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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2017 ` 100

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INDIAN COFFEE the taste of the hills

MILLETS

the miracle grains

BIO PESTICIDES and its scope

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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2017 ` 100 PAGES 100 Editor-in-Chief

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Indian Coffee The Taste of the Hills V R AjithKumar

Wake Up & Smell the Coffee Karthika B P

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History of Forbidden Coffee

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Capturing Health in a Cup of Coffee

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Branding of Coffee

Indu Narayanan

Dr. Karuthamani

32 Way win 38 Smart Agro Technologies

Nishant Kr. Taak

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for Coffee plantations Vinod Kumar Kodakkat & Dr Srinath Ramamoorthy

Suresh Muthukulam

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Overview of Indian Crop Protection Chemical Segment

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Krishnamurthy Ganesan

The Identity of Organic Products: Neem India

Interview by Deepshikha Singh

The Role of Minerals & Vitamins in Poultry Production

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Bio Pesticides & Its Scope

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Dr. Mahendra Pal

Manish Ranjan Saini, Neetu Pandey & O P Sharma

Edible Oil & Kidney Patients

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ndian coffee is as popular as Indian spices and its export to more than 45 countries enriches our foreign exchequer. India is the third-largest producer and exporter of coffee in Asia, and the sixth-largest producer and fifth-largest exporter of coffee in the world. Country is heading for yet another record coffee crop in the year 2017-18 . It is expected to procure 3.5 lakh tonnes. It is an increase of 12.31 per cent over 2016-17’s final output of 3.12 lack tonnes. The post-blossom estimate for Karnataka,which accounts for about two-thirds of the coffee produced in the country, is placed at 2,51,760 tonnes . All the three main growing regions of Kodagu, Chikamagalur and Hassan districts are seen registering an increase in output over last year.

In Kerala, mainly a robusta producer, the post-blossom estimates for the year 2017-18 are placed at 68,520 tonnes.

In Tamil Nadu, the post blossom forecast for 2017-18 is placed at 19,160 tonnes. In the non-traditional areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as well as in North Eastern Region, the post-blossom forecast is placed at 10,960 tonnes as against previous year estimate of 10,655 tonnes. The higher forecast has come mainly from Andhra Pradesh due to increase in bearing area.

The major advantage of coffee is that the coffee agro forestry reduces the pressure on natural forests as it sustains livelihood of half a million workers and their families in otherwise resource scarce regions. Also it has other positive effects on the crop like improved soil fertility, protection from insect pests and economic benefits for farmers. Considering this, coffee cultivation was introduced in the North East Region with an aim for socio- economic upliftment of the local people as well as for preservation of the fragile ecosystem. Coffee is grown in all the states of North East Region except Sikkim.

There is good potential for production of organic coffee in the North East Region. Firstly, majority of the tribal coffee holdings are organic by default. The coffee growers of the region have apathy towards use of chemical fertilizers and plant protection chemicals. Thus there is a good scope for converting the coffee holdings into organic without much change in the existing cultivation practices. All the households in the region are maintaining livestock producing sufficient quantity of on farm manures which could be efficiently used for organic coffee production. The most added advantage is that the native organic carbon content of the soil in the North East region is very high , and so management of organic matter in the soil under organic production system would not be a problem. The NE Region has potential for the production of eco-friendly sustainable coffee beans which can be certified as per organic standards. Since the world is changing towards organic, the plantations of NE may be advantageous for India’s coffee business in future. 100% FDI is currently allowed in India’s coffee industry , combined with India’s low-labour costs will definitely improve the coffee industry and the export further .

MC Dominic Editor-in-Chief

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t is true that most of the Indians start the day with tasting the hot, stimulating tea or coffee while reading the newspaper or may be the internet version in the mobile . Indians are so addictive to it that some find headache if they do not have coffee or tea in the morning before getting out of the house. India is one of the world’s largest coffee producer countries, but the nation as a whole is still a tea drinker. It is interesting to know that many coffee growing farmers have never tasted coffee in their lives as coffee is just another crop they sell to the west. Nearly two third of the Indians don’t drink coffee. The coffee demand over the last decade has increased considerably by 40% ,but too low as compared to the European per capita rate .

Coffee predominates in the Americas and in continental Europe, while tea is preferred in most of Asia and the former Soviet Union. In the U.S., for instance, people drink three times as much coffee as tea; in Russia the ratio is almost exactly reversed. In India,coffee is preferred mainly by people of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Although there is a net increase in the popularity of coffee in India, still obtaining a cup brewed from local coffee beans in India might be difficult as three

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The world consumed nearly $31 billion-worth instant coffee last year and is expected to drink more than $35 billion-worth by 2018. Instant coffee accounts for more than 34 percent of all the retail brewed coffee consumed around the world. India , China and Asia pacific are the fastest growing markets of instant coffee consuming region by sales

INDIAN COFFEE the taste of the hills V.R.Ajith Kumar Editor, Agriculture World

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quarters of the local produce is exported to Italy,Germany,Belgium and more than 35other countries world over. Although more green coffee is produced globally than tea ,8.5 million metric tons versus 4.7 million metric tons of tea in 2011, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, it takes only about two grams of tea to make a cup, compared with 10 grams of coffee. As a result, as British geographer David Grigg wrote, worldwide “three cups of tea are drunk for every one of coffee.”

Instant coffee dominates the caffeine market in much of the world, but only makes up a tiny fraction of the coffee industry in the U.S. Americans’ taste in coffee might be getting more high-end with a growing fixation on perfectly roasted beans, pricier caffeinated concoctions, and artisan coffee brewers, but it turns out a surprisingly big part of the world is going in the opposite direction, ie towards instant coffee. Sales of instant coffee, the kind that dissolves in hot water and has been popularized by brands like Nescafe have nearly tripled since 2000, according to data from market research firm Euromonitor. The world consumed nearly $31 billion-worth last year and is expected to drink more than $35 billion-worth by 2018.

Instant coffee accounts for more than 34 percent of all the retail brewed coffee consumed around the world. India , China and Asia pacific are the fastest growing markets of instant coffee consuming region by sales.

History of Indian Coffee The saga of Indian coffee began with planting of ‘Seven seeds’ of ‘Mocha’ during 1600 AD by the legendary holy saint Baba Budan, in the courtyard of his hermitage on ‘Baba Budan Giris’ in Karnataka. For quite a considerable period, the plants remained as a garden curiosity and spread slowly as back yard plantings. It was during 18th century that the commercial plantations of coffee were started by the British entrepreneurs , conquering the hostile forest terrain in south India. Since then, Indian coffee industry has made rapid strides and earned a distinct identity in the coffee map of the world. Coffee in India is grown under a canopy of thick natural shade in ecologically sensitive regions of the Western and Eastern Ghats. This is one of the 25 biodiversity hotspots of the world. Coffee contributes significantly to sustain the unique bio- diversity AGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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The post Blossom crop forecast for the year 2017-18 is placed at 3,50,400 MT comprising of 1,03,100 MT of Arabica and 2,47,300 MT of Robusta heading towards yet another record crop

of the region and is also responsible for the socio-economic development in the remote, hilly areas.

Geography of Coffee land In India, coffee is traditionally grown in the Western Ghats spread over Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Coffee cultivation is also being expanding rapidly in the non traditional areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as well as in the North East states. Coffee is predominantly an export oriented commodity and 65% to 70% of coffee produced in the country is exported while the rest is consumed within the country. Our coffee has created a niche for itself in the international market and the Indian Coffee is earning high premium, particularly Indian Robusta which is highly preferred for its good blending quality. Arabica Coffee from India is also well received in the international market.

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Coffee’s Economics Coffee is an export product with low import intensity and high employment content. This is evident from the fact that more than six lakh persons are directly employed and an equal numbers of individuals get indirect employment from this sector. The final crop estimate based on crop harvest data for the year 2016-17 is placed at 3,12,000 MT showed an overall decline of 36,000 MT AGRICULTURE

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(-10.34%) over the previous year 2015-16 estimated record crop of 3,48,000 MT. Of the total estimate of 312,000 MT, the Arabica and Robusta break up are 95,000 MT (30%) and 2,17,000 MT (70%) respectively. The Arabica production showed a decline of 8,500 MT (-8.21%) and robusta declined by 27,500 MT (-11.25%) over the 2015-16 crop. The drop in 2016-17 production has mainly come from Karnataka to the tune of 29,775 MT followed by 5,965 MT in Kerala and 960 MT in Tamil Nadu over the final estimate of 2015-16.

The reason for reduction in production estimates of 2016-17 is attributed to the delayed blossom and backing showers coupled with high temperatures. The first spell of summer (blossom) showers were received only during the month of April and these showers were scanty and isolated in nature. The hot and humid weather coupled with insufficient showers resulted in poor blossom especially in Robusta. The growers were unable to take up irrigations to top up the scanty showers due to drying up of most of water resources.

However, during the first fortnight of May 2016 most of the coffee areas have received wide spread rains which served as blossom showers for Arabica coffee and backing showers for Robusta estates. Further, the showers received during second fortnight of May 2016 served as backing for Arabica and helped in good crop setting. Apart from adverse weather conditions, the 2016-17 is an off-year for coffee crop in the country as the previous year (2015-16) happened to be a bumper year with an all-time record highest crop.

Crop forecast for the year 2017-18 The post Blossom crop forecast for the year 2017-18 is placed at 3,50,400 MT comprising of 1,03,100 MT of Arabica and 2,47,300 MT of Robusta heading towards yet another record crop. This is an overall increase of 38,400 MT (12.31%) over the final estimate of previous year i.e., 2016-17 (3,12,000 MT).

The post-blossom estimate of Arabica for 2017-18 has shown an increase of 8.53% (8,100 MT) over the corresponding final estimate of 2016-17, while the Robusta estimate has shown an increase of 13.96% (30,300 MT) over the corresponding final estimate of 2016-17.

Among the states, the 2017-18 post blossom estimate for the Karnataka state is placed at 2,51,760 MT comprising of 75,300 MT of Arabica and 1,76,460 MT of Robusta.

All the three districts recorded increase in production over the previous year’s (2016-17) final harvested crop estimate with Robusta recording a highest increase of 25,225 MT (16.68%) and 4,165 MT (6.79%) in Arabica production. Among the districts, Kodagu recorded highest increase of 13,640 MT (11.38%) followed by 13,000 MT (18.31%) in Chikmagalur and 3,375 MT (10.93%) in Hassan districts.

In Kerala state, which is mainly a Robusta producer, the post blossom estimates for the year 2017-18 is placed at 68,520 MT, an increase of 5,255 MT (8.31%) over the previous year’s final estimate of 63,265MT .

In Tamil Nadu, the Post Blossom forecast for 2017-18 is placed at 19,160 MT which showed an increase of 2,825 MT (17.29%) as against the previous year’s final estimated crop of 16,335 MT. In Non-Traditional areas of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa as well as in North Eastern Region, the post-blossom forecast is placed at 10,960 MT as against previous final estimate of 10,655 MT. The higher forecast has come mainly from Andhra Pradesh due to increase in bearing area.

Arabica and Robusta – India’s Aroma The two main varieties of coffee viz., Arabica and Robusta are grown in India. Arabica is mild coffee, but the beans being more aromatic, it has higher market value compared to Robusta beans. On the other hand Robusta has more strength and is, therefore, used in making various blends. Arabica is grown in higher altitudes than Robusta. The cool and equable temperature, ranging between 15 to 25 C, is suitable for Arabica while for Robusta, hot and humid climate with temperature ranging from 20 C to 30 C is suitable. Arabica requires more care & nurture and is more suitable for large holdings whereas Robusta is suitable irrespective of size of the farm. Arabica is susceptible to pests & diseases such as White Stem Borer, leaf rust etc., and requires more shade than Robusta. The harvest of Arabica takes place between November to January, while for Robusta it is December to February.

COFFEE RESEARCH IN INDIA India is one of the few countries in the world that have initiated research efforts in coffee AGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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with an objective of providing technical guidance to the planting community. The United planters Association of South India (UPASI) established in 1892 took first major step in organizing research efforts to tackle various pests and diseases afflicting the coffee plantations. Later, Dr.L.C.Coleman, the Director of Agriculture in the erstwhile Mysore government, in a major visionary effort established an exclusive research station for coffee namely the Mysore Coffee Experimental Station near Balehonnur in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka in the year 1925, with primary objectives of breeding resistant varieties and to evolve control measures against pests and diseases. Dr.M.K.Venkata Rao, a Mycologist was the first Research Officer in-charge of the Experimental Station and was responsible for collection of leaf disease resistant arabica material from different areas between 192531. The pioneering studies of W.W.Mayne, the Coffee Scientific Officer deputed by UPASI, on the existence of physiological races of coffee leaf rust fungus and periodicity of leaf rust incidence paved way for rationalization of Bordeaux mixture spraying on an extensive scale. His efforts in association with K.H.Srinivasan, Asst. Director of Agriculture and R.L.Narasimhaswamy, Plant Breeding Inspector resulted in the release of first improved arabica selections S.288 and S.333 for planting by 1940.

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During 1940’s, the coffee industry in India was in a desperate state due to the II World war resulting in very low prices and ravages of pests and diseases. At this time, the Government of India established the ‘Coffee Board’ through a constitutional act “Coffee Act VII of 1942” under the administrative control of Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Board was entrusted with the responsibilities of extending support to the coffee industry in the areas of marketing, finance, research and development. Accordingly, the Coffee Board took over the reigns of the ‘Mysore Coffee Experiment Station’ in the year 1946 and rechristened it as Central Coffee Research Institute. This Institute was made as the Head Quarters of the Research Department of the Coffee Board with a larger mandate of undertaking extensive research on coffee covering different disciplines and dissemination of technology to the growers from time to time.

The Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) is a premier organization in the frontier areas of modern coffee research which celebrated her Platinum Jubilee of existence in the year 2000. CCRI is recognized as an institute engaged in scientific research by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. Central Coffee Research Institute is engaged in intensive and

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The two main varieties of coffee viz., Arabica and Robusta are grown in India. Arabica is mild coffee, but the beans being more aromatic, it has higher market value compared to Robusta beans. On the other hand Robusta has more strength and is, therefore, used in making various blends

advanced coffee research in the disciplines of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Coffee Agronomy, Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, Plant Physiology, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Post Harvest technology, Coffee Biotechnology and Coffee Quality.

Apart from the research divisions located at its main campus, an exclusive Plant Tissue Culture & Biotechnology division established in Mysore is involved in conducting bio-technology and molecular biology studies to supplement/ complement the conventional breeding programs in developing high yielding, pest and disease resistant varieties. The Quality Control Division stationed at Coffee Board’s Head Office in Bangalore has been actively collaborating with other research disciplines in upgrading the quality of coffee in the cup.

Around 130 scientific personnel assisted by technical staff are involved in carrying out research. The centre is continuing its mission of pursuing a high quality basic and applied research in chosen areas of plant breeding, molecular biology, soil science, plant biochemistry, pest and disease related research, post harvest technology, water pollution and other application oriented work for field application. CCRI has well equipped modern laboratory facilities and a central library with

vast collections of books and periodicals on coffee in addition to other plantation and agricultural crops.

Besides, there is a well established training section for coffee growers, bankers, horticulturists, estate managers, supervisory personnel and extension officers of the Coffee Board.

The training section is recognized by UNDP and FAO to impart training on coffee culture to foreign nationals too. So far, personnel from Ethiopia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Vietnam and M/s.Nestle International, Singapore have been trained besides Indian growers and others in the coffee chain.

Network of Research Stations In order to test the research findings emanating from the main institute at different agro-climatic zones and also to evolve location specific technologies, regional research stations were established in important coffee growing regions in a phased manner. Together the network of coffee research in India represents major coffee growing regions and their diverse agro-climatic conditions. The Regional Research Stations have been functioning at: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Chettalli, Kodagu district, Karnataka Chundale, Wayanad district, Kerala Thandigudi, Dindigul district, Tamilnadu Raghavendra Nagar, Vizag district, AGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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Andhra Pradesh and 5. Diphu, Karbi Anglang district, Assam.

twenty and well equipped laboratory facility to pursue research in all the major disciplines.

CRSS ,Chettalli is established during 1946 at Chettalli village in Kodagu district of Karnataka. The station has a total area of 131 hectares of which 80 hectares is planted to coffee for conducting research experiments. It has a scientific and technical staff strength of

Planted area of coffee in India As per the data of Coffee Board, the area of coffee plantation in 1950 was 92,523 hecteres and out of that, Arabica was cultivated in 67,613 hts and Robusta in 24,910 hts.Accord-

TABLE -1- Planted area of coffee since 1950-51 (in hectares )

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Year 1950-51 1960-61 1970-71 1980-81 1990-91 2000-01 2010-11 2016-17

Arabica 67613 70650 80433 109454 127934 167679 197930 223816

%

Robusta 24910 49670 55030 98815 142887 179037 206715 225541

73 59 59 53 47 48 49 50

%

Total 92523 120320 135463 208269 270821 346716 404645 449357

27 41 41 47 53 52 51 50

TABLE -2 - Coffee Production by States – 2015-16 (in MT) STATE

ARABICA(MT)

%

ROBUSTA(MT)

Karnataka Kerala Tamil Nadu Non-traditional North East Total(India)

78650 2200 12810 9750

22.6 0.6 3.7 2.8

172870 67030 4485 50

49.7 19.3 1.3 00

%

251520 69230 17295 9800

TOTAL (MT) % TO INDIA

72.3 19.9 5 2.8

90 103500

00 29.7

65 244500

00 70.3

155 348000

00 100

Coffee export from India -2016-17 Destination Italy Germany Russian Federation Belgium Turkey Other countries Total

Quantity in Metric Tonne 83,821 34,933 28,883 20,046 17,230 1,70,752 3,55,665

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% of total

Unit value –Rs./tonne

23.57 9.82 8.12 5.64 4.84 48.01 100

1,38,205 1,57,382 1,74,140 1,83,433 1,63,063 varies 1,58,431

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ing to the latest report of July,2017,the total plantation is 4,49,357 hts and init, Arabica is cultivated in 2,23,816 hts and Robusta in 2,25,541 hts. (Table -1) Karnataka produces 72.3 % of the total coffee production of India and Kerala contributes 19.9% and that of Tamil Nadu is 5%. The rest is coming from Non-traditional areas and North east .(Table -2)

Export of coffee from India The major destinations of Indian coffee are Italy,Germany and Russian Federation.

India exports coffee to more than 45 countries and total export in quantity is assessed as 3,55,665 MT and its value in rupee is 1,58,431 per tonne. The export to Italy in 2016-17 is 83,821 MT and to Germany is 34,933 MT and that of Russian Federation is 28,883 MT. (Table -1)

The following are the major speciality coffees of India.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Karnataka produces 72.3 % of the total coffee production of India and Kerala contributes 19.9% and that of Tamil Nadu is 5%. The rest is coming fromNon-traditional areas and North east

Mysore nuggets EB Monsooned Malabar AA Monsooned Malabar PB Monsooned Malabar C Monsooned Malabar BBB Monsooned Arabica AA Monsooned robusta AA Monsooned Arabica Tr Monsooned robusta Tr Monsooned basanally Monsooned Arabica BB Monsooned robusta BB Monsooned robusta C Monsooned robusta bulk Monsooned Arabica blacks Robusta kapi royale

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Instant, ground and rosted are the value added coffees .

