export

Availability of Germplasm in India and Its Export P

lant gene c resources (PGR) are the gene c material of plants which are of value for present and future genera ons of humankind. O en used as a synonym to plant germplasm, it can be defined as a seed, a plant or plant part including cell cultures, genes and DNA sequences that are held in a repository or collected from wild as the case may be and that are useful in crop breeding, research or conserva on because of gene c a ributes. The term is used to describe a collec on of gene c resources for an organism or gene c material which forms the physical basis of inherited quali es. In brief, germplasm is the sum total of the hereditary materials in a species.

Accession is a sample of plant variety collected at a specific loca on and me, a dis nct type or variety, but not necessarily a variety. There is a related term called as landrace which cannot be included in the term cul var as the cul var is described as a taxon that had been selected for a par cular or combina on of a ributes, and that is clearly dis nct, uniform and stable in its characteris cs and that when propag‐ ated by appropriate means, retains

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those characteris cs. No or only a limited human selec on is carried out to maintain a landrace. One landrace must be clearly dis nct from other landraces. According to several views, the landraces consist of mixtures of genotypes all of which are reasonably adapted to the region in which they evolved but which differ in details as to specific adapta ons to par cular condi ons within the environment.

They differ in reac on to diseases and pests, some lines being resistant or tolerant to certain races of pathogens and some to other races. Some components of the popula on are suscep ble to the prevalent pathogenic races, but not all, and no par cular race of pathogen is likely to build up to epiphyto c propor ons because there are always resistant plants in the popula on. Landraces tend to be rather low yielding but dependable. They are adapted to rather crude land prepar‐ a ons, seeding, weeding and harvest‐ ing procedures of tradi onal agricul‐ ture. They are also adapted to low soil fer lity and are not very demanding, partly because they do not produce much.

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Availability of Germplasm in India and Abroad Germplasm of various crops in India are available primarily with the following organiza ons: 1. Na onal Bureau of Plant Gene c Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi: NBPGR has the na onal mandate to plan, organize, conduct, and coordinate plant explora on, collec on of indigenous and exo c germplasm, to undertake plant introduc on, exchange and quara‐ n ne of plant gene c resources, to characterize, evaluate, document and conserve plant gene c resou‐ rces and promote their use in collabora on with na onal organ‐ iza ons. NBPGR has 10 regional sta ons (Akola, Bhowali, Cu ack, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Shillong, Ranchi, Shimla, Thrissur and Srinagar) on specific crops/groups of crops. Besides these 10 regional germplasm centres under NBPGR, there are about 59 Na onal Ac ve Germplasm Sites recognized by NBPGR and these NAGSs maintain crop specific germplasm for

www.krishijagran.com suppor ng rou ne conserva on and distribu on of germplasm.

These are located in some of the State Agriculture Universi es (SAUs) and Indian Indian Council of Agricultural Research ( I C A R ) Ins tutes but do not come under administra ve control of NBPGR. The na onal genebank at NBPGR conserves germplasm at ‐18 0 C in form of base collec on besides ac ve and working collec ons.

Presently, NBPGR claims to have 3,96,189 germplasm lines in the genebank (cereals‐1,56,256, m i l l e t s a n d fo ra ge s ‐ 5 6 , 4 7 2 , ps e u d o ‐ c e re a l s ‐ 6 , 8 2 5 , g ra i n legumes‐58,160, oilseeds‐57,479, fibre crops‐11,943, vegetables‐ 25,084, fruits‐crops‐530, medicinal and aroma c plants‐6,771, spices‐ 3,721, agro‐forestry species‐2,243, duplicate safety samples‐10,235).

NBPGR has distributed more than 1,50,000 germplasm to na onal agricultural research system (NARS) partners, namely, SAUs and ICAR‐crop based ins tutes for conserva on, evalua on and use.

2. State Agricultural Universi es: SAUs numbering over 50 have sizable number of crop germplasm in the departments of Gene cs and Plant Breeding / Hor culture/ Vegetable Science/Agro‐forestry and some have taken ini a ves to establish independent plant gene c resources centres.

3. Crop Based ICAR Ins tutes: Crop based I C A R ins tutes with germplasm of concerned crops include Directorate of Groundnut, Junagarh for ground‐nut, Directorate of Maize Research, I A R I , N e w D e l h i fo r m a i ze , Directorate of Rapeseed and Mustard, Bharatpur for rapeseeds and mustard, Central Rice Research Ins tute, Cu ack for rice, Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad for rice, Directorate for Sorghum, Hyderabad for sorghum, Directorate of Soybean, Indore for soybean, Directorate of Wheat Research, Karnal for wheat and

barley, Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research, Pune for onion, C e n t ra l I n s t u te fo r C o o n Research, Nagpur for co on, Indian Ins tute of Pulses Research, Kanpur for pulses, Sugarcane Breeding Ins tute, Coimbatore and Indian Ins tute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow for sugarcane, Central Potato Research Ins tute, Shimla for potato, Indian Ins tute of Spices Research, Calicut for spices, Na onal Research Centre for Seed Spices, Ajmer for seed spices, Indian Ins tute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi and Indian Ins tute of Hor culture Research, Bangalore for vegetable crops and several other ins tutes on other crops. These organiza ons have been fully supported through several projects like Na onal Agricultural Technology Project (N AT P), Na onal Agricultural Innova on Project (N A I P) to enhance their plant gene c resources with emphasis on infra‐ structure development/ medium term storage modules and local collec ons.

4. I n t e r n a o n a l I n s t u o n s Supported by Consulta ve Group on Interna onal Agricultural Research (C G I A R): These interna onal agricultural research centres have independent departments/ units dedicated to collec on, characteriza on, evalu‐ a on, conserva on, document‐ a on and distribu on of germpl‐ asm related to their mandate

crops. These interna onal agricult‐ ural centres include CIAT, Cale, Colombia (dry‐beans), CIMMYT, Mexico (wheat and maize), CIP, Lima, Peru (potato), ICARDA, Aleppo, (shi ed to Morocco‐len l, broad bean, barley, chick‐pea), ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India (pigeon‐ p e a , c h i c k‐ p e a , g ro u n d ‐ n u t , sorghum, pearl‐millet), I I TA , Ibadan, Nigeria (cowpea, soybean), IRRI, Manila, Philippines (rice), and AVRDC, Shanhua, Taiwan (not fully funded by CGIAR, tomato, sweet pepper, hot‐pepper, soybean).

5. Na onal Germplasm Centres of the individual Countries: The major germplasm storage centres, besides NBPGR in India, include US‐Na onal Plant Germplasm System (federal, states and private organiza ons and research units) coordinated by ARS‐USDA. It has s eve ra l re g i o n a l ge r m p l a s m sta ons in US with more than 450000 accessions (PIs) available at Na onal Seed Storage Lab, Fort Collins, Colorado and Na onal Germplasm Research Lab, Beltsville, Maryland. Besides, US, there are huge collec ons of plant germplasm at Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, Vavilov Ins tute of Plant Sciences, L e n i n g ra d , C S I R O ‐ A u st ra l i a .

Besides, these every European country has its own germplasm centre. Same is true for few selected countries in Middle East and Africa.

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Availability of Germplasm in India and Its export Germplasm Access within India 1. T h r o u g h I m p o r t : H e r e t h e user/indenter applies for issuance of import permit to NBPGR on a prescribed pro‐forma with certain prescribed nominal fees and details of the material to be imported and full address of the supplier. The fee structure is slightly different for public sector Ins tu ons vs the private sector seed companies with slightly more charges for private seed companies. The applica on is as per PQ Form 08 which can be downloaded from NBPGR site ( www.nbpgr.ernet.in ). The indenter gets the import permit and sends the same (scanned copies are accepted) to the supplier who in turn puts a phyto‐ sanitary cer ficate and the import permit along with the consignment and sends the same to NBPGR, New Delhi. While applying for import permit to NBPGR, the following declara ons are mand‐ atory. (i) The germplasm under import has no commercial value/ exclusive ownership and may be shared freely for research purposes. (ii) The germplasm does not contain any terminator genes or terminator technology (TT) or gene c usage restric ve technologies (GURTs). (iii) The material is exclusively for research purposes.

NBPGR on receiving the material informs the indenter and releases the same a er receiving certain amount as shipment handling charges and quaran ne fee applicable to each sample.

Export of Germplasm from India India has been the huge beneficiary of open germplasm access policy in vogue in past where it got wealth of valuable germplasm/ breeding lines from CIMMYT‐Mexico for wheat and from IRRI‐Manila, Philippines for rice and this germplasm sharing and u liza on without any restric on heralded in Green Revolu on in India.

Now the germplasm movement has become very rigid and subject to several co m p l i a n c e s a s re q u i re d u n d e r Biodiversity Act‐2002 as enacted in India. For sending any germplasm from India, the germplasm supplier has to seek prior wri en approval of Na onal Biodiversity Authority who in turn refers the case to ICAR/DARE and ICAR cons tutes a special commi ee consist‐ ing members from NBPGR, concerned crop based Ins tute and few others.

This commi ee sends the recomm‐ enda ons to ICAR and ICAR send the informa on to NBA for further needful ac on. This process has no me‐frame and usually ends up at dead end leading to lot of frustra on for supplier and the recipient. This process needs to be streamlined, and put in a me‐frame for q u i c ke st p o s s i b l e m ove m e nt o f germplasm from India to abroad.

In nut‐shell:  Accessing germplasm from CGIAR fully funded/partly funded Interna‐ onal Agricultural Centres is simple, straigh orward and hassle free subject to ge ng import permit from NBPGR (which is quite easy and quick) and signing of Standard

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Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) as per provisions of Interna‐ onal Treaty on Plant Gene c Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The germplasm thus accessed can be freely used for research and even can be commercialized and released to the farmers without any restri‐ c on. However, in case the recipient commercializes a product and where such product is not available without restric on to others for further research and breeding, the recipient shall pay a fixed perce‐ ntage (usually 1.1 %) of sales of the commercialized product into the system. It is made clear that the recipient cannot claim any IPR on such germplasm lines.  The Material shall be used or conserved only for the purposes of research, breeding and training for food and agriculture. Such purposes shall not include chemical, pharmaceu cal and/or other non‐ food/feed industrial uses.  Movement of germplasm from N B P G R to state a g r i c u l t u ra l u n i v e rs i e s / I C A R i n s t u t e s (Na onal Agricultural Research Syste m ) i s h a p p e n i n g rat h e r sporadically and at a slow space.

However, germplasm exchange between NARS and private sector seed companies in India is almost not happening despite stated philosophy that the germplasm should be shared freely. A lot needs o be done on this front. However, a few Ins tu ons (for example IIHR, Bangalore, IARI, New Delhi, IIVR,

www.krishijagran.com Varanasi, D O G R, Pune, C R R I, Cu ack, etc have lately realized that their technology cannot reach to farmers in abundance unless they involve private sector whose mul plica on and marke ng network is strong. Accordingly, they have put their advanced breeding lines/released products for sale to private seed companies on exc l u s i ve b a s i s w i t h c e r ta i n payment (usually one me fixed amount on breeding lines and one me lump‐sum payment plus regular royalty payment @ about 3‐ 6 % of the sales proceeds, as per mutually agreed MoU). This is most welcome step. 

