The volume in your hands: ‘Glimpses of Indian Agriculture ‘is not a technical manual on agriculture. It is not a detailed statistical account of a commodity, or group of commodities. It is not a review of the institutions engaged in agricultural research in the country. It is not a policy document with clear ‘guidelines’ on how to address issues in Indian agriculture. It does not follow a systematic pattern, and often meanders along the thought patterns of its individual authors. It is not written for an academic audience, and is not peer reviewed. Yet, it is perhaps more useful for both the lay reader, and the policy mandarin than any of the ‘manuals/policy documents’ mentioned above. The document captures ‘glimpses’ of agriculture across the length and breadth of the country – from the cymbidiums in Sikkim to tapioca in Kerala, mushrooms in Punjab to paddy in West Bengal, protected cultivation in Dehradun to RKVY interventions in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
What is a ‘glimpse’? A ‘glimpse’ is an ‘observation of a fleeting moment’. By its very nature, it is impressionistic, and its value is in the recall. Yet, it conveys through its episodic and anecdotal reference, a reality which cannot be captured in a scholarly work, or Performa based inspection report. Each individual has his/her own way of capturing these fleeting moments: some chose to intervene in it, others ‘absorb’ it for later reflection. Even as the perspectives vary, they help the ‘reader’ in assimilating the myriad diversity of Indian agriculture which fourteen officers of the Department of Agriculture have observed in their tour notes , or grassroots diaries over the last two years.
The first eleven ‘notes’ are from the intrepid traveler Dr Gorakh Singh, India’s Horticulture Commissioner who has logged more kilometers, and gathered more Flying returns than any other contributor. In his own , inimitable style, Dr Singh records his tours to Bihar, UP, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya where he interacted with farmers, scientists, horticulture officials, directors, secretaries and ministers of horticulture. Always one to call a ‘spade a spade’, he extends positive strokes, as well as his displeasure when the occasion so warrants. His favourite themes : canopy management, pruning strategy, planting material, nursery accreditation, rejuvenation of senile orchards, protected cultivation, High Density plantation are the recurrent theme. Dr Singh’s reputation and expertise on guava, mango, litchi, banana, citrus and vegetable cultivation is legion, and he holds forth on these during his ‘lecture demonstrations’.
The next set of ‘glimpses’ are penned by Joint Secretary Subhash C Garg, who is currently heading the RKVY and Trade divisions at the DAC. His Bangalore tour takes him to the Indian Institute of Horticulture Research which is working on all major fruits of the country, but with a special focus on mango, sapota and papaya. ICAR was also establishing a specialized research centre on grapes and pomegranates at the IIHR. The institute has also developed eighty five varieties across twenty five vegetables, including hybrids fro tomato, chillies, watermelon, brinjal and onion. The signature hybrid is ‘Arka Manik ‘: a watermelon variety which is now spread over 2 lakh hectares, and growing. Interventions in horticulture make a real improvement in the incomes of farmers, especially if they are grown in peri-urban areas, where marketing is not a real issue. However, he also notes that even though Karnataka has become a global sourcing hub for gherkins, the institute had not initiated any research on gherkins. |
Garg notes with satisfaction the success of the Institute in managing its IPRs. The Technology Management unit of the IIHR had been able to generate an annual income of nearly two crores in the current year, and this could be an exemplar for other ICAR institutions.
His next trip takes him to Kerala, where he visits the central Tuber Crops Research Institute, which deals with crops which are not very well known in the food lexicon, especially in North India. The mandate crop is cassava, which is more popularly known as ‘tapioca’ in South; but the institute also works on sweet potato, yams, taro (aravi), arrow root etc. Of these, cassava is most important, especially as it as an excellent source of starch, and has found commercial applications as well. Tamil Nadu has over a hundred factories which use cassava as the basic raw material for chips, sago, sabu dana, thickeners and commercial starch. In Africa and the Caribbean islands, it is a principal cereal crop, and is an important part of the daily diet of many people. The major contribution of this Centre has been to reduce the cropping period from 12 months, to six to eight months, besides higher productivity. This augurs well for the farmers , whose only request is that sufficient quantities of good quality planting material is provided to them, a challenge which the Institute has to gear up to.
