Tech Digest 13th Issue

TECHNICAL
DIGEST
ISSUE 13, January 2011
For Private circulation only
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TWODECADESOFCOMMTTEDSERVCETORURALPROSPERTY
MESSAGE FROM CHAIRMAN MESSAGE FROM CHAIRMAN
I have great pleasure to present the XIII issue of Technical
Digest which covers diverse subjects of topical relevance
from sustainable crop husbandry, diversification in
aquaculture to the burning issue of climate change. There
is an imminent need to accelerate the pace of agricultural
growth by adopting a Mission approach .
Inspired by the success of the on farm demonstration of
System of Rice Intensification (SRI), Peoples Science
Institute (PSI) - an NGO in Uttarakhand applied the same principles to wheat cultivation which resulted in
higher productivity. It is expected that advanced technologies like SRI and System of Wheat Intensification
(SWI) can help to combat the problem of food grain scarcity leading to greater food security and providing
fodder & farm yard manure.
Our country is home to a large number of pulse crops and presently grows more than a dozen of them on a
large scale under varied agro climatic conditions round the year. Pulses on account of their vital role in
nutritional security and soil ameliorative properties have been an integral part of sustainable agriculture
since ages. The future requirement of pulses is expected to rise further mainly due to the ever increasing
population and preference for pulses as the cheapest source of dietary protein. Therefore the safe storage of
pulses produced aiming at minimising losses both in terms of quantity and quality acquires paramount
importance. This issue discusses some of the cost effective indigenous technologies developed by the
Universities to store pulses, thereby reducing post harvest losses.
Being one of the most important livestock rearing countries of the world, India cannot be complacent on the
methane emissions from the ruminant digestive tracts. Viable and farmer friendly options to reduce the
methane emissions from enteric fermentation in ruminant animals and live stock manure management
practices are to be advocated as global warming is a major concern world over. The current issue also
dwells on Carbon Sequestration in the context of Global warming.
The relevant topics like Nano Biotechnology and its applications in agriculture and allied fields , Tassar silk
and the need for adequate credit flow for its sustained development and artificial recharge of ground water
through dug wells are also dealt in detail in this issue.
I am glad that this issue of Technical Digest will give the readers the necessary inputs on topics of utmost
importance and our continued efforts to spread technical knowledge will bear fruit.
Wish all of you a very Happy and Prosperous 2011.
(Rakesh Singh)
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rrigation in ndia has become increasingly dependent on Ground water which plays a vital
role in food production, drinking water supply, drought mitigation, economic development etc.
besides environment sustenance in the country. Presently more than 85% of rural water supply,
50% of urban water needs and 50% of water requirement for irrigation in the country are met
from ground water sources. This impacted on Groundwater availability and on energy use for
its extraction. But to continue in this comfortable position, there has to be proper demand and
supply management. The country is facing severe problems related to ground water such as
Declining ground water level, deep water levels beyond economic depth of pumping.
Reduced sustainability of wells.
Drying up of wells
Salinity ingress in coastal aquifers
Water quality degradation
Land subsidence
Efforts have been made over the years towards improving the effciency with which groundwater is pumped and for its
recharge and conservation. Artifcial recharge of ground water is one of the most effcient ground water management
tools for ensuring sustainability of ground water resources. Brief details on the problems and their remedies are
incorporated in this issue of Technical Digest, so that this information is available to all concerned.
Tasar rearing is another area which has immense potential for development. Sericulture activity is often associated with
poor people, poor land and also high value business. This activity is labour intensive from raising of crop and rearing
of worms to reeling and weaving, but the ultimate produce has been used mostly by the upper class population in any
society. Though this activity has very poor people at the bottom of activity chain, the activity has the potential of good
business. The soil under Arjuna plantation which is used for Tasar rearing gets the droppings from the caterpillar which
improves the soil health. Since the soil is improved, cultivation of some shade loving crops like Turmeric and Ginger will
increase the income from the land and will encourage the farmers.
However, as the price of yarn increases in the market, spurious material, from various sources, in the name of Tasar is
entering the market. Some kind of mechanism for protection of the consumer as well as producer has to be developed
keeping the long term interest of all stake holders. We also have to bring the technology for improving the quality and
productivity of yarn within the reach of the farmer along with other inputs like credit.
We have a rich biodiversity in our country that we can be proud of. But it is time we take steps to preserve this diversity and
use it for beneft of rural poor. Newer and more effcient technologies need to be developed such as Nanobiotechnology
which is the combination of two of the most promising and upcoming streams of science i.e. nanotechnology and
biotechnology. Nanotechnology has the potential to bring anything from scratch, atom by atom while Nanobiotechnology
deals with creating or manipulating biological systems and materials at the atomic and molecular levels.
With the objective of exchange of experience, sharing the problems and issues in the sector and also discuss the ways
to improve the credit fow for capital formation in the sector, Business Development Meet for offcers of Fisheries and
Water Resources disciplines were organized during the year 2010. The meet provides opportunity to get frst hand
information on the status of the respective sector development in the States.
am glad this issue of Technical Digest is bringing out articles with information that can be of immense and immediate
use in our day-to-day work in advising farmers. hope we succeed in propagating them among bankers and farmers
alike. My greetings to all of you for the New Year 2011.
(Dr. K.G. Karmakar)
Z SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
ff0M l00 008k 0l l00 00l0l l0ll0f
Agriculture sector alone represent 23% of ndia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), plays a
crucial role in the country's development and shall continue to occupy an important place in
the national economy. t sustains the livelihood of nearly 70% of the population. Agriculture is
considered as the riskiest professions in the world since temperature, precipitation, thunder
storms and pest epidemic infuence the economic fate of the farmer.
Wheat in ndia is cultivated in almost all the states except Kerala and with a total production
of 721.40 lakh tonnes, our country occupies the second place in wheat production in the
world. System of Wheat ntensifcation (SW) aims at increasing the productivity by
enhancing the intrinsic productivity of land with minimum use of external inputs. The feld
trials on SW show encouraging results however lot more R&D efforts and policy level initiatives need to be put in place
for wide scale adoption of the technology developed.
Technologies for conservation of soil & water and enhancing crop productivity is of great signifcance as it has direct
impact on food security of the country. Rain fed areas which constitute more than 60% of the country's gross cultivated
area, contribute 45% of the food production while 37% of the irrigated area accounts for 55% of the total output to the
national food basket. Thus schemes on enhancing the ground water and irrigation effciency is crucial and timely.
nland fsheries especially aquaculture in ndia is poised for a great leap with new varieties like Pangassius sutchi, Sea
bass and Litopenaeus vannamei being identifed as potential candidate species for farming. There is an urgent need to
popularize the technology for culture of these varieties with proper institutional support and R&D initiatives.
Conventional technologies of agriculture are inadequate to meet the challenges faced by the agricultural sector on
account of the climate change, dwindling water resources, crop losses due to insects, pests, diseases and soil fertility.
nnovations in bio technology has immense potential in agriculture and allied sectors to increase crop productivity
for food, feed and fbre, reduce production costs, conserve biodiversity and improve economic and social benefts to
alleviate poverty.
n the present issue of Technical Digest an attempt has been made to include articles on Tasar silk, Carbon
Sequestration and Methane emission from livestock and its mitigation which also would be of great use to the readers.
Endowed with diverse geographical spread with varying agro climatic situations, vast net cropped areas, extensive
irrigation systems, highly skilled man power with extensive R&D network, over and above, the hard working farmers
of ndia are the engine to better agriculture in the coming decade. On the eve of the New Year 2011, would like to
convey my sincere wishes to all colleagues and patrons for their unstinted cooperation in bringing out the magazine
and hope that the tempo will continue in the years to come.
(Dr. P. Renganathan)
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Chief EditoriaI Advisors :
Rakesh Singh, IAS
Chairman, NABARD
Dr. K.G. Karmakar
Managing Director, NABARD
Dr. A.K. Bandyopadhyaya
Executive Director
Chief Editor :
Dr. P. Renganathan
Chief General Manager
Editors :
Dr. R. Satyanarayana, GM
Animal Husbandry
C.P. Appanna, GM
Plantation & Horticulture
S.S. Rajshekhar, GM
Water Resources
P.M. ReIkar, DGM
Land Development
Co-ordinator CeII :
Annie AIexander, AGM
Fisheries
S. HrangkhoI, Mgr.
Water Resources
Shivani, AM
Biotechnology
f l l 0 l 0 8
Page
1. ReaIity of India's Weak PuIse 4
Dilbir Singh, GM
2. Non ChemicaI Options for SmaII ScaIe Storage of Food Grains 8
Dr. K.S. Mahesh, AGM
3. System of Wheat Intensication (SWI) 11
P M Relkar, DGM
4. Carbon Sequestration 16
Kuldeep Chand, AGM
5. Methane Emission from Indian Livestock and its Mitigation 19
Dr. T. Srinivasa Mohan, AGM
6. Scheme on "ArticiaI Recharge of Groundwater Through 22
Dug WeIIs in Hard Rock Areas of the Country"
S.S. Rajshekhar, GM
7. Fishing the Fisheries Sector for Future 25
Dr. P. Selvaraj, AGM
8. Issues and PotentiaI of Credit FIow in "TASAR" Sector 29
Sandip Ghosh, CGM (Retd.)