Accessing germplasm from NBPGR and its u liza on has become rather te d i o u s a n d co m p l ex d u e to enforcement of certain provisions of

Biodiversity Act‐2002 where use of germplasm for commercializa on and profit making needs cumber‐ some process of approval from NBA/MoEF/DARE/ICAR, GoI. The approval process needs to be put in a me‐frame. 

Expor ng germplasm from India to any end user has also become very difficult due to seeking prior wri en approval from NBA/ MoEF/ DARE// ICAR, GoI. The provision of process is welcome but it must be put‐in a me‐frame for quick decision and implementa on of the process.

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Further, there is need of single window clearance for germplasm access and u liza on by one authority that can coordinate among sub‐groups in a me‐frame mode. This nodal authority could be NBPGR.

Dr. Hari Har Ram Former‐Professor and Head, Vegetable Science, GBPUAT, Pantnagar Former‐VP, R&D, Krishidhan Vegetable Seeds, Pune Former‐Consultant (Breeding and Seed Produc on)‐FAO

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INTERVIEW

Ans. It is the only company where quality is trusted through the Seed Tes ng Labs of state and NSC. The reasonable rates of NSC seeds always a racts the whole farming community of the country.

Q. How do NSC maintain its reputa on in the Seed Industry?

Ans. Quality is N S C's major concern, it ensures tes ng of seed at state quality control labs besides our labs located in 7 places across India where DNA and finger prin ng lab, the field inspec ons. We always encourage to adopt latest technology happening around the agriculture world. We also conduct training programmes for farmers & seed industry officials on regular basis.

Q. What is the network NSC has to cater the farmers' need?

Merger of SFCI & NSC Good for Seed Industry V.K. Gaur Recently our Senior Execu ve Editor Mr. Ravinder Kumar Teo a interacted with Mr. Vinod Kumar Gaur –Chairman & Managing Director of Na onal Seed Corpora on. Mr. Gaur share a lot of ideas in the field of Seed Industry. Let's check it out: Q. What is the role of NSC in India?

Ans. NSC is working na onwide for the development of seed infrastructure in the country. The role of NSC is very important because it is the only nodal agency authorised by Government of India.

Q. What are the main func ons of NSC? Ans. NSC is working as seed bank agency for storage of seed. It also ensures the availability of seed under various Govt. schemes namely NFSM, BGREI, NMOOP, etc. It has different seed divisions in all the states of the

country. The development of seed infrastructure like construc on of godown, installa on of processing plant, seed tes ng labs, packaging units are set up na onwide under the supervision of NSC. Q. With the presence of cer fied hybrid seeds from several MNCs, how NSC is able to maintain its monopoly in India?

Ans. NSC provides seeds to farmers at very reasonable rates. It is the sole supplier of quality seeds, in high volume at low value playing a vital role in mul plica on of hybrid seeds of Public Sector. NSC is also the major supplier of staple crop seeds such as cereals, pulses, oilseeds etc.NSC has maximum share in majority of the State Seeds Corpora on. So there is no comparison of NSC with other MNCs. Q. How NSC has build up the trust among the farmers?

Ans. NSC have a huge network of NSC officers all over India with 22000 ha. of land for produc on of Test Stock, with 12.60 lac quintals of processing capacity, 10.5 lack quintals of seed storage plants for Breeder, Founda on Cer fied seeds. We have more than 3000 dealers across India to cater the farmers' need at large.

Q. What are your future plans ?

Ans. Now, we are planning to give complete solu on to farmers i.e. farm equipments on hiring basis, fodder blocks as ca le feed and procurement of commercial crop from farmers. We are also seriously considering the development of seed infrastructure for other companies in our own country as well as abroad.

Q. How do you see the merger of SFCI with NSC? Ans. Merger of SFCI & NSC, is a good sign for the development of Seed Industry in India. Moreover, we got strength with this alliance because SFCI has large acreage of farms and NSC has the efficient distribu on network. So, it helps to cut down the unnecessary monetary burden. Thus the best u liza on of resources are giving be er result for our organiza on as a whole.

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Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2014

Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2014 19 YEARS CONTINUED GROWTH, DIVERSITY AND BENEFITS:

Diversity ·

More than 10 food and fiber crops are approved for commercial plan ng, ranging from major commodi es like maize, soybean, and co on, to fruits and vegetables such as papaya, eggplant and squash.

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Newly‐approved crops in 2014 included food crops such as the Innate™ potato in the United States, vegetable Bt brinjal/ eggplant in Bangladesh, and biotech sugarcane in Indonesia.

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Not only are the crops themselves diverse, but so are the issues they address. United in their ability to boost benefits to the consumer and increase crop produc vity for farmers, traits include drought tolerance, insect and disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, increased nutri on and food quality.

Growth ·

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In 2014, a record 181.5 million hectares of biotech crops were grown globally – an increase of 6 million hectares from 2013 and more than 100‐fold gain since 1.7 million hectares were planted in 1996.

More than 60 percent of the world's popula on resides in the 28 countries plan ng biotech crops.

Of these countries, 20 are develo‐ ping and eight industrial.

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Eighteen million farmers planted biotech crops in 2014, 90 percent of whom were small, resource‐ poor farmers, represen ng some of the poorest people in the world.

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The United States con nued to lead biotech crop produc on with 73.1 million hectares, an increase of 3 million hectares over 2013.

This surpassed the growth rate of Brazil, which had recorded the highest year‐to‐year increase for the past five years and added 1.9 million hectares in 2014.

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Benefits ·

The latest provisional informa on for the period 1996 to 2013, provided by Brookes and Barfoot of

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PG Economics, indicates biotech crops con nue to have a signifi‐ cant, posi ve impact on food security, sustainability and climate change by: o Increasing crop produc on valued at US$133 billion o Saving approximately 500 million kg a.i. (ac ve ingred‐ ient) of pes cides o In 2013 alone, reducing CO2 emissions by 28 billion kg, equivalent to taking 12.4 million cars off the road for one year; compared to CO 2

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Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2014 Brazil planted the stacked H T/I R soybean on a record 5.2 million hectares in its second year a er the launch. Argen na retained third place, down marginally with 24.3 million hectares, from 24.4 million in 2013.

India ranked fourth, had a record 11.6 million hectares of Bt co on (11.0 in 2013), and 95% adop on. Canada was fi h at 11.6 million hectares also, with more canola and a high 95% adop on.

In 2014, each of the top 5 countries planted more than 10 million hectares providing a broad, solid founda on for future sustained growth.

million hectares of Bt co on in 2014 because of the significant benefits it offers. Similarly in 2014, 415,000 small farmers in the Philippines benefited from biotech maize.

FACT # 3. Strong poli cal will allowed Bangladesh to commercialize Bt brinjal (eggplant) for the first me.

Notably, Bangladesh, a small poor country with 150 million people, approved the prized vegetable Bt brinjal/eggplant on 30 October 2013, and in record me – less than 100 days a er approval – small farmers planted Bt brinjal on 22 January 2014. This feat could not have been achieved without strong Government support and poli cal will, par cularly from the Minister of Agriculture Ma a Chowdhur y – the experience is exemplary for small poor countries.

Bangladesh is already field tes ng biotech potatoes and exploring biotech co on and rice.

FACT # 4. Some of the ”new” biotech crops, recently approved for plan ng, include food staples – potato in the US and the vegetable brinjal (eggplant) in Bangladesh. In 2014, the US approved two “new” biotech crops for cul va on: Innate™ potato, a food staple with lower levels of acrylamide, a poten al carcinogen, and less wastage due to bruising; and a reduced lignin

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alfalfa event KK179 (HarvXtra™) with higher diges bility and yield (alfalfa is #1 forage crop in the world). Indonesia approved a drought tolerant sugarcane.

Brazil approved Cul vance™, a HT soybean, and a home‐grown virus resistant bean, ready for plan ng in 2016. Vietnam approved biotech maize (HT and IR) for the first me in 2014. In addi on to the current biotech food crops which directly benefit consumers (white maize in South Africa, sugar beet and sweet corn in the US and Canada, and papaya and squash in the US) new biotech food crops include the queen of the vegetables (brinjal) in Bangladesh and potato in the US – potato is the fourth most important food staple globally and can contribute to food security in countries like China (6 million hectares of potato), India (2 million) and the EU (~2 million).

FACT # 5. The top 5 countries plan ng biotech crops. The U S con nued to be the lead country with 73.1 million hectares (40% of global) with over 90% adop on for the principal crops of maize (93% adop on) soybean (94%) and co on (96%).

Whereas Brazil has been #1 in year‐to‐ year hectare growth for the last five years, the US ranked #1 in 2014, with 3 million hectares, compared to 1.9 million hectares for Brazil. Notably,

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FACT # 6. The first biotech drought tolerant maize planted in the US in 2013 increased more than 5‐fold in 2014. Biotech DroughtGard™ tolerant maize, first planted in the US in 2013, increased 5.5‐fold from 50,000 hectares in 2013 to 275,000 hectares in 2014 reflec ng farmer acceptance – the same event was donated to the public‐ private partnership, Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) aimed at delivering biotech drought tolerant maize to selected countries in Africa by 2017.

FACT # 7. Status of biotech crops in Africa. The con nent con nued to make progress with South Africa, marginally lower at 2.7 million hectares mainly due to drought. Sudan increased Bt co on hectarage by almost 50%, whilst drought precluded a poten ally higher hectarage than 0.5 million hectares in Burkina Faso. An addi onal seven countries (Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda) conducted field trials on pro‐ poor crops, the penul mate step prior to approval. Importantly, the WEMA project is scheduled to deliver the first stacked biotech drought tolerant (DT) maize with insect control (Bt) in South Africa in 2017. Lack of science‐based and cost/ me‐effec ve regulatory systems is the major constraint to adop on. Responsible, rigorous but not onerous, regula on is urgently needed to suit the needs of small famers and poor developing countries.

FACT # 8. Status of biotech crops in

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By Clive James Founder and Emeritus Chair of ISAAA

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INTERVIEW Haryana, Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir. It is expected to revolu onize in rice‐ potato cropping system in future.

Nowadays, Basma variety Pusa 1401 is very popular among traders and has good demand in the market. This variety has extraordinary grain quality and fragrance.

Q . What is the reason behind farmers ge ng low prices in the Mandi this year?

Ans. In 2013, the farmers received good return from rice. Due to this reason they grew plenty of rice which was 40 % more than 2012 and this created a glut in the market, eventually exer ng pressure on the price levels.

Q. Sample quality of rice is below interna onal standard, Is it right or wrong? What is the real picture?

GI Protection of Basmati Rice is Needed Dr. Prabhu

P

resently, Dr. K.V. Prabhu is the Joint Director (Research) of IARI. He is instrumental in taking the issue of redefining basma rice in India. He has made valuable contribu on in the development of high yielding varie es of basma rice so that farmers in India can compete effec vely with the interna onal market under value added basma rice segment. Our Senior Execu ve Editor Mr R .K. Teo a conducted his exclusive interview at IARI and discussed about the current issues of basma rice and other crops in India.

