Croploanwaiver:governmentmullsgivingcash,couponsTheStategovernment isplanning to immediatelyprovidecashofRs.50,000 and coupon that can be cashed in sixmonths or oneyear for the remaining amount to each eligible beneficiary of thecroploanwaiverscheme.

Once the banks complete the process of identifying genuinebeneficiaries and provide the government with the final list, athorough scrutiny and final validation would be taken up, officialsourcessaid.Incase,thebankershandoverthelistbySeptember25or26aspromisedbythem,thegovernmentwouldtrytofinishtheentireprocessbyOctober10andall thedetailswouldbeputonline.

Intherun-uptotheelections,theTeluguDesamhadpromisedtowaiveloansof farmersuptoRs.1.5 lakhandthoseofDWACRAwomenself-helpgroupsuptoRs.1lakh.

While refusing tohazardaguesson theextentof fakeorboguscrop loans taken by borrowers, the sources said there weredifferent types of irregularities. For instance, there have beencasesofmultipleborrowingson thesame land from twoor threebanks.

Moretreesfel ledinMangarforestMore than half-a-dozen trees, mostly Vilayati Keekar (prosopisjuliflora),were illegally cut in theMangarBani area offGurgaon-Faridabad highway here on Sunday. The area is notified underSection4and5ofthePunjabLandPreservationAct.

The illegal cutting came to light in the morning when somevillagers spottedmen carrying branches and trunks of trees in avehicle.“Itraisedsuspicionandwhenwewentinsidetheforesttocheckwefoundseveraltreescut.Therewereacoupleofpersonsinside the forestwho ranawayon seeingus,” saidSunil, oneofthevillagers.

The matter was reported to the Faridabad Division of the forestdepartmentandofficialsvisitedtheareaaroundnoon.

An infrastructure firm that owns land in the forest was alsoaccusedoffellingover50treeslastmonth.

On March 30 a group of bird watchers, including a Delhi HighCourtlawyerandhisfriend,wereseriouslyinjuredwhentheywereattacked allegedly by a local priest and his goons in the area. Itwas seen as an attempt to keep away environmentalists andactivistsfromtheforest.

One of the last few stretches of virgin forests in the NationalCapitalRegion,theMangarBanihasbeentreasuredbyandcaredfor centuries by the residents of three villages -- Mangar,BandhwariandBaliawas.

Over the past few years, the villagers were forced to sell theirshare of land and a draft development plan for Mangar waspassed in 2011allowing real estateactivities.But theMinistry ofEnvironment & Forests intervened directing the HaryanaGovernment to identify Mangar Bani and other such areas asforestsandtokeepthedevelopmentplaninabeyance.AgroupofvillagersevensentapetitiontotheHaryanaGovernmentin2012-

seeking to protect over 320 acre of Mangar Bani and itssurrounding area. But little seems to have been done by theHaryanaGovernment.

A bitter harvest for Kashmir’sapplegrowersHundredsofapples,somerotten,someyet toripen, liescatteredin stagnant floodwaters as aman rows across his orchard on ashikara. He is trying to pluck the handful of apples that are stillhangingfromthehigherbranches,untouchedbythewaters.

The floods hit Chakganistan-Mustafabad villages in northKashmir’s Sumbal area after the Jhelum had already wreakedhavocinSrinagar.Forthe250familiesthatlivehere,thequestionwas not how to survive but how to save their paddy fields andorchardswhichwerereadyforharvest.

Now, with their houses inundated, their paddy fields looking likevast lakes and their orchards still six feet under water, they arecluelesswheretobeginfrom.

“Onlyourliveshavebeenspared.Thefloodsdestroyedeverythingelse,” said Fareed Ahmad Dar, a villager. “And we don’t knowwhether tocry forourbrokenhousesorour lostcropsor forourdestroyedorchards.”

TheShalteng-Hajin-Sumbalbeltisamongthehighestproducersofpaddy,wheat and pulses in Kashmir Valley and the floods havedestroyed almost all the crops. In Chakganistan-Mustafabadvillages, around 9,000 kanals (1,115 acres) of paddy and wheatfields and more than 500 kanals (62 acres) of orchards areflooded.

“Wewouldhavebeeninthefieldsrightnow,harvestingourcrop.Thisisusuallythehappiesttimeinthesevillages,buttodayweare

allcrying,”Mr.DartoldTheHindu.

Hisextendedfamilyownseightacresofpaddyfieldsandhalf-an-acre of orchard land. While the paddy is lost for this year, theorchards, after being underwater for aweek, could be diseasedanduselessforfuturetoo.

ShakeelQalander,amemberoftheKashmirCentreforSocialandDevelopment Studies, said the losses caused by the floods inJammuandKashmirareoverRs.60,000crore.

The villagers here complain that no one from the governmentcametotellthemaboutthedosanddon’tsafterthefloods.“Theydid not even give us chlorine tablets. We have been drinkingwhateverwaterweget,knowingfullywell that itcouldkillus.Wehavenoelectricity, thewood isallwet.Howarewesupposed toboil water?” asks Abdul Ahad Malik, a panch in Chakganistanvillage.“Wearelivinginstenchandourbabiesaresick.Nodoctorhascometousyet.Thegovernmenthasjustleftustodieinthissubmergedvillage.”

The villagers feel they are being discriminated against by thegovernment,whichisgivingallitsattentiontoSrinagar.

Wildl i fe corridors: Karnataka topartnerwithf irmsThe Forest Department will soon ink an agreement with privatecompaniestoacquirewildlifecorridorsaroundtigerreserves.

A tripartite agreement between private companies, tiger reservedirectors and the Chief Wildlife Warden is likely be signed inNovember,tocreateaformalframeworkforagriculturalorrevenueland to be bought by companies, transferred to the ForestDepartment, and notified as forest land, Additional CEO of theKarnataka Ecotourism Development Board VijayMohan Raj toldTheHindu.

PCCF (Wildlife) Vinay Luthra said that nine “chicken necks”identified around three of the State’s Tiger Reserves — BRTWildlife Sanctuary, Nagarahole and Bandipur national parks —hadbeenproposed forcompanies toconsiderbuyingunder theircorporate social responsibility (CSR) funds. “We need to restoresome of these connecting corridors towilderness to enable tigergeneflow,andelephantmigration,”hesaid.

So far, four companies — McAfee, Hewlett-Packard, BritishTelecom and Sidwin (an engineering company) — have showninterestinchannellingtheirCSRfundstowardsvariousactivitiesintigerreserves,Mr.Rajsaid.Tigerreservesalreadyhadafinancialmechanismunder their respectiveTigerConservationFoundationtoacceptfunds“incashorkind,”hesaid,andaddedthatthenewtripartite agreement will chart out the companies’ long-termresponsibilitiesratherthanaone-offcontribution.

While companieshavealreadyoffered to fundother initiativesoftheForestDepartment, landacquisition is the“biggestchallenge”for the department, requiring several thousand crores, said Mr.Luthra.

Expert suggests si l t-freebarrages

AU.N.consultantandengineerhascomeupwithacost-effectiveplanforGangarejuvenationbybuilding25silt-freebarrageswithinthe riversystemtodilute thewasteand tomaintainacontinuousflowoffreshwater.

T.HanumanthaRao,formerEngineer-in-ChiefoftheA.P.Irrigationdepartment and U.N. consultant to 22 countries told The Hinduthat his ‘Ganga rejuvenation plan,’ involved construction ofbarragesfromHaridwartoFarakka,onebelowtheotherinsuchamanner that the stored water of the lower barrage touches theupstreamone.

Thiswouldrendertheentireriveralongreservoirlimitedtostoringfloodwaterwithin the flood zoneof the riverwithout submergingany village. A perennial flow of ‘bathing quality’ water is thusensured through a self-purification process that takes care ofwaste water flowing into the river either directly or fromdysfunctional sewage treatment plants, which has been thebiggestchallengesofar.HisprojectisexpectedtobepresentedtoPrimeMinisterNarendraModishortly.

The Central Pollution Control Board had estimated that 4800millionlitresperdayofwasteflowedintotheGangain2013.Thisworksoutto1,964cubicfeetpersecond(cusecs)requiringafreshwaterdischargeofabout19,640cusecsforitsdilutionby10times.Thisisrequiredessentiallyduringthedryperiodoffourmonthsasfloodflowstakecareofthedilutionintheremainingeightmonths.

Mr.Rao’s plan prefers building thesebarrageson themain riveritself as it is virtually impossible to construct storage reservoirselsewhere on the Gangetic plains or in the ecologically fragileHimalayan hilly regions. A design innovation proposed in thebarrages is that thebottomof theradialgatestarts fromtheriverbedapronlevelandiskeptopentoallowfreenormalflowsandtowashdownthesilt.Thewaterstoredupstreamineachbarrageisreleaseddownstreamtoprovideenoughwaterfordilutionofwasteinflows.

There will be no siltation upstream of barrage as each vent willfunctionasscouringsluice.

Besides purifying the Ganga basin, the project has advantagessuchas big ship navigation, hydro power generation, large-scalefishing for Hilsa and other species, assured environmental flowsandconservationofmangroveofthewetlands,hesays.

Aradiotosavel ivesinRudraprayag.After over a decade of efforts, a community radio focussed ondisastermanagementwas launchedonSunday in theMandakiniValley,whichwasravagedbythefloodsinUttarakhandin2013.