Since coffee buyers are shifting from traditional varieties to speciality coffees and value added coffees , Indian coffee producers and exporters are also adapting to the new trends to tap the maximum business out of it.

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Coffee is one of the most widely traded commodities in the world and millions of people depend directly or indirectly on the production and sale of coffee for their livelihoods. It is said that each day nearly 2.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed

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Wake up & Smell the Coffee Karthika .B.P Asst.Editor

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cup of coffee is more than just the drink in itself. For some it’s an experience, for others it’s a feeling, solace, a way of expression, something that inspires creativity and for many it is an instant way to boost the energy.

The way of experiencing coffee varies with people, countries and culture…It has its own story to share…One legend is that coffee was first discovered by an Ethiopian shepherd named Kaldi, who noticed that his sheep became extremely energetic after eating berries from a certain plant. Curious Kaldi tried a

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drink with the berries and found that it kept him energetic throughout a day. The stories goes like this, he shared his experience with others and the potential of coffee began to spread.

So, every coffee moment is also a time to think about the story behind our cup of coffee. To identify the journey of coffee from the farm to the cup, International Coffee Organization celebrates October 1st as International Coffee Day. It is also an occasion to honour the farmers who grow and harvest

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coffee in various parts of the world. Before 2015, the day used to be celebrated on different dates in different countries. In India, Coffee day was celebrated in Chikmangalur and Coorg, last year.

This year, Wayanad, the major coffee producing region of Kerala, celebrated the third annual International Coffee day with several activities dedicated to the world’s favourite drink. For the time in its history, Wayanad participated in the celebrations kept aside for the magical beverage on the coffee day. The programme was orchestrated by Waywin Producer Company, a farmer producer company in the district, in association with the Coffee Board, NABARD, Wayanad Coffee 20 Growers’ Association and Wayanad Chamber of Commerce.

While inaugurating the programme, C K Saseendran MLA said that the state government has taken efforts to brand Wayanad coffee and intends to take effective measures to support small and marginal farmers. P T Gopalakurup, MILMA chairman delivered the keynote address. Coffee Board Deputy Director Dr Karuthamani, Wayanad Coffee Growers’ Association president Prasanth Rajesh, Way win chairman M K Devasya, Wayanad Chamber of Commerce president Johny Patani, coffee growers from various parts of the district were present on the occasion. The national seminar held as part of the event discussed the plights of coffee farmers and demanded a coffee policy to promote the production and consumption.

It also insisted that the policy should have packages to address the problems of the farmer, crisis in the region, settlement paths, government intervention, and co-operation of other agencies. Several coffee products were exhibited during the festival.

Coffee Production in India & the Global Scenario Coffee is one of the most widely traded comAGRICULTURE

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modities in the world and millions of people depend directly or indirectly on the production and sale of coffee for their livelihoods. It is said that each day nearly 2.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed. In global market, price of coffee fluctuates in every minute which impacts the survival of producers across the world. However, in recent years the number of countries producing coffee has increased.

The world’s total coffee production is around six million tons and is led by Brazil which has more than 30 per cent share in the world’s coffee production. Vietnam and Colombia are the countries which stand up next to Brazil in production.

In India, Karnataka is the largest coffee producing state. It accounts for 70 percent of the total coffee production in the country.

Robusta is the major cultivated variety and the state produces 1000 kilogram coffee per hectare and harvests 2.33 lakh metric tons a year. Followed by Karnataka, Kerala occupies the second largest coffee growing state in the nation. Here also, Robusta is the most commonly cultivated variety which shares 90 percent of coffee production. The main regions where coffee grows in large number are Wayanad and Travancore. Often called as the coffee country of Kerala, Wayanad cultivates 95 percent of the coffee in the state, area under more than 33percent of the total farm area of the district. Kerala yields 67,700 metric tons coffee a year. Tamil Nadu is the third largest producer where India’s six per cent coffee is produced. About half of Tamil Nadu’s coffee is produced in Nilgiri district and the state grows 17,875 metric tonnes coffee a year.

As per the crop harvest data for the year 2016-17, India produced 3,12,000 metric ton coffee showed an overall decline of 36,000 MT over the previous year. During 2015-16, it was 3,4 8,000 MT. Among the states, Karnataka produced 2,21,745 MT, recording a decline of 4,555 MT over the post-monsoon

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Globally, each year exceed $70 billion, but coffee producing countries only capture $5 billion of this value, with the bulk of revenues retained by developed countries.

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estimate of 2016-17. In Kerala, it was 63,265 MT with a marginal decline of 25 MT over the post monsoon estimate 63,290 MT of 2016-17. In Tamil Nadu, the final production of 2016-17 is 16,335 MT which is a marginal decline of 225 MT over the post monsoon estimate, 16,560 MT of 2016-17. More than 80 percent of the coffee produced in India is exported. During 2016-17, India exported 3,56,445 MT coffee, while it was 31, 8059 MT in the previous year.

Although India contributes only a small per cent of the world production, Indian coffee has created a niche for itself in the international market, particularly Indian Robusta which is highly preferred for its good blending quality. During the last few years, coffee export from India has registered significant increase both in terms of quality and earnings. Last year, the recession happened in the global market due to the decreased output of the coffee giants such as Colombia and Brazil helped India regain its position. As a result, the price exhibited up to 30 rupees increase per kilogram in global market.

Globally, each year coffee sales exceed 70$ billion, but coffee producing countries 22 only capture 5$ billion of this value, with the bulk of revenues retained by developed countries. This is because the supply-side of the world coffee market is fragmented with millions of small-scale producers but the market power lies with coffee roasting companies who buy raw coffee beans and process them into coffee-based products.

Low productivity of the crops was a major constraint which the farmers of the coffee regions have been facing. The climate change has also been attributed as a major factor affecting the productivity. The reduction of average annual rainfall and change in distribution pattern has been one of the causative factors. Coffee cultivation in India, especially Wayanad completely depends upon two showers, the blossom shower and setting shower. The blossom shower has to occur during the month of January and the setting shower has to occur within next 21 days after blossom shower for effective seed setting and higher productivity.

Heavy rainfall and the shortage of required rainfall both will adversely affect the production of coffee.The reason for reduction in production during 2016-17 is attributed to the delayed blossom and backing showers coupled with high temperatures. Absence of proper irrigation and water storage facilities AGRICULTURE

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has also been a concerned issue. Recently, central government has removed the electricity subsidy allocated for the farmers and that has made the plights of farmers more adverse. Being a highly labour-intensive work, coffee production encounters a very high cost of production which has become one of the primary reasons for small and marginal farmers to shift from coffee to alternative higher revenue generating cash crops. Scarcity of labours has resulted in a very high cost of labour charge along with the price fluctuations makes all worrying for the coffee growers.

Coffee Policy – Need of the Hour The growing consumer recognition of coffee over the world, has put the coffee sector at crossroads. Despite the fact that the demand

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Indian coffee industry is characterized by the pre dominance of small and marginal farmers, so appropriate institutional efforts will be needed to energise their productivity and marketing opportunities

and the prices during the past few decades are progressively increasing, coffee growers in the country have not been benefiting. In this scenario, the farmers’ demand for a separate coffee policy parallel to the agricultural policy in the nation has much relevance.

Indian coffee industry is characterized by the pre dominance of small and marginal farmers, so appropriate institutional efforts will be needed to energise their productivity and marketing opportunities. The objectives of proposed coffee policy include: •

Product diversification, quality improvement, professional management and technical inputs, post-harvest processing, supplementary income earning opportunities to enable small growers to remain in production.

•

Price determination right and enhance domestic consumption to help in price stability.

•

Labour and social security reforms to enhance productivity and cost competitiveness.

•

Reform the role of the Coffee Board, State and Central Government, trade exchanges and traders to ensure reasonable returns to small growers and their effective participation in the markets.

•

Facilities for the optimum utilization of services offered by the Coffee Board viz. research, extension, development, quality up-gradation, promotion of coffee marketing and labour welfare etc.

•

Efficient use of subsidy schemes for re-plantation, water augmentation, quality up gradation, farm mechanization and irrigation.

•

Farmers’ participation in auctions and futures trade is comparatively low. Ensure participation and create awareness among farmers about the pros and cons of futures markets.

All these demands proposed by the farmers unravel the ground realities of the coffee sector in India. We need a wide perspective to tackle these problems on long-term basis.

This is what the farmers expect from the nation in this international coffee day, revitalize the standards that would have significant effects for its considerable coffee producing community.

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coffee talk

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HISTORY OF FORBIDDEN COFFEE

ave you ever imagined days without coffee or coffee being 24 illegal? In history, there are five times that coffee was banned to be consumed.

Coffee was first banned in Mecca in 1511 because leaders believed that it stimulated radical thinking. When coffee arrived in Europe in the 16th century, Italian clergymen tried to ban it because they believed coffee to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and got coffee baptized in 1600. But when Ottoman leader Murad IV ascended the throne in 1623, he quickly banned coffee and declared punishments for drinking it, which included beatings and being thrown into the sea.

In 1746, the Swedish government made it illegal to even have coffee paraphernalia, including cups and dishes. And finally, in 1777, Frederick the Great of Prussia issued a manifesto declaring beer’s superiority over coffee because he believed it interfered with the country’s beer consumption.

Civet Coffee- world’s most expensive flavour Civet coffee or kopi luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world produced from the coffee beans digested by the civet cat. Civets usually eat coffee berries for its fleshy pulp.

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It digests the fruit and expels the undigested beans through its faeces. After collecting the beans, it undergoes several processes including thorough washing, drying and roasting.

The uniqueness of the civet coffee lies in the process of digestion. The natural enzymes in the civet’s stomach improve the flavours of the beans that they have eaten.

Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of civet coffee. These are mostly the Arabica variety cultivated in Indonesia archipelago since the 17th century. Civet coffee is widely consumed in Gulf and European nations and it is sold for Rs.20, 000 to 25,000 per kilogram in overseas.

India starts to brew the luxury coffee Now, India has also started to brew the world’s most expensive coffee in Coorg, Karnataka, country’s largest coffee growing state. It is Coorg Consolidated Communities (CCC), a start-up firm in Karnataka, that has started the luxury coffee production in India.

The company sells the coffee under the brand name “ainmane” through its outlet Club Mahindra Madikkeri Resort. The company adopts a fully natural method in coffee production especially the sourcing of coffee beans. It collects the poops from the plantations close to the forest from where the civet

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zymes in the elephant’s stomach break down the proteins that cause bitterness while drinking coffee. This coffee is branded by Black ivory Coffee Producers Company Ltd at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation in Thailand, an organization that cares for rescued elephants.

International Coffee Day: A Brief history

comes to eat coffee cherries. It is being sold at Rs.8000 per kilogram.

Monkey Coffee It’s a special type of coffee brewed from beans that were chewed by Rhesus monkeys.

The monkeys usually eat the sweetest and ripest coffee cherries in the garden. After chewing the fruits, they spit the parchment covered-seed out into the ground. The chewed seeds are collected and then rinsed, washed, processed and dried. The dry beans look gray in colour and sometimes it has tooth marks of monkeys. After drying, the coffee beans can be roasted and then sold like other commercially available coffee beans. Monkey coffee tastes different from typical coffee because of the specific enzymatic breakdown of the fruit that occurs in the monkey’s mouth. Nowadays, producers collect the chewed seeds and process them for sale in markets as speciality coffee. In India, monkey coffee is made in Chikmangalur, Karnataka.

Black Ivory coffee Black ivory coffee is the finest Arabica variety naturally refined by Thai elephants. Its process starts with feeding coffee beans to elephants. Once consumed by the elephants, the individual cherries are separated from its dung and then the cherries are washed, sun-dried, hulled, sorted and roasted. The en-

History doesn’t mark the exact origin of International Coffee Day. It is believed that it was first promoted in Japan in 1983 by The All Japan Coffee Association. In United States, being the most coffee consuming nation, ‘National Coffee Day’ was mentioned publicly by 2005. Reference related to International Coffee Day says the name ‘International Coffee Day’ was first used by the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, at a press conference in 2009 to celebrate it and to announce the first New Orleans Coffee Festival. It is also said that coffee day was promoted in China by the international coffee organisation in 1997, and then this went on to become an annual celebration in April 2001.

Many countries around the world celebrate their own national coffee days at various dates throughout the year. Brazil, world’s largest coffee producer celebrates its coffee day on May 24. Nepal first celebrated National Coffee Day on November 17, 2005.

Indonesia, world’s fourth largest coffee producer, celebrates it on the Independence Day , August 17. However, in March 2014, the member states of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) agreed to organise International Coffee Day on October 1 to create a single day of celebration for coffee lovers around the world. This day is also used to promote fair trade coffee and to raise awareness about the plights of coffee growers.

Indian Coffee- Celebrating Diversities India has 16 unique varieties of coffee sourced from 13 distinct regions. Each variety has its own flavours reminisce the uniqueness of that region.

1. Coffee from Anamalais It is finely grown large Arabica coffee obtained from the plantations of Anamalai of Tamilnadu. These beans are greyish green in colour and tend to be more balanced with a strong aroma coupled with a citrus essence.

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Here, coffee is intercropped with pepper, oranges and cloves.

2. Coffee from Araku Valley Coffee from Araku Valley (Andhra Pradesh) is characterised by medium body, medium to sharp acidity and intense aroma with spicy notes.

3. Coffee from Bababudangiris The birthplace of Indian coffee, Bababudangiris is named in honour of the legendary saint Baba Budan1who brought coffee to India. This Arabica coffee variety is distinct due to mild weather condition of the region and has a full body, acidity, mild flavour and aroma with a hint of chocolate.

4. Coffee from Biligiris Chief characteristics of Biligiris coffee possess full body, extremely sweet aroma and a uniquely mild flavour.

5. Coffee from Brahmaputra Brahmaputra is the home of organic coffee. It is Arabica with a medium to full body, fruity essence, mild levels of acidity and a pleasant aroma. Here, the coffee is intercropped with 26 pepper, jackfruit and chow chow.

6. Coffee from Chikmagalur Chikmagalur is known as the coffee country of India. The Arabica beans from this region produces coffee that has a medium body coupled with a light acidity and flavour, and medium to intense aroma.

7. Coffee from Coorg Coorg is the largest coffee producing region in the country. This region has both the Arabica and Robusta varieties. Here, Arabica is lightly acidic, mild flavour and strong aroma and the Robusta variety is soft, neutral with hues of chocolate flavour.

8. Coffee from Manjarabad It is relatively small coffee growing area. Coffees from Manjarabad have a medium to full body, mild acidity, medium to intense aroma and pleasant flavour.

9. Coffee from Nilgiris These coffee beans are bold and bluish green in colour. It has a full body, sharp aroma and mild flavour.

10. Coffee from Pulneys It is one of the highest coffee growing regions AGRICULTURE

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in India. Pulneys region is famous for the Kurinji flowers that are visible only once in 12 years. These coffees have medium body, medium plus acidity and a slight citrus flavour.

11. Coffee from Shevaroy (Tamilnadu) These are coffees with a medium body, good acidity and slight flavour with a tinge of spice.

12. Coffee from Travancore Travancore includes two coffee growing regions- Idukki (Robusta) and Nelliyampathy(both Robusta & Arabica). These Robustas have full body and sweet taste with very little bitterness.

13. Coffee from Wayanad Wayanad is a region exclusively for Robusta coffee. The coffee beans are large, bluishgreen in colour and have a clean polished appearance.

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Coffee online Coffee connoisseurs have reason to cheer, as Cauvery Peak , one of the country’s oldest coffee estates, , has now started an online delivery service of their premium coffee — planted, picked, pulped, roasted and packed — all on the estate, and then delivered to your address in major cities such as Delhi, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Virudhunagar. With this service, consumers can order coffee that is freshly roasted and ground just before being shipped. Perched 5,000 feet up on the steep slopes of the northern end of the Shevaroy range of the Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu, Cauvery Peak Estate has been producing premium Arabica Coffee for 150 years. The estate was founded by European planter Eustacho Joachim in 1867, who gave the estate its name, because of the clear view of the Cauvery River meandering at a distance. The estate was

bought by the Rajes family in 1957, and has now been in the family for four generations.

Coffee Art

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Being a coffee snob ,now you can make your own style into your mug or cup! In an increasingly fun trend, coffee aficionados are asking for their own latte art to be added into their brew. It involves pouring steamed milk onto espressos to make various patterns ,¬ florals, abstracts, rainbows, designer logos and even copies of famous art works. South Korean artist Lee Kang-bin took coffee to the next level by creating miniatures of famous paintings in cups of java.

The 26year-old recreated Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night and Edvard Munch’s The Scream using thick cream with food colouring on cups of coffee. Other artists have made cartoon characters as well.

The taste is changing. Now one can make art in coffee before the sip.

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Health Impact

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Coffee could help reduce the risk of heart diseases and Parkinson.A cup of coffee which provides at least 400mg of caffeine per day seems to reduce the risk of developing gallstones

p a C

Health g n i r tu

Cup of

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Indu Narayanan

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eyond boosting energy, coffee has some potential health impacts.

Drinking coffee increases alertness and clear thinking. It contains caffeine. Caffeine can improve alertness. Mixing caffeine with glucose as an ‘energy drink’ seems to improve mental performance better than either caffeine or glucose alone. It reduces the risk of colorectal cancer. According to the recent researches, drinking more than three cups of coffee daily may reduce the risk of rectal cancer. Coffee prevents dizziness in older people caused by low blood pressure after having a meal.

Coffee could help reduce the risk of heart diseases and Parkinson. A cup of coffee which provides at least 400mg of caffeine per day seems to reduce the risk of developing gallstones. Greater the intake of caffeine the lower is the risk. Caffeinated coffee can also prevent type 2 diabetes. As caffeine consumption goes up, the risk of developing diabetes goes down. But the effects seem to be different in different groups of people. Drinking more coffee might improve thinking skills among women older than 80 years of age.

Coffee as a beauty aid Coffee is a rich source of antioxidants that protect our skin from free radicals which cause ageing. The caffeine in coffee improves blood flow to the face, which is perfect for healthy cell turnover that makes us look radiant and bright.

Home-made coffee scrub and mask wipes away old skin cells, deeply nourishes the skin and leaves with a radiant, glowing complexion. It makes your face more smooth and bright.

Mix together coconut oil and coffee powder and apply to your face in circular motion.

Avoid the falling of mixture in your eyes, nose and mouth. Leave it for at least 15 min-

utes up to an hour. Rinse off with warm water and enjoy your glowing skin.