Q. What are the main objec ves of IARI for village adop on and how many villages have you adopted?

Ans. We have adopted 4 villages nearby Delhi/NCR within 50 km range.

Sudana village, Hapur is one of the IARI adopted village and nowadays, it is known as carrot village with high adop on of Pusa Rudhir variety of carrot. I A R I is giving agriculture

14

extension services through Kisan Gosh es , farmer's field visits etc., to the farmers of these villages.

Q. What is the basic problem with Basma Rice 1509? Farmers of Western UP had faced heavy loss by growing this variety. What is new in Basma segment?

Ans. The major problem is blast disease in this variety which ul mately reduces yield of crop. Currently there is no blast resistant basma variety, but within next 2 years, we will release blast resistant basma rice by incorpora ng gene in to the varie es Pusa 1509, Pusa 1121 and Pusa 1401 . Farmers who adopted plant protec on measures from the me of sowing, are successful to control this disease. This year high yielding extra‐long slender grain aroma c rice variety Pusa 1612, a near isogenic line of Pusa Sugandh‐5 pyramided with blast resistant genes through molecular breeding, was released for cul va on in Punjab,

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Ans. This is not new thing. India's basma rice is domina ng all over the world. Demand for basma rice will always remain high, especially in Gulf and Arab countries. It is important that the Government should fix MSP for Basma rice. It is very necessary from farmer's point of view, because MSP could mo vate them to grow more Basma . Now we are planning to give proposal to the Government to fix MSP of Basma . If we talk about below Interna onal standard of rice, it is all rumours only. This is because a er harves ng of paddy when the crop is arrived in Mandis, rumours are created by traders in order to push down the prices lower. However, next year when farmers are not willing to grow they again create nuisance. If we see the wheat market, it is a very stable market, because farmers know that they can get price at least the MSP level. There should be a plan to solve this problem, and involvement of PPP model could be an alterna ve in this regard.

Government should plan to develop a Basma Development Fund, and be er storage system.

Q. Currently, which is the best high yielding variety of wheat?

Ans. IARI released three bread w h e at va r i e e s H D 3 0 8 6 ( P u s a Gautami), HD 3090 (Pusa Amulya) and HS 542 (Pusa Kiran) and a durum wheat

www.krishijagran.com variety HI 8713 (Pusa Mangal) during this year for cul va on in different agro‐ clima c condi ons of wheat growing zones. Presently, HD 2967 is the most popular variety, released only three years ago for North‐Western Plains Zone to replace the dominant PBW 343, occupied about 6 mha of area during this year. HD 2967 has an average yield of 5.5‐6.0 t/ha with excellent chapa making quality, in addi on to high iron and zinc content. Farmers are all sa sfied with the yield of HD 2967 and also claim that it is free from most of the diseases.

an integrated approach in agrochemical use. Therefore, it is important to incorporate green manure, compost etc. in soil for maintaining texture of soil. Plant always take nutrients from soil in inorganic form and nutrients like Phosphorus, Potash and Zinc always remain in soil. It will be difficult to achieve the target of food grain produc on from 250 million ton to 350 million ton in country, only by organic and we have to adopt the integrated approach.

Q. Is there any plan for organic seed produc on?

Q. Why has Madhya Pradesh filed against Apeda's Geographical Indica on applica on? What is the role of GI protec on for basma rice?

Ans. I would state that the concept of organic is foreign. In India 60 % of total produce is organic. If we compare global consump on trend of agrochemicals, India uses lesser quan ty compara vely. The main reason for degrada on of soil is lack of

Ans. As many as 215 products were registered as geographical indica on (GI) ll December 15, 2014.

Geographical indica on iden fies a product whose quality, reputa on and other characteris cs are a ributed to its geographical origin. In 1997, US

company Rice Tec was granted a patent on 'basma rice grains and lines.' India opposed it, and RiceTec had to eventually surrender four claims and withdraw 11 out of a total of 20 claims.

T h e refo re , G O I i nt ro d u c e d G I protec on in 2004 to control this illegal patent.

Apeda's Geographical Indica on applica on for Indian basma rice, filed six years back, with an objec ve to cover just Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, U arakhand and parts of U ar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. However, this state filed an opposi on and directed Apeda's applica on to include MP because MP located in the Indo‐Gange c plains, and parts of the state are suitable for cul va on of Basma . GI is needed for be er quality of grains and to retain fragrance in Basma as temperature plays an important role for fragrance reten on.

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15

Sustainabilty of Indian Agriculture and Seed Technology INTRODUCTION Indian society is agrarian as 60% of the popula on is directly engaged in agriculture. This huge popula on is contribu ng only 13.9% to the GDP. Average annual growth of the agriculture and allied sector during the Eleventh Five year Plan was 3.6% as against the 4% growth target. The Gross Capital Forma on ( G C F ) almost doubled in the last 10 years. The average land holding is con nuously decreasing and presently stood at 0.6 ha which will decrease to 0.3 ha by 2030. In last two decades, the cul vable land decreased by more than 3 million ha due to urbanisa on and degrada on. According to Na onal Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), most of the cul vated lands in India are degraded.

Indian agriculture is mainly monsoon dependent as 60% of the area is under rain fed agriculture. The post rainy season is also affected by erra c rainfall.

All these factors will shape the future of research and technology infusion to develop sustainable food produc on for the growing popula on.

India is producing at present about 260 million ton food. The demand for food is increasing due to increasing popula on and rising per capita income. By 2030 India will needs around 350 million ton.

So almost 6 million tons more food is to be produced every year to reach that target. The demand for high value commodi es such as vegetables, fruits, milk, fish, meat and eggs is increasing faster than food grains. The demand for these commodi es will increase more than 100% by 2030. These commodi es are perishable and require different infrastructure for handling, processing, value addi on and marke ng.

Agriculture Sector in India India has a mega public sector in agricultural research. There are 60 agriculture universi es, 4 deemed universi es and 4 central universi es having agricultural faculty. There are 45 central ins tu ons,17 na onal research centres, 25 project directorates, 6 bureaux and 630 Krishi Vikas Kendra

16

Sustainabilty of Indian Agriculture and Seed Technology

(KVK) for extension ac vi es. More than 35000 agricultural scien sts are working in this public sector developing regional and na onal solu ons to the various agriculture related issues. Large number of crops are grown in India including cereals, oilseed, fibre, pulses, vegetables, fruits, industrial crops like sugarcane, rubber etc., ornamentals, medicinal plants, spices, dry fruits. All these crops are taken care by small regional ins tutes specialized in one or more crops. For seed produc on and distribu on, Na onal Seed Corpora on (NSC) was created as early as in 1963 and subsequently 15 State Seed Corpora‐ ons (SSC) and one State Farm

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Corpora on of India (SFCI) was created which are now merged with NSC. The basic mandate of these corpora ons was to mul ply and distribute the seeds developed by universi es and state or central ins tutes.

Private sector entered into agri‐ business sector to improve the ineffici‐ encies of public sector in agri‐marke ng and supply chain system. Ini ally, in six es and seven es the seed sector, mul plied public bred varie es which were restricted to very small areas of produc on and distribu on. Private sector mul plied those varie es in large quan es and distributed those seeds across country. A new era of private

www.krishijagran.com yielding genotype. Government has to revamp the land holding policies along with leasing contracts so that fragmen‐ ta on of agricultural lands can be stopped. Maximizing yield output with less water should be encouraged with drip irriga on and mulch. Large holdings and mechaniza on can maximize the input efficiency, op mum u s e o f fe r l i ze rs a n d i m p rove d agronomic prac ces.

There are many issues of policies which are responsible for this slowness.

Technology transfer to the end user is only successful if gives complete solu on to the farmers. There are private sectors that are rich in germ‐ plasm and conven onal breeding while t h e re a re co m p a n i e s w h o h ave developed upstream technologies to make the products sustainable for the farmers.

sector was opened up in seed produ‐ c on and distribu on along with R&D establishment to develop new cul vars.

With the introduc on of New Seed Policy (1988) many MNC started their o p e ra o n s i n I n d i a a l o n g w i t h indigenous seed companies delivering hybrid technology in key crops to the Indian farmers. The decade of nine es was an era of expansion of seed sector and introduc on of upstream technolo‐ gies both by Indian companies and MNC's.

From a university or ins tute, Indian agriculture was moving to a management based corporate seed system. The investments by private

sector in breeding and upstream research started in a big way. The introduc on of hybrids in corn, sunflower, millets and sorghum in eigh es set the strong base for priva sa on of breeding and seed supply chain system in India.

Constraints in improving Produc vity The gap between poten al yield of a genotype and actual yield achieved range between 40‐45%. This gap is due to small farm holdings, low level of inputs, rain fed areas, inadequate agronomy and low level of mechanis‐ a on. All these factors are limi ng the realiza on of actual poten al of a high

Public sector in India is also engaged in developing new technolo‐ gies and is now open to share them with private sector. The technolo‐gies developed by public sectors are not deliverable as such and need further research and improve‐ment. Many private technology developing compa‐ nies are providing finished technologies so the risk factors are minimum. Public sector is providing all technologies on non‐ exclusive basis and are appreh‐ ending risk of capital investment and realiza on. For smaller companies, which can't invest in upstream techn‐ ologies, the non‐exclusive model can work well.

Other challenges in the develop‐ ment of technologies are the issues of Patents. Most of the new technologies and processes to develop these technologies are patented and are in the hands of a very few in private sectors. Most of the public sector research is in the domain of improving the processes or in the area of so ware for interpreta on of technologies. With the fast development of new biotech research machines, the me and cost is re d u c i n g a n d t h e d ata va l u e i s increasing. Now for 50,000 data point for 384 individuals will cost only a few cents. We need be er bioinforma c‐

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17

Sustainabilty of Indian Agriculture and Seed Technology only around U S$ 250 million (Fig 3).

Major open pollinated (O P) crops are Peas, TONS*100 Beans, Onion, Okra, VALUE (US $ Million) Gourds etc. The hybrid vegetable 0 seed market is also expanding and is growing by volume and value. It's present value is Fig. 2 Volume and Value of Hybrid seed of Field crops worth U S$ 300 ins tutes from India and China. million (Fig 4). The main hybrid crops Corn hybrid seed market is increa‐ are Tomato, Hot Peppers, Okra, sing both for rainy and post rainy season Waterme‐lons and Melons, Cucumber cul va on. Large area is coming under e tc . T h o u g h m a j o r b re e d i n g i n now single crosses and produc vity per vegetables is done through conven ‐ ha has increased from 1.8 ton to 2.5 ton onal methods some companies are on an average. In winter corn the using molecular markers for trait produc vity is more than 6.0 ton per ha. selec on and introgression of novel Rice hybrids are also expanding traits in different background. covering 2 million ha. The major NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN SEED adapta on of hybrids is happening in INDUSTRY IN INDIA north east region of India. The reason Private seed industry is playing key for this is the produc vity difference role in improving crop produc vi es by between open pollinated varie es and providing high poten al seeds to the hybrids.