ListenerscantuneintoMandakinikiAwazfrom200villagesinthedistrict and remote areas of theChamoli andPauri districts. Thestudioof the firstcommunity radioservice inRudraprayagdistrictwillbebasedatSenaGadsari.

The station, in collaboration with the Bangalore-based People’sPowerCollective,willbroadcastprogrammesinthelocalGarhwalidialect,whichhasbeencategorisedas“unsafe”intheAtlasoftheWorld’sLanguagesinDangerofUNESCO.

TheCollective,whichworkstobringcommunityradiotoruralandisolatedcommunities in thecountry, joinedhandswithMandakiniKiAwazKalyanSewaSamiti,alocalbody,in2010.InSeptember2013, the two started training local people to manage the radiostation.

“The workforce of the community radio is the residents of 80villages in thedistrict,”SarithaThomas, founderof theCollective,says.

Acommunityradiobecameapressingneedintheregionafterthefloodsdestroyedallmeansofcommunication—roads,cellphonetowers and so on.“Community radio has a big role to play ingrassroots-level disaster preparedness, risk reduction, relief andrescue operations, rehabilitation and the responsiblereconstructionofanaffected regionand itspeople,”Ms.Thomassaid.

Thecommunityradio,shesays,willaddresslocallyrelevantissuessuch as education, nutrition, drinking water, sanitation, women’sandpublichealth,livelihoods,migrationandcommunitywell-being

aswell asenable the community to celebrateandpreserve theirlanguage,traditions,folkmusicandculture.

ItistheseventhcommunityradiointheState.

Double working days under MGNREGS:AidwaWith prices of essential commodities skyrocketing, affectingfarmers and labours, the All India Democratic Women'sAssociation(Aidwa)hasurgedtheCentretoincreasethenumberofworkingdaysfrom100to200andfixtheminimumwageatRs.300adayundertheMahatmaGandhiNationalRuralEmploymentGuaranteeScheme(MGNREGS).

The three-day 14{+t}{+h}State Conference of the Aidwa beganhere on Saturday with the participation of its national presidentMaliniBhattacharyaandStateleaders.

One of the main resolutions adopted was the effectiveimplementationof theschemeacross thecountry.The resolutionsaidthatonlybecauseofthepressureexertedbytheLeftparties,theUnitedProgressiveAlliance(UPA)attheCentreimplementedtheschemein2006.Itwasaimedatguaranteeing100daysworkso as to improve their standard of living and also preventmigration. But the budgetary allocation for the scheme wassignificantlyreducedeveryyearandinmanycasesthefundswerenotutilisedfully,theresolutionsaid.

About22.11percentand32.82percentoffundsfor2011-12and2012-13 respectivelywerenotutilised, the resolutionsaidaddingthatthoughRs.167wasnotifiedasdailywageforworkersinTamilNadu, workers were paid an average of Rs. 80 a day and jobsprovidedonlyfor40to50daysayear.

Theconferencewantedbasicamenitiessuchasmedical,drinkingwater,childcareandroofsheltermadeavailableatworksite,as90per cent of workers were women. The conference wantedadditional allocation of funds besides effective implementation oftheschemeacrossthecountry.

Amaravathiwaterrelease

ChiefMinisterJayalalithaaonSundaydirectedthatwaterfromtheAmaravathi dam in Coimbatore district be released fromSeptember22forirrigationof47,117acresinTiruppurandKarur.

Thedecisionfollowedrequestfromfarmersofthearea,anofficialreleasesaid.

Single-handedefforttocleanKurichiTankAnenvironmentalactivisthasembarkedonanattempttocleantheKuruchiTankallbyhimself.

K.S.Arumugasamysaysthatforthepastcoupleofmonths,hehasbeenspending five tosixhourseveryday removing thehyacinthfromtheKuruchiTank.

Theobjectiveofhiseffort,hesays,isnotonlytocleanupthetank,butalsotocreateawarenessamongthepeopleabouttheneedtoconservesuchtanks.

“The Kuruchi Tank was constructed in the 9{+t}{+h}century andhasarichhistorybehindit.However,thetankhasshrunkinsizeinrecentyearsduetomanyfactors,”hesaid.

He isworking towardscreatingawarenessagainstencroachmentof water bodies and dumping of plastic, construction debris andothersolidwasteintotanks.

Conservationmeasureswouldensurethatthetankwaspreservedforfuturegenerations,headds.

Hehasalreadyundertakensimilarattemptsafewyearsago.

SchemetoboostcapitalgoodssectorTheschemeforenhancementofcompetitivenessofcapitalgoodssector,whichwasapprovedrecentlybytheCabinetCommitteeforEconomicAffairs,willgiveaboosttothesector,MinisterofStateforHeavyIndustriesandPublicEnterprisesP.RadhakrishnansaidhereonFriday.

InauguratingConfederationofIndianIndustry’sthree-dayindustrialmaintenance expo and conference, he said the estimated outlayfortheschemewasRs.930.96crore.Whilethebudgetarysupportfrom thegovernment for theschemewouldbeRs.581.22crore,the balance Rs. 349.74 crore would be contributed by thestakeholderindustries.

He said theMinistrywas takinganactive role in events suchasthe industrial maintenance expo. Industrial maintenance was ofimportancetoindustrieshere.

An industrial organisation that prioritised maintenance would beabletoavoidlosses.Lossofproductiontimeandqualitybecause

ofpoormaintenancewouldhaveanimpactonthecompetitivenessoftheindustries.

The Union Government was supporting growth of MSMEs byproviding provided logistics infrastructure, power, and access tocreditandtechnology,hesaid.

T.T. Ashok, former chairman of CII-Southern Region, said theStateandCentralGovernmentswere focusingonmanufacturing.WhiletheshareofthemanufacturingsectorintheGDPwasabout15per cent now, itwasexpected to goup to 25per cent in thenexteightyears.

Therewerenewdevelopments,applications,andchallenges too.There was a need to focus on micro, small and medium-scaleenterprises,hesaid.

A.Shivkumar,co-chairmanofIMX2014,saidindustriesneedtogoinforpro-activemaintenance.

Ravi Sam, chairman of CII-Tamil Nadu, said manufacturing wasgrowing in smaller cities in the country and Tamil Nadu wasemergingasamajormanufacturinghub.

Water released for irr igation from LowerAnicut,VeeranamTankOn thedirectionofChiefMinisterJayalalithaa twoMinistersM.C.Sampath (Commercial Taxes) and K.A. Jayapal (Fisheries)releasedwaterfromtheLowerAnicutandtheVeeranamTankforirrigationonSunday.

Prior to theopeningof thesluices, theMinistersattendedapujaperformedattheLowerAnicut.Later,theyreachedtheVeeranamTank to let out the water for the ayacut areas. Those whoaccompaniedthemincludedCuddaloreDistrictCollectorS.SureshKumar, his Thanjavur counterpart N. Subbaian, MPs A.

Arunmozhithevan (Cuddalore), M. Chandrakasi (Chidambaram)andR.K. Bharathimohan (Maiyiladuthurai),MLAsM.Rengasamy(Thanjavur),SelviRamajayam(Bhuvanagiri)andN.Murugumaran(Kattumannarkoil).

Thewaterreleasewouldhelpthefarmerstoraisepaddyonatotalarea of 1,31,903 acres in the districts of Cuddalore, ThanjavaurandNagapattinam.Tostartwith,1,200cusecsofwaterwouldbedischarged from the Lower Anicut as follows: Vadavar — 700cusecs,NorthRajanCanal—200cusecsandSouthRajanCanal—300cusecs.

FromtheVeeranamTankatotalquantumof85cusecs—at therateof10cusecsthroughtheRadhaCanaland75cusecsthroughtheVeernamnewsluice—wouldbe released.Later, asper therequirementsthequantumofreleasewouldbesteppedup.

The Lower Anicut water would directly benefit 47,997 acres inCuddalore district and 39,050 acres in Thanjavur andNagapattinam districts. The Vadavar (part of the Veeranamsystem)wouldbenefit44,856acres.

TheMinistersappealedtothefarmerstousewaterjudiciouslyandgetoptimumcropyield.

Belatedaction

Meanwhile, the vice-president of the Cauvery Delta Farmers’Welfare Association V. Kannan has said that the belated waterreleasewould pose problems to the ayacutdars in raising paddycrops.

He toldThe Hindu that owing to certain reasons opening of theMetturDamwaspostponedfromthecustomarydateofJune12toAugust10.Therefore,theayacutdarsoftheLowerAnicutandtheVeernamtankhadresortedtodirectsowinginabout75,000acres.

But forwantof rainthesurvivalprospectsof thepaddyseedlingsinthedirectlysownareaswerebleak.Intheremainingayacutarea

of about 56,900 acres fresh nursery ought to be raised andsubsequentlytransplantationwouldhavetobedone.

ThesaplingswouldbereadyfortransplantationbyOctober25,thetime when normally the north-east monsoon sets in. In such aneventualitythepaddysaplingswouldgetinundatedandrot.

Therefore, going by the present experience at least in future thePublicWorksDepartmentshouldkeepreadyanexigencyplanwellinadvance,Mr.Kannanadded.

Cost-saving in machine transplantation ofpaddycropdemonstratedThe Agricultural Department has demonstrated substantial cost-saving in machine transplantation of paddy samba crop atSingiripalayam village in Thookanaickenpalayam block in thedistrict,muchtothereliefofthecultivatorsfacingshortageoffarmlabourers who have migrated to Tirupur and other places andtransformedintoindustrialworkforce.