9. NanobiotechnoIogy 33
Ms Shivani, A M
EXCERPTS OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MEET
11. Fisheries DiscipIine 39
12. Water Resources DiscipIine 40
SNIPPETS AND FACTS & FIGURES
z Research on Drought ToIerant Crops Moves a
Signicant Step Ahead
Ms. Shivani, AM
z Indian Fisheries Sector - Facts and Figures
Ms. Annie Alexander, AGM
z Nata de coco - a delicacy from coconut water
z Water QuaIity Requirement for Irrigation
S. Hrangkhol, Manager
z Tracenet
z Skimming WeII
N.V. Bhaskaran, AGM
Published by: NationaI Bank for AgricuIture and RuraI DeveIopment, TechnicaI Services Department,
C-24, G Block, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (East), Mumbai - 400 051. Tel.: (022) 2653 0038 Fax: (022) 2653 0091
E-mail: tsd@nabard.org Website: http://www.nabard.org
Note: The views expressed in various articles are those of the authors and not necessarily of NABARD.
4 SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
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DiIbir Singh, GM (Tech), Gujarat RO, Ahmedabad
1. Background
ndia is the largest producer of pulses in the world,
both in quantity and variety. t accounts for 25 per cent
of the total global production of pulses, 27 per cent of
consumption and 34 per cent of global use of pulses in
food. Further, our country also accounts for one of the
highest impoverished agrarian populations in the world
mostly in its arid rain-fed areas.
Once a net exporter, ndia is presently one of the biggest
importers of pulses. Pulses on account of their vital role
in nutritional security and soil ameliorative properties
have been an integral part of sustainable agriculture
since ages. They trap atmospheric N in the root nodules
of their deep root system and add substantial amounts of
protein-rich biomass to the soil surface and rhizosphere
and thus keep the soil productive and healthy.
Not only is ndia's population increasing by 18 million
every year but production of pulses has languished as
government research and price supports have favoured
cereal grains over other foodstuffs. As a result, per
capita availability of pulses has fallen to just 33 grams
per day, one-half of the levels of the 1960s. The fall in
availability comes even as pulses remain the primary
protein source for a large section of the population that
is vegetarian. Furthermore, there is hardly any visible
technological change in pulse farming in the country. This
clearly shows that technological stagnation is primarily
responsible for the backwardness of pulses in the country
as a whole.
2. Present Scenario
Pulses are an essential source of protein in the diet
of the predominantly vegetarian ndian population and
the cultivation of these legumes has a long-standing
tradition. According to the statistics available around 24
million ha land area used for pulse production, which
accounts for 35% the world -wide pulse cultivation area.
With an annual production of 12 to 14 million tons,
ndia ranks among the major pulse producing countries
even today.
Status of PuIses in India
Year Area Production YieId
(MiIIion ha) (MiIIion Tonnes) (Kg / ha)
1960-61 23.56 12.7 539
1970-71 22.54 11.82 524
1980-81 22.46 10.63 473
1990-91 24.66 14.24 578
2000-01 23.92 14.85 621
Pulses are important in any case. Their presence in
diet is well known which unfortunately is lacking in rural
ndia. As per nternational standard dietary requirement
is 55 gm/person/day and it was 67/gm/per/day in ndia 5
decades ago; but now this has dropped down to 33 gm/
person/day. n rural ndia, the pulse has been the major
protein source, which unfortunately has declined causing
several abnormality in growth.
Although area, production and productivity of pulses
showed positive growth during the last four decades,
its performance was rather poor and insignifcant as
compared to crops like wheat and rice. There is a wide
variation both in the mean yield and in yield variability in
major pulse producing states of the country.
n ndia, Madhya Pradesh ranked frst both in terms of
area (20 percent) and production (21 percent) of pulses.
The mean yield per hectares ranges from a low of 347
kg in Karnataka to a high of 875 kg in Uttar Pradesh. The
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coeffcient of variation in the mean yield ranges from 4.22
percent in Orissa to 28.28 percent in Gujarat.
Productivity of pulses has remained virtually stagnant for
the last 48 years between 539 kg per hectare in 1961
to around 600 kg in 2008, again refecting the paucity of
new high-yielding strains. No doubt, the Government had
transformed the country from being a food-defcient to a
food self-reliant nation. Yet, that cannot take away from
its neglect of pulses production.
3. Reasons for weakening of PuIses
Presently, the pulses are grown on 24 million hectares
area with 13-15 million tonnes of production. n the past
fve decades, pulses production has not kept up with
growth in demand calling for import to the tune of 0.5
to 1.5 million tonne. n spite of appreciable advances in
the technology front, pulses production in the country has
shown only marginal increase during the past two and
a half decade. As a result, the contribution of pulses in
the national food basket has drastically been reduced to
7% from 17% at the time of independence. The various
constraints encountered in pulse production are -
3.1. Bio-physicaI
Lack of improved varieties
Lack of pest and diseases resistant varieties
nfestation of pest and diseases
No use of pesticides/ Pesticide application not
being cost effective
mbalanced use of chemical fertilizers
Heavy post-harvest losses
No use of bio-fertilizer
No seed treatment
Lack of proper storage facilities at harvesting
time.
Lack of soil-testing facilities
Less or no application of herbicide at proper
time.
3.2 Socio - economic
Lack of knowledge and skill about improved
practices of pulses
Lack of availability of inputs at proper time
Low price of the produce
High cost of inputs
Lack of proper marketing facilities
Poor economic condition of the farmers
Small size of land and fragmented holdings
The new generation do not want to do work in
agriculture
Lack of labour
Lack of loan facilities and delays in loan
sanction
Lack of education
4. PIanning
Planning for increase in pulse production has to be
done considering following broad parameters:
Agro-Climatic variation
Soil-Water factors
Availability of nputs
Crop rotation & Mixed farming
Marketability
Processing & Value addition and
Storage & Packing.
But following issues require due consideration:
Local agricultural produce and local human
need
Traditional cropping pattern
Value addition in the light of new wisdom
Pulses are crops of stress environment
Pulses are grown under rainfed/ scarcely
irrigated condition
t does not involve intensive cultivation
practices
The fertilizer requirement is not intense as their
roots enrich the soil
Pulses are resistant to various pest and
diseases by virtue of their genetic make up
Non-perishable quality provide pulses the
longevity for marketing as against perishable
crops.
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SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
Mountain pulses are in more demand due to
their taste, organic nature and distinct favour.
Fetching higher price than any other feld crop
Use of leftover after harvest, for different
purposes
5. InstitutionaI Requirements
Non-availability of high-yielding variety seeds
in the desired quantities is perhaps the major
constraint in the expansion of pulses. Although
more than 200 improved varieties of pulses
have been released since 1970's, its impact
hardly gets refected in the yield. The rate of
growth of yield of pulses was less than one
percent over the past fve decades. Varieties
with better yield advantage and desirable
characteristics to suit the varied agro-climatic
conditions need to be developed in pulses.
The relative price support to pulses has been
constantly on the rise after 1982-83. The
rising support price ratios for pulses refect the
policy intention to promote pulse cultivation.
However, pulse production did not rise
commensurate with the increase in the support
prices. Awareness about price variations and
procurement system at farmers level need to
be promoted.
Although efforts to popularise Rhizobium
inoculants have been going on for a long time
and several public and private sector units
are manufacturing them, adoption of these
biofertilisers is found to be very negligible.
Therefore, transport and storage facilities
for effective adoption in the feld need to be
developed.
n pulses there are a number of diseases,
insects and pests which cause heavy losses
resulting in poor production. Though several
resistant/tolerant varieties are being developed
by research institutions the spread of such
varieties in the farmers' felds is very limited.
Effective transfer of technology mechanism
in pulses thus needs to be developed and
implemented.
ncrease in pulse production also can take
place through expansion of area apart from
increase in productivity. This is possible by
substitution i.e. reduction in kharif fallows and
by increase in double cropping.
Bringing more area under pulses in the long
run depends upon a favourable price regime
(with less variability) and through technological
breakthroughs that make higher yields realized
at the farmers' felds. At present wide gaps
exist between the yields of improved varieties
on the research farms and those obtained on
the farmer's feld and require further in-depth
investigation.
The fnal testing ground of any technology is
in the farmer's feld. Strict Quality Control
Standards need to be enforced in the
manufacture and sale of seeds, inoculants and
other inputs.
Usually the prices of pulses rule above the
Minimum Support Price (MSP) declared by
Government of ndia. The benefts of these
prices are taken up by the trading lobby
whereas the same processed pulse products
becomes very costly and beyond the reach
of the same producer. To minimize the price
gap in the chain of producer to consumer,
it is important to have the intervention of the
Government of ndia through the active role of
some institutional buyer.
6. Action Points for strengthening
PuIse Production
Due to lack of scientifc storage facilities at domestic
level, lack of governmental support to value addition and
non linking of farmers produce to procurement policy
commensurate to staple food i.e. wheat and paddy
necessitated our policy makers to increase -
i) Pulse production from 132 lakh tonnes to 162 lakh
tonnes
ii) Productivity from 594 kg / ha to 702 kg / ha
iii) Per capita availability of pulses from 33 gm to 40
gm per day at affordable price.