Coffee increases the production of collagen and elastin. The caffeine in coffee minimises ageing marks and protects against the loss of moisture, making the ideal choice for antiageing. If you have sunburn or sun damaged skin, coffee helps to cure the damage of ultra violet rays.

Coffee is antifungal, antimicrobial and that making it a great choice for protecting skin.

Coffee prevents closed pores and helps to get glowing skin. You can also make a coffee facial scrub that will help brighten your skin by 29 preventing closed pores. Experts are of the view that the coffee acidity helps to boost the skin’s protective barrier too, which keeps your skin healthier.

To make simple facial scrub, just soak some organic coffee beans in warm filtered water in a bowl. The beans will sink into the bottom.

Add some Epsom salt and gently stir and then rinse your face using more water.

Coffee is an excellent ingredient to use as a foot scrub, as it cannot only help in the removal of old, dry skin cells, but it can help to soothe tired feet after a long day. Soak your feet in half cup of coffee to which a cup of warm water is added. Into this mixture, add a half cup of coarse sea salt. This offers exfoliating effects. Next, a couple of teaspoon of coarsely ground coffee and a few drops of pure vanilla extract, which add the relaxing effects, soak for 30 minutes. After soaking it, dry your feet with a soft towel and wipe out the moisture well.

Coffee is good for hair also. The acidity in coffee not only helps to smooth the hair but also gives it an extra shine. For this, mix a teaspoon or two teaspoons of coffee into your normal hair conditioner and leave in for five minutes. ​​​​​​​ AGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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coffee special

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Branding of

Wayanad

Coffee Dr. Karuthamani M Deputy Director, Coffee Board of India

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Wayanad – The Coffee Land of Kerala Wayanad, the wild west of Kerala, is known for its picturesque locations and mountains having a large area of tea, coffee, spice plantations, dense forests and a rich cultural heritage. It forms the part of world’s famous Nilgiri biosphere comprising of Muthanga, Muthumalai in Tamilnadu and Bandhipur in Karnataka. The Kabani river and its tributaries help to provide rich water resources as well as the distinct landscapes for the district. A large part of the population comprises of indigenous tribal communities including paniyar, kurumar, adiyar, kuruchiyar, oorali and kattunaykkan.

The name Wayanad is believed to have derived from the name “Vayal nadu” which means a village of paddy fields. Its agricultural history begins with the arrival of immigrants from Travancore and they are the people who transformed the barren land of Wayanad into a fruitful region. At first the region was famous for its paddy fields. After colonialism and by the emergence of plantation crops paddy fields were replaced with crops such as banana, tea, coffee, spices and rubber.

In Wayanad, coffee cultivation was first started by military officials. But it was a failure due to the lack of technical facilities. Arabica was the major cultivated variety in the beginning. The AGRICULTURE

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Robusta variety of coffee was introduced in the second half of the nineteenth century. The Arabic coffee has more beverage value and hence fetched higher price. Robusta can also withstand the attack of pests and diseases. Hence Arabica was gradually replaced by Robusta. At present, Arabica accounts for only less than five percent of the area cultivated under coffee in Wayanad.

Rainfall & Climate Favourable agro climatic condition is an added advantage of Wayanad district. Being distant from the mean sea level and densely covered by forests provide a very pleasant climate. Typically the temperature variations are in the range of 18 to 28 degree centigrade. The average rainfall received in the region is around 2500 millimeters per year. As a result of a high extent of presence of both sunlight and rainfall, the agricultural land in this region is very fertile.

Production & Productivity of Coffee in Wayanad In Kerala, 95 percent of the coffee is produced in Wayanad. Robusta is the major cultivated variety. Arabica coffee which accounts for less than three percent of the total coffee produce in Kerala is also in land of Wayanad.

Nenmeni, Noolpuzha, Sulthan Bethery and Mananthavady are the main areas where coffee is cultivated.

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Table1. The particulars of Wayanad compared with the southern Kerala

Specialty or Branded Coffee Specialty coffees are high quality coffees. It differs from normal coffee with relevance to visual quality or cup or both. Specialty coffees are broadly classified into five categories based on their unique features.

• • • • •

Decaffeinated coffee Organic Coffee Variety Coffee High Grown Coffee Estate Coffee

Why Specialty Coffee Today, coffee is better valued as Specialty

Coffee as the consumers around the world demand the best coffee. Planters in producing countries are now developing finer strains of coffee to the custom-requirement of the gourmet coffee drinker. Speciality coffee needs to be grown under the best possible conditions, with a number of factors having an impact on the quality of the coffee such as altitude, soil and climate. Each stage of the process needs to be carefully planned to ensure that the quality of the coffee is not destroyed in any way. Selective hand-picking of the beans is the best way to ensure that the beans are picked at their optimum ripeness. The fermentation process is another crucial factor which can have an effect on the overall taste profile of the coffee.

Table 2 Production and Productivity of coffee in Kerala

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Table 3 the total coffee area in Kerala

Specialty Coffees of India i. Monsooned Malabar AA It is mostly used in blends to impart richness and acidity to coffee. ii. Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold Arabica beans exhibits full aroma, medium to 32 good body, good acidity and fine flavour, with a hint of spice.

Alban and Wallensford Bold are the most popular branded estate coffee in the world.

Wallensford Blue Mountain’ of Jamaica, ‘La Minita’ of Costa Rica, ‘San Miguel’, ‘Capitillo’, ‘San Sebastian’, ‘Los Volcanas’ from Guatemala are the distinguished estate coffees in the specialty coffee market.

Popular Branded Estate Coffees of India

It is obtained from Robusta parchment AB. Cup ensures full body, soft, smooth and mellow flavour.

Cauvery Peak, Merthi Mountains, Ginimao Classic, Pearl Mountain, Banangala Organic, Balehonnur Carona and Butter Cup Bold are the major popular estate branded coffees of India.

Branded Coffee

Renowned Specialty Coffees

iii. Robusta Kaapi Royale

The increasing acceptance and appreciation of coffee as a beverage has encouraged the popularity of coffee brands across the country. The growing awareness about health and wellness is also an added reason behind its demand. Branding needs a rarity value and a good brand name with a positive image. It should possess a good background story. It’s of superior quality, in taste and flavor. It maintains the strength and character to improve the quality of blends. Bean size and appearance in green as well as roasted form of extreme importance along with the cup quality is another major attraction of the branded coffee.

 Yemen Mocha (17th century) – It is the world’s most ancient commercially traded coffee and it is considered as one of the world’s great gourmet coffee.  Java Coffee (18th Century) – It is originated from Sumatra region of Indonesia and is processed by wet processing involving natural fermentation.  Brazil Santos 2 (19th century) Dry processed coffee having soft cup and it has earned the reputation of top quality coffee in the Brazilian quality pyramid.

Popular Branded Estate Coffees

Quality of Estate Coffee

Hawaii Kona, PNG Sigri, Guatemala Antigua, Costa Rica Coral Mountain, Columbia emerald mountain, Mexico Monte

Quality of estate Coffee depends on three main factors

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Vision & Mission for Wayanad •

i. Chosen cultivar ii. Microclimate and other environmental factors, which contribute to the coffees cup qualities. iii. The craftsmanship of the farmer employed.

Planning Required for Entering the Specialty Coffee Market Specialty coffee is seeing rapid expansion across the global market, as the consumers continued to seek out the best quality coffee. In order to adapt the specialty coffee market, the grower have to adopt several measures. After having identified the potential of the estate or variety, the grower should first try to taste his coffee on a regular basis to identify the strength and defects in the cup. Farmers are advised to take proper steps to eliminate the defects over a period of time and improve the quality of coffee with constant improvements in processing and handling of coffee and keep an active interaction with quality experts. Once convinced about the special qualities of his coffee, the grower should initiate vigorous efforts to promote his coffee in the international market.

Healthy bushes with maximum production potential by 2018  Attain ideal plant population taking into consideration of other crops in the holdings by 2018  Well regulated shade in 10% of holdings by 2018  Soil analysis taken up in 5-10% of holdings by 2018  Liming done as a routine practice in about 10% of holdings by 2018  At least one round of NPK & FYM applied by 2018  Shot hole borer controlled in 1/3rd of the holdings by 2018  Whole crop cherry constituted 1/5th of Wayanad production by 2019

Since we changed the Agri journal as a popular magazine, Introduction ,Conclusion style was purposely avoided, otherwise most of the scientists seem repeating same matter in the beginning and at the ending it make it as a paper presentation

Table 4 Planted Area of Coffee Zone wise (2016-17)

Table 5 Bearing area of coffee zone wise (2016-17)

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success story

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Scripting Success: Collective Venture of

Way win C

ollectivisation of farmers is always a good strategy to adopt new methods, to attract economies, to bring down the input costs, to attain better bargaining power and above all, it magnifies the voices of farmers as a collective voice. In the last few years, the coffee sector of Wayanad has witnessed an emergence of combined efforts in the form of several producer companies.

Now, more than hundreds of agricultural 34 producer companies are functioning in the district. They aim to establish basic business principles within farming communities, to bring industry and agriculture closer and thereby boosting rural development.

Among these, Kalpetta based Way win Producer Company Limited stands unique in its foresighted approach towards farmers.

Within a short span of period, the company has achieved a remarkable place among the FPCs in Kerala. It is a joint initiative by a group of progressive youths who are working among farmers and allied activities. Inspired by an integrated vision for social development, the company supports a farming system giving much concern on eco-friendly agricultural practices and biodiversity conservation.

Promoted by small and medium farmers, the company entirely depends upon the capital raised through memberships and accrued business profit. M K Devasya, who is actively involved in agricultural and environmental protection activities, is the chairman of the company. “The main objective of the

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company is to follow sustainable agricultural practices without looting natural resources”, he says.

Wayanad has a rich history of farming culture and the name itself was derived from the extensive paddy cultivation prevailed here.

Now, the district has lost its richness through inappropriate agricultural practices. The rapid increase of cost production, non-availability of skilled labours, change in climate, inadequate price, lack of procurement and marketing system are the major setbacks, he said. Waywin aims to unite various activities of farm producer companies across Kerala.

Creating market opportunities Developing a well-structured system for the marketing of produces and working out a proper cost-effective mechanism are critical for the efficient working of any producer company. To overcome this problem, Way win has a separate wing for providing direct market and organizing trade fairs. With the help of NABARD, this year, the company has organised ‘Malabar Agrifest 2017’ and farmers’ meet at Kalpetta.

The growing demand for the fair trade and value-added products has opened opportunities for FPCs to tap export potential at a premium price. Within three months of its formation, the company has launched a premium filter coffee in the name “Wincoffee” from the beans sourced from farmers of Wayanad, It is selling under its brand name “Vayal” through major retail chains, super-

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In addition to procuring farm produces directly from growers, Way win plans to undertake group farming, farming in leased lands, create model farms and bring all these under one umbrella

markets and online sites. The company is now planning to introduce more value added products under the banner of “vayal” brand..

‘Nutrition per hectare’ In order to promote non-degradable agricultural practices by retaining the natural identity and characteristics of the soil, Waywin has planned to implement a project ‘Nutrition per hectare’ in the district. By executing this project, the company envisages to cater the essential needs of farmers and creating awareness about the Agri loss and its solutions. The company will ensure marketing opportunities and better price for the products manufacturing under the scheme.

Focussed plans In addition to procuring farm produces directly from growers, Way win plans to undertake group farming, farming in leased lands, create model farms and bring all these under one umbrella. It aims to bring about changes in the conventional farming techniques and upgrade to new innovative methods for optimum utilization of resources so as to bridge the demand-supply gap. The company also has a plan to tap the potentials of rural market by developing various agribusiness activities and make agriculture economically viable to small-scale farmers in the district.

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success story

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A COFFEE Aficionado

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F

or many of us, coffee is a daily fix.

But few would relate to it as a life changer. Here a farmerin Wayanad, the coffee land of Kerala, is brewing success by cultivating coffee as an intercrop.

Eight years ago, when planting coffee in his rubber plantations Kavalakkatt Roy Antony, a native of Pulppally, Wayanad, did ever think that the world will exemplify his farming methods and concepts in future.

Now Roy is all the more convinced that his decision was absolutely right. For the last seven years, he had been successfully cultivating coffee along with other crops.

Roys Selection In the meantime,he has developed a new AGRICULTURE

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variety of Arabica coffee, exclusively for rubber plantations and named it as ‘Roys Selection’. It can be grown under 80 per cent shade and can be harvested after 18 months. Here, full scale coffee production will be possible in three years. The roots of this coffee plant do not spread far and wide and hence would have no adverse impact on rubber cultivation.The beans are comparatively larger in size and disease resistant.

“Coffee plants growing under more shade will yield more”, he says. In one acre 1800 coffee plants can be grown. From the third year onwards, one kilogram to three kilograms will be obtained from one plant.

As70 percent of the beans are AA grade in quality, these coffee variety is suitable for exports and fetch better price in market. A

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farmer can procure 1500 to 1800 kilograms coffee beans from one acre. As it possesses tap root system, there is no need to water them even during summer.Roy says that this offers a considerable income for farmers who were facing crisis due to the lower price of rubber in market.

Way Café Producers Company

In the first phase of growth, nitrogen-rich fertilizers and more potash can be given.

Roy’s method is to apply fertilizers in small amount at several times. In his point of view, it is better to find a suitable intercrop for every crop. He has also been producing Robusta coffee as an intercrop in his coconut fields.

Recently, he along with a few coffee farmers founded the Way Cafe Producers Company, a NABARD- supported venture, of which he is the head.It is aimed to found a solution for the struggles experienced by the small-holder coffee farmers and givevoice to the people who work within it, he says. The company procures coffee beans directly from the farmers at a good price and sell them in the market under the name Way Cafe.As the second largest consuming commodity in the world after crude oil, coffee has several marketing possibilities. Farmers need to get that assured opportunities, he says.

When farmers started asking frequently for ‘Roys selection’seedlings, he has starteda separate nursery in 2014. In order to avoid the chances of mixing saplings with other varieties, Roy has started providing seedlings directly for farmers anywhere in Kerala and he has designed a new vehicle for it.Roys Coffee has started brewing in many parts of Kerala, including Pala, Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram. Apart from this, it is also being transportedto other states.

Now, he is planning to develop more seedlings every year.

His success in coffee farming has motivated many other farmers in the region to convert to inter cropping. Many people visit Roy’s coffee land to experience and learn the success formula. The Minister of Agriculture V S Sunilkumar, having heard of Roy’s farming methods through the media, visited Pulpally last month and opined that it could be accepted as a model for other farmers in the state.Such interventions from the part of officers and government can create awareness about intercrop farming among others and spread to more places, Roy says.

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agro technology

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Smart Agro Technology for

COFFEE plantations

38

Vinod Kumar Kodakkat, CEO, Padivayal Enterprise

Dr. Srinath Ramamoorthy, Consultant Advisor

C

offee was introduced to India in the 17th century by Baba Budan, a Sufi saint who is said to have returned from his pilgrimage with seven raw beans from the port of Mocha, Yemen. A century later, the British began establishing coffee plantations, primarily in Southern India, to scale commercial cultivation. Today, India is the 6th largest producer of coffee in the world, and most of the coffee is grown in plantations spread across the Western Ghats in South India, mainly in Wayanad, Coorg and Chikmagalur. These areas are best suited for growing high quality coffee as they are located at altitudes ranging from 3300 feet to 4900 feet, and have been blessed with welldefined seasons, fertile soil, lush vegetation, trees and forests with shade, sunshine, and abundant rainfall.

There are over 100 species of coffee worldwide of which Coffea Arabica commonly known as Arabica, characterized by flat and elongated beans, and Coffea Canephora AGRICULTURE

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commonly known as Robusta, with rounded shaped beans, are the two main species that are grown economically. While each species of coffee has several unique characteristics and vulnerabilities, their environment, climate, sunlight, soil, rainfall, moisture and nutrient requirements are largely similar and crucial for their growth and sustenance.

However, their susceptibility to adverse weather conditions and diseases varies significantly, requiring the use of special care and techniques to protect them and get the best out of the crop. In India, nearly 70% of the coffee plantation area is used to grow Robusta and the remaining is reserved for Arabica. This is the opposite in most other coffee growing countries like Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

Coffee requires adequate water supply every season and throughout its life cycle. The dormant period of the flower buds of the Robusta and Arabica coffee is broken after a dry stress period and followed by suffi-

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In India, nearly 70% of the coffee plantation area is used to grow Robusta and the remaining is reserved for Arabica.

This is the opposite in most other coffee growing countries like Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. cient rain or irrigation to promote uniform flowering and good fruit set. The methods of irrigation for coffee are similar to other tree crops. Aerial irrigation with sprinklers spraying water to target areas on time controlled cycles works well for Robusta, while bottom irrigation with mini sprinklers or drippers, that do not moisten the canopy, reducing the incidence of diseases like rust, works well for Arabica.

In addition to water levels, the presence of trees and shade are also very important factors in growing coffee as they have a significant impact on the taste and flavour of the cup. Coffee is grown under shaded or full sun conditions. Globally, about 25 percent of the world’s coffee is managed under diverse shade, about 35 percent under partial shade, and about 40 percent under full sun. The area used to grow coffee under full sun conditions has increased dramati-

cally over the last half-century to get higher yields with some adverse trade-offs to the quality of the cup. Whenever you nourish your special cup of coffee, it is very likely that it has been brewed from shade-grown beans. Shaded coffee production constitutes a system of agroforestry production with many environmental benefits, especially those related to soil and water, two priority areas in coffee producing regions. These are welcome thoughts to savour with every sip of pure filter coffee!

With the aid of a knowledgeable planter the coffee plant will not only continue to produce adequate quantity of coffee every year but also increase its crop yield to meet the growing demand. This is achieved by helping the plant adapt to adverse changes in climate, levels of shade, nutrients, and water, and increasing resistance to diseases to get the best flowering, fruits and beans. These planters AGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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agro technology strive to get the maximum from their coffee plantations by overcoming the challenges of depleting soils, increasing expense on maintenance and required inputs like fertilizers, and high costs of manual labour.

The typical Robusta coffee plant lives for well over 75 years, and like a human being, it experiences changes in its environment and surroundings. In recent years, global climate change has resulted in unpredictable rainfall patterns, which poses a significant challenge to growing good quality Robusta and Arabica coffee in abundance and in an economically viable manner. The vagaries of nature and socio-economic activities in the areas have also led to erosion and depletion of soil. These circumstances necessitate appropriate technological interventions to facilitate the growth of coffee.

SMART AGRO Over the last few decades agricultural production in general has progressed from the manual and machinery ages to the smart information age leading to better use of scarce resources and conservation of environment. Technologies such as Geographic 40 Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and Remote Sensing are extensively utilized in precision agriculture

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and irrigation. Many aspects of agriculture production benefit from the optimum and efficient use of resources like manpower, energy, nutrients, and water.

Coffee plantations would need to take the following steps to take full advantage of emerging technology: 1. Identify: Identify the issues and their interdependencies from the perspectives of the main stake holders: the land, the coffee plant, the planter, and the consumer.