Since manpower shortage in agricultural operations right fromnursery preparation to post-harvest operations is beingincreasingly felt, farmers are being encouraged to opt formechanised transplantation under the National AgricultureDevelopmentProgramme.

AccordingtoJointDirectorofAgricultureM.Selvaraj,whoinitiatedthemachineplantingdemoatSingiripalayamvillage,10kgofseedwouldsufficeforplantingoneacreofmainfield.

Undertheconventionalmethodoftransplantation,25kgseedsarerequired.

Thenurseryformachinetransplantationispreparedinplastictrayswithin 15 days. After a week of watering the trays, one kg ofpowdereddiammoniamphosphate isapplied to thenursery trays

forbettergrowthoftheseedlings.

Machine transplantation of seeds that would cost Rs. 3,500 peracrecouldbecompletedwithintwohours,anditwascompatibletoSRI(SystemofRiceIntensification)modeofcultivation.

Row pacing is maintained at 25 cm, and harvest of more than3,500 kg could be achieved per acre. The savings in cost ofcultivationwillbefromRs.1,500toRs.2,000,

Mr.Selvarajsaid,addingthat ithasbeenestablishedthroughthedemonstration plot that rodent damage was low, and pest anddisease incidence could be brought down with good nitrogenmanagementpractices.

P. Chidambaram, Assistant Director of Agriculture,Thookanaickanpalayam, said farmers in the block have evincedinterest in broad-basing machine transplantation method in theirfields. Machine transplanting will be taken up massively in thecomingseason,hesaid.

Ero Intec 2014 showcases array ofbusinessopportunit iesEro Intec 2014, the second edition of industrial and consumerproducts fair being organised jointly by the Erode District SmallScale Industries, Association and the National Small IndustriesCorporation since Friday, showcases an array of businessopportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs through orientationprogrammes.

Thefour-dayfairattheParimalamMahalendsonMonday.

IndianBankandSmallIndustriesDevelopmentBankofIndiaweresponsorsandco-sponsorsrespectively.TheTamilNaduIndustrialInvestmentCorporationprovidedinformationontheloanschemesfornewentrepreneursatcompetitiveinterestrates.

Amongtheproducts includea70-ccbikethatrunson80percent

petrol and 20 percent water, a motorcycle operated withmechanical shaft, and a host of devices that would benefitagriculturaloperations.

The other sponsors are Technopac and EID Parry (India) Ltd.Sakthi Masala, Podaran, and Milka Wonder Cake constitute theotherco-sponsors.

The student involvement haswitnesseda rise,ChairmanofEro-Intec2014,R.Subramaniansaid.

“Weintendtoextendemployerjob-matchingservicebycreatingadatabaseofthenamesofcandidatesandtheirprofilesthatwouldbeprovidedtoEmploymentExchange,Mr.Subramaniansaid.

Sunflowerf ields,thecynosureofal l eyesSunflower,oneofthemajorsourcesofediblevegetableoils,maynot be a preferred crop among farmers of Karur and Tiruchidistricts as paddy and banana crops continue to attract themthanks to availability of irrigated water supply. However, a fewfarmersinthefringeareasofKarurandTiruchidistrictshavemadeanewbeginningbycultivatingthecrop–ofcourseinasmallway.

The crop has been raised on a few hundred acres inKalingankadu,Thongamalai,andAyyarmalai.Thecrop,whichwasraised about 70 days ago, has almost come to the stage ofharvesting. Some farmers have harvested the crop a fewweeksago.

Though farmers did not intend to make them as demonstrationplots, the striking colours of sunflowers attract passersby andneighbouringfarmers.Manyoftheminvariablystopawhileatthesunflower field.Someof themenquirewith the farmers,whohadraisedthecrop.

“Aftertryinganumberofvariousvegetablecrops,Ihaveraisedthe

sunfloweronthreeacresofmylandonapilotbasis.Imayormaynotearnprofit.But,IamhappythatIhavepassedinputsaboutthemethod of cultivation to many farmers in the region,” saysV.SangapillaiofKalingankadu.A.Sadayandi,another farmer,saidthattheresultswereencouraging.

PensionorderedtofarmerThe Madras High Court Bench here has criticised the revenueofficials in Thanjavur district for having withdrawn the monthlypension granted to an agriculturalist, under the Tamil NaduAgricultureWorkersSocialProtectionandWelfareScheme,afterhissonsecuredagovernmentjob.

Observingthatnotallsonstookcareoftheirparents,JusticeT.S.Sivagnanam quashed an order passed by theSpecial Tahsildar,SocialSecurityScheme,Tiruvaiyaru inThanjavurdistrict,onMay23,2013,stoppingthedisbursementofmonthlypensiontothewritpetitioner,T.Sampantham.

The judge directed the Collector and the Tahsildar to resumepayment of pension to the petitioner under the Tamil NaduAgricultureWorkersSocialProtectionandWelfareScheme,2006

DeltafarmershailChiefMinisterFarmersarejubilantovertheChiefMinisterJayalalithaa’sdecisiontodumpthenewNationalCropInsuranceProgramme.

As theprogrammewouldaffect farmers, theyare reluctant togetloans due to high premium and the low insurance coverage.HowevertheChiefMinister’sannouncementhascomeasaboonto farmers as they could avail crop loan from bankswithout anyhesitation.

Subramanian, district secretary, All India Kisan Sabha, said thatever since the new programme was introduced, farmers wereshocked and felt that it would be an additional burden.Representativesofallfarmers’associationshadopposedthenewprogrammeinthelastagriculturegrievancedaymeetingalso.

Dhanabal from the Cauvery farmers’ protection centre and GopiGanesan from the Cauvery Delta (east) Farmers MunnetraSangamthankedtheChiefMinisterforrevertingtotheoldNationalAgriculture Insurance Scheme (NIAS) this year for paddy andothercrops.

NEEDS and innovation make himsuccessfulentrepreneurInnovationandconversionof ideas intoaction transformevenanemployeeintoasuccessfulentrepreneur.

As a proof of this, G. Thanigaivel Murugan of Bodi, formercoordinator for ‘108’ ambulance service, has become a youngentrepreneur and his product is a simple one, but one wonderswhynobodycouldthinkofitbefore.

He set up a plastic and polyester printing unit and markets theproducts – printed rolls and pouches – tapping the ever-growingneedsoffood-processingindustrywiththehelpoftheDepartmentof Industries. A sum of Rs.65 lakh was given to him for capitalinvestment under New Entrepreneurship-cum-EnterpriseDevelopmentScheme(NEEDS).

Theni district is one of the biggest trading and manufacturingcentres of spices, masala items, snacks, agricultural and fooditems.Moreover,amajorityof the food-processingand food itemmanufacturing units are small and cottage industries. Attractiveandmulti-colouredpackingmaterialsaretheirprimetooltomarkettheirproductsandattractcustomers.

Earlier, they had to go to Sivakasi or Hyderabad to buy printed

pouches for packing food items, because Theni district had nosuch industries. With no time to visit Sivakasi or Hyderabad toplaceorders,manyindustriesdependedonmiddlemenforprintingtheir packingmaterials. Distance and timemade their packagingcosts high. “I see a vast business potential in this area,” saysThanigaivel Murugan, who has completed B. Pharm and MBA.“Now, they get packaging materials at affordable costs locally,”adds.

OftheRs.1-croreinvestment,loancomponentwasRs.65lakhandtherestwashiscontribution.HiscontactsascoordinatorinTheni,Madurai,Dindigul,Pudukotti,SivagangaandVirudhunagarhelpedhimexpandhisbusinessactivities.

Now,heprintspouchesforspices,chocolates,dhal,flour,masalapowder,milk, snacksand cashew.Hisbusinessactivities spreaduptoKerala,ahighlypotentialmarket.Gravureprintingcannotbedone in Kerala owing to the cool climate. Rapid drying isnecessaryforthisprinting,headds.

BriefingonNEEDS,CollectorK.S.Palanisamysaid themainaimofNEEDSwastohelpprospectiveunemployedgraduatesbecomeemployers. “We offer funds and impart administrative training tothem.BeneficiariescanavailthemselvesofloanfromRs.5lakhtoRs.1croreunderNEEDS,with25percentinvestmentsubsidyandthreepercentinterestsubvention,”hesaid.

WaterlevelatMetturThewaterlevelattheMetturDamstoodat90.91feetonSundayagainstitsfull levelof120feet.Theinflowwas4,555cusecsandthedischarge,21,001cusecs.

Five-day powerloom products melalaunchedAbuyer-sellermeet-cum-powerloomproductsmelawasorganisedby Powerloom Development and Export Promotion Council(PDEXCIL), under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, here onSunday.

Inaugurating the programme, P.S.S.K. Raja Sankaralingam,president, All India Chamber of Commerce and Industries,Tuticorin,saidmanufacturersofpowerloomproductshadnowgotthe opportunity to market their produce directly to consumers atthefive-daymela.

With a good collection of readymade garments for men andwomenandhome furnishingsavailable in various stalls, he said,thisprogrammeheraldedthebeginningofDeepavalifestival.Afterhavingalookatthestalls,hesaidtheexportqualityproductsweremadeavailableatreasonableprices.

V.T.Karunanidhi,vice-chairman,PDEXCIL,SouthernRegion,saidthetradesmeninthetextileindustrycouldavailthemselvesofthebenefitsofTechnologyUpgradationFund (TUF)Scheme throughwhich the governmentwasoffering 30 per cent subsidy to boostthetrade.