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Accordingly, action on following points is envisaged:
i) ncorporation of short duration pulse crops like
urdbean, moongbean to make the different
production system proftable and improve soil
health.
ii) ntensifcation of production system during spring/
summer season under irrigated condition.
iii) Easy and timely availability of critical input at
nearby market.
iv) Creation of informal seed village system to ensure
easy availability of quality seed at reasonable rate.
v) Encouraging production of quality seeds of
improved pulse varieties by private agencies
vi) Promoting research efforts to develop drought
tolerant high yielding varieties of pulses with pest
resistance.
vii) Establishing dal mills between groups of villages
so that proper milling is done soon after harvesting
and storage is made of split pulses rather than
whole seed.
viii) Strengthening transfer of technology mechanism
in farmer participatory mode with multidisciplinary
team of scientists.
ix) Popularising storage of pulses by the farmers
under optimum conditions.
x) Encouraging private sector to promote new
industries in rural areas using pulse as a raw
material.
xi) Deriving of Price structure in advance to ensure
reasonable profts to the pulse growing farmers to
upscale their cultivation.
xii) Bringing all pulse crops under crop insurance
scheme with low premium.
xiii) Judicious pricing of irrigation water on the
basis of volume of water used by different crops
to encourage the farmers to go in for pulses
cultivation.
xiv) Scheduling need based irrigation by
operationalization of canal/electric supply for
pulses irrigating pigeonpea at pod flling stage
gives higher yield.
xv) Decentralization of powers at panchayat level for
killing the blue bulls to combat the blue bull &
other menace to bring in more area under summer
pulses/pigeonpea.
xvi) Liberal credit facilities for pulse growers
xvii) Creating adequate storage capacity in rural areas.
xviii) Financial support to co-operatives and other
agencies under Price Support Scheme for
procurement of pulses.
7. ConcIusion
After 60 years of planned agricultural development, the
country is nowhere close to attaining self-suffciency in
pulses production. And it continues to pay a heavy price
as pulses imports burn a hole in our import bill. The right
trigger can revive the pulse of pulses i.e. production and
productivity in ndia's heartland, reduce rural poverty
and sustain the growth momentum in agriculture. The
weakness can be converted into an opportunity as
the country transforms itself from the biggest pulses
producing-importing country to a key pulses producing-
exporting nation.
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TECHNICAL DIGEST
1. Introduction
The food grain production of the country during 2009-10
is estimated to be 216.85 million tonnes (2nd advance
estimates) comprising 202.11 million tonnes of cereals
and 14.74 million tonnes of pulses. Pulses had been the
biggest source of protein (20-40%) for the vegetarian
population of the country apart from being a good source
for carbohydrates (50-60%), thiamin, niacin, calcium
and iron. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to ensure
availability of pulses to ensure nutritional security of the
populace.
The production of pulses in the country has been
hovering little over 14 million tonnes during the last
three years. With an objective to increase the production
of pulses in the country, Government of ndia had
implemented the Technology Mission on Oil seeds
and Pulses (TMOP) incorporating the National Pulses
Development Project (NPDP) during the X Plan period.
Subsequently various schemes under TMOP were
merged into one single scheme viz., ntegrated Scheme
for Development of Oil Seeds, Pulses, Oil Palm and
Maize (SOPOM) and was implemented during X Plan
period. The National Food Security Mission - Pulses
(NFSM - Pulses) was implemented in 171 districts.
Accelerated Pulses Production Programme (A3P) has
been launched since 01 April 2010 under NFSM merging
the pulses component of SOPOM and NFSM-Pulses
covering 458 districts spread over sixteen states.
While these schemes have been launched to increase
the production of pulses, an equally important aspect
which has a bearing on nutritional security is the safe
storage of the pulses produced. Storage of pulses should
aim at minimising the losses both in terms of quantity and
quality to a great extent.
2. Storage of puIses
Pulses are more sensitive to storage conditions than
cereals. High temperature, high relative humidity, high
seed moisture content, light exposure and an extended
storage period have all been found to adversely affect
quality. These factors may cause colour darkening and
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Dr. K.S. Mahesh, AGM, TSD, Mumbai
h a r d - t o - c o o k
defect in pulses.
The hard to
cook defect is
characterised by
increased energy
requirements for
cooking, poor
palatability and
reduced quality of
protein.
Faulty storage
practices like
open storage
exposing the produce to rain and sunlight, improper
rodent proofng, ventillation etc., can lead to storage
losses of pulses. Apart from such practices, one of the
important reason for loss of pulses during the storage is
the infestation by storage pests.
3. Storage pests of PuIses
n ndia, over 200 species of insects have been
recorded infesting various pulses both in the feld and
storage. Among these, the bruchids or the pulse beetles
(Callosobruchus spp.) are the major pests in storage.
Female beetles lay eggs on the pod, or in storage on
the seed coat. The hatching larvae immediately bore
inside and spend their entire life feeding within the seed.
The life cycle can be completed in about 1 month or
less and continual
generations are
possible until the
food source is
exhausted.
G e n e r a l l y ,
infestation starts
in the feld but
population builds
up in storage as
the insect feeds
inside the seed and
Fig.1 Bruchids in Mung
Fig.2 Bruchids damage in Chick pea
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emerges as an adult and causes secondary infestation
inficting heavy losses. The infested seeds are rendered
unft for human consumption. The economic damage
this pest can cause to pulses can be gauged by the fact
that the build up of pest can wipe off more than 80 %
of the produce by 8-12 fortnights of storage. Chemical
methods have been adopted to control these insects.
But due to environmental and health concerns there is a
need to develop ecofriendly approaches such as physical
methods and other non-chemical options.
As the feld carry over infestation forms the major
source of infestation of pulse beetle, removing the eggs
laid by them will have a signifcant impact in arresting
the population build up in storage. Farmers fear to store
pulse seeds because of the pulse beetle damage during
storage. Many of the farm level and household storage
are done in gunny sacks and preventing insect entry and
infestation is a diffcult proposition in such cases.
4. Eco-friendIy techniques practised
for controI of storage pests
Tamilnadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has patented a
device which can be used for removing the eggs of pulse
beetles from stored grains. The device has an inbuilt unit
designed to facilitate the farmers for timely detection of
adult beetle emergence from the grains and as soon as
the farmers notice beetles in the collection device they
can start operating the device and the eggs laid by the
emerged beetles could be removed. Some of the simple
techniques used to ward off storage pests of pulses are
smearing the pulse seeds with Neem oil / Pongamia oil
/ Castor oil, mixing of pulses with fried and powdered
castor seeds, mixing pulses with dried leaves of Nirgdi
(Vitex negundo) or neem, mixing pulses with Sweet
Flag (Acorus calamus) powder and placing pods of dried
chilies in storage containers for pulses.
Redgram can be effectively stored in earthen vessel after
heating with castor oil. The oil removes glued eggs and
acts as physical barrier to pests This is a cost effective
control method for control of storage pests.
5. Some non-chemicaI options for smaII
scaIe storage
The technology for bruchid control has to concentrate on
the twin objectives of
i. Reducing the feld infestation and its carry over to
storage
ii. Preventing secondary infestation during storage
The sand layer technology and Purdue mproved Cowpea
Storage bags are effective storage methods based on
these objectives.
5.1 Sand Layer TechnoIogy for storing
puIses
This technology has been developed and perfected by
the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore.
The technology involves the following steps :
i. Pulses are subjected to extended sun drying on a
concrete threshing yard for 24 hours spread over
three to fve days as temperature above 45
o
C are
lethal to insects and this kills most of the primary
infestation which had taken place in the feld.
ii. Storage of pulses in plastic or metal bins with tight
lids instead of gunny bags to avoid secondary
infestation at the storage yard
iii. The grains are compacted in the storage bin by
tapping the container and fne sand is applied
over the grain mass to form a one inch layer. With
the compacting of the grains in the container, the
inter-granular space is reduced drastically making
it diffcult for the insect to mate. Under such
circumstances, for mating, the male and female
bruchids come to the surface of the stored pulses.
The sand layer on the top leaves no space for the
insect to stay and mate and the bruchids can't
penetrate this layer and therefore the population
increase is completely arrested.
This way the pulses can be stored for a long time and
UAS, Bangalore had stored pulses for seven years under
experimental conditions.
Fig.3 Device for removing insect eggs developed by TNAU
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TECHNICAL DIGEST
5.2. Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage Bags
(PICS Bags)
This technology has been developed by Purdue
University, USA. The storage of pulses is done as under :
i. Pulses are packed tightly in a HDPE bag which
forms the inner layer. The pulses are compacted
inside the bag and the bag twisted so that no
space is left in the top.
ii. This HDPE bag is then kept inside a LDPE bag
and tightly twisted so that no space is left in the
top.
iii. This is then kept in a woven bag and tightly
twisted. By keeping this in three layers, penetration
of insects from and to the bag is completely
arrested. Further, the oxygen levels inside the
HDPE bag is brought down from 20% to 5% and
because of this the insect gets killed.