2. Measure: Follow good sustainable and healthy plantation practices using a dynamic and process oriented approach with observation, collection, and analysis of data. For example, soil condition, moisture levels from the field, and information like weather and market trends from all connected sources.

This would enable the use of appropriate technology interventions.

3. Improve: Implement practical and viable technologies like Internet of Things

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Over the last few decades agricultural production in general has progressed from the manual and machinery ages to the smart information age leading to better use of scarce resources and conservation of environment (IoT) with sensors, devices using smart solutions, deploying Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to manage them well and get the best results for all stake holders.

‘Smart Agro’ Systems help enable these steps by providing solutions for agriculture, plantation and farm automation, precision irrigation, tree tracking and resource management. Automation, monitoring and remote management using sensors, IOT devices, cloud computing and actuators provides the required data on ambient and soil parameters. The system gives all the necessary information on the health needs of plants and crops for their care and timely interventions.

It takes care of adaptive optimum automatic delivery of water and nutrients to plants and crops with conservation of natural resources.

The system takes in real time data of moisture from the sensors as input, combines it with related parameters such as humidity and temperature. It also monitors and outputs the optimum amount of water for the plants by translating the information received to controlled actuation of their distributed discharge. The system is designed to address the following: •

Automation and Remote Management using a real time feedback control system to measure and monitor water and related parameters that are required for good agricultural practice.

•

Integrated IoT system with parameter sensing and facility for irrigation automation to provide a solution for monitoring and controlling the moisture level in the soil at nearby, distant, and remote locations.

•

Controlling the irrigation system usage in an efficient, optimum, and beneficial way to provide real-time corrective measures by controlling the dissemination of appropriate amounts of water and other additives as prescribed, in a timely manner.

•

Scalable designs to cover small, medium and large areas in a modular manner with cost and value optimization through stand alone and integrated configurable modular models.

The system provides an optimum delivery schedule of water requirements to the crops to ensure they have the required quantity for healthy growth while protecting against ecological damage through excesses. This also minimizes the cost, ensures reduction of wastage of water in irrigation and its optimum use leading to reduced costs and empowers the users with the following.

•

An online sensing system with sensors to determine the soil moisture content or potential to infer the amount of water available for plant use.

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agro technology

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Brewing coffee is an art where the usage of a simple technology like the coffee filter makes a world of a difference in the quality of the cup.

•

Satisfy the crop water need in a timely and spatially uniform manner by enabling and incorporating appropriate technologies into agriculture.

•

Controlled application of water through a precision irrigation model to meet the specific requirements of a set of crops or field units and minimise adverse environment impact.

– Overestimation of soil moisture status may lead to a delay in irrigation scheduling decisions and consequently affect crop yield and quality.

– Underestimation of soil moisture status on the other hand may lead to application of irrigation too often or when not required by the crops. This will result in water/energy wastage and adverse environmental effects.

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•

Provide adequate water to the soil, to conserve the natural water resources of the area, improve efficiencies, optimize manpower, increase effectiveness, reduce costs and wastage, and increase yields and profits.

•

Serve as a management information and decision support system providing an effective solution for sensing, monitoring, control and supply to achieve good sustainable agricultural productivity and yields.

Smart Agro technologies are currently being implemented at Padivayal in Wayanad. Pativayal Plantations, established in 1929, was a pioneer in growing plantation crops mainly coffee, pepper and spices in Wayanad. The three estates – Padivayal-V, Kusumam-J and Ketharam, which were part of the erstwhile group, continue to produce quality coffee till AGRICULTURE

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date under the able leadership of 88 year old Dr. K. Janardanan, son of Late Sri. Kurup, a visionary entrepreneur planter, alongside his 81 year old wife Mrs. A.K. Nalini, daughter of Late Sri. M. Achuthan Nair of Puduthotam estate, an award-winning agriculturist and planter who was an active member of the Coffee Board. They are assisted by their son who manages the estates with a team of dedicated staff and workers of many years.

Padivayal Enterprise produces and markets Padivayal and Kusumam Coffees and promotes the use of innovative emerging tech-

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nology solutions like Smart Agro through its products, bespoke services and development programs.

PURE COFFEE Brewing coffee is an art where the usage of a simple technology like the coffee filter makes a world of a difference in the quality of the

Every connoisseur of pure coffee should be aware of the dilution in the form of blends that has crept into the cups they savour. The addition of chicory and other additives have produced variants like the Mochas and Cappuccinos of the world, and new flavours that have been conjured up by marketers and the coffee Cafés that rule the present commercial coffee roost.

Chicory is derived from the root of a wild herb, Cicoria Entybus, which is cut into slices, kiln-dried, roasted and ground in a manner similar to coffee. It is a flowering plant that was first used by the French as a coffee substitute for political and economic reasons to stretch the reach of their produce to meet growing demand. Today, coffee companies add chicory as a coffee substitute in their blends to keep their products affordable and protect margins.

The prevention of food adulteration rules protects the consumer by ensuring that instant coffee is pure and the blends have their added ingredients like chicory and their percentage mix in relation to coffee specified on the pack. While one’s taste buds are the best judge, knowledge clubbed with technology has empowered us with solutions to assess 43 the content, purity, benefits and identify any harmful ingredients in the products to enjoy our cup of coffee.

About the authors: Vinod Kumar Kodakkat, CEO, Padivayal Enterprise, has a Masters Degrees in Science and Technology from BITS Pilani and IIT Madras and brings over three decades of business and technology experience with a unique blend of entrepreneurial, techno-management and marketing skills. Vinod Kumar has leadership experience in Corporates, SMEs and Startups with interests in emerging technologies and applications in the areas of Information Technology, Embedded Systems, Automation, Healthcare, Plantations and Permaculture.

cup. Though the environment, growing conditions and rainfall patterns that influence the crop are beyond our control, the adoption and use of Smart Agro technology and interventions like precision irrigation have an enabling role at every stage reducing dependencies and improving predictability.

Further, Smart Agro technology solutions provide tools ranging from tracking valuable trees in the plantation to monitoring operations to assessing the quality and purity of coffee in the cup.

Dr. Srinath Ramamoorthy, Consultant Advisor, Padivayal Enterprise, has a Ph.D in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and earned his B.Tech and M.Tech Degrees in Electronics from IIT Madras. Dr. Srinath has over three decades of entrepreneurship and leadership experience in the Semiconductor/ Embedded System domains in DACS, Motorola and ZiLOG. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Department of Computer Science in PES University, Bangalore.

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miracle grains

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MILLETS

the Miracle Grains Suresh Muthukulam Magazine Editor, Krishi Jagran

“T

he rice eater is weightless like a bird, the one who eats jowar is strong like a wolf; one who eats ragi remains ‘nirogi’(illnessfree) throughout his life”- an old Kannada saying

Millet is dietary staple and a main source of protein in most of the developing world.

Globally, millet is the sixth most cultivated grain after corn, rice, wheat, barley and sorghum. It is very much suited to drought conditions and has great natural biodiversity.

It can be cultivated in a variety of locations.

They are one of the oldest foods known to AGRICULTURE

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human and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purpose. Millets are grown on marginal lands by some of the poorest and marginalised communities – the dalits, the adivasis and the women in the dry land and hilly region. The millet symbolizes the food and knowledge sovereignty of Indian farmers and ensures a life of dignity and self-reliance for them. Most of the millet fields are inherently bio-diverse and no real farmer grows millets as a monocrop. They grow millets in combination with a host of pulses, legumes, vegetables and oilseeds.

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Millets can withstand higher temperatures.

Crops like rice and wheat can’t tolerate temperature more than 380 C,while millets can tolerate temperature of more than 460 C There are many factors that make millets more sustainable as crops. According to ICRISAT one rice plant requires nearly 2.5 times the amount of water required by a single millet plant of most varieties. That is why millets are primarily grown in arid regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

last 10,000 years. In India, millets have been mentioned in some of the oldest Yajurveda texts, identifying fox tail millet (priyangava), Barny and millet (aanara) and black finger millet (shyaamaka), this indicating that millet consumption was very common, pre dating to the Indian Bronze Age (4,500BC).

Millets can also withstand higher temperatures. Crops like rice and wheat can’t tolerate temperature more than 38 degree centigrade, while millets can tolerate temperature of more than 460 degree C. They can grow in saline soil. They can thus be grown as an important solution for farmers grappling with climate changes sea level rise which leads to increase in soil salinity, heatwaves, droughts, floods etc. Due to this peculiar nature they are termed as the “miracle grains” or the “crops of the future”. Millets are cultivated as dual purpose crops (food and fodder). Millets helps in reducing the atmospheric CO2 as this contribute in mitigating the climate change.

Millets made a perfect bridge between nomadic life and settled agriculture, because they have a very short grooming season- just 45 days, compared to 100 crore more for rice and need very little attention.

India is the largest producer of many kinds of millets, which are often referred as coarse cereals. Apart from India, Nigeria, China, Mali, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Ethiopia, Chad, Senegal are the leading millet producers in the world.

History Millets are the some of the oldest of the cultivated crops and a group of highly valuable small seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for human food and as fodder. The Chinese believe that millet was brought from the heavens by Houji or “Lord Millet”. Millet was one of the five sacred grains in ancient China. By around 5000 BC, people in North-Central China were depending on millet as a staple food and by about 3000 BC millet was a staple food all over northern China. Millets have been important food staple in human history particularly in Asia and Africa for the

Millet has a long history of being fermented or distilled into alcohol. In Africa, malted millet is brewed into a beer known as Kaffir beer or banta beer. In Nepal and Tibet, raksi is traditional liquor distilled from millet. In US, Koval Distillery in Chicago has distilled a whiskey from millet.

Nature’s Nutraceuticals Millets are called ‘sridhanya’ meaning rich grains refreshing to their nutritional value. They can fill the nutritional gaps when one’s diet is predominantly non-vegetarian.

In terms of nutritional value, millets can supersede rice and wheat. Millets are extremely good source of fibre and protein when compared with white rice. They are rich in iron, copper, manganese, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and B vitamins.

They also contain antioxidants, flavonoids, certain aminoacids and tryptophan. Millets in our diet ensures glycerine control which in turn is effective against diabetes. They can lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Millets are heart friendly and good in arthrosclerosis.

They do a lot of good to people suffering from hypothyroidism and women suffering with polycystic ovarian disease. Millets also improve muscle and nerve health. They are weight-watcher’s delight too. Small quantity of millets gives satiety and thus prevents increase in weight. This is blessing for those who suffer from obesity.

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Nearly 40 percent of the food produced in India is wasted every year.Millets don’t get destroyed easily and some of the millets are good for consumption even after 10-12 years of growing, thus providing food security and keeping a check as food wastage

Health benefits of millets

6. Detoxifies the Body

The health benefits of millets can be detailed as follows:

Antioxidants found in millets neutralize free radicals and also clean up other toxins from the body. Quercetin, curcumin, ellagic acid and various other beneficial catechins helps to rid system of any foreign agents and toxins by promoting proper execution and neutralizing enzymatic activity in the organs.

1. Increases heart health Millets being a rich source of magnesium serves as an important mineral for reducing blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks of strokes, particularly in the case of atherosclerosis. Since, it is also a great source of potassium; it keeps blood pressure low by acting as a vasodilator. The plant lignans found in millet can be converted to animal lignans by the micro flora in our digestive system which provides protection against certain chronic diseases like cancer.

2. Controls cholesterol level The high fibre level in millets helps in cho46 lesterol lowering and making it ideal. This eliminates dangerous “bad cholesterol” (LDC) from the system and also promotes the effects of good cholesterol (HDC).

3. Prevents diabetes The significant levels of magnesium found in millets helps in reducing the chance of Type 2 diabetes. Since, it increases the efficiency of insulin and glucose receptors in the body, thereby preventing the diseases.

7. Millet-Nutritional Information (For 1 cup cooked millet) Calories- 286 Carbohydrate- 57 gm Total fat- 2.4gm Cholesterol- 0mg Saturated fat- 0.4gm Sodium- 5mg Monosaturated fat- 0.4gm Thiamin- 0.3mg Polyunsaturated fat- 1.2gm Niacin- 3.2 mg Dietary fibre- 3.1 gm Magnesium- 106mg Protein – 8gm Zinc- 2.2mg Some important points •

Due to its high resistance against harsh conditions, millets are sustainable to the environment, to the farmer growing it and provide cheap and high nutrient options for all.

Being fibre rich millets can helps to keep up the health of gastrointestinal system and eliminate problems like constipation, excess gas, bloating and cramping. By regulating the digestive process nutrient retention can also be improved reducing the chances of serious gastro intestinal conditions like gastric ulcers etc.

Moreover, regular digestion and elimination of waste helps to optimize kidney, liver and immune system health.

•

Nearly 40 percent of the food produced in India is wasted every year. Millets don’t get destroyed easily and some of the millets are good for consumption even after 10-12 years of growing, thus providing food security and keeping a check as food wastage.

•

5. Prevents Cancer

Millets is really an umbrella term for around 20 species of cereal grass from the poaceae family.

•

The hulls of millet seed can be used to make filling for pillows.

•

At rooms temperature millet can be stored in a sealed, dry container for years or so.

•

In a broad sense millets are pest free crops.

4. Digestive health

Recent research has revealed fibre to be one of the best and easiest ways to prevent the onset of cancer especially breast cancer in women.

In fact, women can reduce their chances of breast cancer by more than 50% by eating more than 30 grams of fibre every day.

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The wonder of millets •

Millet cooking gains momentum recently since people are aware that they are packed with Vitamin B, Omega 3 fatty acids, are high in fiber, have a low glycemic index and are gluten-free now they prefer to use millets in everyday cooking. They have no side effects and are a healthy food choice for our well-being. Thinai can be used to make sweets including halwa, adirasam, Pongal, and payasam.

•

Even caterers are going the millet way.

Idlis, dosas, paniyarams and Kozhukatta made from ragi, Kambu, Cholam and Varagu are in high demand now. There are specific millets for specific food items also. Thina can be used to make murukku, payasam, and Kheer. Puli Sadam, lemon rice, and sambar rice can be made from varagu. For Thayir Sadam, malli rice and dosa batter kudhira - valli is better. Panivaragu for dosa and ragi for halwa and laddu are best.

•

Millets can grow on the poorest of soils.

levels and increase HDL cholesterol.

•

Millets are well known for their short growing season. They can develop from planted seeds to mature, ready to harvest plants in as little as 65 days.

IV. Kodo millet/varagu

Major millets I. Pearl millet/bajra/kambu Pearl Millet is the most widely grown type of millet and India is the largest producer of pearl millet. It is a rich source of Phosphorus, which plays an important role in the structure of body cells. Consumption of pearl millets helps in minimizing the risk of type 2 diabetics.

II. Finger millet /ragi Ragi is very popular in southern India. it is rich in calcium and protein and also have a good amount of iron and other minerals.

Ragi tops in antioxidant activity and has a good number of essential amino acids.

III. Foxtail millet/thennai Fox tail millet is high in iron content. They can control blood sugar and cholesterol

Kodo millets contain high amounts and polyphenols, an antioxidant compound. They have high fibre, low fat and are good for diabetes.

V. Little millet/chama Little millet is smaller than other millets and high in iron content, high in fiber and has high antioxidant activities. It helps in diabetes and diseases related to stomach VI. Barnyard Millet/Kuthirarahi.

Barnyard millet is high in fiber content, phosphorous and calcium. it has low glycerine index and this helps in type 2 diabetes, control and prevents cardiovascular disease.

VII. Sorghum/Jowar/Cholam One of the ancient cereal grains with high nutritional value, high levels of unsaturated fats, protein fiber and minerals like phosphorous, potassium, calcium and iron.Sorghum helps to improve metabolism.

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crop protection

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OVERVIEW OF

INDIAN CROP PROTECTION

CHEMICAL SEGMENT 48

Krishnamurthy Ganesan Managing Director MahamayaLlifesciences Pvt.ltd.

A

griculture is the backbone of Indian economy with 52% of the population engaged in agriculture and related activities. But the sector’s share in Indian economy has declined in the last one decade. At current prices, the growth rate for Agriculture& allied sector stands at 9.64% because of higher growth rates of the industrial and services sector, which needs to be addressed considering its importance in our Socio-economic development. The production growth of food grains during the Kharif and Rabi seasons of agriculture year 2016-17 was 9.9% and 6.3% respectively as compared to decline of 2.3% and growth of 2.0 per cent respectively in the previous agriculture year. Indian Agriculture has been facing grave challenges for many years.

The most important being ‘sustained develAGRICULTURE

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opment in proportion to the exploding population’. Even after the Green Revolution in mid 60’s, we are still not fully self-sufficient in Agriculture. The growth rate of agriculture is not able to cope up with rapidly growing population. Land under agriculture is limited but number of people being fed on the piece of land is constantly increasing.

Due to inadequate irrigation facilities, lack of proper crop protection measures, poor seed quality of food grains, the output is far below world average.

Water shortage is a major problem in one part of the country while crops are damaged year after year due to flood in some other parts of the country. Of the total cultivable land merely 40 percent area is covered by irrigation and rest 60 percent depends on monsoon. On an average, farmers’ income has come down by 3% in 2014 15 and by 4%

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Krishnamurthy Ganesan

is a well-known name in Pesticide Industry with more than 3 decades of experience in Product Development, Global Regulatory Affairs & International Business.

Currently he is the Managing Director of ‘Mahamaya Lifesciences’ founded by him in 2002 for providing total crop protection solution.

In the last few years Mahamaya has invested considerably in registration and has access to a number of vital molecules like Imidacloprid, Emamectin Benzoate, Acetamiprid, Buprofezin, etc. and has carved out a niche for itself as a reputed Agrochemical Company.

in 2015-16 due to crop losses as a result of shortage of rainfall. During 2014 and 2015, monsoon shortage was around 12% and 14% from the long period averages. In 20162017, the Southern State Tamil Nadu faced the worst water crisis and rainfall shortage (62% deficit) in recent times resulting in heavy loss of paddy crops (800 hectares of paddy withered) in the Cauvery delta region and added misery to the farmers of this region.

For many decades various plans are only on paper and not implemented effectively. It is a pity that the farmers are dependent on monsoon even now and the technologies like drip irrigation have not reached the farmers in many parts of the country for adequate water supply to crops and in the same way flood water is not channelized for proper irrigation to avoid damage to crops. There is much to be done by introducing innovative technologies to face the natural calamities and mere compensation and insurance for crop losses will not bring substantial growth in agriculture and relief to farmers.

Fungicides

Others 4%

18%

Insecticides 55%

Herbicides 23%

INDIAN CROP PROTECTION CHEMICAL USAGE PATTERN

-

The second imperative challenge faced by the Indian agriculture is the colossal losses caused by the insect pest attack on the crops.

About 20% crop production is lost due to insects, weeds and diseases but still Indian Crop protection chemicals usage is one of the lowest and erratic in the global scenario even though there is no dearth for agricultural scientists and technologists in the country.