The TUF Scheme would be functional until 2017 and hence heappealedtothestakeholderstoutilisethisscheme.Toovercomelabour shortage in the textile-oriented industries, trainingprogrammes were offered on computer designing to cut clothesunderSkillDevelopmentScheme.

About 800 to 1,000 persons were trained in Erode throughPDEXCILandtheywereemployed.ThePDEXCILwouldorganisea similar buyer–seller meet at Ahmedabad and Frankfurt inOctobertoattractforeignbuyers,headded.

G. Kumaravel, Assistant Director, Regional Office of TextileCommissioner, Coimbatore, said there was a high demand forexport of powerloom products, but the manufactures had beenconcentrating on domestic market. Under Capital SubsidyScheme,anyentrepreneurcouldtakeupthisventure,hesaid.

Twenty five stalls selling saris, silk saris, readymade churidars,churidarmaterial, churidar tops, cotton shirtsmade fromTirupur,Erode and Salem, bed sheets, made-ups and other furnishingtextileswereputup.

K.Marappan,Member,PDEXCIL,Mumbai,S.Sivaraju,RegionalOffice (in-charge), PDEXCIL, Erode, and P. Vinayagamurthy,president,TuticorinCentralTradersAssociation,alsospoke.

UPASI expresses concern over crisis inplantationcommoditiesPresident,UnitedPlantersAssociationofSouthernIndia(UPASI),VijayanRajes,hasexpressedconcernsoverthecrisisintwomajorplantation commodities, teaandnatural rubber.Tea continues torealise lower prices in South India averaging Rs.87 per kgcomparedtoRs.103perkglastyearandevenontheproduction

front there is no solace because of the unfavourable weatherconditions.

Thedroppingpricesaremoreworrisomein lightof theescalatingcostofproduction.Atpresent, theaveragecostofproduction forthecorporatesectorinSouthIndiaisapproximatelyRs.105perkg.

Indiahasalreadylostitsprominenceintheexportmarketandnowit occupies the fourth position afterKenya,China andSri Lanka.Mr.RajessaidthatUPASIundertheaegisofUPASICommoditiesExchangeLimited (UCEL)will be launching the regulare-auctionon1stDecember2014.Itwilladdressmostoftheoftheconcernstheindustryvisavisthecurrente-auctionsystem.

Farmers told toshift toprotectedcult ivationpracticesforbetteryieldS. Ayyappan, Director-General of Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch (ICAR) has underlined the need to promote protectedcultivationpractices.

Changes in climatic condition had affected the agricultural yieldsandqualityofcrops.Itwasessentialtomotivatefarmerstotakeupprotectedcultivationpracticeslikegreenhousefarming,shade-net,mulching and drip irrigation to mitigate loss that they (farmers)might incur owing to climatic changes, he said after inauguratingthe Foundation Day programme of the University of AgricultureandHorticulturalSciences,ShimogahereonSunday.

Mr. Ayyappan regretted that wrong notions were prevailing in asection of society towards agricultural sciences. Agriculturalscience was a serious academic discipline that played animportantroleinshapingthedestinyofthenation.Theroleplayedbyagriculturalscientistsinhelpingthenationachieveself-reliancein food production should be highlighted. At present,meritoriousyouths prefer to join medical and engineering courses. It wasnecessary to sensitise youths on the employment opportunitiesthatwereavailableforthosewhostudiedagriculturalsciencesandattractthemtowardsthisstream,hesaid.

Mr. Ayyappan called upon the youngsters to become agricultureentrepreneurs.Agriculture graduates should take to cultivation ofmushroom,pisciculture,seedprocessing,foodprocessingandsoiltesting.

The lowreturnsfromagricultureowingto fluctuatingpricesof theproducesand inconsistentweatherhas forcedmany rural youthstomigrate towards urban centres in search of jobs. By adoptingthe scientific cultivation and post-harvest practices, the profitmarginscanbeenhanced.

It is necessary to sensitise the young farmers in this regard, hesaid. Mr. Ayyappan released the new logo of the university andlaunched its website on the occasion. C. Vasudevappa, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture and HorticulturalSciences,Shimoga;D.P.Biradar,Vice-ChancelloroftheUniversityofAgricultureSciences,Dharwad;D.P.Kumar,Vice-ChancelloroftheUniversityofAgricultureSciences,Bangalore,werepresent.

ICAR to set up research centre inChitradurga

TheIndianCouncilofAgriculturalResearch(ICAR)willestablisharesearch centre in Chitradurga district to study on the scope ofremotesensingtechnologyinagriculture,saiditsDirector-GeneralS.Ayyappan.TheUniongovernmenthasdirectedtheICARtoworkoninterfacebetweenremotesensingtechnologyandagriculturalsciences.TheICARhasdecidedtoestablisharesearchcentrethatwill takeupthestudyinthisregardinChitradurga.

TheUniversityofAgricultureandHorticulturalSciences,Shimoga,and theDepartment of AtomicEnergywould be roped in for theproject,hetoldpresspersonshereonSunday.

Theproposedcentrewouldbecomefunctionalinoneyear.Itwaspossible to get precise information on soil quality, climaticconditions and impact of climatic changes on agricultural yieldsthroughremotesensingtechnology.

Rs. 347-crore vented dams project inUdupi,DakshinaKannadaapprovedVinayKumarSorake,UrbanDevelopmentMinister,hassaid thattheStategovernmenthadgivenin-principleapprovaltoaRs.347-crore project to construct vented dams in Udupi and DakshinaKannadadistricts.

Hewasspeakingafter inauguratingvariousdevelopmentalworksand distributing facilities to beneficiaries at Hejmady in Udupidistrict.

Mr. Sorake said the project to construct vented dams had beensubmittedtotheKarnatakaNeeravariNigama.Thisprojectwouldhelp in improving the underwater table, and would solve bothdrinkingwaterandirrigationneeds.

Around 13 rivers were flowing through Udupi and DakshinaKannada districts, but they were not being utilised to their fullpotential. Thewater fromKumaradharaRiverwould be providedfortheYettinaholeproject,hesaid.

Efforts would be made to have a separate office of CoastalRegulationZone(CRZ)inthecoastalregiontodealwithproblemsrelated to CRZ in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. TheStatesofKeralaandGoaenjoyedcertainrelaxationsinthenormsofCRZ.

The State government had sent a proposal to the Uniongovernment to extend these relaxations to Karnataka also. Thiswouldalsohelpintourismdevelopment.AcommitteeoftheUniongovernmenthadalreadycollectedopinionson this issue.Already500 beneficiaries had been providedwith sites in the district. Bytheendofthisyear,another1,000beneficiarieswouldbeprovidedwithsites.

A project to construct a fisheries harbour at Hejmady village inUdupidistrict,atanestimatedcostofRs.122crore,hadbeensentto the Union government for its approval. A project had beenprepared to construct a modern playground at Hejmady at anestimatedcostofRs.1.3crore.

Ration cards of nearly 4,000 beneficiaries in Kaup Assemblyconstituencywereyet tobe linkedwith theirAadhaar cards.Thelists of such persons had been sent to the gram panchayats tosolveanyproblemsineitherofthecardsbyOctober7.

PensionAdalatsandRevenueAdalatswerebeingheldindifferentpartsofthedistricttosolvetheproblemsofpensionersandthosehavingproblemswithregardtotitledeeds.Adistrict-levelPensionandRevenueAdalatwouldbeheldatThekkattesoon,Mr.Sorakesaid.

‘Modify research programmes to addressfarmers’problems’

The research programmes in agriculture sector should benefitfarmers, Kerala Agricultural University vice chancellor P.Rajendransaid.Addressing a review meeting on the All India CoordinatedResearch Projects (AICRP), Kerala, he said appropriatemodificationscouldbeincorporatedintheresearchprogrammestoaddresstheproblemsofKeralafarmerswithoutcompromisingonnationalperspectives.

Healso stressed theneed for flexibility for programmes tomakemidcourse correction, if required. Addressing the meeting T.R.Gopalakrishnan,directorofresearch,KAU,saidtheIndianCouncilofAgriculturalResearchwassupportingtheUniversityintermsofmanpowerandfinanceforimplementingresearchprojects.

Atotalof32AICRPsfinanciallysupportedbytheIndianCouncilofAgricultural Research is under implementation in 38 centresspreadacross theState.Thereareseparatecrop-basedAICRPsfor research on rice, vegetable, fruits, spices, medicinal andaromaticplants,sesamum,sugarcane,cashew,floricultureplants,palmsandforagecrops.

Explaining about farm research programmes in the state, Mr.Gopalakrishnan said eight AICRP were working on issues toaddress crop management aspects. Seven AICRPs are workingoncropprotection.

The various crop-based and systembasedAll IndiaCoordinatedResearch Projects has helped to generate a number of high

yielding and pest and disease resistant culture varieties in cropslike rice, vegetables, banana, pepper and, pulses, said Mr.Gopalakrishanan.

“AnumberofpestanddiseaseproblemsintheStatealsocouldbeaddressed through research in the coordinated researchprojectsat the Kerala Agricultural University. Quite a good number ofvarieties like Ambili and Sooraj ( pumpkin), Surya and Swetha(brinjal), Priya and Preethi (bitter gourd) and a number of cropproduction and crop protection technologies from KAU werereleased/ recommended at national level through co-ordinatedresearch,”headded.