Indian farmers. Mix of MNC's and The major rice producing areas are Indian companies are able to improve s ll not adap ng the hybrid rice. The both local and global crops. Today reason for non‐ adapta on are that the private seed industry is contribu ng open pollinated varie es are yielding 50% by volume and 70% by value to the equivalent to hybrids and quality of the agriculture sector. By the collabora ve grain of hybrids are not acceptable to research projects with technology rich millers. companies and in‐source‐finished technologies, Indian companies are VEGETABLE SEED PRODUCTION entering into a new era of becoming Vegetable seed market is expand‐ technology driven‐companies. Many ing in India rapidly and all global players M N Cs have established their big of vegetable seed research and sale are centres of upstream research. DuPont opera ng in India. The area under P i o n e e r, B aye r, D ow, B A S F a n d vegetables is a li le Monsanto are in the forefront in upstr‐ more than 8 million eam research while Rasi, Nuziv‐eedu ha and the area is and few other seed companies have increasing due to established state of the art biotech increase in the laboratories in India. Collabora ons of demand of vege‐ "000"TONS) Indian companies with global biotech tables. India has VALUE (Million $) companies like Keygene, Evogene and la rge m a r ket o f many others is bringing trait specific open pollinated technologies to India. All these efforts vegetable seeds of are improving the skills of Indian local and global companies. crops by volume but by value it is n ra flo in w So er rg hu m Fo dd er C as to r O th er s G

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tools and trained people to interpret the huge data. The Public and private collabora on in this area is very important.

Role of Private Sector in Seed Technology Top mul na onal and indigenous seed companies are presently opera ng in India. About 500 seed companies are opera ng in India and only 20% are having their own R&D while others are either producing or selling public or licensed hybrid and varie es or only trading licensed hybrids. Total traded seed market in India is worth 2.6 billion US $. The Open Pollinated Varie es (OPV'S) are having a value of US $ 550 million (Fig 1), while hybrids in key crops have value of US$ 1.20 billion. Co on seed alone is contribu ng US $ 770 million (Fig 2).The hybrid co on market is almost saturated by Bt. co on covering more than 90% of the total area. Bt co on is the first gene cally modified crop released in India by private sector. Today more than 11.5 million ha area is under private sector hybrids. Most of the Bt. technology is licensed by Monsanto. A small por on of the technology is provided by public

"000"TON

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Fig. 1 Volume and Value of OPV seed of Field crops

18

FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

www.krishijagran.com

12,000 10,000 Quantity in tons

8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000

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Be G an ou s Ca C rd ul arr s Co ifl o ri ow t Cu nan er cu de Eg mb r H gpl er ot an p K ep t M no per us lk km ho elol O n O kra ni o Pu P n m eas pk Ra in W T dis at om h er a m to elo n

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Fig. 3 Open pollinated vegetable seed sale in India

2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0

Quantity (Tons)

accep ng this technology rapidly and many GM crops are being released.

To d ay, 5 1 universi es are engaged in GMO's research in India both in plants and animals with the help of grants from DBT (Department of Biotechnology) and other local grants.

To t a l 1 1 8 ins tu ons at na onal level are engaged both in agricultural crops and animals.

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m e Ca lon rr o Ca Ok t Eg bb ra gp age la H To nt ot m pe at o Ca G ppe ul ou r ifl rd ow s M er Ra elon di PuOn sh Cu mpion cu kin m be r

In Private sector, more than 47 companies are enga‐ged in develo‐ ping GMO's in various agricu‐ltural crops. Though most Fig. 4 Vegetable hybrid seed sale in India of the comp‐anies Growers have seen innova ons in are engaged in Bt. Co on research, a developing high performing seeds and few MNC's and local companies are in coming decades they will see d e v e l o p i n g n e w t ra i t s i n m a ny innova ve products designed to commercial crops. In co on, Mahyco is increase efficiency and yield. Marker developing RRF co on with cp4epsps assisted breeding have significantly gene while Bayer crop science is reduced the me line for commercial developing Twinlink co on for insect resistance with stacked event of cry introduc on of seeds.

1 A b , c r y 2 A c a n d b a r. B aye r i s GM CROPS AND THEIR FUTURE developing Glytol co on with 2mepsps.

A er the success of Bt. co on in In corn, Syngenta is developing insect India, a hope was generated that now resistance and herbicide tolerance with t h e n e w t e c h n o l o g y w i l l b r i n g Bt11 and G A21 while Pioneer is revolu on in other crops also. But developing insect resistant and opposite to this, the Bt. Brinjal release herbicide tolerant corn with cry 1F and was almost stopped and deferred cp4epsps stacked event and also with indefinitely by the Ministry of Environ‐ another stacked event cry1F, cry 1Ab ment and Forest, Govt. Of India. This and cp4epsps genes. Monsanto is also lead to a new debate whether India will developing herbicide tolerant corn with approve any new food crop in near cp4epsps. Beside that E.I. DuPont is future. Now the case is with Supreme developing transgenic rice with SPT1 Court of India between Green peace and SPT6 maintainer event to maintain and Govt.Of India to decide future male sterile line along with Bt. genes course of introduc on of these crops in against Yellow stem borer in rice. Bayer India. Globally the GM crops are is also developing Bt. Rice with cry1Ab, expanding and except Europe, the cry1Ca and bar stacked genes. A China, La n American countries are Metahelix Life science is also develo‐

ping Bt. Co on with their own gene cry1C event or GFM cry1A event.

Besides that in public sector ins tutes, development of Mustard male sterile system with barnase, barstar and bar is being developed by Delhi University. In vegetables lot many companies are engaged in development of GMO's.

Mahyco is developing Bt. Brinjal. Bt. Cabbage and Cauliflower and Okra with cry1Ac. Rasi Seed is developing virus resistant Okra with RNAi technology and Bt. Brinjal with cry1F. Indian Agricultural Research Ins tute (IARI) is developing Tomato resistant to TYLCV using An sense replicase gene techn‐ ology. With all these projects going on in both public and private sector, Indian agriculture will benefit from these in near future Issues related to technology transfer and commercializa on The public private partnership had been in discussion for a long me in agricultural research and some success had been achieved but a lot have to be done to achieve the desired results.

Very few technologies which are developed in public sector are directly applicable for commercial releases. The technologies which are purchased or licensed from public sector have to be researched further to develop commercialy viable products. The emerging issues of public and private partnerships are the following.

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19

Sustainabilty of Indian Agriculture and Seed Technology

•

•

Policies‐ In partnerships the policies, whether administra ve or regulatory, play an important role.

The hierarchical policies exist in public sector where decision making and func onal accountab‐ ili es are distant apart. The deleg‐ a on of decision making and implementa on is very important for successful partner‐ship. The regulatory policies governing financial, func onal and administ‐ ra ve are important and need transparency and clarity with public sector.

Controlling interests‐ In partner‐ ships, it is important to establish the fact that, based on the financial and func onal contribu on, the controlling rights are assigned but these are again not well defined in public sector

•

Protec on rights‐ In partnerships it is important to define the protec‐ on rights of each partner. The joint ownership or majority ownership has to be decided based on certain parameters.

•

Exclusive rights‐ Because of public good criteria, the public sector always work on non‐ exclusive rights of their developed technolo‐ gies while private sector always look for exclusive rights.

•

Partnership management‐ It is always important to have a joint management board which will govern all financial, func onal and

administra ve du es of the partnership. In most of the public private partnerships these instruments are lacking causing lot of issues.

•

Profit/loss in partnerships‐ Public sector is always looking for sharing the profit but not taking respon‐ sibility of losses. It is always an inbuilt phenomenon in partnership to take onus of both profit and loss.

CONCUSION Our food systems can be under‐ stood as bringing together all the links of the food chain from input producers and R&D to farmers, agro‐industries, supermarkets all the way down to the consumers themselves. Yet, even though food systems as a whole fail to

deliver global sustainable food security, analysts tend to pay more a en on to one of its component‐ farming systems.

“BUSINESS AS USUAL” is not a solu on and we have to make fundamental changes in the way we prac ce agriculture and manage our natural resources ensuring sustainability of food for all. From tradi onal agriculture which ensured “GREEN REVOLUTION” now we are moving to “G E N E REVOLUTION” where we are doing precision breeding using modern tools of Biotechnologies. The major drivers for innova ve breeding are climate change or shi s in me lines to introduce adaptable crops. We are now moving from EVOLUTION type of breeding to REVOLUTION type of breeding using upstream research tools.

The resource intensive agriculture needs par cipa on of public and private research. We should not move thousand like lines which remain side by side but never meet. The ul mate goal is deliver the performing varie es to farmers for higher produc vity and greater produc on end the technology should be sustainable under all adverse condi ons.

Dr. Arvind Kapur CEO, Vegetable Division Rasi Seeds Pvt. Ltd., India

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INTERVIEW

Syngenta Thinks Like a Grower Solanki Mr. Bipin Solanki took over as the Managing Director and Territory Head of Syngenta South Asia in January 2014. Mr. Solanki has an experience of more than 30 years in the agrochemical, seed and biotech traits business. He is a graduate of the Agricultural University of Gujarat and has a track record of establishing solid business growth through effec ve long term strategy.

Syngenta's South Asia opera on has a significant presence in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and is headquartered in Pune. As the territory head, Mr. Solanki is responsible for driving Business growth for the company in the region and expanding the range of products and services available to growers to help increase crop yields, quality and profitability.

S

eed is the basic need of farmer and without it farming can not be imagined. Recently our Senior Execu ve Editor Mr. Ravindra Kumar Teo a interacted with Mr. Bipin Solanki. Mr. Solanki shared Syngenta's ideology, R & D and recent updates.

Q. How has the journey of Syngenta's seeds divisions been, especially in India?

Ans. Globally our seed por olio is one of the broadest in the industry and includes field crops, such as corn, soybean, rice, cereals, oilseeds and sugar beet, and vegetables. With a significant market share across the world. In India we have a wide assortment of hybrids in vegetables like tomato, hot pepper, sweet corn, cauliflower and baby corn. Syngenta's popular varie es like Okra 102, Okra 152, In d ra (capsicu m), Su h asin i (Cauliflower), Abhinav (Tomato) and Augusta (watermelon) help growers earn higher remunera on.

We have strengthened our exis ng offer and pipeline for rice and possess a much larger germplasm base which will help us in hybrid development in the future. We are diversifying to target the east and developing hybrids for southern markets. We have popular hybrids like NK 5251 and Frontline Gold.

We use cu ng‐edge breeding methods to develop high performing, mul ‐disease tolerant Sunflower hybrids which are be er for rainfed

22

condi ons. Globally we are frontrunners in sunflower thanks to our germplasm strength that leads to enhanced stability under stress. We are developing innova ve hybrid seeds with high oleic content, to provide healthy choices for consumers. In India our sunflower hybrids like Sunbread 293 enable growers to do intercropping. S 293 has gained popularity and is preferred for i nte rc ro p p i n g w i t h re d g ra m i n Karnataka & Western Maharashtra. Our new viral & mul disease tolerant hybrids like Armoni plus and S 2216 provide growers with assured yields.

We are inves ng in R&D for disease tolerant varie es for Corn and premium hybrids which deliver secured performance under adverse condi ons.

Our focus to develop and introduce drought tolerant hybrids makes us leaders in the tropical corn market.

Currently Syngenta enjoys leadership in key maize growing states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan. Our plans are to bring latest herbicide and seed care technologies for growers to improve their incomes from corn.