These are low cost technologies and can be easily
adopted by farmers.
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Research on Drought ToIerant Crops Move a Signicant Step Ahead:
Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in the protection of plants in drought conditions. This stress hormone
is present in small quantities in their systems and is produced in modest amounts to inhibit growth and help them
survive during drought conditions.
Scientists at University of California have succeeded in creating a synthetic chemical called pyrabactin which
parallels ABA functionally thus helping in plant protection during drought conditions.
ABA is too sensitive to light and its commercial extraction is very expensive. Pyrabactin, however, overcomes
these disadvantages as it is relatively inexpensive, easy to synthesize and not sensitive to light. However, it has
one disadvantage that unlike ABA, it does not act on or turns on all the receptors in the plant that need to be
activated for drought tolerance.
Lock and Key Mechanism:
ABA or pyrabactin functions as signaling molecule, which binds to a receptor (a protein molecule) in a cell, thus,
turning on the molecules in the stress signaling pathways in the plant.
The receptor at the top of the signaling pathway, functions in initiating and generating a cascade of events in the
pathway in order to execute it. Each receptor is equipped with a pocket into which chemical like pyrabactin or ABA
can ft like operating a key. Pyrabactin, unlike ABA, is however, less successful in ftting neatly in the pockets of
the receptors.
This partial effectiveness of pyrabactin may serve as a leading molecule thus paving way for manufacturing new
more effective chemicals that activate or turn on receptors for control of stress tolerance in plants.
(Source: 1. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (online)- Aug. 22, 2010.
2. Davin R. Jensen and Joshua J. Weiner of the Medical College of Wisconsin; Sethe Burgie,Craig A. Bingman and George N.
Phillips, Jr. of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Sang-Youl Park and Chia-An Chang of UCR.)
(Contributed by Ms. Shivani, Asst. Manager, TSD, Mumbai)
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1. Introduction :
Wheat is one of the major food crops of the world.
Wheat is the main rabi crop in ndia and is being grown
in an area of 266.92 lakh hectares. At present, the
total production of wheat is 721.40 lakh tonnes. Wheat
is an important food grain from nutritional point of view
besides the straw is being used as cattle feed. Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka,West Bengal,
Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh are the main wheat
producing States of ndia. The National productivity of
wheat is about 2.7 tonnes per hectare.
t has been noticed that farmers are adopting the higher
doses of seed, chemical fertilizers, chemical insecticides
and weedicides for cultivation of wheat. As a result,
the fertility as well as the structure of the soil has been
disturbed, resulting in the continuous decrease in the
production and productivity. n conventional method,
higher use of seed rate per square meter results in
competition between plants /seedlings for nutrition,
water, sunlight, thereby resulting in decrease of quality
and production. Therefore, there is a need for adoption
of intensive agricultural practices for increasing the
productivity in wheat to ensure food security for the
people.
Considering the low level of yields in wheat and its role
in addressing the food security and the success stories
in respect to progressive adoption of System of Rice
ntensifcation (SR) in Rice; an effort has been made
in this article with inputs from People's Science nstitute
(PS), Dehradun to highlight a new system i.e., System of
Wheat ntensifcation (SW) on the lines of SR.
2. What is SWI?
System of Wheat intensifcation (SW) is a synergistic
management technique involving a few components of
wheat farming such as planting, irrigation, weeding and
nutrient management. The management practices provide
better conditions for growth of wheat crop particularly in
the root zone than those plants grown under traditional or
conventional wheat farming.
$8l0M 0l N008l ll08l08ll0 I$Nll
P M ReIkar, DGM (Tech), TSD, HO
3. Background :
The System of Rice ntensifcation (SR) was pioneered
by Father Hendrei de Laulani'e, S.J., a French priest in
Madagascar in the early 1980's. t is a practice involving
sustainable management of plants, soil, water and
nutrients resulting in higher production with reduced
external inputs. During the last decade, it has gained
popularity among rice farmers in several states of ndia
due to its potential to increase yields in grain and stalk
volume as well as to save water. People's Science
nstitute (PS) introduced SR for paddy cultivation in 25
villages of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh during
Kharif 2006 to study its potential to achieve food security,
especially for small and marginal farmers. The result
showed a considerable increase in paddy yields in both
the mountain States.
4. Adoption of SRI principIes in Wheat :
nspired by the success of on-farm demonstrations of
SR, PS decided to carry out crop intensifcation trials in
wheat, during Rabi 2006, by applying the same principles
on an experimental plots at its Niranjanpur farm in
Dehradun.
4.1 The SRI practices adopted by PSI for
SWI are :
SR Practice Adoption for SW
Young seedlings Direct seed sowing in line
Wider spacing Seed to Seed: 15/20 cm and
Row to Row : 15/20 cm
1 Seedling/hill 1-2 seeds per hill
nter Culture 2+ (weeder/rake/manual
weeding)
Organic Matter Compost + PAM (P-
Panchgabya, A-Amritghol,
M-Matka Khad)
Two varieties of wheat, HD-2329 and PBW-396, were
grown at different row to row and plant to plant spacing
(20cm x 20cm and 15cm x 15cm). The performance
1Z SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
of the SW plants in the research plots was closely
monitored against that of wheat grown by the
broadcasting method. The feld trials on wheat on the
research farm of PS showed an average increase of
38 per cent in grain yields along with 18 per cent higher
straw yields from the SW plots as compared to the
conventional plots.
Encouraged by the above results, PS decided to
promote SW on farm lands of Uttarakhand and Himachal
Pradesh during Rabi 2007. nitially farmers were reluctant
to adopt the SW principles. Some of them fnally agreed
to experiment in half or one nali (1 Nali = 200 sq.m) of
land. They were surprised when they saw an average of
10-30 tillers in a single SW plant as compared to only
2-10 tillers with the conventional method. They were
pleased to see the production of 80-120 kg by SW
method from one nali of land from where they previously
harvested only 40-60 kg.
The SW crop harvest has shown an average increase
of 80 to 100 per cent in grain yields (from 2.4 tonnes/
ha. to as high as 4.8 tonnes/ha.) for irrigated wheat,
as compared to the conventional crop. Similarly, under
unirrigated conditions, the average yield increased
by 60 to 80 per cent. n spite of the method of being
more labour intensive and time consuming than the
conventional method, farmers who have tried SW have
expressed immense satisfaction with the results. Apart
from increase in grain and straw yield, the reported
benefts are: (i) less seed requirement (ii) saving in water
(iii) early maturity (iv) decreased chemical application and
(v) improved soil quality and health.
The farmers in hill areas have experimented and adopted
SW in different ways. Some of them maintained both
plant to plant and row to row spacing during seed sowing
where as others adhered to just line sowing. Both single
seed as well as sowing of double seed per hill has been
tried out. Farmers have innovated different ways of
marking, weeding and manuring the feld.
Enhancing the crop productivity through SW and SR
methods can combat the problem of food grain scarcity,
leading to greater food security for farming families in
the mountains and providing more fodder for their cattle,
more farm yard manure for fertilizing felds and possibly
increasing the milk yield.
Farmers from other states have also visited the
farmlands of the SW farmers in Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand. They in turn have been inspired and have
adopted the practices in their felds. The SW movement
is now spreading in many States of ndia, especially,
Bihar, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab and
Uttar Pradesh.
Civil Society Organizations like PRADAN, CWS and
others have taken the initiative to promote SW in their
programme areas. Similarly SW is becoming a signifcant
livelihood enhancement activity through programmes like
Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihood Programme (MPRLP)
and Bihar Rural Livelihood Programme (BRLP).
5. Package of Practices for SWI :
n SW, the fundamental practices of wheat cultivation
more or less remain the same: however it creates
conducive environment for the crop through changes in
the sowing geometry, weed management and stressing
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Seed sowing SWI method
The farmers who witnessed the harvesting of SW crops
were highly encouraged by the results and expressed
their eagerness to adopt SW on their own felds in
future. n the subsequent years, PS has been upscaling
SW amongst the mountain farmers with the help of
many grass root level NGOs. Financial assistance for
the capacity building of the farmers has been provided
by the WWF-CRSAT, Hyderabad; Sir Dorabji Tata Trust,
Mumbai and NABARD. From 50 farmers covering an
area of 0.3 ha. in Rabi 2007, the number of SW farmers
has now increased to more than 4000 farmers covering
84 ha. which shows the growing interest of farmers in
adoption of SW specially the small and marginal farmers.
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on organic manuring. t aims to increase the crop
production while enhancing the intrinsic productivity of
land, with minimum use of external inputs. SW requires
a number of steps for successful increase in the grain
and straw yield: land preparation, seed selection seed
treatment, feld preparation, sowing, weeding, manure
application and proper use of irrigation which are
presented in brief below.
5.1 Land SeIection :
Well drained, loamy soil is considered ideal for the
cultivation of wheat. Fertile land with pH ranging between
6.0 to 8.5 is suitable. While selecting land for wheat
cultivation, one should avoid waterlogged soils and
choose land with provision for drainage of excess water.