GoodresponsetofarmprogrammeThe month-long programme organised by the Krishi VigyanKendra-Kannur (KVK) at Panniyur here for dissemination offarming technologies has drawn a positive response from thefarmingcommunityintheregion,accordingtotheorganisers.

KVK programme co-ordinator P. Jayaraj said that the KVKorganised‘Chingam’,aprogrammetocoincidewiththeMalayalammonth known as the farmers’ month, with the objective ofequipping the extension functionaries, farmers and agriculturalworkers to utilise proper technologies suitable for different agro-ecological units in the district as also of converging theopportunities and facilities from other sources. The programmethatconcludedtheotherdaywasorganisedinassociationwithAllIndia Radio (AIR), Kannur. He said that 1,400 farmers hadattended the month-long programme which included a series oftechnological sessions, training sessions, visits, workshops,participatory mode of technology transfer, diagnostic visits andseminars,amongothers.Theeventswerearrangedtobenefitthefarmingcommunity,hesaidinapressrelease.

Whilethefarmerswhohadparticipatedintheprogrammearetheimmediate beneficiaries of the initiative, the AIR here wouldbroadcast the proceedings of the various sessions of the

programmetoensurethatthebenefitsreachedawideraudience.The sessions would be broadcast from October 1 to 31, Dr.Jayarajsaid.

The KVK also launched the Kisan Mobile Advisory Services(KMAS). On the first day of its launching, 220 farmers hadregistered for the service facility, he said. The service wasinauguratedbyAIRKannurAssistantDirectorK.Balachandran.

Among those who visited KVK during the programme includedKeralaAgriculturalUniversity(KAU)Vice-ChancellorPRajendran,P.V. Balachandran of the KAU Director of Extension and C.V.Sairam, Principal Scientist, Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch’sZonalProjectDirectorate,Bangalore.

Expertsinvariousagriculturalfieldshadhandledvarioustechnicalsessions. A training on family farming concepts and potential fortheStatewasalsoarrangedfortheparticipants.

eportondeepseafishingdrawsflakThe report of an expert committee constituted for the‘Comprehensive Review of Deep Sea Fishing Policy andGuidelines”hasstirredahornet’snestinlittoralStates.

The report recommends that 1,178 deep sea fishing vessels(DSFV) be considered for deployment in the India ExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ)basedontheresourcepotentialoftunaandothercommercialspeciessuchassquids.Criticsofthereportfearthat the recommendation, if implemented, will open the Indianwaters toexploitationby foreignvesselsat thecostof the Indianfishingindustry.

The traditional and the mechanised fishing sectors havedemanded rejection of the report and warned that attempts toimplementitwillbestronglyresisted.ItwillalsoleadtodepletionofmarinewealthintheIndianwaters,theyallege

The report underlines that “sustainable exploitation of fisheriesresources in the Indian EEZ should be the primary condition foranyutilisationplan.Restorationofresourcesisnotonlycostlybutoften impossible.” Underexplored It specifically refers to theunderexploitedrichyellowfinandskipjacktunaresources.

A fisheriesscientistwhodidnotwant tobequotedendorses thecommittee’s finding that India is still a small player in the globaltunamarket.ExceptLakshadweep, there ishardlyanyorganisedtunafisheryinIndia.TheAndamanandNicobarIslandsoffersomeof the best tuna fishing grounds in the Indian EEZ. “But tunaresources from these waters have largely remained unexploited.Since the oceanic tunas aremigratory, the tuna that could havebeen caught by the Indian fleet in the Andaman and NicobarwatersmostlygetharvestedintheEEZsofneighbouringcountriesor in the high seas by the fleet of distant-water fishing nations,”saysthereport.

Onanaverage,during2008-12,Indiahadcaught39,000tonnesofyellow finandskipjack tuna from itswatersagainstapotentialof1,79,000 tonnes. In other words, India is presently harvestingabout 1/5th of the potential and the balance can be optimallyharvested using a judiciousmix of technology, infrastructure andhumanresourcedevelopment,thereportsays.

B.Meenakumari,DeputyDirectorGeneral (Fisheries)attached tothe Indian Council of Agricultural Research, who headed theexpertcommittee,toldTheHinduthatthereportwaspostedonthewebsite for comments. The government would look into thecommentsanddecide.“Commentsfromthechairofthecommitteeormembersarenotdesirable,astheyarenotauthorisedtospeakonbehalfofthegovernment.”

FREETRAINING INDUCKFARMING:A free training induck farmingwill be held at the Animal Husbandry training centre near ITI inMalampuzha on September 24 and 25. Interested people shallregister in advance and report at the centre by 10 a.m. onSeptember24,apressreleasesaid.—StaffReporter.

CultivatingpassionforafruitEven though there are immense possibilities for cultivation ofpassionfruit inKerala,farmershereseemstohavenotyetfounditsrealpotential.

In an effort to popularise the cultivation of the fruit, a privatecompany inKozhikodehas comeoutwith a plan,whichoffers abuy-back schemeof fruits for interested farmersafter distributingthemhybridvarietyofthefruitsaplings.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday P.K. Gireesh,chairman of the newly registered company based in Kozhikode,which is planning to produce value-addedproducts from the fruitbesides promoting the farming here, said his firm had alreadyapproachedtheAgriculturalDepartmentwiththeideatowhichtheAgricultureMinisterhadresponded“verypositively”.

Asperthescheme,thefirmwouldprovideadequatenumberofthefruitsaplings to registered farmers, fromwhom itwouldbuybackthefruitsoncetheywerereadyforthemarketprice.

“Foreach10kgoffruits,thepriceofasaplingwillbereimbursed,”saidMr.Gireesh,whomaintainedthatthecompanywouldneedatleast1,000kgoffruitdailytostarttheproductionunit.

Though the fruit was in high demand world over, no one wasfarming it on a commercial basis in Kerala due to lack ofawareness.

“This is despite our climate being most suitable for it,” he said.Farming passion fruit “even in five cents of land” would fetchRs.20,000onanaverageannuallyforafarmer,saidMr.Gireesh,who said the farming only required minimum labour and lowmaintenance. “Farming passion fruit is two times profitable incomparisontoplantaincultivation,consideringitslabour,”hesaid.

Claimed to be of “high medicinal value,” the pulp of the fruitaccording to Mr. Gireesh was used for a host of value-added

products world wide. “Considering its immensely increasingdemand,eventheStategovernmenthasnowstartedfarmingthefruitatNelliyampathyinPalakkaddistrict,”hesaid.

Thefirm,accordingtoMr.Gireesh,wouldbuybackonlythefruitsfromthose farmers,whohadpurchasedsaplings fromthemasameasuretomaintainthequalityofthefruits.

“Wehavealreadysoldover20,000saplings,”saidMr.Gireesh. ,Fordetails,contactPh:9388931193.

PaddyfarmersgofordistresssaleWith yet another harvesting season round the corner, paddycultivators here are aworried lot.Despite the increasing price ofrice in the open market, the minimum support price for farmerslooks too low and not in conformity with the labour, seed, andfertilizercosts.

EvenChiefMinisterOommenChandy,whowas in thedistrictonFriday,agreedthatthefarmersweregettinglowpricesdespitethehugedemandforPalakkadanMattarice.“TheCentralgovernmentisofferingasupportpriceofRs.13.50akg.TheStateisdisbursingthe amount along with its contribution of Rs.5.50 a kg. Thegovernment isawareofthegrievancesoffarmers.But increasingthesupportpricerequiresthenodoftheFinance,Agriculture,andCivil Supplies Departments and the government has alreadystarted consultations in this regard,” Mr. Chandy said whileinteractingwithfarmersatKozhinjambara.

September24

But there are no indications that the government will act beforeSeptember24,whentheSupplycostartspaddyprocurementinthedistrict.

As the process courted controversy during the last seasonbecauseof thedifferencesbetweenSupoplycoand thePalakkadDistrict Cooperative Bank over disbursing dues to farmers, the

StateagencyhasreachedanunderstandingthisyearwithCanaraBanktodisbursethepaymentswithinsevendaysfromthedateofprocurement.

AstheprocurementbytheStategovernmenthasalreadydelayedbymorethantwoweeks,farmersinVadakkancheryandPattambihave started selling their produce to private ricemills atRs.12akg. “We started harvesting two weeks ago. In the absence ofstorage facilities, we are selling the paddy to private players atthrowaway prices,” said M. Shanmugham, a farmer inVadakkanchery.

Farmers’ organisations are demanding at least Rs.25 a kg assupportprice.About32,000farmershaveregisteredwithSupplycothistime.

Labourshortagehasalsostartedaffecting themoraleof farmers.Harvestingmachines from neighbouring States are yet to reach.Instead of making use of the machines, many farmers areengagingmigrantworkersfromBengaltoharvesttheirproduce.

CottontradersseekuninterruptedpowerCotton traders in Adilabad on Sunday demanded uninterruptedpowersupplyfortheprocessingindustryduringthetradingseasonahead.

The traders also wanted repairs or relaying of roads around theAdilabadmarketyardtofacilitatesmoothtransportoperations.

At a meeting as preparatory for the trading season, AdilabadCotton Association honorary presidentGade Vinod Kumarmadethe plea for a conducive atmosphere for traders as they werereelingundertremendouslosses.

ForestMinister Jogu Ramanna promisedmeasures which wouldbehelpfultofarmersandtraders.