Q. Tell us about Syngenta's integrated solu ons for farmers?

Ans. Syngenta is in the business of developing be er seeds and crop protec on products that help farmers grow more food while sustainably u lizing natural resources. Building on its combined strength of Crop Protec on and Seeds businesses, the

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company is embracing the farmer with one voice and one face, to deliver end‐ to‐end integrated solu ons on a global crop basis. Syngenta offers integrated solu ons for key crops like corn, wheat, rice, vegetables, soybean, co on etc. in India. With our unique approach of “thinking like a grower”, we believe in giving the farmers an integrated solu on to all his problems whether it is soil, inputs, weeds or technologies.

Q. Keeping in mind the food security concerns, what are the major steps Syngenta has taken in Research and development?

Ans. With over 5,000 people in R&D centers and field sta ons worldwide, we deliver innova on that addresses growers‟ need to increase farm produc vity sustainably. In 2013, we invested $ 1.4 billion in R&D globally, that is about ten per cent of our turnover. Syngenta's investments in developing be er hybrids and high performing crop protec on products help us create value‐added integrated solu ons. Product safety and enviro‐ nmental considera ons are also integral to our work. For every crop protec on product that reaches the farmer's field almost 100,000 are tested but discarded because they don't meet our efficacy or safety standards.

Syngenta is developing a new genera on of highly effec ve and sustainable insect control tools across a range of crops based on RNAi. Our Innova on Centre in Ghent, Belgium is

www.krishijagran.com an interna onal centre of excellence for R NAi and is leading collabora ve projects across Syngenta's global R&D network.

Our Seeds R&D is dedicated to crea ng new varie es of major crops that offer improved quality and p ro d u c v i t y, e i t h e r a l o n e o r i n combina on with other technologies.

Syngenta's R&D sta on Mulani‐ Wadgaon farm established in 1998 in Maharashtra on 102 acres of land it is the key sta on for R&D ac vi es in hot pepper, okra, and eggplant and supports tomato crossing and seed increase ac vi es. Our Field R&D farms are spread across India in Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Pune and Karnal and consist of breeding, trial and support centers. Our Research and Technology Center in Goa is a world class facility and an integral part of Syngenta's Global crop protec on research.

Q. What integrated offers do you have for Indian farmers for crops like rice, groundnut, pulses, corn, co on, fruits and vegetables?

Ans. Syngenta's integrated solu ons for various crops have helped in minimizing the environmental footprint as well as excessive use of pes cides. Our solu ons have primarily centered around developing protocols that emphasize the right applica on at the right me in the right dose. These have resulted in yield increase of almost 20 – 30per cent in various crops.

1. Solu ons for rice: Syngenta is in the process of expanding the range of products and services available to rice growers. Our goal is to achieve a step change in yield while improving rice quality. Two of our integrated solu ons for rice are GroMore and Tegra. a. GroMore: GroMore is a Synge‐ nta offer that comprises of simple crop protec on protocol and agronomic know‐how to help the growers establish and protect their rice crops, increa‐ sing yields and improving quality, for each of the four key phases of the crop namely: Seedling, Vegeta ve, Reproduc ve and Ripening. These protocols are easy for even smallholder

2.

3.

4.

5.

farmers to use and have brought immediate results, with yield gains of up to 30 percent for growers in Bangladesh and India. b. Tegra: Syngenta is transforming rice cul va on and empowering smallholders through its Tegra rice offer. Tegra first piloted in South India in 2009, is an integrated rice growing system resul ng in yield increase of up to 30%, improving grain quality and more importantly saving almost 28 days of labor. Star ng with 196 Ha in 2009, the acreage has grown to 42,000 Ha in just 5 years in 2014, across 4 regions and 2 states. TEGRA's footprint in India spans across the two southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Tegra enables growers to outsource seedling produc on, addresses the key challenges of labor scarcity and provides educa on to increase produc vity.

Solu on for Vegetables: With our ICS solu on MaxVeg for vegetables, we are proving stage wise agronomy protocols which are helping growers to improve their Return On Investment (ROI) by op mizing their expenses and maximizing their yields. MaxVeg is Syngenta's integrated solu on which combines best hybrids, crop protec on technology and agronomic exper se to increase quality yield.

Solu on for Corn: We are running pilot projects for START RIGHT a comprehensive corn solu on that helps boost yields through our best hybrids (NK brand seed), seed care solu on, crop protec on products, customized agronomic and precision farming protocols, all tailored to meet the farmers‟ needs.

Solu on for Co on: Our integrated solu on for co on named Fast Start Performance (FSP) improves early crop establishment, ensures strong plant growth and delivers greater yields, resul ng in increased grower sa sfac on and profita‐ bility.

Solu on for Pulses: Syngenta has good crop protec on technology

6.

7.

that can combat bio c and abio c stresses in pulses. We have a good product line planned for the future and one of our products‐ Proclaim has a proven track record.

Solu on for Fruit Crops: To improve ROI to the grower and produc vity of fruit crops, we are implemen ng projects for crops like grapes, pomegranate and mango. Syngenta worked with Na onal Research Centre for Grapes (N R C G) to demonstrate effec ve pest and disease management in grape cul va on. This was done to ensure the produc on of quality grapes with a lower MRL that can meet the stringent requirements of the European market.

Solu on for Groundnut: Stagna‐ on of yields over the years in groundnut producing areas has been a major cause of concern for growers. Syngenta is crea ng awareness around solu ons and technologies that can aid in enhancing the produc vity and quality of the produce. Recently we selected five clusters in Junagadh and set‐up Syngenta Learning Centers where village level growers were trained systema cally on agronomy to enhance yields.

Q. Does Syngenta have collabora ons with ins tu ons/universi es etc.?

Ans. We believe in a partnership approach and we have been collabora ng proac vely with public i n s t u o n s , g ro we rs a s we l l a s nongovernment organiza ons in South Asia.viz. 3 MoU with PAU small holder farmers in M.P. and M.P. govt. as a food security agenda, 2nd green revolu on to eastern states with W. Bangal govt.

Markfed, CIMMYT and Nirmi ini a ve with 45 equipment, irriga on and soil tes ng agencies to serve 700 villages in eastern state.

Q. What Corporate Social respo‐ nsibility ini a ves does the company have?

Ans. Corporate responsibility is part of everything we do ‐ from managing the impact of our own opera ons to helping farmers grow more from less through innova ve products and sustainable farming.

1. Preserving the Environment: Santa

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23

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INTERVIEW Monica Works (SMW), Syngenta's global supply base in Goa, manufactures high quality, safe and technologically advanced crop protec on agents. The manufactu‐ ring facility has a scien fically designed effluent treatment plant.

A 12‐acre man‐made lake at SMW is home to several mugger crocod‐ iles, fish, turtles, aqua c vegeta on and a racts a remarkable number of migratory birds.

2. Sparshfocuses on priori zed community needs and is currently working with women members of the surrounding society under Self Help Groups. In a span of 3 years, over 2000 women are now part of t h e s e g ro u ps w h i c h p rov i d e livelihood skills such as flower making, pain ng, cooking, educa‐ on, waste management and health and hygiene and beau cian courses.

3. Syngenta Krishi Mitr was establish‐ ed with the purpose of engaging with the Goan agriculture comm‐

nity by developing a posi ve a tude towards farming using innova ve crop solu on and good agriculture prac ces. SKM is now helping more than 500 smallhol‐ ders in 50 villages and is fast becoming a resource centre for agriculture.

4. Syngenta Me and Mine: Syngenta has been working with the Fair Labor Associa on (FLA) since 2004 to address labor standards on seed produc on farms in India, including child labor, health and safety, awareness of workers' rights, wages and benefits, hours of work, h a ra s s m e n t a n d a b u s e , a n d discrimina on.

Q. Describe the future plans of your company?

Ans. An emphasis on agricultural sustainability has always been fundame‐ ntal to what Syngenta does. We have recently launched The Good Growth Plan to draw a en on to the challenges of feeding a growing popula on while commi ng our company to improving

resource efficiency, rejuvena ng ecosy‐ stems and revitalizing rural commu‐ ni es. The plan is par cularly relevant to India as agriculture is the mainstay of our economy and provides employment to more than half of its popula on.

Globally the Good Growth Plan aims to: 1. Increase the average produc vity of the world's major crops by 20 percent without using more land, water or inputs 2. Improve the fer lity of 10 million hectares of farmland on the brink of degrada on 3. Enhance the biodiversity on 5 million hectares of farmland 4. Reach 20 million smallholders and enable them to increase their produc vity by 50 percent 5. Train 20 million farm workers on safety prac ces, especially in developing countries 6. Strive for fair labor condi ons throughout our en re supply chain network

Ozone Biotech Pvt. Ltd. (An ISO 9001:2008 Certi ed Company)

A Commitment for Better Environment Corporate Office: 9-A, Ground Floor, DLF Industrial Area, Moti Nagar, Near Moti Nagar Metro Station, New Delhi - 110015, INDIA Ph. No. : +91 11 42470406, Telefax No. : 91 11 42470406, Mobile : +91 9717440088, +91 9810668329 Email : ozone_biotech@rediffmail.com / info@ozonebiotech.in

We are manufacturers of : Greenhouses Transgenic Greenhouses Polyhouses Naturally Ventilated Greenhouses Rainout Shelters Shade Houses Cold Chamber Plant Growth Chamber Greenhouse Controllers and Accessories

FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

25

Vistas in Genetic Engineering and Genetic Modification founder of modern astronomy and space research while the la er as the founder of modern medical microbiology and the most widely employed prac ces of injec ons and vaccina ons. It is for the present as well as the future genera ons to reap the stupendous achievements of GE and GM.

IGNORANCE AND WRONG KNOWLEDGE BREEDS MYTHS LEADING TO SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS INHIBITING PROGRESS IN HUMAN LIFE.

Vistas in Genetic Engineering and Genetic Modification Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.

—George Bernard Shaw The purpose of this ar cle is to provide a scien fic understanding of the much debated and cri cized yet fast developing science of gene c engineering (GE) or gene c modifica on (GM) along with a brief history of the gene c research so that people who read this will get a correct perspec ve of the present as well as the future vistas of gene cs. The present controversy on GM technology reminds us of what happened at the me of Galileo and Louis Pasteur who were mercilessly persecuted and tried in the court of inquisi on by the authori es who mixed up scien fic facts with religious beliefs and were steeped in myths and supers ons.

Today people all over the world admire and adoringly accept the former as the

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FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

Gene c Modifica on always takes place in the nature when individuals are formed genera on a er genera on.

Every plant, animal or human being is an individual gene cally modified by nature. When gametes are formed in meiosis, segrega on of genes takes place and when gametes from a male and female unite to form a zygote, a microscopic individual of the next genera on, recombina on of genes or gene c modifica on (GM) takes place.

Hence there is dissimilarity between individuals of the same parents. In the iden cal twins the two daughter cells at the first division of the zygote separates by chance to form two individuals iden cal in appearance. Hence the genes in the iden cal twins are the same. Most of the abnormali es occurring in the individual organisms also come under gene c modifica on.