Sanjeev ‘IT’ Gupta is the DAC’s nodal point for IT and extension. Passionate as he is about IT, his Rajasthan tour notes reflect his ‘systems’ approach, and his quest to streamline data entry at the grassroots, to installation of hardware at the Block headquarters, development of applications at the local level, and the establishment of a robust Data Centre at the state. There is a reference to IT on each page of his report, but that does not take away from the fact that he has also looked at micro nutrients, water management, soil testing and selection of beneficiaries as well. His next tour takes him to CRIJAF (Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres) at Barrackpore where he looks at initiatives like the development of new varieties, weed management, farm mechanization and microbial retting. Jute is again receiving global attention as an ecologically sustainable packing material, and therefore after years of neglect, it is back on the research, development and commercial agenda.
Part 2
Edwin K Majhi landed in Gujarat during the ‘Vibrant Gujarat ‘ week, which coincided with the international kite festival, and thus he could feel the excitement , the vibes and the colours ! Gujarat’s growth Rate in agriculture was way ahead compared to the national average, especially as the state had brought new areas under irrigation, and addressed problems of salinity and land degradation.
The Rabi season was in full swing (January2011) and nearly 30 lakh hectares had been covered under different crops, compared to 25 lakh hectares in the PY. NFSM had made an impact on both production and productivity, and fortunately there was no sign of pests or disease. Likewise NHM targets were well within reach, and Majhi felt that this was the appropriate time to assess the impact of area expansion on farmers’ incomes. Good interaction with the Department of Land Resources had ensured funding from the National Watershed Development Programme for rainfed areas. At the national Research centre for Groundenut at Junagadh, he was happy to note that the scientists were involved, committed and motivated. While Gujarat’s productivity matched global benchmarks (1500 kg/ha), the national average was pulled down by AP and Karnataka where obsolete technology and old varieties of seeds were still in vogue. Its not enough to have knowledge : transferring it to the farmers’ field was the critical factor. He also records his sense of satisfaction and joy after visiting the Wheat Research Centre to see the success of the GW 366 – a hundred and ten day crop with a yield potential of 5500kg/ha , as against the national average of 3000kg/ha.
After Gujarat, Edwin moves on to the Rajasthan Safari – Jodhpur, Bikaner and Ajmer. The Agriculture Research Station at Mandor (Jodhpur) deserves attention not just for the innovative agricultural eqiupmnts- seed drills with small wheels behind the seed release outlets- which leads to better compaction and moisture retention, and new varieties of sesame , chilli, cumin and isabgol , but also for the unique social experiment of providing on – farm training rehabilation for prisoners/convicts serving life terms in the jails of rajasthan. The next halts took him to Jal Haujs (raised water tanks above the ground level),integrated farming systems at Ms Bhanwari Devi’s farm, and Diggis (mini- reservoirs) on the fields of Sh Magan Lal. At Bikaner, he visits the Rajasthan Agricultural University, which has not only pioneered date palm cultivation, but is engaged in breeder seed production(with assistance from RKVY ) for production of Okra,tomato,brinjal, chilli, onion etal. The national Research Centre centre on Seed Spices at Ajmer , besides serving as the national respository for information on seed spices like cumin, coriander, fennel and fenugreek, also conducted research on yield improvement thorugh seeds and better techniques.
Joint Secretary Edwin K Majhi landed in Gujarat during the ‘Vibrant Gujarat ‘week, which coincided with the international kite festival, and thus he could feel the excitement, the vibes and the colours! Gujarat’s growth Rate in agriculture was way ahead compared to the national average, especially as the state had brought new areas under irrigation, and addressed problems of salinity and land degradation.