Moisturecontent

A request for relaxation of the practice on moisture contenthowever, did not elicit a favourable response from theadministration.CollectorM.JaganMohanmadeitclearthatpriceof cotton will depend upon the moisture content which shouldideallybebetween8and12percent.

Purchasecentres

The Assistant Director, Marketing, T. Srinivas informed that 19cottonpurchasecentreswillbeopenedinthedistrict.

He said the minimum support price for cotton was fixed at Rs.4,050perquintal.

There was promise of improvement of facilities for farmers atpurchase centres. Adilabad MP G. Nagesh, Nirmal MLA A.Indrakaran Reddy and Boath MLA Rathod Bapu Rap were alsopresent.

‘Goforsolar,windenergyunits’Adilabad Collector M. Jagan Mohan on Sunday invitedindustrialists to venture into solar andwindenergyproductionasthe atmosphere in the district is conducive for it. He saidindustrialists can also venture into processing of cotton andsoyabean and promised all help from the administration. TheCollector was addressing a meeting of enthusiastic industrialistswithaviewtopromoteindustrialisationinthedistrict.

24 water bodies identif ied as suitable forf ishcultureAimedatencouragingfishcultureinruralareasofDelhi,theDelhiGovernment’sDevelopmentDepartmenthas identified twodozenwaterbodies in theNorth-Westdistrictwhicharesuitable for fishculture.Officialssaidtheinitiativewillalsohelpinpreventingthesegramsabhalandsfromencroachment.

“Thefisheriesunit isencouragingfishcultureinwaterbodiesandvillagepondsofDelhi toovercome theproblemofencroachmentofsuchwaterbodiessituatedongramsabhaland,”anofficialsaid.DelhiLandReformsAct,1954,mandates thegrampanchayat todevelopactivitiessuchaspoultryfarmingandfisheryonthegramsabhaland.

ThefisheriesunitoftheDevelopmentDepartmenthas15nurserypondscoveringatotalwaterareaofabouttwoacres,whereintheunit produces/procures fish seed, rear them to fry and fingerlingsizeandstockinpublicandprivatewaters.

The fisheries unit ofDelhiGovernment has produced 18.25 lakhfishseedsand680MTfishsofarduringthecurrentfinancialyear,officialssaid.

Farmersdemand‘seedsovereignty’The government should ensure ‘seed sovereignty’ for farmers,demandedpeasantleadersfromdifferentpartsofthecountryhereonSunday.

“Seed sovereignty is not a baseless ideological position, but apragmatic approach. It is an integral part of food security andsovereigntyofacommunityoranation.Seedbeinghandedoverto multinational corporations, many of them notorious for theirmonopolistic tendencies and operations, is disastrous for thelivelihood of millions,” said Saroj, a leader of Paschim OdishaKrushakSangathan.

About400farmers fromAndhraPradesh,MadhyaPradesh,UttarPradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Jharkhand and Karnataka underthe banner of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture(ASHA) and Desi Bihana Surakhya Manch, Odisha assembledhere to chalk out a strategy to put up united front for securingpreservationoftraditionalseedvarietiesinthecountry.

“Government should encourage, and invest in farmer-level seed

production of locally suitable, diverse seeds. Community seedbanks should be set upwith schematic government investment,”hesaid.

Farmersdemandedthatgovernmentsshouldassessanddistributepromising traditional seed varieties through the department’sregular programmes while agricultural research and extensionprogramme should focus on farmer-led participatory varietalselectionandbreedingprogrammes.

“Seedbreedingshouldbeinorganicconditionssothatseeddoesnot become a package that brings in other unwanted inputs likechemicals. Private (commercial seed) sector should work in astatutoryregimethatallowsthegovernmenttoregulatenotjustthequalitybutpriceatwhichseedissold,inadditiontolayingdownastrict accountability regime that includes penalties, compensationandremediationwhererequired,”theydemanded.

A radio to save l ives in disaster-proneRudraprayagAfter over a decade of efforts, a community radio focussed ondisastermanagementwas launchedonSunday in theMandakiniValley,whichwasravagedbythefloodsinUttarakhandin2013.

ListenercantuneintoMandakinikiAwaz from200villagesinthedistrict and remote areas of theChamoli andPauri districts. Thestudioof the firstcommunity radioservice inRudraprayagdistrictwillbebasedatSenaGadsari.Thestation,incollaborationwiththeBangalore-based People’s Power Collective, will broadcastprogrammes in the local Garhwali dialect, which has beencategorisedas “unsafe” in theAtlasof theWorld’sLanguages inDangerofUNESCO.

TheCollective,whichworkstobringcommunityradiotoruralandisolatedcommunities in thecountry, joinedhandswithMandakiniKiAwazKalyanSewaSamiti,alocalbody,in2010.InSeptember

2013, the two started training local people to manage the radiostation.

“The workforce of the community radio is the residents of 80villages in the district … ,” Saritha Thomas, founder of theCollective,says.

Acommunityradiobecameapressingneedintheregionafterthefloodsdestroyedallmeansofcommunication—roads,cellphonetowers and so on.“Community radio has a big role to play ingrassroots-level disaster preparedness, risk reduction, relief andrescue operations, rehabilitation and the responsiblereconstructionofanaffected regionand itspeople,”Ms.Thomassaid.

Thecommunityradio,shesays,willaddresslocallyrelevantissuessuch as education, nutrition, drinking water, sanitation, women’sandpublichealth,livelihoods,migrationandcommunitywell-beingaswell asenable the community to celebrateandpreserve theirlanguage, traditions, folk music and culture. It is the seventhcommunityradiointheState.

Thebean-to-barrouteThe programme, says Anbuchelvan, managing director, ChockoChoza, was meant nudge consumers, cocoa farmers andchocolatierstowardspure,healthychocolate.Duringthethree-dayprogramme,theyvisitedcocoafarmsinThodupuzha(Kerala)andAliyarand interactedwith farmersonhow theycan improve theircrop. Over 100 cocoa farmers, 10 chocolatiers and a few end-usersbenefited.

ArunViswanathanSKofGanachecalls itanamazingeducativeinitiative.“Wenowhaveanideaofpurechocolate.Moreimportant,chocolatiers got a chance to interact with each other. We haveplans to form a network to educate the public about goodchocolates.”

Theworldover,manyfarmershavelearnt tomakesmallbatchesofchocolate frombeansharvested from their farm.Helping themare innovativebean-to-bar processingmachines.AndalBaluandher husband Balu M. Balasubramanian make and market suchmachinesintheU.S.and50othercountriesunderthebrandnameof CocoaTown. The couple started off marketing ELGI Ultragrinders in theU.S. before theydecided todo this. “Someyearsago,whenchocolatebecamehealth food,webranched into this.Balu lovestinkeringwithmachines.Wecameupwithamachine,gotfeedback...it’sbeenagoodjourney.”

ThecoupleplanstoentertheIndianmarketsoon.“Peoplewanttomake theirownchocolate,but theyneedgoodcocoabeans.Forthat, we need to support farmers. And, before selling peoplemachines,weneedtogetthemintothehabitofmakingchocolateandperfectingtheirrecipe.Idon’twantsomeonetobuyamachineandthendiscovertheydon’twanttomakechocolate,afterall.For,theideaisbasedonethics.Tohelppeoplemakesomethingusinghonest-to-goodnessingredientsinsmallbatches,”shesays.

ChocolatierMaríaFernandaDiGiacobbe fromVenezuelagaveademoonmakingbonbons.“Wehadabunchofinterestingpeoplewho were very keen on making chocolate at home,” she says.BackhomeinVenezuela,Mariahasseenthebeantobarindustrygrow from 30 women in one community making chocolate fromplantation beans to over 600women. “Wewant to showwomenherethattheycansetasidesomebeansforthemselvesandmakegreattastingchocolate.”

CMRemovesCropInsuranceThornCHENNAI: When Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced onSaturday that the old National Agriculture Insurance scheme(NAIS)willbevalid forSamba,she tookamajor thornoutof thedeltafarmers’flesh.

For,theModifiedNationalAgriculturalInsuranceScheme(MNAIS)introducedbytheerstwhileUPAgovernmentafewyearsagowasseen as hostile by the farmers because of its high premiumandlowcover.Infact,thoughthegovernmentspecifiedanagricultureloan disbursal target of `1,826 crore for 2014-2015Samba crop,onlyasmallsectionhadavailedofitsofarsincetheywerewaryoftheMNAIS.Now,theChiefMinister’sannouncementhasliftedthatburden.

FarmerscomfortablewithNAISbecauseof its lowpremiumclaimthat theMNAIS, insteadofprovidingsecurity,actedasaburden.Theysaid theywereuncertainon taking thecrop loansince theywouldbe forced topayabout50percentof the loanamountaspremiumunderMNAIS.

Speaking to Express, CauveryDhanapalan, general secretary oftheCauveryFarmersWelfareAssociationsaid,“UnderMNAIS,themaximumcover per acre is `6,000. In otherwords, after I spendabout`20,000forpaddycultivationperacre,Iwillgetjust`6,000incaseofcropfailure.So,insurancecompanieswillreapthebenefitswhilefarmerswillbeartheburden.”