5.2 Land preparation and Manure
AppIication:
Leveling of land is an essential component of land
preparation, as it ensures uniform availability of water to
the plants, and avoid stagnation of water and manure to
the plants. For a good wheat crop, Nitrogen, Phosphorus
and Potassium are required in the right proportion (i.
e. 32-48:16-24:12-16 Kg/acre). Estimation of present
nutrient status of the soil is recommended followed by
the application of organic manure to maintain the balance
of essential nutrients. Organic compost, Vermicompost,
NADEP, liquid manure like Panchgabya, Amritghol, and
Matakakhad (PAM) and other manures (including crop
residues and animal dung are commonly used for this
purpose.
5.3 Seed SeIection and Treatment :
For every 200 sq.mt (1 nali) of land to be brought under
cultivation, 400-500 grams of wheat seeds are used. The
seeds are placed in water in a broad open vessel. The
seeds which foat on the surface are removed and only
the seeds which settled on the bottom of the vessel are
suitable for sowing.
Seed treatment involves soaking them in water for 8-10
hours after which 250 ml of the cow urine is added to
every kg of the wheat seeds. After some time, the
selected seeds are taken out and mixed with the solution
of 250-500 grams of jaggery (traditional unrefned sugar),
powdered vermi -compost manure (around 1 Kg) and 1
kg ash. This results in the formation of thin layer around
the wheat seeds, which are then dried in shade for about
an hour. This ensures better germination of seeds and is
also signifcant in early prevention of crop diseases.
5.4 FieId preparation and Sowing :
n the SW method, the feld is prepared similar to the
feld in the traditional method. The difference, however,
lies in the method of sowing, which must be done at
fxed spacing. The felds are ploughed three times
before sowing of the seeds. The frst time the land is
ploughed in order to remove the roots of the previous
crops cultivated on the land. After one to one and half
months, compost is applied and the land is ploughed for
the second time. Finally, the land is ploughed once more
before sowing.
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Different row to row and plant to plant spacing
(15cmx15cm or 20cmx20cm) can be used depending on
the moisture content. Care should be taken not to sow
seeds at a depth of more than 5cm. A manually driven or
motorized seed drill can be used for this purpose. n the
absence of the seed drill, the felds are marked with the
help of rope or a string tagged at 15/20 cm intervals. Two
number of wheat seeds are then sown at a fxed distance
of 15cm/20 cm each and then covered with compost
manure. This results in substantial saving of seeds (60-
70%).
5.5 Weeding and Manuring :
Weeding and hoeing is essential in SW since it destroys
the weed that compete with the crop for water and
nutrients. Weeding also loosens the soil and effectively
aerates the root, allowing it to lengthen and reach for
TECHNICAL DIGEST
moisture and more nutrients from the deeper ground. f
the weeds are turned into the soil, it results in increasing
the nutrient status of the soil. n SW, weeding is done
2-3 times. The frst weeding is done 20-25 days after
sowing. Subsequent weeding is carried out at an interval
of 10 days. During this process, manure is also applied.
Organic preparations like panchgabya, Amritghol and
Matka Khad are applied subsequent to 1st, 2nd and 3rd
weedings respectively.
5.6 Irrigation and Water Management :
Traditionally, the wheat crop requires at least 4 to 6
irrigations, depending on the conditions of the soil and
rainfall. n SW, the soil is kept alternately wet and dry,
resulting in the enhanced crop production with only 3-4
irrigations. The frst 3 irrigations are applied just before 3
weeding operations. The last irrigation can be applied as
per the requirement.
5.7 Disease and Pest ControI :
Selection of disease resistant varieties of wheat, and
adequate treatment of seeds prior to sowing, are essential
to prevent crop damage caused from diseases and pest
infestation. The use of organic insecticides is strongly
advocated in SW. Experiences confrm that occurrence
of diseases are reduced due to availability of sunlight,
aeration, resulting from planting at proper spacing.
5.8 TiIIering and harvesting :
Adequate availability of sunlight, water and proper
aeration lead to good tillering. The number of tillers per
plant is known to rise above 25, if weeding is done thrice.
By faithful adoption of the SW package of practices,
the wheat crop also matures in time, and should
subsequently be harvested. The right time for harvesting
the wheat crop is when the moisture content of the grain
is around 20-25%.
6. SWI Wheat Vs ConventionaI Wheat :
A comparison of SW wheat over the conventional wheat
is shown in Table 1. The conventional wheat produced
only 2.8 tonnes/ha. On the other hand, SW wheat
produced more effective tillers per plant, each plant was
taller and had longer panicles with more and heavier
grains yielding about 5.0 tonnes/ha. showing an average
increase of about 80% in grain yield in SW wheat over
the conventional wheat crop. Table 1 also shows that
there was about 77% increase in the straw yield from
SW wheat over the conventional wheat.
6.1: Comparison between SWI and conventionaI
wheat for Uttarakhand and HimachaI Pradesh during
2009. The improvement under SW on a few parameters
versus conventional wheat cultivation is given in Table-
as under:
TabIe I
Sr. ParticuIars Uttarakhand HimachaI
No. Pradesh
Conven- SWI Conven- SWI
tionaI tionaI
1 Average no. of
effective tillers/hill 2 11 2 9
2 Average Plant Height (cm) 85 105 81 105
3 Average Panicle length (cm) 8 13 9 12
4 Average No. of
Grain/Panicle 34 50 45 70
5 Grain Yield (T/ha) 2.9 5.2 2.7 4,9
6 % ncrease in Grain Yield 80 81.5
7 Straw yield (T/ha) 4.8 8 4.9 9.1
8 % ncrease in Straw Yield 67 86
6.2 The comparative cost of cuItivation under
conventionaI method of wheat cuItivation and
SWI are furnished in TabIe II as under.
TabIe II
Sr. ParticuIars ConventionaI SWI
No. Method Method
(Rs/ Acre) (Rs / Acre)
A Operation
1 Ploughing 3000 3000
2 Seed 650 300
3 Weeding 0 1800
4 rrigation 300 500
5 Fertilizer and plant protection
chemicals 200 400
6 Harvesting and Threshing 2000 2000
TotaI 6150 8000
B YieId and Income
1 Grain Yield (Q/acre) 6 10
2 Gross ncome @ 1100/- per Q 6600 11000
3 Straw Yield (Q/acre) 10 16
4 ncome straw @ 200/- per Q 2000 3200
5 TotaI Gross income 8600 14200
6 Net Income (Rs) 2450 6200
(Case Study:- Alam Das, Kuidang District Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand)
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7. InstitutionaI support for promotion of
SWI
7.1 NABARD: NABARD has sanctioned grant
assistance of Rs.5.187 lakh and Rs.2.308 lakh to
Peoples' Science nstitute, Dehradun in October 2009
for implementation of the project Promoting the System
of Wheat ntensifcation in Chamba, Hamirpur & Mandi
districts of Himachal Pradesh State and in Nainital and
Uttarkashi districts of Uttarakhand State respectively
under Farm nnovation and Promotion Fund (FPF).
7.2 Other agencies: Besides NABARD, other
organizations like World Wide Fund for Nature with
CRSAT Partnership, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Scientist
from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology
(GBPUAT), Pantnagar have been supporting the work for
the promotion of System of wheat ntensifcation.
8. Benets of SWI :
More tillers, no or less lodging of crop and
increased production.
Timely / early crop maturity
Long and shining grain is obtained - good grain
quality.
More fodder available for cattle
No / lesser disease incidence and insect
infestation
Less seed requirement
Weeding facilitated good aeration to roots.
Simple technology.
Less water requirement
High seed germination rate
Suitable for organic farming, fertility of soil is
also improved.
9. Constraints :
Some of the constraints which need to be addressed
while promoting SW in the mountain region include :
design modifcation of the seed drill to ensure fxed
spacing while sowing,
availability of suitable weeder to the farmers.
capacity building of farmers in adoption of SW
technique
to ensure irrigation at critical stages of crop growth.
10. Perspective and Strategies for SWI :
Researchers and Policy advisors need to look into wide
scale adoption of SW cultivation methodology in ndia
to enhance wheat production and productivity with lower
resources and to meet the food security of the country in
future. n this context, Government of Bihar has already
taken initiative and made provision in the State budget
for the promotion /cultivation of wheat under System of
Wheat ntensifcation.
One of the important challenges for promotion of SW
is the development of the seed drill which will ensure
proper spacing between seeds during sowing operation.
Research nstitutes and Agricultural Universities may look
closely into the current challenges being faced by the
SW farmers and further recommend suitable refnements
in the package of practices.
11. ConcIusion :
SW is an extension driven practice and research is
underway on the System. Farmers, Extension workers
and NGOs are actively involved in promoting SW.
Systematic research, large scale demonstrations, multi
locational trials and skill upgradation of farmers are
needed to realize beneft of the SW.
12. References :
1. Publication on System of Wheat ntensifcation -
Experiences of farmers from Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand Peoples' Science nstitute. 252 Vasant
Vihar-1, Dehradoon.
2. Gehu Sadhanikaran Vidhi Apanao Utapadan Badhao
Peoples' Science nstitute. 252 Vasant Vihar-1,
Dehradoon.