The Rabi season was in full swing (January2011) and nearly 30 lakh hectares had been covered under different crops, compared to 25 lakh hectares in the PY. NFSM had made an impact on both production and productivity, and fortunately there was no sign of pests or disease. Likewise NHM targets were well within reach, and Majhi felt that this was the appropriate time to assess the impact of area expansion on farmers’ incomes. Good interaction with the Department of Land Resources had ensured funding from the National Watershed Development Programme for rain fed areas. At the national Research centre for Groundnut at Junagadh, he was happy to note that the scientists were involved, committed and motivated. While Gujarat’s productivity matched global benchmarks (1500 kg/ha), the national average was pulled down by AP and Karnataka where obsolete technology and old varieties of seeds were still in vogue. It’s not enough to have knowledge: transferring it to the farmers’ field was the critical factor. He also records his sense of satisfaction and joy after visiting the Wheat Research Centre to see the success of the GW 366 – a hundred and ten day crop with a yield potential of 5500kg/ha , as against the national average of 3000kg/ha.
After Gujarat, Edwin moves on to the Rajasthan Safari – Jodhpur, Bikaner and Ajmer. The Agriculture Research Station at Mandor (Jodhpur) deserves attention not just for the innovative agricultural equipments- seed drills with small wheels behind the seed release outlets- which leads to better compaction and moisture retention, and new varieties of sesame, chilli, cumin and isabgol, but also for the unique social experiment of providing on – farm training rehabilitation for prisoners/convicts serving life terms in the jails of Rajasthan. The next halts took him to Jal Haujs (raised water tanks above the ground level), integrated farming systems at Ms Bhanwari Devi’s farm, and Diggis (mini- reservoirs) on the fields of Sh Magan Lal. At Bikaner, he visits the Rajasthan Agricultural University, which has not only pioneered date palm cultivation, but is engaged in breeder seed production(with assistance from RKVY ) for production of Okra, tomato, brinjal, chilli, onion etal. The national Research Centre on Seed Spices at Ajmer, besides serving as the national repository for information on seed spices like cumin, coriander, fennel and fenugreek, also conducted research on yield improvement through seeds and better techniques.
Given DAC’s current focus on BGREI, it is but natural that Additional secretary GC Pati undertook tours to Orissa and Bihar. In Orissa, his main concern was with the research and development of stress tolerant rice, capable of withstanding frequent natural calamities in the state. Two varieties, viz Pratiksha and Swarna sub-1 had shown the requisite resilience, and the Orissa Agriculture University and the Department had to work together to ensure that these were made available to the famers. He also notes the constraint in the availability of quality pulses seeds, which, if available could optimize the use of rice fallows.
As the tribal districts of Orissa were mainly ‘organic by default’, he suggests that this should now be leveraged by taking up organic certification, and developing a district and crop specific package of practices. He concludes his Orissa tour on a positive note by recording that while the state was doing well under RKVY, there was need to develop an effective monitoring system. He recommends that that OAUT and KVKs be effectively involved in the programmes for yield improvement of paddy and pulses.
The Bihar visit took him to the Mecca of Indian agriculture: the ICAR research complex at Pusa. Now called the RCER (Research Complex for the eastern region), its mandate is to address issues relating to resource management, cropping and farming systems in Eastern India in a holistic manner. The main research achievements to its credit include integrated farming in rice, wheat and fishery, trenches and raised bed system for fishery and horticulture in water-logged areas and rice-fish culture conservation farming to combat moisture stress. Zero Tillage, along with intensification and diversification had been demonstrated successfully at the Sabhajpura Farm under the CSISA (Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia). This could lead to manifold increase in incomes for farmers, but as Sh Pati pithily remarks: ‘the research works on the farm were impressive, but its dissemination among the farmers (in the state) needs improvement’. He also notes that even though the mandate was to cover the entire eastern region, most of the work appeared to be confined to Bihar and Jharkhand. What Sh Pati enjoyed the most in his Bihar visit was the interaction with a progressive farmer, Sh BP Singh, who was generating an income of Rs 5lakh per annum from his one hectare farm by adopting organic farming, wheat intensification and production of cauliflower seed. He had also devised his own pest management practices for wheat by using vermin wash and local herbs!