Under theNAISscheme, for receivingclaimsof `6,000peracre,smallandmediumscale farmershad topay twopercentof theirclaimamountaspremium.Thatworkedoutto`120peracre.Largescalefarmerspaid2.5percentpremium,whichamountedtoabout

`150 for `6,000 insurance cover. But under the MNAIS, farmerssay that they had to pay `1,725 (28.74 per cent of the coveramount)aspremiumforinsuranceof`6,000peracre.“Ifafarmeravails `1 lakh as agriculture loan, hewould have to shell out asmuchas`52,000aspremiumunderMNAIS.Worriedovertheheftypremium,farmerswereunwillingtoavailofbankloansforSamba,”Dhanapalanclaims.DistrictCollectorTMunusamyconcurs.

Happily,allthathasnowchangedsincetheoldschemeisbackinforce.

SeedsofHope 2CHENNAI: A late surge in theSouthwestmonsoon changed theoutlook from drought to surplus, filled the Cauvery basin,persuaded farmers in the delta region to go for Samba paddyplanting and raised hopes for a good crop this season. This thefirst time in two years that farmers find better storage level inMettur dam and can keep their fingers crossed for a bumperSambaharvest.TheirfingersarecrossedbecauseofthevagariesoftheforthcomingNortheastmonsoon,sincethecurrentstorageintheMetturdammaynotbeenough to last theseason.However,according toall available indications, theNortheastmonsoon toowillbenormal.

Inall,Sambaislikelytobecultivatedinaround4.3lakhhectaresinthreeCauverydeltadistricts.Asizeablenumberoffarmershaveopted for ‘direct sowing’ as it requires lesser water than thetraditionalwayofgrowingnurseryandtransplantingthem.

Atpresent,thestoragelevelatMetturdamis90.91ftasagainstitsfull capacity of 120 ft. While the inflow on Sunday was 4,555cusecs, theoutflowwasmaintainedat 21,001cusecs.TheStateagriculturedepartment isupbeatandhassetanambitious targetof 92 lakh metric tonnes of paddy yield this year – 17 lakh MTmorethanlastyear.Thetargetlastyearwas75lakhMT.

Thedepartment isalsoeducating farmersonvariousmethods to

improveyield,suchasadoptingtheSystemofRiceIntensification(SRI)andefficientwatermanagement.SRI isadifferentprocessfor cultivating ricewith lesswater as compared to the traditionalwater-intensivemethod.

To persuade people to switch over to modern farming, theagriculturaldepartmentlastyearlaunchedaschemeofappointing‘farmerfriends’,eachofwhomaretaskedwithinteractingwithtwospecific revenue villages. Those selected as farmer friends are‘progressive farmers’, who have been successful in applyingmoderntechniquesincultivation.

Accordingtoofficialsources,theschemewasabigsuccesssincefarmer friends were able to share their experience with fellowagriculturists easily. The scheme will continue and there arearound8,500farmerfriendsatpresentinTamilNadu.

While the agriculture department is proactive, grassroots levelfarmersstillhavevariousunresolvedissues.Accordingtofarmersassociations,theprimaryproblemtheyfaceistheinabilitytoavailcrop loans. Besides, insufficient desilting of waterways andchannelsresultinwaterreleasedfromMetturdamfailingtoreachmostofthetail-endareasofthedelta.

K Balakrishnan, MLA representing Chidambaram Assemblyconstituency and president of Tamil Nadu farmers Association(CPM), says since many farmers could not repay loans availedduringthepreviousyearduetodrought,thecooperativesocietieswere denying them fresh loans. Funds allocated for desilting thewaterwaystoowereinsufficient,heargues.

SRanganathan,general secretaryof theCauveryDeltaFarmersWelfareAssociation,concurs.Hesaysinmanyplacesthereweresand dunes along the field channels obstructing the waterways.“Asofnow,adrought-likesituationprevailsinmanytail-endareasand farmersarepinning their hopeson theNortheastmonsoon,”heclaims.

Durai Manickam, general secretary, Tamil Nadu FarmersAssociation, points out that a large section of farmers have not

beenabletoavailofcroploansduetothestiffconditionalitiesthatneedtobefulfilledfordoingso.

Arupathi Kalyanam, general secretary of the Federation ofFarmers Associations of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinamdistricts, says poor water management by the authorities affectsfarmersinabigway.

If grievance day meetings are arranged at the revenue divisionlevel,farmersinandaroundthreeorfourtalukscouldparticipateinthemandventilatetheirproblems,hesuggests.OrganicManureforSambaGainingGroundCHENNAI: Well-heeled health conscious consumers, worried bythe excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides duringcultivation,aregraduallyswitchingovertoorganicproducts.Sincetheyfetchagoodprice,asectionoffarmershavetakenupSambacultivationwithhighorganicmanurecontent.Whilesuchfertilizershaveahighorganicratioascomparedtochemicalfertilizers,therearesomefarmerswhouseonlyorganicfertilizers.

Speaking to Express, Rajendiran, an organic farmer of Nagaidistrict says, “Most of us have become conscious about the ill-effectsofexcessiveuseofchemicals in farming.Considering thehealthofconsumersandinabidtoinflatethenutrientlevelofsoil,farmersarenowturningtoorganicmanure.”

Earlier, farmers used chemical fertilizers such as di-ammoniumphosphate and potash. Now, they include organic compost andcattlemanurealongwithchemicalfertilizersforcultivation.

Ingredients of the organic fertilisers include sour buttermilk,Panchagavya concoction made of cow-derived products - dung,urine,milk,gheeandcurd-andAmuthaKaraisal(mixtureofcowdung,cowurineand jaggery.Organicandchemical fertilizersaretogetherusedintheratioof20:80.

Anothersectionoffarmersusesorganicmanurealone.Theirtotal

acreagehasreportedlygoneupbyasmuchas50percentacrossthedeltadistricts.

Panneerselvam, JointDirector ofAgriculture, agrees that organicfarminghasof latebeengainingmomentumamongfarmersherebecauseofrisingconsumerawareness.

Thereisnosubsidyfororganicfarmingasofnowthough,headds.

According to officials, of the target of 1.08 lakh hectares set forpaddycultivationunderSambaandThaladyacrosseighttaluksofNagapattinam district, 28,200 hectares have already undergonepaddy cultivation in about six blocks in Vennar division of thedistrictunderdirectsowingmethodtillthefirstweekofSeptember.WithcopiouswaterbeingcontinuouslydischargedfromtheMetturdam,officialsareoptimisticforabumperSambacrop.

Along with organic farming, farmers are also turning to directsowing, with officials expecting as many as 58,000 hectares ofpaddy cultivation under this methodology. This requiressubstantially less quantum of water than the transplantationmethod.

Pepper Rehabilitation Project to be Launched inKannurDistKANNUR:KrishiVigyanKendra(KVK),Panniyur,herewillstartaparticipatory pepper rehabilitation project in the district in fourpanchayats next week and would launch a new initiative toencourage farmers to startmini nurseries in their homesteads tofindasolutiontothescarcityofpepperseedlings.

DrPJayaraj,programmecoordinatorofKrishiVigyanKendra,saidthat the project would be launched next week in Naduvil,Kurumathoor,ChengalayiandSreekandapurampanchayats.

The participatory rehabilitation of pepper aims at increasing thepepperproductionandensuringtechnologydisseminationwithanactiveparticipationoffarmers’committees.

“Oneofthemajorproblemswefaceinpepperrehabilitationistheshortageofplantingmaterial.Thereisademandfor20lakhto25lakhplantingmaterialeveryyear.

Butonlylessthan10lakhseedlingsareproducedbypublicsectorresearchcentresandprivatenurseriesaltogether.

Toeffectivelyaddressthisproblem,theprojectenvisagesstartingmininurseriesineveryfarmer’splace,”DrJayarajsaid.

The Krishi Vigyan Kendra will provide technical and scientificassistance for farmers to start mini-nurseries, so that they canmeettheirneedsandensurequalityofplants.

Inanotherdevelopment,theKVKandAll IndiaRadiohavejoinedhands to take the lessons of the month-long programmes andtechnical sessions held in connectionwith the farmers’month tobenefitallfarmersinthedistrict.

Allthetechnicalsessionshavebeenrecordedandwouldbeairedinthecomingdays.

The programme was aimed at providing the extensionfunctionaries, farmers and agricultural labourers’ training andawareness about the technologies suited to different agro-ecological units and also to converge the opportunities andfacilitiesfromothersources.

A series of technological sessions including training, exposurevisits, workshops, participatory model technology transfer,diagnostic visits and seminars were arranged to benefit thefarmingcommunity,saidDrJayaraj.

About 1,400 farmers attended the month-long programme. Dr PRajendran, Vice Chancellor, Kerala Agriculture University (KAU),Dr PVBalachandran,DirectorateOf Extension,DrCVSairam,Principal Scientist, Zonal Project Directorate, Indian Council forAgriculture Research (ICAR), Bangalore, and other experts fromIndian Council for Agriculture Research, KAU, Department ofAgriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries departments also

attendedvarioustechnicalsessions.

All these sessions would be aired to benefit the entire farmingcommunityof thedistrict throughKissanVaniprogrammeonAIRfromOctober1to13.

The concluding seminar and Kissan Mobile Advisory Services(KMAS) were inaugurated by Balachandran, Assistant Director,AIR,KannuronSaturday.

'ForeignInvestmentinColdStorageUnitsWillHelpFarmers'BAGALKOT:Foreigninvestmentinsettingupcoldstorageunitsinthedistrictwillbeagreathelpforhorticulturefarmers,saidDistrictIndustrialCentrejointdirectorMLHalalli.