Almost all the known gene c diseases in a human being or animal is due to naturally occurring aberra ons in the gene c code of that organism. But every aberra on need not be a disease; some of them are beneficial and desirable aesthe cally and econo‐ mically.

EVERY ORGANISM FORMED IN EVERY SUCCESSIVE GENERATION IS THE RESULT OF A GENETIC MODIFICATION (GM) GMO & GE Ever since man has taken control of breeding of plants and animals, planned gene cal modifica ons are introduced on selected plants and animals to

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Vistas in Genetic Engineering and Genetic Modification observed and unobserved characters are governed by the genes. The total number of chromosomes is represent‐ ed in an organism by “2n” while the number of pairs is represented as “n”.

composed of simpler units called nucleo des. Each nucleo de is compo‐ sed of two of the four nitrogen‐contain‐ ing nucleobases men oned already.

The nucleo des are joined one to another by covalent bonds between the sugar of one nucleo de with the phosphate of the next, resul ng in an alterna ng sugar‐phosphate backbone to form a chain. According to base pairing rules pairing takes place Adenine with Thymine and Cystosine with Guanine. But in RNA the thymine base is being replaced by the base Uracil. Hydrogen bonds bind the nitrogenous bases of the two separate polynucleo de strands to form a double‐stranded DNA with a helical shape called chromosome. DNA is the storage of biological informa on. All the cells in the body of an organism have the same DNA, but different genes are expressed in different cells and under different condi ons and func ons. Thus genes of the liver are different from that of the pancreas or different parts of the brain having different func ons. (Fig 1.

DNA & RNA Structures & Components).

Gene is a unit expression of a single character in an organism and depending on the complexity of an organism the number of genes will vary from a few to many thousands. More the complexity of an organism greater will be the number of genes. Each gene is responsible for a character like colour, height, yield, leaf size, resistance to drought, pests, diseases etc. in a crop, animal or a human being. So also all the

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Yield is a gene c character and manipul‐ a ng the genes responsible for yield we can increase the yielding capacity of a grain crop or improve any desirable quality of any grain like taste, cooking quality, disease or pest resistance etc.

Over the years scien sts all over the world have worked to develop wonder‐ ful results in almost all the crops and animals to improve their commercially desirable quali es. Thus we have very high yielding varie es of crops compared to their local varie es. In the same way through selec ve breeding we can introduce and improve the desirable characteris cs in an animal for economic benefits. Thus we have improved breeds of cows in other parts of the world giving hundred or more litres of milk. We have roses and other flowers of marvelous colours, shapes, sizes and number of petals compared to their ancient parents.

Modern plant breeding (PB) is a branch of applied gene cs; but its scien fic basis is broader, covering biology, physiology, molecular biology, pathology, entomology, bacteriology, sta s cs, chemistry, bio‐chemistry, cytology, molecular biology, molecular

breeding, nanotechnology, germplasm conserva on, chromosome mapping etc. employing techniques like micro‐ injec on, electropora on, chemical pora on, laser pora on, bioballis cs, cell fusions using oscilla ng electrical field, gene guns etc. Use of bacteria as they did in Bt co on and brinjal is a fast developing technology in GE & GM. Use of virus is another GE/GM technology fast progressing steadily though it trickier than use of bacteria.

The bacterium Bacillus thuringi‐ ensis (Bt) is a family of over 200 different proteins which naturally produce chemicals harmful to selec ve insects, most notably against the larvae of moths and bu erflies, beetles, co on bollworms and flies, and harmless to other forms of life. The gene coding for Bt has been inserted into co on gene.

The resultant co on plants will be resistant to co on ball worm larvae (Helicoverpa zea). In other words if any of the worms of that insect eat any part of the Bt co on plant it will die just like there are several plants which are poisonous to one or other type of organism. This elimin‐ates the need to use large amounts of broad‐spectrum insec ‐cides which are also causing several problems other than economic.

Some of the pes cides used in co on have already developed resistance in the targeted pests.However, we must remember that Bt co on is not resistant

Fig 1. DNA & RNA Structures & Components

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Fig. 3 Co on bollworm

Fig. 2 Genome of Co on with 13 Chromosomes

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Vistas in Genetic Engineering and Genetic Modification

and some varie es were exported to foreign countries, such as Argen na, Mexico, and China. Strampelli's work laid the founda ons for Norman Borlaug and the Green Revolu on.

One of the goals of plant breeding has been to develop allopolyploids that have new traits that are not seen in other species. The one beneficial allopolyploid developed to date is Tri cale wheat. This amphidiploid was developed from the pollina on of wheat (Tri cum, 2n=42) with rye (Secale, 2n=14). The goal of this experiment was to combine the rugged phenotype of rye with the high yielding characteris cs of wheat. The final chromosomal composi on was 2n=56 chromosomes. Similar achievements are lined for the future in the field of agriculture.

engineering. The proponents of this technology claim that specific gene c‐ ally engineered crops to deliver certain vaccines will be safely available. In fact, several crops including bananas and potatoes have already been engineered to deliver the oral vaccine for the hepa s B virus. Some are of opinion that similar findings have poten al to counter world hunger. Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, was of opinion that biotechnology and gene c engineering are necessary to feed an ever increasing human popula on. Researchers in MIT are exploring the role of gene cally modified bacteria in the genera on of fuel like isobutanol from carbon‐based waste products. However there are many road blocks such as technical as well as ethical issues that are to be surmounted before many of GE results reach the common people.

Despite many prac cal and ethical roadblocks to the future development of gene c engineering, we can be sure that these methods will shape the future of world. The applica ons of these technologies are unforeseeable

to the present genera on. In just 25 years, science developed the cloning of Dolly, the world's most famous sheep.

Presently gene therapy is being explored in clinical trials. Already many agricultural technologies are changed permanently and the same is applicable in waste product management. The road ahead to further progress in GE and GM is long and arduous, it will be exci ng to see where science takes us in the next 25 to 50 years. Scien sts are talking about designer babies. Days are not far when parents will be able to select the sex of the child, to diagnose and prevent deadly gene c diseases, to select simpler traits like eye color, right or le handedness, addic ve behavior, nutri onal background and athle cism, hybrid specia on, reinforcement, gene flow, chromosomal evolu on etc. In the 18th century did anyone even dream of flying in an aircra or the present space explora ons or the ubiquitously available computer technology or the amazing medical technology? If so let wait for future revolu ons to take place in the field of gene cs not only in plants and animals but also in humans.

We have already seen the success in Bt co on. Similarly Bt brinjal is another success story. But due to certain socio‐poli cal interferences Bt brinjal is not yet permi ed to be cul vated in India. Indian polity needs to grow in objec vity in their judgments regarding scien fic truths. Successes similar to Bt co on are needed in the case of brinjal, tomato, okra, and the cole crops in the mustard family as brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, mustard, broccoli, turnips and watercress. Bt type of technology is needed against aphids and jassids which is very common in many pulse crops.

Future applica ons of GE Already the idea of including vaccines directly into food products is being discussed under gene c

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FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

Fig 4. Human Chromosomes

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Dr. K. T. Chandy He is recipient of na onal & interna onal award for the outstanding work in above men oned ďŹ eld. He is on the Editorial Board of Krishi Jagran Media Group.)

FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

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Hybrid Rice: Ensuring Sustainable Food Security

Hybrid Rice Ensuring Sustainable Food Security Introduc on Rice is life" truly lives up to its meaning in India, where its origin dates back to as long ago as 2500 B.C. In this vast country, rice is a staple food for more than half of its billion‐plus popula on, and a source of livelihood for more than 50 million households..

Rice contributes to 15 per cent annual GDP of India and provides 43 per cent calorie requirement for more than 70 per cent of Indians.

India has the largest rice area in the world and is world's second‐largest rice producer a er China but by produc ‐ vity, it ranks as low as 16.The sta s cs are very revealing. During the year 2013, India produced 159.2 million tons paddy from 43.9 million hectares (produc vity 3.62 Mt/ha) on the other hand China produced 205.2 million tons of paddy from a mere 30.5 million hectares (produc vity 6.7 Mt/ha).

There is only one big difference; China embraced 'hybrid rice' technology in a big way, while India had a slow start.

According to an es mate, for sustaining self‐sufficiency,country needs to produce 1.5 million to 2 million tonnes of rice more every year to feed

32

the teeming millions in the next 15 to 20 years. The big ques on is can India do it, given the current status of its agricul‐ tural capability. This really seems to be a daun ng task, in view of the following situa ons: Extreme popula on pressure: India achieved rice self‐sufficiency in 1977, but the country's popula on of more than a billion is growing at 1.8% per year, outpacing the 1.4% annual growth rate of rice produc on. In order to ke e p p a c e w i t h t h e g row i n g popula on, the es mated rice require‐ ment by 2025 is about 130 m.t. To maintain self‐sufficiency, annual produ‐ c on needs to increase by 2 million tons every year Plateauing trend observed in yield poten al of high yielding varie es: The country witnessed an impress‐ ive growth in rice produc on in the post‐independence era due to the adop on of semi dwarf high yielding varie es coupled with the adop on of intensive input based management prac ces. The yield of milled rice in the country increased from 863 kg per hectare in 1966‐67 to 2,079 kg per

FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

hectare in 2001‐02, growing at the compounded annual growth rate of 2.54%. But since then, the growth rate has come down to a mere 0.45%.

In view of stagna on in yields, future increases in the produc on of rice will have to be essen ally achieved through increases in produc vity, as the possibili es of expansion of area are nil.

Scarce natural resource base: India has high popula on pressure on land and other resources to meet its food and development needs. The natural resource base of land, water and bio‐diversity is under severe pressure. Owing to the pressure from industrializa on, the area & water availability for rice cul va on is deple ng rapidly. Because of its yield advantages, hybrid rice technology is very important for the food security when arable land for rice cul va on is becoming scarce.

Hybrid rice‐ a hope for challenging ecologies: In some geography in the country, the use of hybrid rice has revealed be er heterosis in unfavourable soil

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3000

Evolu on of Hybrid Rice in India (Area in lakh ha) 2400

2500

2267

2000

1750 1467

1500

1233 1167 1260 967

1000

733 567 413

500 10

133 180

253

0 1995 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Source: Bayer Es mates, 2014

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Hybrid Rice: Ensuring Sustainable Food Security

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FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

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The Hidden Part of Food Security Forages and Healthy Oils F

ood Security, Food Self‐Sufficiency and Food Insecurity are terms which we o en hear and rightly so given the fact that Food Demand is likely to double from the current 440 million mt to 850 million mt and Food infla on is outstripping infla on of all commodi es. Increasing Income levels and Consumerism is changing the structure of food basket with diversifica on from cereals to fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products, meat, fish and eggs. In this ar cle the focus is on certain aspects of Food security which are not ge ng the required thrust and a en on and it is high me we ac vely engage all the key stakeholders in developing appropriate ac on plans.

Livestock and Fodder Milk Produc on in India is es mated at 110 million Mt and we are the world no:1, however our produc vity(Lt/Day) is one of the lowest in the world at 1.2Ltrs/Day inspite of a ca le popula on es mated at 1850 million. Es mated milk demand by 2030 is anywhere between 150‐160 million MTs which is a big task. The reasons for low produc vity can be a ributed to the following and we will deep dive on points 1,2,3 and 4 and UPL‐ADVANTA interven ons and contri‐ bu ons to improve the situa on.