Dr Atanu Purkayastha, who has been given the task of getting this edition together, is passionate about agriculture, land entitlements and farmers’ incomes. His sojourn took him to Tripura where he visited the Horticulture Research centre at Nagichara and the State Agriculture Research centre at Arundhatinagar, both in Agartala, as well as the KVKs in West and South Tripura districts and the ICAR Research station at Lembucharra. The highlight of the visit was the Horticulture Research Centre at Nagichara, which is engaged in the production of vegetable seeds and TPS (true potato seeds) on its 50 hectare campus. The productivity of TPS at Nagichara was the highest in the world, and it was being exported across the globe and in the neigbourhood – from Brazil to Bangladesh! Dr Purkayastha advised them to develop it as a Centre for excellence for the production of vegetable seeds and TPS. Another highlight in this report is the innovative technique developed by Ms S Debnath to preserve tomato by hanging them from ceiling, which enhanced the shelf life substantially. She has been acknowledged by ICAR as a Farm Innovator-2010. He notes with satisfaction that even though the KVKs and the Research centres were working under severe constraints, their morale and commitment was high.
Dr Purkayastha also visited CRIJAF at Barrackpore, India’s premiere research centre on fibres. His observations are rather hard hitting: even though new and better varieties had been developed, these had not been disseminated to farmers, and the productivity had remained stagnant. Jute cultivation had been affected on account of high labour costs (MNREGA) and the inability of JCI to procure directly from the farmers. While these issues were not directly related to CRIJAF, they had a direct bearing on incomes and livelihoods of jute growing farmers. His third tour report: ‘Marvelous Millet’, is an account of his visit to Directorate of Shorgum Research at Hyderabad, to discuss the launch of INSMIP (Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millet promotion). He suggests an intensive campaign for promotion of Post Harvest Technologies and Value Addition to make millet consumption more user-friendly, and the introduction of millets in the Mid Day meal programme. More than production, the focus had to be on end-use, and this was as true of millets, as of most agricultural commodities.
Additional Secretary V Venkatachalam has also toured very extensively, often covering two to three states in each visit. His first report covers his visits to West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa to oversee the preparations for Kharif 2010 in the Eastern region, availability of seeds and fertilizer and also the status of proposals under the revised ATMA (Agriculture Technology Management Agency) scheme. In all the three states, the problem was not in macro level preparations – but in field level implementation. While Jharkhand had a problem of SSP, this could be resolved by better co-ordination with West Bengal. The real challenge for the state was to reduce the yield gap in paddy and maize, as also to bring more area under assured irrigation, which was currently at 12% of the cultivable area. Thus the top priority under MNREGA, RKVY, and NHM had to be on the creation of water harvesting structures, check dams and field ponds. The states focus on SRI and reclamation of waste lands were acknowledged as positive steps.
Both West Bengal and Orissa had taken necessary steps for Kharif sowing: in fact West Bengal had more paddy seeds than required, and the requisite of fertilizer had also been done as per requirement. Orissa did face a shortage of pulses seeds, which could be requisitioned from the National Seeds Corporation.
He has also recorded his visit to HP, where after attending the SLSC meeting, he visited SHGs and farmers co-operatives at Mashobra, water harvesting structures at Mantar and polyhouses at Falak (Solan). Himachal has done well in ensuring convergence among Central and state programmes , especially in horticulture and micro irrigation, which has led to greater prosperity and market access for farmers. The highlight of his visit to Rajasthan was the review of the Golden Rays project – a PPP between Rajasthan government and Monsanto –in which maize hybrids were given to over seven lakh tribal farmers in five districts , and the results were indeed spectacular, at least in terms of crop yield and profitability.
Additional Secretary Anoop Thakur visits the National Resource Centre for Grapes in Pune which provides services to grape grower and wine industry, besides being the national repository for germplasm, R&D Centre , Test Labs and the APEDA funded Pesticide Residue Monitoring Facility. The Grape Growers Association is also housed in the NRC premises, which allows for meaningful interaction. The NRC wants to issue timely advisories to grape growers based on parameters ice temperature and humidity, and Mr Thakur advises them to propose a comprehensive project for the same under the RKVY. He also visited the Regional Plant Quarantine station at Mumbai to get an assessment of their functioning and present status, including the facility at the International Airport.
Pankaj Kumar acknowledges the good work done by Bihar to address the manpower requirements in the agricultural sector. Bihar has recruited an ‘army of nearly ten thousand extension workers’ to ensure field demonstrations ,input distribution and Kisan Melas(Farmers Fairs). Initiatives like green manuring, pest surveillance had shown results. The state was aware that critical gaps still existed , especially in agricultural credit, warehousing and storage and even basic infrastructure like threshing floors. However the issues were being addressed.