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crop protection West Bengal 5%

Others 15%

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AP & Telangana 24%

Haryana 5% Gujarat 7%

Tamil Nadu 5%

Karnataka 7% MP &Chhattisgarh 8%

Maharashtra 13% Punjab 11%

STATEWISE % CONSUMPTION OF PESTICIDES IN INDIA

The per capita consumption of pesticides in India is 0.6 Kg/ha as compared to 3kg/ha of world average. The main reason for low per capita consumption of pesticides in India is low purchasing power of farmers and small land holdings. There are signs of change in this scenario due to the entry of big food products retailers and manufacturers. In 50 order to increase yield and ensure food security for its enormous population, extensive crop protection measures are very essential.

Indian Crop protection chemical usage pattern for decades has not changed much with insecticides contributing to 55%, followed by herbicides 23%, fungicides 18% and the rest other products such as bio-pesticides, plant growth regulators except in recent years herbicide and fungicide usage is on the increase.

This contributes to the higher production of fruits, vegetables and soybean.

Andhra Pradesh,Telegana,Punjab and Maharashtra lead in consumption of crop protection chemicals followed by other states.

Madhya Pradesh has been benefited a lot by proper crop protection usage and emerging as one of the important Soybean producing region not only in the country but globally.

A rise in the usage of agrochemicals has also been observed in West Bengal where the purchasing power of farmers had been low.

The estimated consumption of crop protection products in FY 2016-17 in terms of value is around 2.33 billion USD and the expected growth in the coming years is 7% annually. Export of pesticides also comes to almost equal value with a slightly higher growth rate expected in the near future.

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Agrochemical industry has come a long way in the last four decades and could cater to the needs of farmers with hundreds of products for crop protection. Till 80s, Indian farmers were far behind their counter parts with old products of MNC and then Indian companies could get important generic molecules from Israel, Taiwan and Japan to improve the crop protection in the Indian agriculture. By mid-80’s,a few Indian companies with their R& D skill came out with number of generic molecules at affordable cost to benefit Indian farmers.

India could become self-sufficient in many food crop production because of these developments, a fact which could not be denied.

But ,then ,came the situation where the cost of manufacturing of technical products is very much cheaper in China as compared to that of not only India but of any other country. This can be attributed to vast number of manufacturing units in China with cost effective technology for production of active ingredients, availability of raw materials and halting production of pesticide technical by MNCs in various countries and shifting their units in massive scale to China. Therefore, Indian companies have no option left, except importing technical to meet the demand of formulation at affordable cost to Indian farmers rather than to manufacture. Patent compliance also restricts manufacture of latest molecules and so MNCs have an upper hand in providing new formulation products. Indian companies could only co-market a few products under arrangement.

At this juncture, the ministry of agriculture

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Due to inadequate irrigation facilities, lack of proper crop protection measures, poor seed quality of food grains, the output of Indian Agriculture is far below world average. has implemented some sweeping changes in like Chlorantrilaniliprole, Flubendamide, registration guidelines for curbing imports of Flonicamid, (patent expires in a few years) technical that are registered by Indian comamong others. panies for indigenous manufacturing. This is to encourage the Indian technical manuIndustry should concentrate more on facturers and to support the Indian Governdevelopment of new formulations that are ment’s call for ‘MAKE IN INDIA’. But the eco-friendly and production of effective reality is different and the Indian manufacbio-pesticides, PGRs, bio-stimulants, micro turers are not yet geared up to manufacture nutrients so that farmers have access to many technical for which they have registrathese products that will boost the crop yield tion to manufacture. Without giving suffiand enrich the soil condition. Government cient time to the Industry to strengthen their agencies, Universities and Industry should manufacturing capabilities, if the proposed come together in imparting proper knowlrules are implemented now, there will be a edge on the usages and effectiveness of crop big supply vacuum of many products. This protection products and more importantly will have a negative impact on the Indian should dispel the myth about the crop proagriculture and the pesticide industry. The tection chemicals (as evils) from the mind Indian government, Registration Authorities of the public. One should not forget that the & the Industry should analyse the situation inherent strength of India is agriculture and thoroughly and come out with practical the same should be nurtured. ‘GROW IN solution for registration of import of molINDIA’ is equally an important agenda. ecules as well as for indigenous manufacturing keeping in view of the above facts. This will enable Approx. Sales in 2015 as forthe farmers to get new products mulation in India Molecule at affordable cost and also illegal (million USD) imports be curbed substantially.

The need of the hour is Indian companies should be more aggressive in research and development to come out with cost effective commercial manufacturing process for novel molecules

Flubendamide Azoxystrobin Flonicamid Chlorantrilaniliprole Pymetrozine

50 33 28 95 30

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cassava

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Among tropical tuber crops, cassava is the most important with respect to the extent of area under cultivation in Kerala especially for edible purpose.

SREE PAVITHRA THE FIRST K USE EFFICIENT VARIETY IN CASSAVA

52

K. Susan John, M.N. Sheela and G. Suja ICAR- Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695017, email: susanctcri@gmail.com

T

ropical tuber crops like cassava (tapioca) (Manihot esculenta Crantz), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam),elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius Dennst. Nicolson), yams (Dioscorea spp.), taro (Colocasia esculenta), tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium L. Schott), arrowroot (Maranta arundinaceae) and coleus (Solenostemon rotundifolius) forms the subsidiary staple for Keralites after rice. Among these, cassava is the most important with respect to the extent of area under cultivation in Kerala especially for edible purpose.

Cassava while an edible crop in Kerala, it is an industrial crop in Tamil Nadu owing to the high starch content of up to 30%. As

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an edible crop, the quality in terms of the bitterness/ sweetness of the cassava tuber is detrimental as it is governed by the cyanogenic glucoside content of the tubers where the critical limit fixed is 50 ppm. Though it is an inherent trait, to some extent it is controlled by fertilizer and manure application.

Traditionally though cassava is grown with organic manures like farm yard manure (FYM), ash and bone meal, the experience under a long term fertilizer experiment in cassava at ICAR-CTCRI since 1977 indicates the crop as highly responsive to manures and fertilizers. Though we have the blanket Package of Practices (POP) recommendation of cassava as NPK@100:50:100 kg/ha

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Table 1.Effect of levels of fertilizers on tuber yield (t/ha) of selected cassava genotypes (Pooled Mean of 3 years) 0 Aniyoor

50 32.030

35.313

100

150 Mean(G)

38.217

37.750

35.828

W-19

29.547

30.973

39.207

34.200

33.482

7 Sahya 2

27.400

40.933

44.160

26.283

34.694

6—6

29.343

32.090

33.563

30.560

31.389

CR 43-8

36.407

37.430

43.150

45.300

40.572

7 III E3-5

30.993

41.050

40.880

40.627

38.388

36.298

39.863

35.787

Mean K levels 30.953 CD(G)

4.943

CD(K)

5.071

CD(GXK)

8.010

Among the major nutrients, potassium (K) is considered as the key nutrient for tuber productivity and quality. K influences tuber bulking and it regulates the starch synthatase enzyme responsible for synthesis of starch and the linamarase enzyme concerned with cyanogenic glucoside production. along with farm yard manure (FYM) @12.5 t/ha, in the present scenario of too much concern on human health, significance is on soil test based application of manures and fertilizers. Soil based nutrient application based on crop need can avoid the indiscriminate and non-judicious use of unwanted nutrients there by the adverse impact on the soil-plant-animal/human continuum can be minimized. Taking into account the soil physical, chemical and biological degradation, monetary loss due to unnecessary nutrient application and the drainage of non-renewable raw material resources for fertilizer manufacture, it is imperative in the present condition to think about some valuable resources like nutrient use efficient (NUE) genotypes as the planting material in reducing the nutrient inputs.

In this regard, the research work conducted at ICAR-CTCRI during the last 10 years

since 2008 resulted in releasing the first 53 potassium (K) use efficient variety by name ‘ Sree Pavithra’. Among the major nutrients, potassium (K) is considered as the key nutrient for tuber productivity and quality.

K influences tuber bulking and it regulates the starch synthatase enzyme responsible for synthesis of starch and the linamarase enzyme concerned with cyanogenic glucoside production. Here we can recollect the age old practice of farmers applying FYM and ash (have enough of K, Ca and Mg) which in turn can increase the starch content and reduce the cyanogen content. As we know, cyanogen has one N in its constitution, naturally non judicious use of any nutrient or manure containing N can incidentally enhance the cyanogen and hence the bitterness and vice versa with ash having K as indicated earlier.

Considering the significance of K in cassava,

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cassava

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Traditionally though cassava is grown with organic manures like farm yard manure (FYM), ash and bone meal, the experience under a long term fertilizer experiment in cassava at ICAR-CTCRI since 1977 indicates the crop as highly res ponsive to manures and fertilizers. we concentrated our effort in identifying some K use efficient lines from the cassava germplasm through selection of around 100 elite genotypes having high yield, better tuber quality, good plant architecture, tolerance/ resistance to cassava mosaic disease (CMD).

The lines were evaluated under a row trial for 10 months for the above traits along with the computation of physiological efficiency (kg plant biomass/kg plant K uptake).

54 Taking into account all the above traits and the physiological efficiency, six genotypes viz., Aniyoor, W-19, 7 Sahya 2, 6-6, CR 43-8 and 7III E3-5 were selected with erect, top branching to non-branching stature, better plant establishment to the tune of 85-100%,

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moderate to less incidence of mosaic, stem girth ranging from 10-12 cm at harvest, tuber dry matter to the tune of 28-40%, tuber yield from 5-9.5 kg/ plant, physiological efficiency of 98-244 kg biomass/ kg plant K uptake, starch content of 17-25% and cyanogenic glucoside content of 24-172 ppm.

These genotypes were tested under 4 levels of K viz., 0, 50,100,150 kg/ha for 3 years at CTCRI and all the nutrient use efficiency (NUE), physiological efficiency parameters were computed along with the general characters and the pooled data of the 3 years indicated tuber yield as presented in Table 1.

Among the different genotypes, Aniyoor did

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Soil based nutrient application based on crop need can avoid the indis criminate and non-judicious use of unwanted nutrients there by the adverse impact on the soil-plantanimal/human continuum can be minimized. not produce any significant effect on tuber yield at different levels of K indicating that this genotype can perform very well without K and at low K suggesting the possibility to exploit the potential of this genotype under our soils which are marginal in native K. In order to justify the K use efficiency of these genotypes all NUE viz., agronomic efficiency (AE), physiologic efficiency (PE), agro physiological (APE), utilization efficiency (UE), K uptake ratio (KUpR), apparent recovery efficiency (ARE), harvest index (HI), K harvest index (KHI), K utilization for biomass (KUtB), K utilization for tuber (KUtT) as well as the physiologic parameters viz., crop growth rate (CGR), relative growth rate (RGR), tuber bulking rate (TBR), leaf area index (LAI) and quality attributes viz., cyanogenic glucosides (HCN) and starch were studied and among the six genotypes, Aniyoor and 7III E3-5 respectively had high PE (102.9,105.3), APE (43.8, 53.6), UE (388, 485) KUpR (0.763, 0.527), ARE (4.02, 8.4), HI (0.6, 0.54), KHI (0.525, 0.382), KUtT (59.99, 45.27), CGR(14.98, 14.04), RGR (2.63, 2.59), TBR (7.57, 5.45), LAI (4.14, 2.45), HCN (25.8, 41 ppm) and starch (24.37, 31.05%). Taking into account the above inherent attributes of the selected genotypes and the response of these genotypes to different levels of K on NUE, physiologic and quality parameters, it can be inferred that, Aniyoor is promising for low levels of K either at 0 or 50 kg ha-1 K2O. The major reasons attributed to the K efficiency of this genotype can be the root geometry and architecture with more number of root hairs and white roots. Compared to other genotypes, Aniyoor and 7 III E3-5 had the highest quantity of thin roots (55. 13, 28.62 g).

These genotypes were further tested in multi-location trials for two seasons (2014

& 205) in eight locations including three KVK’s and five farmers’ field in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts. These trials were conducted without applying any K fertilizer in soils having low to medium K. The results indicated a men tuber yield of 4.55 and 3.67 kg/plant for Aniyoor and 7 III E3-5 respectively during the first season 5.60 4.74 kg/plant during the II season. Though all the selected genotypes performed equally well under low K, taking into account the quality attributes of Aniyoor with respect to starch, cyanogenic glucosides and cooking quality is out of par with the other genotypes.

As lot of research and sufficient demonstration trials were already undertaken for justifying the K efficiency of the genotype, Aniyoor and is found suitable for our Kerala soils which are deficient in available K, release of this genotype as a variety will be worth for cassava growers of Kerala under the present scenario of escalating K fertilizer prices and its marginal availability at peak seasons.

Hence, in 2015, Aniyoor was released under the name ‘Sree Pavithra’ for Kerala State by the State Seed release committee.

Now this variety is the most acceptable among the cassava farmers especially in South and being popularised on a wider scale and the trials conducted with this variety under coconut gardens of AEU 3 and 9 indicated its wide acceptance by the farmers.

The six selected genotypes were tested for their N use efficiency and W-19 and CR 43-8 were identified as N use efficient. Genotypes viz., Acc. No.905, 906 and 7 III E3-5 was in pipe line for their NPK use efficiency and these 6 genotypes will be released after conducting multi locational trials.

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Advertorial

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Nadakattin innovations created a niche for farmers

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ishwashanthi Agriculture Research and Industrial Development Centre , established by Abdul Khader Nadakattin in 1975, is one of the pioneers in the field of Agriculture equipment manufacturing. Marked by 40 years of experience, Nadakattin have been contributing to agricultural growth by providing quality Implements. With the pursuit to perfection in all the spheres of the business, Nadakattin have made a strong presence in domestic market. The company uses best quality of raw material and sustainable engineering designs for manufacturing innovative implements . Vishwashanthi Agricultural Research Centre

Use Nadakattina Agri machineries, M

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offers innovative farming solutions as well as extend excellent & responsive customer support wherever and whenever needed. Keeping in this mind ,they provide agricultural equipments for small and middle range farmers with affordable price.

MrAbdhulKadharNadakattin is an agricultural scientist and recipient of life time achievement award for his achievement in the field of Agri machineries.

His inventions of sowing machines has his name Nadakattin Seeding machines are waiting for patent. Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andra Pradesh and southern parts of India will have a great demand for these agri machineries in future.

NOVEMBER 2017

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Nadakattina Agri Machineries • • • • • • • • • • • •

Tractor driven automatic sowing machine Automatic sowing stopper from ox Diesel Saving pulverizer Diesel saving spreading rake 5 in 1 sprinklers sowing soil flattening machine Rotavator Sugarcane sowing machine Plow iron wheels Tamarind seeds separating machine Machine of peanuts separating from plants Automatic lifting bullock cart Much More Agri related machineries available.

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Machineries available on subsidy

4 lines sowing machine on starting from 38,000/ to 45,000 without subsidy 5 lines sowing machine starts from 46-56 thousand, 23400 Total subsidy 6 lines sowing machine starts from 48-68 thousand 23400 Total subsidy 8 lines sowing machine starts form 53-73 thousand 23400 Total subsidy

Other Machineries 9775 Total subsidy

Twenty types of automatic sowing machines were manufactured by the company , which can be attached to Tractors of small to Bigger size. Small priced machines are designed for small scale farmers. Apart from this, steel model machines are also designed by the company.

Vishwashanthi Agri Research center

HorakeriHoni, Annigeri, Navalagundataluk, DharawadDist Karnataka Mob: 9448786350/8722471217

es, Make Agri work easier

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company news

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Farmers are very happy with Early-55 variety of

Cauliflower

S

58 58

omani Kanak Seedz is a pioneer and dynamic vegetable seed company engaged in research, production, processing and marketing of high quality seeds of hybrids and varieties of vegetable crops. It is a R&D based organization delivering high quality seeds for the Indian as well as global seeds market. Farmers are showing a keen interest and faith in seeds of this company. A lot of farmers are able to get more production and profit by using seeds of Somani Kanak Seedz. Farmers of Punjab as well as other states are very happy with the performance of Early-55 variety of Cauliflower developed

by Somani Kanak Seedz Private Limited. Farmers are getting not only more production but also

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getting more profit with this variety.

er develop fully in 55 days.

Ashok Kumar Sherawat, Regional Manager of the company said that Somani have introduced Early-55 variety of cauliflower to the farmers of Punjab and adjoining areas and they are very happy with its production and profit at the moment. The variety Early-55 of cauliflower has also been the subject of discussions in vegetable markets for its excellent performance. Sherawat said that in Mandis where other cauliflowers are barely getting a price of Rs. 20 per kg, the people are buying Early-55 cauliflower for Rs. 24 to 25 per kg.

Farmers say that there are many varieties in the market, but the yield and profit which we got from the Early-55 cauliflower did not get from any other varieties. We are very happy with Early-55 variety of Cauliflower and thank heartily to Somani Seedz Company for developing such type of excellent product.

The farmers are very excited to see the production and profitability of this variety.

Other farmers and traders who arrived in the market decided to applaud Early-55 cauliflower and decided to sow this variety in their fields. The curds of Early-55 cauliflow-

There are many other hybrids and varieties of vegetables developed by Somani Seedz which are showing excellent performance in different agro climatic zones of the country and abroad as well. The farmers have also sown Okra, Cabbage, Bitter gourd, Tomato, Chilli and other vegetables and are very happy with its production and profits.

The demand of Somani Seedz is increasing drastically among the farmers of all over the country except few southern states.

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company news

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Khawaza Agro’s mission:

60

To make farmers Self-dependent

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s we all know that in present scenario farmers are adopting the modern farming practices and new technologies. We are well aware that in India, farmers’ income is significantly low.

Only little percentage of farmers is earning good. Agriculture plays a big and important role in Indian Economy.

For better yield/ production, water management is of utmost importance.

India has irregular water supply at the fields, some areas are affected by water scarcity and some are affected by problems of hard water, which affects the yield and increases farmers’ plight.

States like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana are struggling with problem of hard water. But for every problem, there is a solution. And Khawaza Agro is providing solution to this problem. Krishi Jagran team had a chat with Owner of Khawaza Agro, Mansoor Alam. Excerpts Khawaza Storage and Agro Pvt. Ltd. started from Patna, Bihar. “We took

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issues related to hard water as a challenge and provided solution to it.

The product is named as Water Magnetic Tool. By using this product hard water can be converted into soft water.

Farmers should use the Water Magnetic Tool which increases the yield and irrigates the farm in a better way, told Mr. Alam. He told that Khawaza Agro is also working in various other sectors like grain storage. Presently it has 20,000 metric tonnes grain storage capacity. Mansoor Alam said that farmers can increase the yield up to 10 to 15 percent from average. The company is working in Bihar, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and other states. Kashmir Head of Khawaza Agro said, “There is a big scope of Agriculture in Kashmir. Fisheries, Saffron and Rice are the major crops cultivated in Kashmir. In coming years we will plan it out in all the states of India. All we recommend is that farmers should be educated to adopt new technologies of Agriculture.”