1. Fodder Availability ‐ app65% Deficit in green Fodder ‐ app25% Deficit in Dry Fodder ‐ 27%/23% Deficit in CP/ TDN

World Top 10 Milk Produc on Countries Countries

Milk produc on in million Mt (2013)

India USA China Russian Federa on Brazil Germany France New Zealand UK Poland World

Cost of Milk Produc on‐Rs/Lt

124 88 38 35 32 28 25 18 17 15 693

Milk Produc vity Lt/Day

11.25 19.35 16.95 14 25.2 21 23 12.25 24 15 18

1.2 8.8 3.5 4.7 6.8 5.5 7 9.5 6.9 7.3 5.8

FAO/IFCN (Interna onal Farm Comparison Network)/Internal source

2. Lack of proper knowledge on fodders 3. Protein Deficiency 4. Highest local ca le strength 5. Breed Quality 6. Tradi onal Dairy farms In world, we stand No 1 in terms of total milk produc on but very low in terms of produc vity (Ltr. Per day) even much below the world average of 5.8 ltr/day. A major part to answer this concern is our requirement of green and dry fodder and its deficit from the current requirement which also is not looking posi ve for the coming years as per es mates of GOI. Requirement of Green and Dry Fodder Year

Supply Million tons

Demand Million tons

Deficit (% of demand)

Green Dry

Green

Dry

Green

Dry

2010

395.2 451

1,061

589

62.76

23.46

2015

400.6 466

1,097

609

63.50

23.56

2020

405.9 473

1,134

630

64.21

24.81

2025

411.3 488

1,170

650

64.87

24.92

10th& 11th Five Year Plan Document

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35

The Hidden Part of Food Security - Forages and Healthy Oils Even the nutri ve value of available fodder is not very high along with quan ty deficit, we also lack the cri cal CP/TDN which is cri cal for animal health and milk produc on Requirement and Availability of CP/TDN Year

Requirement Million tons CP

2010

Availability Million tons

TDN

47.76

CP

344.93

Deficit (%)

TDN

34.18 262.02

CP

TDN

28.44

24.04

2015

49.39

356.73

35.98 273.24

27.15

23.41

2020

51.04

368.61

37.50 281.23

26.52

23.70

2025

52.68

380.49

39.31 292.45

25.38

23.14

10th& 11th Five Year Plan Document

Quality Fodder seed availability Major milk producing states having highest numbers of ca le are all struggling with fodder deficit which is lowest in Punjab but s ll it is 20% deficit:.

State‐Wise Quality Fodder Seed Availability States

2009‐10 (M MT) Dry Fodder Green Fodder

Total Fodder

Fodder Deficit

Maharashtra

42

98

140

21%

Rajasthan

17

117

134

34%

improved forage crops which are an answer to address not only above concerns but also will help farmers to adopt new cross breed with more and quality milk produc on.

Introduc on of Nutrifeed, Sugargraze, Makkhangrass and pipeline products BMR – 6 & Delight are: -

High yielding, longer dura on crops than normal tradi onal crops High in protein content Suitable for green fodder, silage and hey making Palatability is high & juicy Low lignin& high metaboliseable energy Requires less water and wider adaptability

U ar Pradesh

81

36

117

63%

Protein Deficiency :

Gujarat

15

58

73

25%

Madhya Pradesh

27

33

60

48%

The protein requirement for livestock at an es mated 150‐160Million mts of milk would be around 19‐20Million Tonnes,( 6‐7Million Tonnes for body maintenance and 12‐ 13Million Tonnes for milk produc on). Apart from these increasing consump on of Meat, Eggs and Fish will fuel the protein requirement content. There will be a serious compe on between Man and Animal and both will suffer due to the shortage. Time for us to look at edible oils as a source of protein The protein content of Soya‐bean and Canola is at 46% and 36% respec vely.

Punjab

29

26

55

20%

Andhra Pradesh

26

14

40

37%

Haryana

19

19

38

26%

Karnataka

28

7

36

22%

Tamil Nadu

21

11

32

36%

Other concerns with available fodder crops are: • • • • •

Low Yielding age old tradi onal long dura on varie es Low Nutri onal and low diges ble crops Requires water and more fer lizers More Lignin/ non‐diges ble fibers Low palatability and less of sweet and juicy‐ness

Hyola PAC 401, the first Canola quality hybrid introduced in India by UPL/ Advanta which has tremen‐ dous health benefit oil, for daily consump on in our food besides the benefits from the cake, which is a best subs tute to high protein cakes for feed industry: Venkatram Vasantavada Chief Opera ng Officer‐ Asia & Africa ADVANTA LTD (A UPL Group Company)

UPL/Advanta has taken an ini a ve to help farmers with Health Benefits of Fa y Acids in Canola Oil Compound

Family

% of total

Oleic acid

ω‐9

61%

This fa y acid plays a role in preven ng heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. Other benefits of omega 9 are that it reduces hardening of the arteries and improves immune func on.

Linoleic acid

ω‐6

21%

Omega‐6 fa y acid (Linoleic Acid) combined with omega‐3 fa y acid produces many of the health benefits, but the trickiest part about playing the fa y acid game is that it is the best to eat them in the right amounts.

Ea ng about twice as much omega‐6 as omega‐3, so that omega‐6 to omega‐3 ra o is 2:1.

Alpha‐linolenic acid

ω‐3

10%

Research on the health benefits of omega‐3 fa y acid have shown that it may be useful for suppor ng the following condi ons: Asthma, Diabetes, Arthri s, Osteoporosis, Some Cancers, Skin Disorders, High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, A en on Disorders, Depressive Disorders, Macular Degenera on, Diges ve Difficul es

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Benefits

FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

Not a Zero Sum Game: Food Security Requires

Not a Zero Sum Game Food Security Requires an Up-gradation of All Facets of Agriculture

F

ood security, defined in the Na onal Food Security Act as “ensuring of access to adequate quan ty of quality food at affordable prices to people”, is a truly visionary and cri cal concept for India. The country, despite economic growth, con nues to be burdened with one of the highest levels of hunger and malnutri on in the world. However, for the endeavour of food security to succeed, it is essen al to bring synergy between various facets of the agricultural ecosystem.

Nutri onal Security has to be given top priority While problems of adequate distribu on are resolved, it is also important to consider the 'hidden hunger' due to malnutri on. Malnutri‐ on, with its two cons tuents of macronutrient (protein‐energy malnut‐ ri on) and micronutrient deficiencies, con nues to be a major health concern in our country. Surveys done by the Na onal Nutri on Monitoring Bureau, Na onal Ins tute of Nutri on and ICMR in 9 states of India indicate that cereal‐pulse based Indian diets are qualita vely deficient in micronutri‐ ents. These diets par cularly lack iron,

calcium, vitamin A, riboflavin and folic acid – nutrients which are abundant in vegetables, fruits, and foods of animal origin.

run by mul ple departments/ministries l i ke h e a l t h , wo m e n a n d c h i l d development, agriculture, civil supplies and educa on.

The inclusion of nutri ous and diverse foods (millets, eggs, soy beans, etc) in the decentralized procurement basket offers an excellent opportunity for the provision of locally acceptable nutri ous food to people. This helps mi gate the problem of storage of these cereals.

Increasing agricultural produc vity through technology and knowledge

It is me to implement an efficient governance‐led approach to escalate nutri on to the na onal and sub‐ na onal priority agenda. This can be b ro u g h t a b o u t b y c o nv e rg e n c e between Programmes/Missions/Acts on income, sanita on, drinking water and feeding – all of which relate to nutri on directly or indirectly and are

To ensure food security in today's scenario of deple ng land and water resources, it is impera ve to increase agricultural produc vity. Climate change, which adversely impacts farmers with weather vagaries, also poses a massive challenge.

India's overall food demand is likely to double by 2030. The present food grain produc on level, which stands at about 260 million metric tonnes, will need to go up significantly to meet the na onal food grain requirement. To a ain this target, it is important to bring about innova on in breeding, technol‐ ogy and agronomy, apart from strategic partnerships. Innova ve technologies need to cater to farmers of all farm sizes and provide them with more effec ve choices to manage drought, heat, pest and disease a acks, and nutrient variability.

Agricultural Biotechnology derived

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37

Not A Zero Sum Game: Food Security Requires products being used by millions of farmers in different parts of the world have demonstrated that scien fic innova ons can help serve society by addressing farmers' problems and feeding the hungry while being environmental friendly. India with its growing popula on to feed nutri ously, burgeoning edible oil and pulses import bills and with large arable land is in a unique posi on to take advantage of these innova ons. Such innova ons can not only cater to its own needs but also help it gain significant posi on geopoli cally by becoming a key player in agriculture commodity trade.

Encouraging research in insect, disease and climate resilient technologies is a must to counter the problem of unpredictability and low produc vity. If India has to feed its ever‐ growing popula on, it needs to embrace agri‐biotech technology, in combina on with tradi onal prac ces.

This will help ensure input op miza on and thereby bolster produc vity.

Besides the need for improved technology, some other areas where we need to focus are: I.

Adequate educa on on farm e ffi c i e n c y, t e c h n o l o g y a n d improved agronomic prac ces II. Knowledge on producing more from less land and water resources III. I m p r o v e d m a n a g e m e n t o f irriga on water for enhancing produc on and produc vity IV. Agronomic and soil research need to be intensified to deal with area‐ specific problems V. E ff o r t s m u s t b e t a k e n t o disseminate available dry land technologies and generate new ones Finally, we need to prevent small farmers from taking extreme steps. This can be done by crea ng the necessary

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policy environment to reduce risk, generate new sources of livelihood, create avenues for off‐farm income, provide ins tu onal support, and facilitate access to informa on, technology, inputs, credit and crop insurance.

Empower women According to the Na onal Sample Survey Organisa on (NSSO), 18% of farm families in India are headed by women. Improving the capabili es of farm women to use improved techniques will help in increasing the produc on, reducing their strain and me spent on farming ac vi es.

Livestock husbandry is a cri cal ac vity which can be handled efficiently by women. Increased par cipa on of wo m e n i n fo o d p ro c e s s i n g a n d distribu on will lead to sustainable agriculture and ensure food security.

Condi onal cash transfers, targeted to women, for the purchase of perishable, nutrient‐rich foods such as milk, fruits, and vegetables could play a major role in addressing the nutri on security agenda.

Strengthen the agricultural supply chain through public private partnerships The first impera ve is to strengthen the food distribu on system in the country. A recent study by ASSOCHAM highlighted that around 20‐30% of food grain harvest is wasted annually due to inadequate scien fic storage facili es, cold chain infrastructure and refrigerated transport. The report indicated that there is a dearth of 35 million tonnes (MT) warehousing

FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

capacity in India. Efforts need to be made to bring in a strong and scien fic warehousing system. This will help keep pace with marketable surplus, which is ul mately an important driver of food security.

In the food value chain, food processing is the first structured link between farm and shelf. By char ng the route from agriculture to final food consump on, this plays a key role in enhancing produc vity and availability of affordable, nutri ous and safe food.