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TECHNICAL DIGEST
1. Carbon sequestration
Carbon sequestration is defned by the ntergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (PCC) as the process through
which carbon is absorbed by biomass such as trees, soils
or crops. The forests, oceans and agriculture felds act as
carbon sinks. The carbon in the atmosphere is recycled
through carbon cycle. Plants convert carbon dioxide to
carbohydrates during a process called photosynthesis.
They produce the energy needed for this reaction through
the photolysis of water. The resulting gas, oxygen,
is released into the atmosphere by plants, which is
subsequently used for respiration by living organisms,
forming a cycle called as carbon cycle.
2. Importance of Carbon sequestration
Carbon sequestration has become important on
account of global warming resulting due to increase in
concentration of Green House Gases (GHGs). Global
warming is caused by Green House Effect. Out of the
incoming solar radiations, some are absorbed while some
reach to the earth, out of which some are absorbed
and some are refected back to the atmosphere. The
GHGs in the atmosphere absorb or act as a barrier for
solar radiations thus resulting in higher atmospheric
temperature in proportion to their concentration. Carbon
dioxide (CO
2
) is one of the GHG, the others are methane,
nitrous oxide, and ozone. The concentration of CO
2
is
rising rapidly as compared to others due to burning of
fossil fuels in industrial and transportation sectors. The
concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere is
08f00 $0@008lf8ll0
KuIdeep Chand, AGM, TSD, Mumbai
approximately 390 ppm as of 2010 as compared to about
280 ppm during pre industrial era and is rapidly rising
by about 2 ppm/yr. Thus, reducing concentration of CO
2
in atmosphere is important to keep rising temperatures
under control. Therefore, carbon sequestration has
become important today.
3. Methods of Carbon sequestration
There are two methods of carbon sequestration i.e.
natural and artifcial. Under natural method forests,
oceans and soils act as main sources for carbon
sequestration. Under artifcial methods there are
various technologies that are yet in their initial stage of
development and are being tested as pilot projects.
3.1 NaturaI ways
Forests as carbon sinks
One third of the Earth's surface is covered by forests.
Forest ecosystem act as a buffer against environmental
factors such as extreme temperatures, improves
microclimate, provide shelter to fauna and fora and
also protect soil against erosion etc. Forests are called
lungs of the earth due to the reason that they absorb
CO
2
during the process of photosynthesis to prepare
food from sunlight and release oxygen during the
process. Oxygen is the main gas which most of the living
organisms including human beings use for respiration.
As per estimates one hectare of forests depending
upon their density on an average can absorb 20 ton
of CO
2
in a year. Therefore, to reduce the CO
2
from
atmosphere which has been on rise due to increase
in burning of fossil fuels in industrial and transport
sector, forestry activities can help a lot and save our
environment and maintain ecological balance along with
economic benefts. Agro forestry systems such as poplar
wheat-based systems are the best land-use options for
increasing carbon sequestration. From the point of view
of accumulation of carbon in biomass, an agro forestry
system is very effcient. Tropical forests and mangroves
are also most effcient carbon sinks. Their protection is a
must to save our environment from further degradation.
Pictorial representation of Green House Effect
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3.1.1 WetIands as carbon sinks
Mangroves are also one of nature's best ways for
combating global warming because of their greater
capacity to sequestering carbon from the atmosphere
and store in their wetland substrate. According to latest
study by the UN's FAO the current rate of mangrove
loss is around 1% per annum around 150000 ha of new
mangrove area loss per year. This translates to around
225000 tons of carbon sequestration potential loss
each year, with an additional release of approximately
11 million tons of carbon from disturbed mangrove soils
each year (shii, 2005). Thus sustainable management of
mangroves is utmost important for carbon sequestration.
3.1.2 SoiIs as carbon sinks
Agriculture soils also acts as carbon sinks and store CO
2
.
Agriculture soils are estimated to contain approximately
1500 giga tons of organic carbon, more than the amount
in vegetation and the atmosphere. Modifcation of
agricultural practices is a recognized method of carbon
sequestration as soil can act as an effective carbon sink
offsetting as much as 20% of carbon dioxide emissions
annually. Carbon emission reduction methods in
agriculture can be grouped into two categories: reducing
and/or displacing emissions and enhancing carbon
removal. Some of these reductions involve increasing
the effciency of farm operations (i.e. more fuel-effcient
equipment) while some involve interruptions in the natural
carbon cycle. Also, some effective techniques (such as
the elimination of stubble burning) can negatively impact
other environmental concerns (increased herbicide use to
control weeds not destroyed by burning).
3.1.3 Oceans as carbon sinks
Oceans also act as carbon sinks and store CO
2
. Over
the next 1000 years, the oceans are expected to absorb
approximately 85% of today's anthropogenic carbon.
The increase in atmospheric CO
2
concentrations due
to anthropogenic emissions has resulted in the oceans
taking up CO
2
at a rate of about 7 Gt per year. Over
the past 200 years the oceans have taken up 500 Gt
CO
2
from the atmosphere out of 1300 Gt CO
2
total
anthropogenic emissions. Anthropogenic CO
2
resides
primarily in the upper ocean and has thus far resulted
in a decrease of pH of about 0.1 at the ocean surface
with virtually no change in pH deep in the oceans.
Models predict that the oceans will take up most of CO
2
released to the atmosphere over several centuries as
CO
2
is dissolved at the ocean surface and mixed with
deep ocean waters. The Earth's oceans cover over 70%
of the Earth's surface with an average depth of about
3,800 metres; hence, there is no practical physical limit
to the amount of anthropogenic CO
2
that could be placed
in the ocean. However, the amount that is stored in the
ocean on the millennial time scale depends on oceanic
equilibration with the atmosphere.
3.2 ArticiaI Ways of CO
2
Reduction
Various techniques have been proposed for removing
excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in carbon
dioxide sinks. There are various methods under discovery
and development.
i. Long term storage in the earth's soil by pumping
CO
2
into existing or drilled/excavated sub- surface
reservoirs.
ii. Long term storage in the earth's oceans where
CO
2
would be injected thousands of feet deep and
trapped by the water.
4. Recognition of projects for Carbon
sequestration
Under Kyoto protocol executed as per United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
the forestry sector has been recognized as 'Land use
land use change and forestry (LULUCF) activities for
recognizing its potential to absorb carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere and to mitigate climate change. A few
LULUCF projects in the world and ndia have been
supported for carbon credits. The main emphasis till date
has been clean energy projects, biomass based energy
projects, cleaner technological projects due to interest
shown by host countries on account of easy and defned
procedures and processes to evaluate the beneft /
advantage in terms of reducing CO
2
or saving burning of
fossil fuels.
As per data from nstitute of Global Environmental
Strategies (iGES), as on 01 June 2010, a total of 1561
projects have been approved by Designated Nodal
Agency (DNA) in ndia, out of which CDM Executive
Board has registered 506 projects. Out of 506 projects
the contribution of various sectors are; 144 (Biomass),
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TECHNICAL DIGEST
102 (Wind power), 66 (Waste gas utilization), 64
(Hydropower), 54 (Energy effciency), 17 (Cement), 14
(Fuel switch), 14 (Biogas), 11 (Methane avoidance), 6
(HFC reduction), 4 (N
2
O decomposition), 3 (Afforestation
and reforestation), 3 (Other renewable energies), 2
(Methane recovery and utilization), 1 (PFC reduction) and
1 (Transportation).
Another important factor is reduction of GHGs emissions
through reduction in deforestation and degradation
of existing forests. n this approach the emphasis is
on protection and management of existing forests on
sustainable basis. t envisages to give incentives for
conservation of forests. The approach recognizes the
efforts being made to protect forests from destruction by
various countries.
5. PotentiaI for Carbon sequestration
All the projects which may directly and indirectly reduce
the CO
2
concentration in the atmosphere have the
potential for carbon sequestration. The projects in the
sectors such as renewable energy, clean technologies,
energy effcient process, afforestation and reforestation
activities can be considered for Carbon sequestration.
ndia has 47.22 million hectare of wastelands (Wasteland
Atlas of ndia, 2010). These wastelands can be afforested
with various tree species. The afforestation of this land
with suitable tree species would accrue multiple benefts
of increasing the forest cover and protecting the soil and
environment while earning carbon credits to the country
through reduction of CO
2
in atmosphere and also fxation
of carbon in the biomass.
6. ConcIusion
Reduction of Carbon to the preindustrial era from the
atmosphere is one of the important things for survival
of living beings. t can be done through multipronged
strategies. First and foremost is to improve the carbon
mitigation technologies and to use clean fuels and not to
enhance our carbon foot prints. n addition, we have to
reduce CO
2
in atmosphere through increasing vegetation
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cover or alternatively storing the CO
2
under ground
or under water. t is the time to act and participation of
the world community, Governments, Public and Private
enterprises are required to save this Earth from the wrath
of potential weather disasters and also to keep the earth
liveable for future generations.
Indian Fisheries Sector - Facts and Figures

SI.
Items Extent/ Quantity
No.