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Khawaza Agro and Netherlands Group for Bihar Development Mission

I

n addition to Milk and Diary project, the Khawaza Agro Group under the leadership of Mansoor Alam said that Khawaza is planning to enter in the multi sectors for Development of Bihar. In May 2017 Khawaza Agro Delegates, Adv. Mgr. Kumar Sunil, Sayed Sams, Saddam Alam Director of the Group visited Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Czech Slovak and Austria and discussed for collaborations for development of various sectors.To prevent the havoc created by Kosi floods, Khawaza Agro has taken the initiative and signed a MoU with Van Dijk Water Management BV of Netherland, a flood risk management expertise.

The problems related to Kosi river are as follows : 1. High discharge from the Kosi river during Monsoon season and lack of discharge control leads to flooding 2. High discharge levels of sediments; 3. Blockage of old river arms 4. Earthquake sensitivity of this Indian region 5. Lack of an integrated approach to solve the problems and lack of options for practical solutions

A quick investigation by Khawaza group suggests the following solutions : 1. Create space for the excess discharge of the river by reconnecting old river arms (paleochannels). Some research and surveying will be necessary to identify the potential of the paleochannels for this purpose and to calculate the maximum flows that they can carry.

2. Maintenance will be part of all our approaches otherwise old problems will keep hunting .

3. The choice for an integrated approach has the advantage that a more economic feasible situation can be created by possibilities for Waterways from small ships up to big ships, recreation, nature development, availability of irrigation water ,places for sediment precipitation and storage and its possible use .The planned approach is to link interested commercial companies into the project which can profit from sediment precipitation - Infiltration into confined aquifers and unconfined aquifers on a long term basis.

4. In our approach we always look at practical implementation of high-tech solutions such as Water Drones, use of available (smart) data and create new smart datas .

5. A detailed stakeholder analyses needs to be part of the project approach.

Flood risks are increasing due to climate change, soil subsidence and increasing urbanization of river areas. To deal with these risks, many countries focus on building, reinforcing and maintaining flood defense works. Flood Risk Strategies (FRSs) Inspired by Risk Management that often refers to a chain of responses to flood risks, five different FRS can be identified: risk prevention, flood defense, flood mitigation, preparation and recovery. Khawaza Agro planning to start HR (Human Resource Development) in Europe where skilled workers from Bihar will be given preference. Information technology, Agro Industry, water management are the main areas for jobs in Europe. Khawaza will start all these development works from Sivan District by making Kosi river flood solution.

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interview

r O ganic f o y t Pr i t o en

du c ts :

The id

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62

Neem has been playing an important role in Indian culture since time immemorial. Not just the environment it is equally beneficial for our health. The demand of neem based products is increasing in the society. Researchers have shown that it mends the environment, is useful in agricultural practices, animal husbandry etc. Neem India Pvt. Ltd. which is a company of RJ group is working on neem based products.

The corporate office of the firm is situated in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

Vijay Arenad, the Vice President - Business Development of Neem India Products Private limited company told Krishi Jagran that the firm conducts many researches on neem from time to time to ensure best quality products. All the products of the company are certified by IMO Control Switzerland for use in organic farming. He mentioned about the organic products, the use of neem in agriculture , company’s turnover and about the CSR activities of the firm.

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What types of products does the company manufacture?

Our company Neem India is based at Aurangabad is headed by Mr Raghavendra Joshi Chairman and Managing Director of the company. Neem India is part of RJ Group with a group turnover of 750 crores having different verticals in Seeds, Fertilisers, Poultry, Infrastructure and Education.

We at Neem India manufacture the following products • • • • • •

Neemraj formulations ( 300 ppm to 50000 ppm Azadirachtin based EC) Neem Gold – Organic manure rich with natural NPK combination Neem Oil – Pure neem oil produced with cold process and expeller process Super H ( Bio-stumulants) – Humic substances both in liquid and granular forms Super Spread – a non-ionic silicon based spreading agent with activator Multiact – Consortia of effective and beneficial microbes RJ Wonder – A water soluble organic plant hormone Pheromones – Pheromone lures and traps for all crops

own branches across the country to ensure quicker supplies of the products. Once the products are made available at the counters during the seasonfarmers will have quick access to our products for use in their fields.

3. Since there due not enough neem trees in India so how are you procuring neem extract?

In the recent past, the demand for neem formulations is growing in faster rates. Neem extracts is nothing but the extracts of need seed kernel which is extracted with different process- which is called Azadirachtin. Azadirachtin is the active compound in neem – which makes a stable neem formulation. These days, neem seeds are available in the regulated markets which are controlled with pricing and quality. We make it a point to source enough of the neemraw materials, so that, we make the required product for the market and supply in time.

What are the uses of Neem products in Agriculture?

Today with advanced technologies, neem extracts are further • processed to produce a wide range of products suitable to be • used in agriculture. Incorporating latest scientific and technical developments, neem products All our neem formulations have are suited to agricultural growth.

Vijay Arenad been registered with Central Extensive toxicological studies Vice President, Neem India Pvt.Ltd have been carried out on Neem Insecticide Board, Faridabad and also have been organically certified by IMO Conproducts in the US and have been finally cleared trol Switzerland for use in Organic farming .We for use in horticulture by the EPA. market all our products on PAN India basis and also export to 21 countries since last 10 years.

Neem products are proven effective against thrips, white flies, aphids, leaf miners, bugs and How Neem India completes the supply chain of a large number of other key insect pests. They products as the demand of neem based products act as natural insect repellants. Azadirachtin and is increasing among the farmers? other bitter compounds found in Neem make insects stay away from treated plants. They are As you are aware, the growth rate of bio-pestilike synthetic pesticides. Neem can reduce overall cides is increasing every year with a CAGR(cominsecticide usage, Another important advantage pounded annual growth rate ) of 18% per annum of neem.products in agriculture is that they and which is slowly replacing the use of chemical are safe for the workers. There are no handling pesticide share the global market. The awareness risks and can be used throughout the entire crop among the farming community and consumers production cycle. on the safe use of products is increasing at a faster rate in India which has led to great demand for How do you maintain product quality of Neem neem based pesticides. We know the demand for India? the year and based on that, we ensure that, all the required raw materials are procured in time and The maintenance of quality starts from sourcing orders are supplied within a short notice of the of best quality of neem fruits or seeds which order from the market. We have established our plays major role in manufacturing quality prodAGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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interview

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ucts. We at the beginning of the neem season ensure that, we pick up the best quality and graded fruits and seeds and we again clean in our own drying yards to ensure the other foreign materials are taken out. Once the cleaned and healthy fruits and seeds are processed will give us the best quality for the raw material input for further processing.

Which Product Brand of Neem India are most in demand among the farmers?

Following products are our leading brands •

Neemraj – Azadirachtin based neem EC ( 1500 ppn, 3000 ppm and 10000 ppm ) • Neem Gold – Organic neem manure • Super H ( with humic substance ) – both liquid and granule • Super Spread – silicon based non-ionic spreading agent.

Share your contributions in CSR Activities?

We conduct every year Blood Donation Camp from all our Group employees and supply the blood to the BLOOD BANK which will be used by the needy people. We also conduct farmer 64 level education camps for understanding on the safe use of the pesticides and ensure healthy of the family.

What is the Current turnover of your company?

Our total turnover is 12 crores and group turnover is 750 crores.

Is there any competitor of your company?

We are more concerned about our CUSTOMERS than the COMPETITORS and we follow the principle of “KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER THAN COMPETITOR”. Our concern is to supply quality products to our customers, than the competition. Competition should be there which acts as a checks and balances to maintain the company credibility in the market.

What are your future plans?

We have opened a new company in United States called NEEMTREE Organics and it is a subsidiary of Neem India. We have future plans to introduce new products to the markets which are unique and offer value for money to the consumers. The products are tested and proven with regard to productivity and stability.

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How do you disseminate your products information among the farmers?

We believe in educating the farmers on the importance of using neem based pesticides instead of chemicals. We educate on how safe and effective it is to use neem products – as the results are good and there is no chemical residues in the end produce and are environmentally safe for the human beings who are in the fields. We also suggest them to use hand gloves and masks at the time of spraying. We also use the established Agriculture magazines like KRISHI JAGRAN and publish product and crop related articles which will help in understanding and adopting the best agriculture practices. Krishi Jagran is published in all most languages of India and it is GREAT work done by and the credit goes to the team in reaching the nook and corner of the country.

Do you want to convey any message to farmers through Krishi Jagran?

Our message to the farming fraternity is “ Please make judicious use of the chemicals and useneem based pesticides for safe and effective pest management. Please use organic manure to maintain soil health and also increase the productivity under IPM and IRM programmes”.

We also advice them to read Krishi Jagaran magazines for better knowledge.

Interview by:

Deepshikha Singh & Vibhuthi Narayanan

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PlantbiotiX creating a buzz in market place

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lantbiotiX (a Bio Agri business division of Mumbai based Zytex Biotech Pvt Ltd ,a pioneer in biotechnology) always at the forefront of offering best microbe based crop nutrition & crop protection holistic solutions for Indian farming community. PlantbiotiX believes in offering good return on investment & better quality of farm produce to the farmers. Through their innovative product promotion approaches such as smartphone enabled app & using social media such

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as Facebook, WhatsApp effectively they always make an endeavour to reach out to large group of select progressive farmers with latest updates about their product usage & its unique deliverables on a regular basis. In a quest to share latest happenings in the world of Agriculture & to give more insight about their holistic approach based solutions for sustainable agriculture, PlantbiotiX recently organized their business associates (channel partners) meeting in the state of Maharashtra, Gujarat and

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Madhya Pradesh to discuss & share plan for Rabi season to maximize business prospects & define way forward.

During said meetings, outlook for Rabi season, details about pipeline products & new business initiatives were shared by CEO Dhananjay Edakhe, whereas Dr Shekhar Bisht, Technical Head spoke about salient features & unique deliverables of existing products.Newly generated products such as Incryl, FruitUp, X’plorer Plus were launched on the occasion . The company is planning to disseminate information on these valuable products among the farmers through company business associates.

In the dealers meet, current challenges faced by farmers in the state of Maharashtra, Gujarat & MP states were discussed elaborately and effective solutions to deal

with them were also shared by Dr Bisht.

Few dealers / business associates spoke on the occasion, expressed immense satisfaction over quality of technical services and valuable support rendered to them by local PlantbiotiX team In MP region of PlantbiotiX business operations, a retailer meeting cum training workshop was organized in Talkshetra and Ratlam to guide local farmers who are gearing up for Rabi season .It was conducted by MP region RSM Dilip Chatwani& local Sales Executive Manoj Jat . On the occasion, one of the retailer shared that PlantbiotiX is the only company whose field staff explains their product features , technical details and other allied relevant information about crops cultivated by farmers in a more structured & convincing way to help farmers to improve their productivity.

Similarly in Nasik territory of Maharashtra ,number of meetings of progressive farmers / Grape growers conducted at potential markets by local Area Sales Manager Subhash Rathod In pursuit of offering safe and sustainable biological solutions to improve livelihood of farmers , PlantbiotiX teams in their entire area of operation have always been organizing such conferences, retailer training programme/ workshop on a regular basis, which create good demand for PlantbiotiX products .

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poultry farming

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The Role of MINERALS AND VITAMINS in Poultry Production Prof. Dr.Mahendra Pal

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Founder of Narayan Consultancy onVeterinary Public Health and Microbiology,4 Aangan, Jagnath Ganesh Dairy Road,Anand-388001,India Email: palmahendra2@gmail.com

oultry is one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural sector in many countries of the world including India. Currently, India is the second largest egg producer and third largest producer of broilers in the world. Adequate

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supply of minerals and vitamins in diet is the key for good poultry production. The feeding of vitamins and minerals deficient diet can produce numerous health problems for chicks including death in some cases. The poultry farmer should keep a watch on the health of

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Adequate supply of minerals and vitamins in diet is the key for good poultry production. Poultry meat is easily digestible, has higher nutritive value, higher protein, less fat, good source of vitamin B complex, iron and phosphorus chicks every day.Hence,it is emphasized to develop the practice for feeding a balanced diet with required minerals and vitamins so that deficiency diseases can be prevented in birds.

Poultry is defined as live or dressed domestic birds, which are bred and reared for edible purpose and it includes chicken, duck, turkey and also quail, pheasant, geese, ostrich, guinea fowl, pigeon and dove. The domestic chicken (Gallus domesticus) has assumed a greater importance worldwide and accounts for more than 90% of the world’s poultry flocks. Ducks and turkeys constitute 5% and 2%, respectively. The remaining species share

about 3 % of the total poultry flocks of the world. Poultry is one of the most widely accepted meat foods, which is not subjected to any restriction like that of beef and pork . There is a worldwide growth of poultry industries. Poultry rearing is classified into intensive and extensive systems. In developed nations of the world, 95 % of poultry are reared under intensive conditions. However, in developing countries, extensive system of rearing are commonly practiced. Poultry meat also called as white meat, is easily digestible, has higher nutritive value, higher protein, less fat, good source of vitamin B complex, iron and phosphorus. Like other food animals such as cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goat, pig, the poultry also require well balanced diet to keep good health. The poor feeding is commonly observed in backyard poultry.This can result in deficiencies of numerous vitamins and minerals, which are essential for the maintenance of poultry health.

A. MINERALS: Minerals can be classified as macro-minerals (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and magnesium), micro-minerals (copper, zinc, iron, iodine and manganese) and trace minerals (cobalt and selenium).The functions and deficiency of each mineral is presented in brief.

1. Calcium: This is essential for formation of bones, clotting of blood, heart function and egg production.The deficiency of this mineral can result poor growth,soft bones, poor egg shell quality, poor egg production, poor hatchability and rickets.

2. Phosphorus: It is required for utilization of carbohydrates, bone development and egg production. The inadequate level of phosphorus in ration causes rickets, poor growth, soft bones, poor hatchability and poor egg shell quality.

3. Magnesium: This macro-mineral is necessary for several vital metabolic funcAGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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Balanced diet with essential minerals and vitamins are imperative for good health of poultry birds.

It is recommended that well balanced feed with essential vitamins and minerals should be given to birds to run the poultry farm in profit tions.Its deficiency in birds can lead to loss of appetite, lethargies, spasms, slow growth, and sudden death.

4. Sodium and Potassium: Both minerals are constituents of blood, bile and body fluids, and needed for growth, digestion and acid base balance.

5. Iron and Cooper: These are needed for blood pigment formation. Their deficiency can cause anemia.

6. Cobalt: This trace mineral is a constituent of vitamin B 12 and its deficiency may result slow growth, reduced hatchability and mortality.

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7. Zinc: This is imperative for the activation of several body enzymes. The deficiency of zinc results in improper growth, poor feathering, and shortening of leg bones.

8. Selenium: It is required for muscular functions,and immunity development and the deficiency can lead to muscular dystrophy and poor immune response.

9. Manganese: This micro-mineral is essential for bone formation and also for utilization of phosphorus. The deficiency is responsible for poor hatchability, perosis, enlargement of joints and staggering gait.

10. Iodine: It is a constituent of thyroid and is necessary for body activity. Its deficiency cause impaired body response,and lowered activity of body.

B. VITAMINS: The vitamins are of two types, one is fat soluble (vitamin A,D,E and K) and other is water soluble (vitamin B complex group).

The functions and deficiency symptoms of various vitamins are elaborated as follow: 1. Vitamin A: This vitamin is very important and is needed for growth, health of eyes and moist surfaces of the body.

The deficiency of this fat soluble vitamin causes poor growth, weakness and decrease egg production.

2. Vitamin D:This fat soluble vitamin is essential for the utilization of calcium AGRICULTURE

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and phosphorus in bone development and egg shell formation. The deficiency can lead to retarded growth, thin shelled eggs, leg weakness, curved legs, rickets and lowered egg production.

3. Vitamin E: It is required to maintain brain structure and also act as an antioxidant. Its deficiency is responsible for enlarged hocks, muscular weakness and crazy chick disease.

4. Vitamin K: This vitamin is necessary for blood clotting mechanism and its absence can result in prolonged blood clotting and intramuscular bleeding.

5. Vitamin B1 (Thiamin): It is needed to

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maintain appetite and also helps in digestion and preserves the health of nerves.

The deficiency of this water soluble vitamin is responsible for poor body growth, loss of appetite and in certain cases lead to death.

6. Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Its important function is to promote growth and its deficiency in feed leads to reduced growth, poor egg production and curled toe paralysis.

7. Vitamin B 12: This water soluble vitamin is required for maintaining normal growth and good feathering. The shortage of this can cause anaemia, poor growth and embryonic mortality.

8. Folic acid: It is essential to promote good growth and feathering. However,the deficiency of this may result in reduced growth,poor feather development, decreased egg production, perosis and paralysis.

9. Pantothenic acid: This is necessary

to keep skin healthy and also for good growth. Its shortage in diet is responsible to cause lesions in mouth and feet, dermatitis besides fatty liver and kidneys.

10. Pyridoxine: It helps to maintain good growth. The deficiency can lead to poor growth and convulsions.

11. Choline: It is needed to maintain good growth and its shortage in feed can cause reduced growth, decreased egg production and fatty liver.

Balanced diet with essential minerals and vitamins are imperative for good health of poultry birds. The deficiency of these nutrients in feed can lead to several health problems, which can severely affect the poultry production, causing economic losses to the farmers. Therefore, farmers should provide properly formulated diet so that chicks do not suffer from nutrient deficiency diseases.It is recommended that well balanced feed with essential vitamins and minerals should be given to birds to run the poultry farm in profit.

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bio pesticide

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In order to meet the global nutritional requirement, food production will required to increase by 60–110% with limited resources and conservation of the biodiversity

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BIO-PESTICIDES AND ITS SCOPE AGRICULTURE

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Manish Ranjan Saini#, Neetu Pandey* and O P Sharma

ICAR-National Centre for Integrated Pest Management, LBS Building, IARI Campus, New Delhi- 110012 # National Research Center on plant Biotechnology, LBS Building, IARI Campus, New Delhi- 110012 * Mewar University, Gangrar, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan-312901.

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he world population is more than 7 billion (2011 census) and expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, of which 75 percent depend directly or indirectly on agriculture. In view of realities of rapid global population growth, climate change and the depletion of natural resources, shift to sustainability for supporting economic growth is the need of hour. In order to meet the global nutritional requirement, food production will required to increase by 60–110% with limited resources and conservation of the biodiversity. Present need for sustainable solutions has never been priority, before realising current food scenario. Especially for developing countries where the majority of population growth is likely to take place and liable to be affected more by shift in climatic changes. The intensification of crop production in the developing world began in earnest with the Green Revolution in the 1950s and expanded during 1960s with intensive use of pesticides and fertilizers. Since the advent of Green Revolution, world annual production of cereals, coarse grains, roots and tubers, pulses and oilseed crops has grown from 1.8 billion tonnes to 4.6 billion tones.