Sanjeev Chopra toured Punjab and West Bengal , and draws interesting inferences based on discussions with farmers and agriculture department officials. He is convinced that transformation of Indian agrarian economy can be galvanized by supporting institutions like co-operatives, SHGs, farmers clubs and Commodity organizations. Given the fragmented size of our land holdings, the only way to achieve economies of scale and scope, and to introduce new technologies was to accept the fact that interventions will have to be group based. He hopes that more time, resources and attention would be given to support farmer’s organizations, especially those which can have a direct impact on farmers’ incomes.
RK Tiwari reviewed BGREI and NFSM across five districts in eastern UP . He draws a comparative chart to show the rainfall and sowing status and gives bullet points on the important interventions that need to be followed up by the state government, these include soil testing, seed distribution, fertilizer availability credit and the Cluster approach to BGREI. He also points out the serious menace of Blue Bulls in UP, and the need for co-ordinated action on this front in conjunction with the MoEF.
Rahate’s visit to Maharashtra took him to CIRCOT(Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology) in Mumbai and the vegetable growing belt of Thane. As he describes it : it is nestled within its own sprawling campus that is quiet, serene and totally insulated from the hustle and bustle of the nearby Dadar area…its main building is a heritage structure still intact with all its architectural beauty…
However CIRCOT is much more than a heritage building. Today , it is ICAR’s lead institution all aspects of post harvest technology of cotton and its value addition through products and through processing of wastes. It also has a test facility for quality testing –right from cotton to fibre to yarn, and ultimately to fabric. Under the National Agricultural Innovation project (NAIP) it has developed an indigenous rubber dam technology to increase the irrigation efficiency of small watersheds.
Thane’s proximity to urban centres has made vegetable production extremely profitable, as marketing is not a problem. Farmers are keen adopters of new technologies and farm equipments, especially as labour costs have touched the roof.
Rahate then moves to Jharkhand, where he notes that compared to last year, the state government was ready for its interventions in both NFSM and BGREI. The one thousand hectare demonstration plots had been identified, and preparatory work had started on time. He recommends regular review and monitoring to ensure that the momentum is not lost.
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Mukesh Khullar, who heads the NFSM undertook a visit to UP, Maharashtra and Haryana. In UP, seeds and fertilizer were available as per requirement at the district level, but further movement to the farmer’s field was at a slower pace. The refrain of overcharging by fertilizer retailers was noted by him as well. Likewise issues of credit, power and water came up time and again. The Maharashtra tour was more a review by the DAC, as the Secretary PK Basu headed the team which assessed the crop situation, particularly with regard to cotton, soybean and Toor besides understanding the ground level impact of NFSM, NHM,A3P,MMA and RKVY . The team also interacted with ICAR institutes and SAUs on cotton and citrus , besides discussions with farmers on agrarian stress and their perception of development interventions by government. Mukesh then list twenty five key ‘findings’ and identifies the specific action that has to be taken to address these. He follows the same pattern in his inspection notes after visiting Rohtak, Jhajjar and Hissar in Haryana.
‘Glimpses’ began with the travels of Horticulture Commissioner. It is therefore in the fitness of things that the last three entries come from the Agriculture commissioner Dr Gurbachan Singh. He visits Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Maharashtra to review the preparedness for Kharif ,2010. However, the observations are relevant for the Kharif crop of subsequent years as well. In fact, the idea of the drill is to ensure that a SOP (Standard Operating Practice) is in place to ensure that irrespective of changes in personnel, the system should run in a perfect manner.
Before closing, it must be mentioned that like the gazetteers of yore, this book is a labour of love. None of the authors is a ‘professional writer’, and everyone has followed his own unique style. But it must be added that the ‘labour of love’ was gently induced by DAC Secretary PK Basu who insisted that officers leave the cozy precincts of Krishi Bhawan, travel to the farmers’ field, interact with the scientists at ICAR and SAUs and understand the reality at the grassroots. The result is there for the reader to see, but even before the book goes into print, the officers who have written these reports feel enriched by their travels and interactions, and this, by itself is fair recompense.