Marine Resources
1 Coast Line 8129 Km
2 Exclusive Economic Zone 2.2 million sq km
3 Fisheries Potential 3.9 million tonnes
InIand Resources
1 Rivers & Canals 1,97,024 km
2 Reservoirs 3.15 million ha
3 Ponds & tanks 2.34 million ha
4 Ox bow lakes & derelict waters 1.3 million ha
5 Brackish water areas 1.24 million ha
6 Estuaries 0.24 million ha
Fish Production
1 World fsh production 2007-08 114.11 million
tonnes
2 ndian marine fsh production 2.9 million tonnes
2008-09
3 ndian inland fsh production 4.7 million tonnes
2008-09
4 Production from Aquaculture 3.8 million tonnes
in ndia 2008-09
5 ndia's position in total world Seventh
fsh production
6 ndia's position in world Second next to
inland fsh production China
Indian Marine Product Exports 2009-10
1 Quantity in tonnes 6,78,434
2 Value in Rs crore 10,034.53
3 Value in US $ 2132.84
(Contributed by Ms. Annie Alexander, AGM, TSD, Mumbai)
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Global warming is a major concern due to increase in
atmospheric concentration of green house gases mainly
due to anthropogenic activities. Methane is one of the
most harmful green house gases and ndia is said to
be one of the largest emitters of methane. Scientists
have known for the past 100 years that ruminants emit
methane. From the beginning, the release of methane
from the animal's digestive system was recognized
as resulting in a reduction of nutrients (in the form of
energy) available for productive output by the animal.
n developed country agriculture, early efforts were
made to understand this phenomenon and address it
through improved feeding techniques and strategies.
These efforts were purely for the purpose of increasing
the productivity, and thus the economic return, of animal
agriculture. As global climate change became more of an
issue, scientists and others began looking at the potential
of these techniques to mitigate ruminant methane as a
means of carbon offsets.
Domesticated ruminant animals such as buffalo, cattle,
goats and sheep are the largest source of anthropogenic
methane, annually contributing an estimated 28% of global
methane production. Methane is a naturally occurring
by-product of the ruminant digestive tract. The rumen
digestive tract is made up of four separate stomachs, the
rumen, the reticulum, the abomasum and the omasum.
The largest and most important of these is the rumen. The
rumen functions as a fermentation vessel and allows the
animal to consume and draw nutrients from plant material
that would be indigestible by humans. The rumen contains
large populations of microorganisms which break down the
plant material. Methane is given off by the microorganisms
and expelled from the animal through eructation.
Generally speaking, the level of methane production
from the rumen is inversely related to the quantity
(energy value) and quality (digestibility) of the feed an
animal consumes. As the amount of feed consumed
increases, the energy available to be converted into
methane also increases. However, as the digestibility of
the feed increases, the percentage of the energy that
is converted to methane decreases. For this reason,
methane production is calculated as a percentage of
N0l080 lMl88l08 lf0M l0l8 ll908l00k 80 ll8 Nlll8ll0
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the energy consumed. n a feed ration that is highly
digestible, it would be expected that 6% of the energy
would be converted to methane. As the digestibility of a
ration decreases, the percentage of energy converted to
methane increases to a point as high as 9%.
ndia is recognized as one of the most important livestock
rearing country in the world with the largest livestock
population of 485 million. As per 2003 livestock census,
the country has about 185 million cattle, 98 million
buffaloes, 61.5 million sheep, 124.4 million goats and
13.5 million pigs. Majority of these animals are fed on
poor quality roughages whose digestibility is poor. i.e the
quantum of methane released by such animals would be
high.
The estimated value of methane emission from ruminants
ranged from 7.26 to 10.4 Tg* / year. However this value
is estimated, without conducting actual experiments on
animals, by using certain coeffcients derived from the
research done abroad. K.K. Singhal etal (2005) estimated
methane emission from enteric fermentation in livestock
in experimental animals using dry matter intake approach
which is 10.08 Tg during the year 1994. Abha Chhabra
etal (2009) estimated the total methane emission from
ndian livestock, which includes enteric fermentation and
manure management, at 11.75 Tg for the year 2003.
Enteric fermentation accounts for 10.65 Tg compared to
1.09 Tg by manure management. Though these fgures
are disputed by some, it is certain that livestock are a
major source of methane emission.
* Tg = 1 terragram
Z0 SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
Many viable opportunities exist for reducing methane
emissions from enteric fermentation in ruminant animals
and from livestock manure management facilities. To be
considered viable, these emissions reduction strategies
must be consistent with the continued economic viability
of the producer, and must accommodate cultural factors
that affect livestock ownership and management.
One of the costs of ruminant's mode of digestion is that
fermentation of the readily digestible feeds results in loss
of digestible energy in the feed to an extent of 20% in the
form of heat and methane. A second major disadvantage
is that proteins that are fermented in the rumen are lost
as source of amino acids. Skilful balancing of nutrients
for the rumen and the animal can have very large effects
on animal production through effects on the effciency of
all important functions.
The primary method for reducing methane emissions
from enteric fermentation is to improve production
effciency, which reduces methane emission per unit of
product. The objective is to ensure utilisation of greater
portion of the energy in the feed for economical product
(milk, meat) and increase the productivity so that
methane emissions per unit product are reduced. Once
the productivity is increased the number of animals also
may be reduced which will help in reducing the methane
emissions.
mproved production effciency can be achieved through
improved nutrition. t is observed by the researchers
that chopping straw to enhance animal intake and alkali
treatment of low digestible straws has increased the
digestibility. These practices may decrease methane
emissions per unit product by 10-25% which is
substantial keeping in view the measures suggested
which are relatively cheap and can be practised at the
feld level.
Defciency of nutrients required for growth of microbes
in the rumen will lead to low microbial cell yield in the
rumen which will result in more methane production. With
proper feed selection, supplementation and balancing
of various ingredients, it is possible to maximise feed
conversion into microbial biomass and short chain amino
acids, while reducing gases. With high protein diet,
formation of gases can be reduced signifcantly, while
high fbre content in diet can increase the production of
gases.
Strategic supplementation provides critical nutrients
such as nitrogen and important minerals to animals on
low quality feeds. Additionally, it may include providing
microbial and/or bypass protein to the animal. Methane
emissions per unit product may be reduced by 25 to 75
percent due to substantial increase in animal production
effciency, depending on animal management practices.
Defciencies of ammonia and minerals can be corrected
by providing urea molasses mineral blocks. Under
tropical conditions it is reported that sodium, sulphur,
magnesium, phosphorus and a number of trace minerals
(cobalt, copper, zinc etc) are the most limiting nutrients.
Provision of these elements through mineral blocks will
increase the micro fora and feed digestibility.
There are about 200 strains of different bacteria,
protozoa and fungal species in the rumen which
are responsible for fermentation of the primary feed
ingredients (fbres, sugars, starch etc.) to secondary
products which can be catabolised further for use by the
animal. The effciency of these microbes in fermentation
varies and there is a possibility to identify those which
are effcient in this process and take steps to increase
their number. This will improve the digestibility of the feed
on one hand and reduce methane emission on the other.
Methane production in the rumen can be reduced by
addition of chemical additives like monensin, lasolocid,
salinomycin etc. These are costly and their applicability
for smaller farms is limited. Research is on to identify
other ingredients which will reduce methane production.
Preliminary trials indicated coriander, turmeric, cumin and
saponins available in soap nuts are effective in bringing
down methane production.
Animals suffering from diseases also release more
methane compared to healthy animals. So maintaining
health of the animals through prophylactic measures is
one of the steps to reduce methane emissions.
2. Mitigation of methane emission in Indian
context
As already indicated, ndia has a large livestock
population which reportedly emits 11.75 Tg of methane
per year. Any steps taken to bring down this should
consider the unique role of livestock in ndian society
and economy. Livestock contribution to the economy in
the form of milk, meat, draft power and employment is
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substantial and all these have to be kept in view while
arriving at the course of action to be taken for reducing
the methane emissions.
Majority of the ndian cattle are maintained on roughages
whose digestibility is less. Moreover these are defcient
in minerals which are required for the animal for its
maintenance and production. All these are responsible for
increased methane emissions from these animals.
As it is established that chaffng and fortifcation of straws
(alkali treatment, urea molasses treatment) will improve
their digestibility and thereby decrease the methane
production these measures should be popularised so
that they are adopted at the feld level. Though these
technologies are developed long back their adoption at
the feld level is not signifcant. There is a need to study
the reasons for the people not adopting them at the feld
level and take rectifcation measures.
Supplementation of the ration with minerals also is stated
to improve the digestibility of the feed and reduce the
methane production. nstead of using a general mineral
mixture for all the areas, there is a need to develop
area specifc mineral mixtures. Metabolic profling of
the animals in the area and analysis of the forages/
roughages available in the area can be done to arrive
at the defcient minerals. Only such minerals can be fed
to the animals in that area. This will also bring down the
cost of mineral mixture.
t is also established that providing bypass protein to
the animals will increase the effciency of utilisation
of roughages by them which will also result in reduced
methane production.
t is not possible to bring down the methane emissions by
ruminants to zero levels. However they can be reduced
by taking the above steps.
The methane emission from lactating buffaloes, cross
bred cows, indigenous cows, sheep and goat were
estimated as 76.65,35.97, 38.83,3.67 and 4.99 kg per
head per year respectively (Singhal etal, 2005). The
total methane emission from these livestock in an area
assuming their population at 100 each, will be 16011 kg
i.e 16 tons per annum. This is equivalent to 336 tons of
carbon dioxide.