In the year 2015 and 2030, about 80 percent of required food production increase will have to be meet by crop intensification and higher crop intensities, but climate, emergent pests and limited natural resources are causing a great concern. Current approach of promotion of minor crops (millets) that are less intensively grown can fulfil the gap of important nutritional requirements .But the plant protection is subjected to disease and insect pests both in the field and post-harvest by the major groups of pathogens being viruses, bacteria, oomycetes, fungi, nematodes, and parasitic plants apart from major groups of insect pests being lepidopteran, dipteran, hemipteran and coleopteran pests. As a result, future challenges of sustainable intensification of agricultural production is emerging as a major priority for policymakers and international development partners.

Plant protection According to one estimate, a total of 60,000 species of invertebrate insect pests, plant diseases, and competition from 8000 species of weeds, causes over 40% of yield losses to mankind. Without current crop protection measures one estimate puts potential losses at 70%, reducing global food supply by nearly 50% (Oerke et al., 1994). So far we have been reaping the benefits of “Green revolution�, and prevent famine across the world, however due to climate changes and introduction of transgenic crops the pest scenario is experiencing dramatic changes. Invention of hydrochlorine, organophosphate, pyretheroids, carbamates, neonicotinoids based pesticides provided effective tool to mitigate the adverse impact of pests. However ,over the period, human greed to have more pro73 duce led to indiscriminate use of pesticides disrupting natural ecosystem affecting the population of natural defenders. World over, more than 586 pests have developed resistance against 325 chemical pesticides.As a result users have lost confidence in their effectiveness against major pests. General plant protection trend indicates that the cost-effectiveness of chemical pesticides is losing fast, especially when relying on pesticides as the principle mode of pest management. The demand for stricter pesticides regulation is rising, as a result not many financial institutions are interested/supporting research on new molecules.

Risk associated with use of chemical pesticide Farm and family workers are at the highest risk for possible acute poisoning with negative effects on health apart from adverse impact on the environment (water, soil and air contamination, toxic effects on non-target organisms. Injudicious use of pesticides has been linked to: (1) Adverse effects on non-target organisms (e.g., reduction of beneficials both at micro as well as macro niche).

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In the year 2015 and 2030, about 80 percent of required food production increase will have to be meet by crop intensification and higher crop intensities, but climate, emergent pests and limited natural resources are causing a great concern (2) Water contamination from leaching of pesticides to water bodies.

(3) Air pollution from volatile pesticides.

(4) Injury to crop due to wrong application , timing or unfavourable environmental conditions at and after pesticide application.

A new European Union (EU) impact study published by Copa & Cogeca reveals that if 74 more crop protection products are removed from the market, quality food supplies will be put at risk and unemployment will rise, costing the economy billions of euros. This study is based on cumulative impact in the EU of having a hazard based legislative approach for assessing crop protection products. Many crop protection products are being steadily phased out, which is pressurizing not only European farmers livelihoods, however this has provided an opportunity for business houses to demonstrate effectiveness of bio-pesticides as an alternative to chemical pesticides.

Considering the adverse effects linked with the use of pesticides in agriculture, the criteria used to select pesticides that are effective, cost efficient and safe for the operator and the environment now appears as an imperative need. There is now overwhelming evidence that some of these chemicals do pose a potential risk to humans and other life forms and unwanted side effects to the environment (Forget, 1993; Igbedioh, 1991; Jeyaratnam, 1981). No segment of the population is completely protected against exposure to pesticides and the potentially serious health effects. (WHO, 1990). The world-wide deaths and chronic diseases due to pesticide poisoning number about 1 million per year (EnviAGRICULTURE

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ronews Forum, 1999).

The changes in the climate has further aggravated the situation as its influence is much more faster than our research to mitigate their impact e.g. there is reduction in the effectiveness of pesticides as their mode of action is based on enzymatic system of host and pest which gets altered due to sudden climatic changes especially drought. These changes has resulted in increasing confidence of farming community in preventive, biologically based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems, which relies more on bio-pesticides to cut down their use and save environment from its adverse impact. Though with the introduction of bio-tech crops, use of pesticides has been reduced by 8.7%, and the environmental impact on soyabean and cotton as measured by the EIQ indicator, fell by 17.1%, problem of pest continues to be a concern.

Bio-pesticides has emerged as a viable options cum alternative to manage harmful

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There is now overwhelming evidence that some of the chemical pesticides do pose a potential risk to humans and other life forms and unwanted side effects to the environment insects, weeds and fungal plant-pathogens.

Biopesticides represent approximately $2-3 billion of the $56 billion pesticide market.

Growth of biopesticides is projected to outpace that of chemical pesticides, with compounded annual growth rates of more than 15%. With global population expected to increase to 9 billion by 2050, there is an increasing need to produce more food more sustainably. While considerable progress has been made with biopesticide adoption into the market, biopesticides are less than 4% of the agrichemical market and barriers remain.

Bio-pesticides are poised to witness robust gains in the coming years as evident from the fact that US EPA approves more number of bio-pesticides annually as compared to

conventional chemicals. Europe represents the fastest growing regional market for bio-pesticides, however it lags behind the US in terms of registered bio-pesticides with 77 active substances (year 2008) against 279 in the US. In North America and Western Europe, the bio-pesticides market is growing rapidly, due to growing importance for organic farming and chemical-free crops.

Retail chains such as Tesco and Walmart are increasingly demanding chemical-free crops, leading to higher demand for bio-pesticides.

As per demand IPM programs are encouraging the adoption of bio-pesticides, thereby improving market prospects in a major way.

In the two regions, demand for bio-pesticides including beneficial insects, biochemical pesticides and microbial bio-pesticides, has increased many folds.

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bio pesticide Majority of the companies (AG Biotech Australia Pvt. Ltd., AgraQuest Inc., Amit Biotech Pvt. Ltd., BionTech Inc., Certis USA LLC, Embrapa Milho E Sorgo, Greeneem, Isagro SpA, Kumiai Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., Prophyta Biologischer Pflanzenschutz GmbH, San Jacinto Environmental Supplies, Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd., Syngenta International AG, Troy Biosciences Inc., Prophyta, Germany, Syngenta, Germany and Valent Biosciences Corporation) are seeking licensing agreements with startup companies or acquiring products rather than investing in R&D projects. However, there giants like Marrone Bio Innovations (US) have invested huge infrastructures to meet domestic requirements.

According to US Environment Protection Agency (EPA), bio-pesticides are pesticides derived from natural materials such as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals.

Globally, there are about 1400 bio-pesticide products are commercially available. As on September 2015, 436 bio-pesticide active ingredients along with 1401 active bio-pesticide products are registered in US. US consumes maximum bio-pesticides (40%) of the global 76 production followed by Europe and Oceanic countries (20% each). In terms of patenting, Indian condition appears to be very poor whereas in the case of global patents it is showing a slight increase over the years.

India has so far secured only 25 patents in bio-pesticides.

Though bio-pesticides represent only 1% of the global market for agrochemicals, today’s global market for biopesticides has been valued at US $2.3 billion, and it is expected to reach US $5.2 billion by 2020. In India, bio-pesticides fall under the Insecticide Act (1968) under which any microbial organism manufactured or sold for pest and disease control should be registered with the Central Insecticides Board (CIB) of the Ministry of Agriculture. Manufacturers can register their products under either 9(3) B (temporary registration) or 9(3) (regular registration).

This system allows commercial producers of those microbial pesticides evaluated as generally safe to obtain provisional registration and continue to develop a market while the product is undergoing full registration; this reduces commercial barriers to product development.

Unlike US and Europe, bio-pesticides industry in India is driven by the sale of AGRICULTURE

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Trichoderma viride, T harzianum, Verticillium lecanii, V chladomysporium, V lilacinus, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus thuringinsis B sphaericus.

The bio-pesticides industry in India has grown at a CAGR of 20.2%, however it is dominated by various unorganized players due to the expensive registration process.

Bio-pesticides Registered under section 9(3) of the Insecticides Act, 1968 for use in India is listed below: 1. Azadirachtin (Neem Products) 2. Ampelomyces quisqualis 3. Bacillus sphaericus 4. Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelIensis 5. Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var. galleriae 7. Metarhizium anisopliae

8. Nuclear polyhyderosis virus of Helicoverpa armigera 9. Nuclear polyhyderosis virus of Spodoptera litura 10. Pseudomonas fluorescens 11. Pyrethrins (pyrethrum)

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According to one estimate, a total of 60,000 species of invertebrate insect pests, plant diseases, and competition from 8000 species of weeds, causes over 40% of yield losses to mankind 12. Trichoderma harzianum 13. Trichoderma viride 14. Verticillium lecanii In India, so far only 12 types of bio-pesticides have been registered under the Insecticide Act, 1968. There are approximately 400 registered bio-pesticide active ingradients and over 1250 actively registered bio-pesticide products. Neem based pesticides, Bacillus thuringensis, NPV and Trichoderma are the major bio-pesticides produced and used

DBT supports another 22. The National Agriculture Technology Project led IPM project during 1998 to 2005 also enhanced the use of bio-pesticides.

States like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh already have 200 laboratories producing bio-pesticides. There are around 38 such state biocontrol central laboratory (SBCLs) across the country, which are engaged in production and distribution of bio-pesticides, natural predators and parasites to farmers.

In India, State Agricultural Department and Krishi Vigyan Kendras are actively involved in promotion of bio-pesticides under various Govt sponsored scheme. In India, 4 plant products are also registered viz., pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum sp), neem (Azadirachta indica), nicotine (Nicotiana sp) and citronella oil (Cymbopogon nardus).

Some success stories about successful utilization of bio-pesticides and bio-control agents in Indian agriculture includes e.g, diamondback moth with B thuringiensis; mango hoppers and mealy bugs and coffee pod borer by Beauveria; Helicoverpa on cotton, pigeonpea, chickpea and tomato with NPV, white fly by neem oil and karanj oil/soap, sugarcane borers by Trichogramma and vascular wilts, collar rot and root rots of various commodity crops with Trichoderma formulations, powdery mildew with B subtillis and Bakanae and sheath blight disease of rice with Pseudomonas. Use of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas (VAM) fungi alongwith T viridae has given significant results in certain bulb as well as rainfed crops.

Some of the well-known reasons for less use bio-pesticides at field level are as follows: • Misconception that bio-pesticides are costly/ too expensive •

in India (http://coe.mse.ac.in/taxproj. asp). Out of total bio-pesticides used in our country, the genus Trichoderma alone occupies 60% of their market share.The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has 31 bio-control production facilities while

User equates its action as per chemicals and feel that they are slow in action

• Development of technologies for application of biocontrol agents on foliar and post-harvest pathogens AGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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The bio-pesticides industry in India has grown at a CAGR of 20.2%, however it is dominated by various unorganized players due to the expensive registration process • Technologies for its integration poly/glass house crop diseases management strategies • Development of liquid/oil formulations to make it compatible to existing spray machines making it suitable for foliar applications •

Identification and promotion of strains suitable for various soil and

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environmental conditions, and •

Quality concerns, especially production and formulations coming from new and inexperienced producers is a major concern.

Lack of awareness and understanding of biopesticides among the public Perceptions persist about efficacy and cost, but there is a lack of awareness and

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understanding of biopesticides by growers, crop consultants and key influencers such as university and government researchers.

Therefore, biopesticides are often not tested or used properly based on their modes of action e.g., bacteria produce several compounds of different chemical classes in fermentation and when applied onto a crop as a wettable powder or granule, repel pest insects, stop feeding and reduce adult insect fecundity.

The insects do not start dying until about four days, with peak mortality at 7 days comparing it with insecticide may lead to disappointment. Therefore we must educate users and key influencers to use the product early before pest population

increase. Other things to watch for when integrating biopesticides is water pH, mixing order in the tank and adjuvant, which can increase or decrease efficacy. Once a tired farmer says “I tried everything so I think I’ll try a biopesticide” and having not tried sincerely the bad experience can linger for many years hence dealers and consultants need to be careful as majority comes from a chemical background may or may not understand the best use of biopesticides.

“Big data” is being applied on the farm tincrease yields by understanding soil types, soil and crop water, crop varietal effects, weather and microclimates, and the microbiome, among others. What has lagged, however, is the application of “big data” to pest management. While there are certainly some pest and disease-specific degree-day models developed at universities (UC Davis and Texas A &M) and government institutes, “big data” and precision farming have not been as extensively used in local and regional prediction of pest and pathogen populations for more accurate spraying in time and space. Fungicides are still largely applied on a calendar basis. Because timing of a biopesticide application is so critical based on their unique modes of action and need to spray early, better scouting and pest/ disease population prediction tools will make biopesticide application timing more efficient and effective.

Biopesticide adoption will increase substantially only if technology, data and pest management are married. Global scenario indicates bio-pesticides need users’ awareness as it is effective if applied in the initial stage of infestation/infection.

The main advantage of biocontrol agents is their specificity to target pests, safe to the non-target organism, environmental friendly can help in mitigating the adverse impact of climatic changes. Studies indicated that it helps in prolonging the life of pesticides by delaying development of resistance and serve as ideal components in IPM strategies and also in organic farming systems. This will also help in meeting the requirement of Food and Agricultural Organization endorsement of “Ecosystem approach” in agricultural management and the World Bank mandated adoption of OP 4.2 commandants to achieve sustainability of current production level.

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edible oil

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EDIBLE OILS AND KIDNEY PATIENTS

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Dr. Parveen Sachdeva Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110012

O

ils play an important role in food preparations and they serve as excellent sources to get energy and fight against various diseases.

There exist generalized perceptions & theories linked with health benefits of consuming certain types of edible oils. The negative implications in consuming edible oils are linked with their high calorie values, trans fatty acids, oxidative stage causing inflammations, allergic reactions, wrong blends, and added adulterants. Researchers are discovering more and more links between chronic diseases and inflammation that is generally caused due to oil oxidation and prolonged intakes of processed polyunsaturated oils rich in omega-6 fatty acids. The therapeutic AGRICULTURE

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use of omega-3 fatty acids rich oils and their role in minimizing adverse effects of omega-6 fatty acids is gaining importance. Many oils are discarded in diet by a large number of people on grounds of reported controversial health issues associated with their edible intake. There is need to evaluate individual aspect of oil before avoiding it in the diet and it is far more important to know about the oil suitability to kidney patients as these patients needs nutrients through restricted diet and are more vulnerable to diseases.

Benefits and harmful implications of Edible Oils: Cooking or baking with oils impart flavor and taste to the food and satisfy our appetite.

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Oils are the most calorie-dense foods on the earth and must be taken in prescribed limits (a maximum of 28 grams/2tbsp per day) and as per the individual body requirements. It is important to match the oil’s heat tolerance with cooking method as most oils that are healthy at room temperature and becomes unhealthy when heated above certain temperatures. High smoke point oils are best suitable for high temperature cooking. Higher omega-3 fatty acids rich oils are healthy and anti-inflammatory and are the best suitable for low temperature cooking. Consuming omega-9 fatty acids rich oils lowers the risk of heart problems and aids in cancer prevention. Kidney patients experience more inflammation and have a higher risk for cardiovascular and other associated diseases and therefore they need to avoid poly unsaturated ‘PUFA’ oils, those are very high in omega-6 fatty acids.

A balanced ratio of ω-3 and ω-6 through ‘PUFA’ oils is important for them. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a ratio of linoleic acid (ω-6) to linolenic acid (ω-3) as 5:10 in the diet.

They serve as excellent sources for dietary calorie intake and fight against various diseases. They provide us energy and are stored as food in the body to serve as a source of energy for several weeks during fasting. They play an important role in the formation of steroid hormones and help in absorption of many fat soluble vitamins. There also exist negative implications in consuming certain types of edible oil linked with their high calorie values, trans fatty acids, oxidative stage causing inflammations, allergic reactions, wrong blends and added adulterants. It becomes important to know about the individual aspect of edible oils to correlate with the associated health implications focusing kidney patients as these patients needs a source of energy & nutrients through restricted diet and are more vulnerable to diseases.

Fatty Acids Composition of Edible Oils: Oils in the diet are available to the body as fatty acids. These fatty acids are classified as saturated, mono-unsaturated ‘MUFA’, and polyunsaturated ‘PUFA’. Animal based oils viz. Desi-ghee & Butter and a few plant based oils are rich in saturated fat. Most of the plant based oils are rich in Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids ‘MUFA’ and/or in poly unsaturated fatty acids ‘PUFA’. MUFA oils neither lowers nor raises blood cholesterol levels and help to improve heart health. They are also free from trans-fats. MUFA rich oils are: olive (67%), mustard & Canola (2667%) and groundnut (43%). PUFA oils are classified into series known as omega; out of

these ω-9 are considered as nonessential to humans while ω-3 and ω-6 are considered essential fatty acids, as these ones cannot be synthesized by mammals and are needed to be obtained through diet. A very high ratio of omega-6: omega-3 through ‘PUFA’ oils causes various health hazards and promotes the pathogenesis of many diseases.

Role of Antioxidants: Researchers are discovering more and more links between chronic diseases, inflammation and “super foods” that may prevent or protect against undesirable fatty acid oxidation. PUFA rich oils are more susceptible to oxidation because of their carbon to carbon double bonds gets easily oxidized as compared to single bond structure of saturate fats. Foods that contain antioxidants can help neutralize free radicals and protect the body and therefore, many of the foods that protect against oxidation are included in the kidney diet and make excellent choices for dialysis patients or people with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Health Hazards of Trans-fats: Cooking methods and trans-fats of oils affect the health condition of kidney patients as trans fats of oils are known to increase the risk of blood clotting inside blood vessels and to some extent they may also raise cholesterol levels in the blood (raising the level of LDLs and decreasing the level of HDLs) and therefore, raising the risk of heart diseases. Trans-fats are largely formed when liquid oils are changed into partially solid fats AGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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The negative implications in consuming edible oils are linked with their high calorie values, trans fatty acids, oxidative stage causing inflammations, allergic reactions, wrong blends, and added adulterants through a process of hydrogenation (a process of passing hydrogen gas in the presence of a catalyst). The examples of hydrogenated oils includes: vanaspati, shortenings and margarine.

Oil Heat Tolerance: Most oils that are healthy at room temperature, becomes unhealthy when heated above certain temperatures. When oils are heated

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edly. It is therefore important to know the heat tolerance of oils for their suitability to different types of cooking.

Calorie Gain through Edible Oils: at high temperatures for frying purpose, toxic products e.g. hydro-peroxides and aldehydes are formed. These toxic products are absorbed by the food, and eventually into the gastrointestinal tract and thereafter enter into the systemic circulation after ingestion and causing various health hazards. Repeated heating of cooking oils also initiates a series of chemical reactions and modifies the fat constituents of the oil; enhancing its foaming, color darkening, viscosity, and off-flavor.

Deterioration of natural antioxidants in oils, such as phenolic compounds and tocopherols also occur when oils are heated repeatAGRICULTURE

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Oils are the most calorie-dense foods on the earth and therefore must be taken in prescribed limits and as per the individual body requirements. Dietary fat is recommended as 15 to 20 per cent of total food calories (2400 for an adult man and 1900 for an adult woman) this works out to a maximum of 28 grams (2tbsp) per day of visible fat, including cooking oils and table butter.