Addressingthevaledictoryofthetwo-dayUGCsponsorednationalseminaron‘ForeignDirectInvestment(FDI)inRetailMarketinginIndia’onSunday,hesaidthereisanurgentneedofestablishingcoldstorageunitstoprotectagricultureproduce.

HefavouredFDI in thissector tobeallowedinaphasedmannerand said it would help both the farming community and thecustomers. He opined that the sector would have access toadequatecapitalandsophisticatedtechnologybyallowingFDI.

‘GoodDaysAheadforConsumers’

Earlier, speaking on ‘development of Indian economy- aperspective’, M R Sollapur from Siddhaganga Institute ofTechnology-Tumkursaidgooddaysareaheadforconsumerswiththe introduction of FDI in retail sector.Basaveshwara Institute ofManagementStudiesDirectorRGAllagipresided.

Asmany as 13 teacher delegates presented papers on differentaspects of FDI. Associate professor in Rani ChannammaUniversity(Belgaum)SOHalasagi,whochairedthesession,saidnecessaryprecautionarystepshavetobetakenbeforewelcomingFDI into Indian economy as there is a need to safeguard the

interestofthepeopleofthecountry.

IndianeconomycannotbecomparedwiththatofGermany,Japanandothercountriesasitisadevelopingnation,hesaid.

“Why some big Indian retailers are incurring losses is aninterestingandkeytopictostudyatthisjuncture,”heopined.

J V Chavan and M M Hiremath were present. The two-dayseminarwasorganisedbyBasaveshwaraCommerceCollege.

Principal L S Patil presided over the valedictory. Organisingsecretary S B Gavimath welcomed. Rapporteur S N Nargundpresentedareportontheproceedingsoftheseminar.

CPCRI-ACropResearchCentreParExcellenceKASARGOD: Farmer-couple Kunhiraman Bhasi and Vimala ofPeriya,avillage inKasargod,haveneverheardofEdwardVictorNelliatorPKRamachandranNair.But,theirsmalllandholdingof40cents is testimonyto thepioneeringresearchdonebythetwoscientistsatCentralPlantationCropsResearchInstitute(CPCRI),Kasargod, in the 1970s. The couple converted their land, a plotwithlateritesoil, intoamulti-storeygreenhavenofcoconuttrees,blackpepperandpineapple.

Theonce-sustenancefarmerssaytheiryieldhasincreasedandsoistheir incomefromtheland.TodaywhattheBhasisaredoingistakenforgrantedbecauseoftheyearsofresearchdonebyNelliatandNair.Nelliatstudiedthedifferentstagesofgrowthofcoconuttrees,thesunlightthetreeswouldpasstotheground,andbasedon that found the suitable lowerstorey crops that could becultivated alongwith coconut trees.Nair left the institute in 1976andiswiththeUniversityofFlorida.Today,heisaworldleaderinagroforestry.

In 2016, the research institute in Kasargod will turn 100, andscientistsattheinstitutesaymostoftheirmethodsandmachineshavepercolatedtothepeople.

Origin

TheinstitutewassetupasaCoconutResearchStationin1916bythegovernmentofMadras.TheIndianCentralCoconutCommitteetook over the station in 1948. CPCRI in today’s form wasestablished in 1970 under the Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch(ICAR).IthasregionalstationsatKayamkulam(Kerala),Vittal (Karnataka) and Minicoy (Lakshadweep Islands) andresearchcentresatKahikuchi(Assam),Mohitnagar(WestBengal)andKidu(Karnataka).Theinstituteconductsresearchoncoconut,arecanutandcocoa,aplantintroducedinIndianbyCPCRI,saysKMuralidharan,Head,DivisionofSocialSciences.

Computers&Crops

But,CPCRIwasnotonlyaboutcropresearch. Ithad itsshareofcomputer research, too, as oneof the first institutes to introducethe machine in Kasargod. After a Facit calculator and a DCMmicrocomputer,in1982anofficetable-sizedPCarrivedfromECI.“It’smemorywas36MB,”recallsMuralidharan,whohadthenjustjoinedtheinstituteasatraineescientist.Seeingthemachinelyingidle, K V Ahmed Bavappa, the founding director of the institute,called technical officer C H Amarnath and asked him tocomputerisethepayrollinthreemonths.“Iwasleftwithnochoice.I learnt COBOL language, and then wrote the program for thepayroll system,” says Amarnath, who retired as chief technicalofficer.

Future

ThetaskiscutoutforCPCRI.Lastyear,Indianfarmerswanted15millioncoconutseedlings,butonly2.3millionweredelivered.“Tomeetthedemand,planttissuecultureisthewayforward.Butnowonly CPCRI is working on it,” says Anitha Karun, head andprincipalscientist(Horticulture).TheUKandFrancehavegivenupon coconut tissue culture, and recently other labs in India, too,have discontinued their research after multiple failures. “We arealmost there. Now,we get four to five clones.We need at least1,000 to make the technique commercially viable,” she says.

CPCRI isalsoworkingonunravelling the information in theDNAsequence of coconut to develop drought, temperature anddiseaseresistant varieties. “In the futurewe cannot do awaywithbiotechnologytools,includingtransgenic,”saysAnithaKarun.

PulsessetforabullrunThestageissetforthemarketsentimentonpulsestochange.Foranextendedperiodoftime,farm-gatepriceshavebeenrulingatoraround theminimum support price. Indeed, chana or gram (desichick pea), the dominant crop accounting for 50 per cent of thecountry’s total pulses output, ruled even below the MSP for 15months.

Thisfollowedasustainedriseinpulsesproductionsince2011-12(from17.1milliontonnesto18.3mtin2012-13andthenonto19.3mt in 2013-14), and augmented by continuing duty-free imports.All this is set to change with the south-west monsoon playingtruant.

At 7.6 million hectares, acreage for pulses this year has laggedlast year’s 8.9 million hectares. Tur/arhar and moong plantingshavelaggedby15-20percentvis-à-vislastyear.

Importantly, erratic rainfall has affected input management andalso theagronomicpracticesofgrowers.This isexpected tohurtthe yields which, in any case, are rather low at about 650 kg ahectare.

Risingtrend

Thekharif2014pulsesproductiontargetis7mt,somethingthatisnot going to be achieved. In each of the last two years, actualoutputinthekharifseasonwas6mt.

Withlaggingacreage,suspectinputmanagementandpossibilityofloweryields thisyear,actualproduction runs the riskofdeclining12-15percent.

Worse, signs of the beginning of the withdrawal of south-westmonsoonmeans theremay not be sufficient subsoilmoisture fortheRabi seasonwhich traditionallyaccounts for two-thirdsof thetotalannualproduction.

Chana is the dominant rabi pulse crop and its record breakingstreakoflastthreeyearsrunstheriskofcomingtoanend.

From 7.7 mt in 2011-12, chana harvest expanded to 8.8 mt in2012-13andthenonto9.9mt in2013-14.Thisconsistentrise inproductioncertainlypreventedthepricerise.

Below-normal monsoon this year is likely to provide the triggermarketparticipantshavebeenwaitingfor.

FromthecurrentlevelsofaboutRs.3,000aquintal,chanapricesareset tosteadily rise in thecomingweeksandmonthswith thepotential to test Rs. 4,000 a quintal before year-end.In thisemerging bullish scenario, a comforting factor is the recordproductionofyellowpeasinoriginssuchasCanada.

Tofilltheshortfall,Indiaislikelytoimportlargervolumesofyellowpeasavailableatmoreeconomicalprices(less$450atonne).Itiswellknownthatyellowpeaflourisfreelyblendedwithchanaflourinourcountry.

Pricesofotherpulses—mainlyuradandmoong—arealsosettoriseby10-15percent.So,pulsesarelikelytobegintocontributetofoodinflation.

Tough timesahead for Indian texti lesector,sayindustryexperts

Coimbatore, September 21:The Indian textile industry islikely to face challenging times in the comingmonthswithChinaeffectingachangeinitscottonpolicy,risingcostofproductionandnet margins rarely crossing four per cent, say senior industryofficials.

Chinesefactor

While concerns were expressed about the sustainability of thedomestic textile sector, industry sources did not fail to point outthatwithChina– the largestproducer,consumerandexporterofcotton–changingitspolicyonsourcingcottonandyarn,theexportofboth–thewhitefibreandyarntoChinafromIndiacouldtakeabeatingthisyear.

“Uncertainty might prevail till stability comes in Chinese cottonproduction and consumption pattern. Chinese Cotton PolicybroughtasuddendownfallintheNewYorkpriceindexandthisinturnhadacascadingeffectontheentireworld,”saidMattEarlamofPlexusCotton.

Cottonexports

Meanwhile, theVice-Presidentof theNorthern IndiaTextileMills’AssociationSanjayKJainsaidthatcottonexports,whichstoodat11 million bales (1 bale equals 356 kg) in the 2013-14 cottonseason,couldslideto6-7millionbalesinthe2014-15seasonduetopoordemandfromChina.

Chinaiscurrentlycarryinghighcostcottoninventory.Itbuilthugestockpileafterbuyingthefibreatareservepriceof$1.34apoundwhenpricesintheglobalfuturesmarketwererulingatover$2.

Risnginventory

Saddled with high price stock, the country is now planning toreduce the inventory of cotton, besides cutting down yarnproduction,saidEarlam.

Indiancottonpricesalsoarenotcompetitive,quotinghigher thanglobalmarket,hesaid