Moreover, it is also a growth catalyst to our economy by virtue of genera ng employment, boos ng agriculture and a rac ng capital.

In order to achieve our vision of food security, it is important to bring collabora on between public and private organiza ons. A mechanism needs to be put in place wherein public and private organisa ons share resources, knowledge and risks to achieve efficiency in the produc on and delivery of products and services.

India cannot afford to wait any further to make agriculture more compe ve. Improved technology and availability of inputs such as capital, hybrid seeds, farm mechaniza on and knowledge of best agronomic prac ces can ensure that our farmers produce more, increasing their income and improving their lives while at the same me mee ng the needs of our na on for the long term.

Dhiraj Pant Director‐ Regulatory Affairs Monsanto India

Agriculture News

World's largest tomato goes on sale in Britain

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new variety of tomato was evolved as a result of almost two decades of research by breeders in the UK and the US.Simon Crawford, one of the UK's leading plant breeders, was called in five years ago to finish the work of late American grower Paul Thomas, who spent 15 years trying to breed the huge tomato. Thomas passed away before he saw his tomatoes hit the market, but Crawford was able to complete the breeding programme to ensure there would be enough seed to sell commercially.

The new tomato plants, called Gigantomo, can grow enormous fruits up to 10 inches wide and as heavy as 3lbs ‐ about 12 mes the size of an average salad tomato.

The revolu onary tomatoes have now gone on sale in Britain just in me for gardeners to buy them before spring arrives. The tomatoes are so large that one tomato alone can serve up to four people and just one slice fills an en re burger bun or sandwich. Each plant can grow to 6 tall and yield as many as 11 tomatoes but must be supported to prevent it buckling under the weight of the fruit.

They were launched in the US last year by seed company Burpee and sold under the name SteakHouse. The huge tomatoes were such a hit that they have now been brought across the Atlan c but EU chiefs ruled the name unacceptable so it was changed to Gigantomo.

The plants will be sold as plugs ‐ seedlings that have already been grown for a short me so they can be put directly into pots ‐ cos ng £14.99 for a pack of five.

Gigantomo is an incredibly interes ng variety that grows very well in the UK and it won a Royal Hor cultural Society award of garden merit following growing trials last year. It is best to be grown in the green houses. With the right kind of care it would be possible to grow a tomato that could break the world record.

Commission Withdraws Proposal For New Eu Seed Law

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resen ng its much awaited policy priori es for 2015, the Commission also announced that it withdraws its proposal for a new EU seed law. The announcement came together with a larger package of legisla ve proposals that are axed as part of the Juncker promise of less and be er regula on and a poli cally more 'responsive' Commission. The new EU Regula on on Plant Reproduc ve Material was supposed to modernize and replace the

current rules, consis ng of more than a dozen Direc ves, Regula ons and further related acts, and formed part of the 'Smarter Rules for Safer Foods' package presented to Council and Pa r l i a m e n t i n m i d ‐ 2 0 1 3 . I n i t s jus fica on, the Commission simply state d t h at i t s e e s n o p o l i ca l agreement on the approach between Parliament and Council and consequently withdraws its proposal.

“The Commission has basically cleared its desk of many proposals that it considered too controversial or unpopular. This is line with the general, more poli cal approach of the Juncker Commission.”, Garlich v. Essen, Secretary General of ESA commented on the decision. The European seed sector itself had cri cized a number of key elements of the original proposal, but together with the proposals from Member States, MEPs and stakeholders had seen a base for further discussion. Von Essen, therefore, sees the Commission's decision as a poli cally mo vated one: “This is part of an overall poli cal approach taken by this new Commission. We now con nue to apply the established provisions of the current European and na onal rules which assure that Europe's breeders can bring new and improved varie es to the Common Market that match both regulatory requirements as well as the expecta ons of Europe's farmers and vegetable growers.

FEB 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-2

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Agriculture News

Education: Key to Consumer Appreciation and Improvement of Seed

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h e A m e r i c a n S e e d Tr a d e Associa on (ASTA) today unveiled results of research commissioned by the seed industry revealing that consumers under appreciate the role of seed and seed improvement in their lives, un l they are presented with specific examples of the environmental, economic and health benefits of seed.

ASTA briefed members of the media during its CSS 2014 & Seed Expo in Chicago, the largest seed industry conference in the U S, a rac ng professionals from more than 150 companies and more than 20 countries.

According to LaVigne, the CEO of ASTA research results revealed that the work of the seed industry is generally u n d e r‐ v a l u e d a m o n g e d u c a t e d

consumers. Three of the four educated consumers believe that the role of technology in agriculture is important.

However, LaVigne shared that when the same groups were provided addi onal informa on regarding the specific benefits of seed improvement, they began to show apprecia on and a greater understanding of the impact of seed innova on. Specifically, survey respondents were provided examples of seed improvements in areas of food, feed, fuel and fiber. Total posi ve i m p re s s i o n s a m o n g m i l l e n n i a l s increased by 18 among moms by 13% and among foodies by 16%.

ASTA is uniquely posi oned to e d u cate co n s u m e rs a b o u t s e e d improvements that are provide

solu ons to the increase demand of a growing world. It also gives our organiza on an opportunity to focus on 'why' we do what we do.” ASTA also provided topline results highligh ng seed improvements and associated benefits that had the most resonance across the three consumer groups. · Seed improvements allow farmers to produce more food from the same land. (76% of overall consumers viewed posi vely.) · Seed improvements result in foods that are healthier and provide be er nutri on. (70% of overall consumers viewed posi vely.) · Seed improvements allow family farmers to sustain their way of life for genera ons to come. (69% of overall consumers viewed posi vely.)

In conjunc on with its new data and educa onal announcement, ASTA shared a video highligh ng how seed is crea ng be er life. ASTA plans to unveil its new communica on efforts during its 132nd Annual Conven on to be held in Washington, D.C., June 17–20, 2015.

Seedsman Don Wertman Re res

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ast ASTA Chairman and Honorary Member Don Wertman announced his re rement from Seedway in early September. Wertman has lead Seedway for 28 years and held many leadership roles in the seed industry and his community. He began his career at the Emmaus seed processing plant in 1966 and became Chief Opera ng Officer in 1987. Under his leadership, Seedway sales have grown to over $130 million. Wertman's re rement is effec ve by August, 2015.

Centre last word on GM crops; nod for 'confined' field trial

T

hough Maharashtra government has given 'no objec on cer ficate' for field trials of some gene cally modified (GM) crops, the Centre will

40

take a final call on whether to allow such crops in the market or not, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.

Anil Kakodkar, who headed a state‐ level commi ee which recommended field trials of GM crops, has also said that clearance has been given for "confined field trials," and it is the preroga ve of the central government to approve or disapprove the use of GM crops, based on trial results.

The state government recently gave NOC for field trials of five GM crops ‐ brinjal, maize, rice, chickpea and co on ‐ while taking cognisance of recommenda ons submi ed by the

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

commi ee which studied individual crop pa erns.

There is a central government process for looking at it in detail through Gene c Engineering Advisory Commi ee and environment and forest ministers, etc. For them to complete their approvals, they need to have a NOC from the state government.

In the state, there are commi ees at the state and district levels. Also, there is an advisory group which looks at the technical aspects and makes recommenda ons to the state government. Only then the state government issues the NOC.

www.krishijagran.com

Monsanto plans first seed plant in Russia

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onsanto, the world's largest seed company, plans to open its first plant in Russia in coming years, stepping up its ac vi es in the world's fourth largest grain producer as it seeks to counter the effects of a plunging

ruble. The ruble has almost halved in value against the dollar in the past year, hit by falling oil prices, a crumbling economy and poli cal tension, making local produc on more a rac ve.

Creve Coeur‐based Monsanto currently operates in Russia through a network of local partners and distrib‐ utors. Goncalves, President of Europ‐ ean Row Crops business, declined to name them or give financial details of the firm's ongoing or future business in the country.

Last year the company said it would launch a corn seed plant in neighboring

Ukraine, whose currency has also dived, with ini al investments of about $140 million possibly rising to $300 million over several years.

Growth in the EU could instead come from the firm's core business of fruit and vegetables seeds, conven ‐ onal row crops and crop protec on products, as well as future technolo‐ gies. The company plans to invest at least 500 million euros, or $574 million, over 10 years to expand seed produc on in Europe.It had already injected $150 million into two French plants, Goncalves said.

Breeding process twice as fast, First version of onion genome ready

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n Tuesday January 13th researcher Richard Finkers presented a first version of the onion genome to the largest scien fic congress of genomics for plants and animals: the 'Plant and Animal Genomics (PAG) conference in San Diego. Breeding a new onion breed takes 12 to 16 years now. Companies believe that by knowing the DNA sequence the breeding me can be accelerated by a factor of two.

Breeding onions is challenging but not easy Crossing interes ng proper es from cul vars that need long days with varie es that can make bulbs in short days is difficult. All the genes that are involved in the mechanisms for the length of the day have to be together in order for the onion to be able to make a bulb during a certain length of day me.

Opportuni es for breeding ''Knowledge of the genome will enable plant breeders to more quickly select the appropriate onions in order to refine it further'',

DuPont Pioneer introduces new Hybrid sorghum for 2015 with Improved Standability and key Defensive Traits

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uPont Pioneer announced its 2015 sorghum hybrid product offerings, including the addi on of three new hybrids. These hybrids offer sorghum g ro we rs st ro n g y i e l d p o te n a l , improved agronomic performance, a wide range of defensive trait packages and adaptability to both irrigated and dryland acres. The new hybrids for the coming season include: ·

Pioneer® hybrid 83P56 – a medium full‐grain sorghum hybrid available

says Henk Huits, manager marker technology and genomics for Bejo Zaden.

The genome of an onion The onion genome was found rela vely late. One of the reasons for this is because onions have a huge amount of DNA. The genome of an onion is five mes larger than that of a human. The mapping of that huge genome was only recently made possible by new techniques and analysis tools. "If a technology can work for an onion, it can work for almost anything," says Wilbert from Workum, Director of Services.

in south and central Texas. The p ro d u c t p ro v i d e s i m p ro v e d standability with excellent root and stalk strength, in addi on to above‐ average head exer on and a defensive trait package that fights pests such as downy mildew and sugarcane aphid. ·

Pioneer® hybrid 83P73 – a new grain sorghum hybrid with excellent yield poten al, adapted for both irrigated and dryland acres in south and central Texas. It has good defensive agronomic traits and brings improved harvest standability into the current sorghum lineup.

·

Pioneer® hybrid 84P72 – provides

strong yield poten al and above‐ average stalks with acceptable root lodging resistance for its maturity, and is available in the High Plains regions of Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. This hybrid has demons‐ trated strong drought tolerance, above‐average cold emergence and good tolerance to fusarium rot.

Growers plan ng Pioneer® brand sorghum hybrids recently won three of seven first‐place finishes and nine of the 21 na onal categories in the 2014 Na onal Sorghum Producers (NSP) Yield and Management Contest.

Growers using Pioneer® 84G62 brand sorghum won five of the nine na onal tles, and 33 of 81 state tles were won using Pioneer® brand sorghum hybrids.

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

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