Edible Oils for Kidney Patients: It is important to know about the individual aspect of largely consumed edible oils so as to find out the best suitable to the diet of kidney disease patient

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Desi-ghee & Butter: Desi-ghee is premium cooking oil known for its taste, nutritional benefits, and medicinal qualities. It has been used for centuries as a digestive and elimination aid and for energy,

with less than 7% from saturated fat (one egg contains 250-300 mg. of cholesterol, all of it is in the yolk and therefore, they are advised to take egg white when they opt egg as a protein source). Cholesterol content in animal origin oils is relatively high (Butter contains 215mg. cholesterol/100gms i.e. 14.33mg. cholesterol in a tablespoonful (14gms.) and Desi-ghee contains 256mg. cholesterol/100gms i.e. 17.07mg. cholesterol in a tablespoonful (14gms.) . Recently, a process to convert Desi-ghee with less cholesterol has been developed by the Scientists of National Dairy Research Institute and also the animal feeding technology has made it possible to alter fatty acid composition of milk and milk produce with reduced cholesterol content by altering the fatty acid composition of animal diets. Therefore, desi-ghee can be added to the diet of kidney patients.

Sunflower oil: Sunflower oil is light in taste and appearance and supplies more vitamin E (41.08 mg./100g.) than any other vegetable oil. This oil is rich in PUFA (55%) with 40:1 Omega-6: Omega-3 Ratio, low in MUFA (35%) and in Saturated Fatty Acids (10%). Having mostly oleic/omega-9 and essential alpha linolenic/omega-3 group of oils; which is making it healthy oil. The oil is stable due to the presence of antioxidants (mainly, α-tocopherols). Sunflower oil can be added to the diet of kidney patients.

Soybean oil: sexual vitality, skin and eye health, as a lubricant for the joints, for alkalizing the blood and is considered good for nerves and brain.

Due to a research outcome in 1950’s and supporting further studies; there has been a concern about the possibility of ghee contributing to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease with a belief of high percentage of saturated fatty acids leads into the increased synthesis of cholesterol.

Kidney patients needs to reduce cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams per day

Over the years studies have suggested that soy products can be beneficial to human health in many ways. The soy foods contain high levels of healthy protein, fiber and is flavones, which helps in decreasing LDL cholesterol (known as ‘bad’ cholesterol) and in improving lipid profile in the blood and therefore is good for heart. The oil is highly stable due to the presence of many antioxidants (largely among them are, γ & δ-tocopherols) known to help in prevention of osteoporosis (bone loss) and menopause symptoms

Foods that contain antioxidants can help neutralize free radicals and protect the body and therefore, many of the foods that protect against oxidation are included in the kidney diet and make excellent choices for dialysis patients or people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) AGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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edible oil

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Desi-ghee is premium cooking oil known for its taste, nutritional benefits, and medicinal qualities. It has been used for centuries as a digestive and elimination aid and for energy, sexual vitality, skin and eye health, as a lubricant for the joints, for alkalizing the blood and is considered good for nerves and brain Olive oil: Olive oil is the main source of dietary fat in the Mediterranean region, which is associated with low death rate from cardiovascular diseases compared to other parts of the world. Olive oil is mainly comprised of monounsaturated fatty acids ‘MUFA’ (72% mostly of Oleic & Palmitic fatty acids) which is a healthier type of fat and is low in PUFA (14%) with 2:1 Omega-6: Omega-3 Ratio 84 (which is near ideal ratio recommended

by WHO) and also low in Saturated Fatty Acids (14%). It contains anti-inflammatory agents, like oleocanthal that acts as a natural ibuprofen like substance. Oleic acid and hydroxyl-tyrosol found in extra virgin oil also protects from acute pancreatitis. Olive oil may be considered the best suitable in the diet of kidney patients for it having high nutritional composition and proven protective shield over various diseases.

Rapeseed/Mustard oil: Mustard seed oil is rich in MUFA (70%) and low in PUFA (21%) with 2:1 Omega-6: Omega-3 Ratio (a near ideal ratio as recommended by WHO) and further low in Saturated Fatty Acids (9%). The oil is highly stable due to the presence of many antioxidants (α,β,γ, & δ tocopherols).. Surprisingly, a large population in India has been consuming mustard oil for a long period of time and many people particularly in Uttar-Pradesh in India even drink a bowl of mustard oil in the morning to keep fit and to enhance their working capacitated to health aspects of Indian rapeseed-mustard oil; the oil is not preferred as the sole cooking medium. The Indian Council of Medical Research recommends its use with some other oil so that the total intake of erucic acid is reduced. SuitAGRICULTURE

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ability of oil to the health of kidney patients will need evidences.

Canola oil: Controversy over rapeseed-mustard has lead into the development of new varieties in Canada during 1960s and early 1970s and resulted into the release of ‘Canola’ Seeds (named in a contraction of ‘Canada’ and ‘Ola’) taken out of yellow flowering plants of brassica genus, which includes broccoli, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower and mustard in its family having low erucic acid and low glucosinolate content in its composition. A similar oilseed variety has been extracted out of a hybrid ‘Canola’ quality gobhisarson by ICAR in India (variety PAC-401) and is named as ‘Hyola’. Farmers of Punjab started its cultivation since 2002-2003. Many more varieties with double zero (erucic acid and glucosinolate content) are developed and made available to farmers in recent years by ICAR-IARI

Peanut/Groundnut oil: Peanut oil contains valuable amounts of anti-oxidant (γ-tocopherols, and resveratrol) which has been found to have protective function against cancers, heart disease, degenerative nerve disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and viral/fungal infections. The oil is rich in vitamin E, and has folate, protein and manganese in its composition; which

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Recently, a process to convert Desi-ghee with less cholesterol has been developed by the Scientists of National Dairy Research Institute and also the animal feeding technology has made it possible to alter fatty acid composition of milk and milk produce with reduced cholesterol content by altering the fatty acid composition of animal diets. protects skin from harmful oxygen-free radicals. The saturated Fatty Acids content of peanut oil is low (14%) and the oil is rich in MUFA (46%) largely of oleic acid, that helps to lower LDL or “bad cholesterol” and increases HDL or “good cholesterol” in the blood. The PUFA content of the oil (32%) is full of Omega-6 fatty acids with no traces of omega-3fatty acids. The ratio of Omega-6: Omega-3 ratio is very high and varies from variety to variety (between 40 to 317: 0). The oil needs evidences to prove healthy for kidney patients.

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Sesame oil: The de-hulled sesame seeds are used in baked & confectionery products, in homemade recipes and have also been widely employed in culinary as well as in traditional medicines for their nutritive, preventive, and curative properties. Sesame oil is used as a basic ingredient in food preparations and is an important source of phyto-nutrients such as omega-6 fatty acids, flavonoids,vitamins and is highly resistant to oxidation due to the presence of antioxidant ‘sesamol’. In many countries including India; Sesame oil and Sesame Ingredients are used in treatment of many diseases such as: Tumor, Cough, Dysentery ‘laxative’, constipation, head cold, impotency, malaria, cold preventive, cancer, sore, venereal, wart, colic and as a tonic.

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food processing

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NOVEL

Technologies in Food Processing

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S Shivashankar Mobile No: 9550579386, Email: shiva14cae@gmail.com

Srinivasa Rao Pavuluri 1Ph. D. Scholar, Department of Post Harvest Process and Food Engineering, G.B.P.U.A. & T., Pantnagar-263145, Uttarakhand.

2 Associate Professor, Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur - 721302, W.B.

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hermal processing generally involves heating of food for a predetermined time at a pre-selected temperature to eliminate the pathogenic microorganisms that endanger the public health as well as those microorganisms and enzymes that deteriorate the food during storage. But due to very high temperature, the nutritional

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factors of food such as vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats etc which are highly sensitive to high temperature, deteriorates during processing which leads to reduction of nutritional quality and generation of off flavor, off color and other sensory properties of food products. Therefore, in order to improve food quality and sensory properties ,novel

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Foods are generally processed by conventional heat treatment to ensure food free from microorganisms but it can lead to reduction of nutritional quality and sensory properties of the food products. In order to avoid these undesirable changes during the heat treatment and to improve/maintain food quality and safety, novel non-thermal technologies plays very important role in processing of food products.

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), pulsed electric fields (PEF), irradiation, pulsed light technology are some of the non-thermal food processing technologies considered to be feasible for extending shelf life of food with maintaining food quality. processing is also less than that required in thermal processing and it can be applied to very wide range of food products like milk, juice, meat, seafood and many other solid and liquid foods. non-thermal food processing technologies are the need of food engineers, food processors and product developers. The various non thermal food technologies used now a days in food industries are discussed below.

High Hydrostatic Pressure (HPP): By subjecting food to high pressure in the range of 5000-8000 bars ,microorganisms and enzymes can be inactivated without degradation in flavor and nutrition. It is an effective non thermal sterilization/pasteurization treatment for liquid and solid foods which permits microbial inactivation at low or moderate temperature with minimum degradation. The energy required for high pressure

In typical HPP, the product is packaged in a flexible container usually a pouch or plastic bottle and is loaded in to a high pressure chamber filled with a pressure transmitting (hydrodynamic) fluid ex oil or water.

The hydrodynamic fluid in the chamber is pasteurized with pump and this pressure is transmitted uniformly through the package in to the food itself. Pressure is applied for specific time usually 3 to 5 minutes. The processed product is then removed and stored in conventional manner. Because the pressure is transmitted uniformly in all directions simultaneously ,food retains its shape even at extreme pressure and because no heat is needed, the sensory characteristics of food are retained without compromising AGRICULTURE NOVEMBER 2017

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food processing the food quality and microbial safety. It only affects non covalent chemical bonds, leaving covalent bonds which permit destruction of microorganisms without significantly affecting food molecule that contribute texture or flavor of food.

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF): Pulse is a single disturbance that moves through medium from one point to next point. PEF is an innovative and promising method for non thermal processing of food stuff. It uses short electric pulses to preserve the food having short treatment time (below one second) and reduced heating effect. It is suitable for preserving liquid and semi liquid foods like milk, fruit juices, soup, eggs etc.

Basic principle of PEF includes application of short pulses of high electric field with duration of microseconds and intensity in the order of 20-80 kv/cm. the processing time is calculated by multiplying the number of pulse time with effective pulse duration. The process is based on pulsed electric current delivered to a product placed between a set of electrodes, the distance between electrodes is termed as treatment gap of PEF chamber.

The applied high voltage results in an electric 88 field that causes microbial inactivation. The PEF equipment consists of a high voltage pulse generator, a treatment chamber and monitoring and controlling devices. Food product is placed in a treatment chamber either in static or continuous manner where two electrodes are connected with non conducting material. Generally high electrical pulses applied to electrodes which then conduct the high intensity electric pulses to the product placed between two electrodes.

The food product experience a force per unit change so called electric field which is responsible for irreversible cell membrane breakdown. This leads to dielectric breakdown of microbial cell membrane and to interaction with charged molecule of food.

Advantages of PEF  Less treatment time  Low treatment temperature  Increased shelf life of product  Maintain food safe

ty with low processing cost  Inactivate vegetative microor

ganisms including yeasts, spoil

age microorganisms and pathogens.

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 Reduces microorgan

ism by 4-6 log cycle

Disadvantages of PEF  High capital cost  Effective for Inactivate veg

etative microorganisms only

 Refrigeration is re

quired to extend shelf life  Not suitable for solid food products that are not Pumpable Irradiation: Irradiation can be defined as exposing food to gamma rays, x- rays or electrons to improve shelf life and safety. It has range of effects including killing bacteria, moulds and insect pests, reduces ripening and spoilage of fruits and at higher doses it can be used for sterility. It is sometime called as cold pasteurization as the product is not heated. It is also known as Ionizing radiation, Surface pasteurization, Electronic pasteurization or E-beam sterilization/ pasteurization. In actual processing the food is packed and moved by conveyer belt in to shielded room. Food is exposed briefly to radiant energy source. Food is left virtually unchanged but the number of harmful bacteria, parasite and fungi are reduced or eliminated.

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Irradiation can decrease the loss of food due to insect infestation, food borne pathogens and spoilage. It can be used for preservation, sterilization, control sprouting, ripening, food borne illness and insect damage

range of foods not all fresh pro duce is suitable for irradiation

 Some treated food

may taste different  Some chemical changes occur

Irradiation can decrease the loss of food due to insect infestation, food borne pathogens and spoilage. It can be used for preservation, sterilization, control sprouting, ripening, food borne illness and insect damage.

Radiation dose: The dose is amount of radiation used to expose food. It is measured by unit called kilo grays (kGy). The dose permitted for use in food varies according to type of food and desired action like low dose (< 1 kGy), medium dose (1-10 kGy) and high dose (>10 kGy)

Advantage of irradiation:  The nutritional value is unchanged  No harmful chemical changes  Food does not become radioactive  The appearance of

food in unchanged  Disadvantages of irradiation:  Can be used only for limited

Pulsed light technology (PLT): It is an alternative to thermal treatment for killing pathogenic and spoilage microorganism in foods including bacteria, yeasts, moulds and viruses. The treatment consists of applying a series of very short high power pulses of broad spectrum light. It is very effective on product surface and marginally effective at penetrating to depths in food. It also reduces the need for chemical disinfectants and preservatives. Pulses of light for food processing applications typically emit 1-20 flashes per seconds of electromagnetic energy. The key component of pulse light unit is a flash lamp filled with inert gas such as xenon which emits broadband radiations that ranges from ultraviolet cutoff to near infrared cutoff (200 nm -1000 nm with peak 400-500 nm). A high voltage, high current electric pulse is applied to the inert gas in the lamp and the strong collision between electron and gas molecule cause excitation of latter which then emits an intense very short light pulse. The treatment is most effective on smooth, nonreflecting surfaces or in liquids that are free of suspended particles. Rough surface hinder inactivation of microorganisms due to cell hiding. The main limitation of pulsed light treatment is its limited penetration depth. It has very wide range of applications like decontamination of vegetables, dairy products, microbial inactivation of water, and sanitation of packaging material and disinfection of equipment surface.

Food processing is very important for value addition. Vegetable and fruit growers sometimes get very low price because of over production and glut in the market . Value addition through processing can help to boost the price of these products and help the growers to get high price. The new technologies of food processing are expected to give better result than the traditional methods.

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fruit quality

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Ensuring Quality of Papaya Fruit

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Golda.S.B, M.Sc (Agri.)

Plant Pathologist (Soil Conservation Officer, IWDM-K, Chadayamangalam,Kollam )Phone no : 9447879015, email : goldasb1985@gmail.com.

T

he great voyager Christopher Columbus used to refer papaya (Carica papaya L.) as “Fruit of the Angels” which makes you to love.It is due to the presence of the miracle enzyme papain along with other rich source of vitamin A, B, C, K and minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium. It’s loaded with antioxidant that can reduce inflammation, fight diseases and help keep you looking young.

While consuming papaya, the nature’s best will ,pave the way for reducing risk of heart diseases, diabetes, cancer, asthma, age related muscular degeneration and it aids in digestion, improving wound healing and it is an excellent immunity booster also.

Post harvest diseases Losses due to post harvest diseases ranged from 1-93% depending on post- harvest handling and packing procedures. Most of the post-harvest diseases occur when pathogens enter through small wounds after harvest.

The major post-harvest diseases which lower the market values are as follows.

1) Anthracnose When the infected fruits have 25% or more skin yellowing, beads of latex are exuded at the fruit surface and small water soaked spots appear.

As the infection advances, a circular sunken lesion with translucent light

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91 brown margins forms and on cross section view, a greyish white discoloration seen that later turns brown.

A layer of firm callose tissue forms at the border of the soft semi- circular lesion.

mass of coarse grey mycelium and finally fruit gets watery fruit rot.

4) Phomopsis rot Infected tissue wrinkles, becomes translucent and a band of water soaked tissue advances rapidly towards the fruit cavity which can be lifted free from the rest of the fruit.

2) Stem end rot After harvest ,fungi as well as fungal spores invade through the crevices between the peduncle or through small wounds. When the fungal hyphae invade the vascular tissue, a slight browning can be seen at the peduncle. As the infection advances, the lesion margin remains translucent while the remaining infected tissue becomes black, wrinkled and dry. At an advanced stage of infection, white mycelium forms at the stem end.

5) Alternaria fruit spot Circular to oval black lesions that become covered with black spore masses are the symptoms of alternaria infections.

Points to be noted to maintain the quality of the fruit for high returns. â&#x20AC;˘

At the beginning of the fruit set, about 6-8 months after planting, entire fruit and flower columns should be sprayed with mancozeb at a concentration of 2gm per liter of water, once in every 10 days interval or Chlorothalonil @ 2 g/liter of water at 10 to 15 days interval.

â&#x20AC;˘

Depending on the market destination, the fruits should be harvested

3) Rhizopus rot When the fruit is 40-60% yellow, cuticle disruption occurs, as latex vessels break down. Fungus enters through the breaks in the cuticle or through the punctures made by the fruit fly.

Infected fruits become covered by a

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fruit quality

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controlled by double hot water immersion treatment consisting of an initial 30 minute immersion at 42°C followed by a 20 minute immersion at 49°C.

as soon as they mature. Harvest when the fruit is 10-15% yellow or when a yellow coloration begins to

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develop in the base of the fruit.

•

Harvest the fruits late in the morning to early afternoon which causes reduction in latex flow.

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The fruits should be handpicked with the pickers wearing gloves in order to prevent bruising.

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Thiabendazole applied at 4-8 g per liter concentration with a carnauba wax substantially reduces postharvest decay even for extended storage.

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The sides and bottoms of the boxes used to transport the fruit from the field to the fresh market should be lined with banana leaves, shredded paper or tissue paper.

•

Do not break off the fruit stem too close to the fruit as this will damage the tissue at the stem end of the fruit which causes stem end rot leads to spoilage.

When packing the fruits for the market, they should be placed in a single layer on their bases with the top or apex pointing upwards.

•

•

Rough handling results in bruising causes rapid development of decay and ripening.

Depending on the size of the fruit for export, pack only 8-16 per one piece of ventilated fiberboard carton of 4.5kg.

•

•

Throwing of fruit should never be practiced. This result in bruising and sometimes internal damage occurs.

If longer storage is needed, papaya should be stored at or near 10°C and 85-90% RH which will extend the life of the fruit from 10 days to a maximum of 3weeks.

•

Post harvest diseases are effectively

•

If stored at room temperature 25°C, fruits will ripen within 7-10 days.

•

•

If the trees were much taller, wooden or bamboo pole fitted with cutting instrument with a catching net at the end of harvesting pole to be used to prevent the fruit to drop to the ground during picking.

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Published on 25th and Posted on 27th-28th at NDPSO of every month

RNI NO. DELENG.2015/65174

Postal Reg. No. DL-SW-1/4191/16-18 www.krishijagran.com

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