Methane up to 15 18% of the digestible energy may
be produced where cattle are fed on poor quality forage.
However, the correction of these defciencies through the
steps suggested above reduces this to as low as 7%.
This can be supplemented with manure management,
utilisation of dung for production of biogas.
The bovine population of over 283 millions would yield
about one billion MT of dung which can generate about
36 million cubic meters of biogas. The cooking gas
requirement of about 87 million rural families can be met
by this biogas. Apart from the supply of clean and cheap
gas for fuel purposes, the gas can be fed to generate
electricity for lighting and for lifting the water from the
wells for irrigation and the resultant slurry can be used as
a manure.
Global warming is a concern which has to be addressed
by bringing down the factors responsible for this
phenomena. Livestock through methane emission add
to the global warming. So it is important to bring down
the methane emission by livestock by adopting farmer
friendly technologies. The technologies presently
advocated to reduce the methane emission will also
increase the productivity of animals. t is desirable to take
these steps initially in a small area and later extend it to
other areas depending on the results.
References
1. Leng, R.A. (1991) mproving ruminant production
and reducing methane emissions from ruminants
by strategic supplementation, United States
Environmental Protection Agency.
2. SinghaI, K.K. etaI (2005) Methane emission
estimates from enteric fermentation in ndian
livestock: Dry matter intake approach, Current
Science, Vol. 88, No. 1.
3. Abha Chabra etaI (2009) Spatial pattern of
methane emissions from ndian livestock, Current
Science, Vol. 96, No. 5.
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ZZ SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
Abstract
The scheme on artifcial recharge to the ground
water through dug wells is being taken up in the
hard rock areas of the country in overexploited,
critical and semi-critical blocks. The scheme has
numerous benefts i.e., to arrest decline of falling
water table, prevent salinity ingression, improve
groundwater quality, etc. The studies have shown
that there are technical / fnancial advantages
of artifcial recharge through dug well over other
methods for both supply (govt.) and demand
(benefciary) side so as to adopt this mechanism
and which are brought to the fore through this
paper.
1 Introduction
The artifcial recharge of ground water is being taken
up in the country on a large scale. The Government
of ndia has taken up this scheme in overexploited,
critical and semi-critical blocks of the seven States of
the country. The States covered under this scheme are
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
1.1 Ground Water ProbIems
The country is facing severe problems related to ground
water. Some of the prominent problems are :
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Declining ground water level, deep water levels
beyond economic depth of pumping.
Reduced sustainability of wells.
Drying up of wells
Salinity ingress in coastal aquifers
Water quality degradation
Land subsidence
1.2 Benets
The recharge of ground water through dug wells has
several benefts like :
Arrest decline of falling water table
Prevent salinity ingression
mprove ground water quality
Assured irrigation
Economically affordable by small and marginal
farmers
Generally located in the farmer's feld
Simple in design, easy to construct and maintainable
by farmers
Provides large scale recurring employment
Gap between potential created and utilized is
marginal
Additional water for supplementary irrigation
ncreased area under irrigation during high rainfall
years especially for Rabi crops
Direct recharge to the Aquifer - No evaporation and
seepage losses
Reduction in salinity and fuoride content
Rise in the water table - reduction in the pumping
cost
2 TechnicaI / Economic Advantages
The studies have shown that there are technical /
fnancial advantages of artifcial recharge through dug
well over other methods for both supply (govt.) and
demand (benefciary) side so as to adopt this mechanism.
Ground Water Recharge from rooftops to unused open wells in the
Desert
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2.1 Savings in power
Saving in power due to increase in water table by one
meter can be calculated as given below :
HP = Discharge (lps) * Head (m) / 75 x Effciency of
Pumpset. Considering a pumping at the rate of 8 lps
and effciency of pumpset as 0.6 (60%)
HP = 8 lps x 1 m / 75 x 0.6 = 0.177, hence,
Saving in Power = 0.177 x 0.764 = 0.132 KWH
Annual Saving = 1000 hrs x 0.132 = 132 KWH
Thus the rise in water table even by 1 m leads to
reduction in the pumping cost and annual power /
electricity saving of 132 Kwh for the farmer.
2.2 Economic Benets
The benefts can be calculated in terms of economics
also as given below :
2.2.1 For Government
Considering a discharge into well @ 60 lpm for 60 rainy
days in monsoon, the total recharge into the well can be
calculated as :
Total Recharge = 60 lpm x 60 min x 4 hrs x 60 days
= 864000 lit = 864 cum
1 Ham = 10000 cum / 864 cum =11.6(say 12 units)
Beneft = 12 units x C 4000 (avg. cost) =
C 48,000/-
Considering that 1 Ham gives 2 Ha Rabi rrigation
Beneft = C 48,000/2 Ha = C 24,000 per Ha
Per Ha cost through surface irrigation project = C 1
lakh to 1.5 lakh
Thus the cost of irrigation by dug well recharge is about
C 24,000/ha, whereas cost through surface irrigation
project is about C 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh / ha. Thus, there
is immense cost saving potential for the Government to
aggressively promote the concept.
2.2.2 For Beneciaries
Average investment = C 4000/-
12 units = 1 Ham = 2 Ha (5 acres)
2 Ha / 12 units = 0.166 Ha (0.4 acres or
16 Guntas)
Average income per acre = C 5000/-
= 0.4 x C 5000 = C 2000/- per well
As per the above calculations, considering average cost
of dugwell recharge structure as C 4000/- and average
income of C 5000/acre and irrigation of 0.166 ha / dugwell
recharge structure. Thus, the benefciary / farmer will gain
C 2000/dugwell recharge structure / season. Hence, the
benefts for farmer community are also immense so as to
take up the scheme in their felds.
3.0 Target and Achievement
3.1 Target
Sr. State Target
No.
No. of Amount of
Units subsidy (C Iakh)
1 Andhra Pradesh 737,436 29,887.49
2 Gujarat 558,536 18,972.43
3 Karnataka 154,493 5,362.39
4 Madhya Pradesh 360,088 12,309.24
5 Maharashtra 328,322 10,068.41
6 Rajasthan 10,650,551 28,307.02
7 Tamil Nadu 1,250,730 45,020.34
TotaI 14,040,156 149,927.31
3.2 Achievement as at the end of December
2010:
SI. Net amount of subsidy Funds Funds Operating
No. reIeased to beneciary reIeased reIeased to cost
for IEC DAVP, GoI avaiIed by
activities towards NABARD
to States pubIication @ 1% of
of advertise- net
ment under subsidy
the scheme reIeased
States No.of Ccrore C crore C crore C crore
struc-
tures
1 Andhra
Pradesh
2 Gujarat NA 48.41 3.25 0.2416947 2.6358
3 Karnataka 72,148 26.68 2.00
4 Madya
Pradesh 93,857 40.14 2.00
5 Maharastra 44,632 14.04 2.00
6 Rajasthan 89,026 30.48 2.00
7 Tamil Nadu NA 103.83 5.75
263.58 17.00 0.2416947 2.6358
Grand totaI Rs. 283.457 crore
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TECHNICAL DIGEST
4.0 ConcIusion :
The Scheme was implemented during 2007-08 and
2009-10 and the initial period of implementation
of the Scheme came to a close on 31 March 2010.
t is, however, indicated by NPMC-Ministry of Water
Resources (MoWR), Go that the scheme would be
extended for another 2 years. Groundwater is a very
precious and important natural resource of mankind. ts
sustainability both for drinking and irrigation is a major
challenge in the present water sector scenario. The
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implementation of the Scheme on "Artifcial Recharge
of Groundwater through Dug wells in Hard Rock Areas
of the Country" had not been upto the desired level.
n the event of the extension of the Scheme, it should
be implemented in a more focused manner. Nodal
Department to play a more proactive role and constructed
demonstration ARS by Nodal Department / Gram
Panchayat to bring awareness among farmers in each
village.
1DWDGHFRFRDGHOLFDF\IURPFRFRQXWZDWHU
0uring the processing of coconut, generally the coconut water contained in the nut is wasted which can be put to
use for preparation of various products. The composition of the coconut water, especially the sugar content, varies
with the maturity of the nut. 0uring the early stages of development, invert sugar present in the coconut water
increases and reaches a maximum at the end of the seventh month. After this stage, sucrose appears in the water
and the concentration of total sugars falls. Similarly the concentration of total solids also declines and subsequently
disappears during germination.
The composition of coconut water can be modied through various additives/substances for preparation of various
coconut water based products like bottled coconut water, Nctc de coco, coconut water based Peady to Serve(PTS)
beverage and coconut water squash.
0ne amongst the coconut water based products is Nctc de coco, a chewy, translucent, jellylike food product
derived by the fermentation of coconut water, which gels through the production of microbial cellulose. Nctc de
coco is a Spanish word meaning cream of coconut and the product originates from the Philippines. This gelatinous
dessert delicacy is formed by the action of a bacteria Acetobccter xylnum, in a culture medium of sugared
coconut water. The microorganism can be cultured either in coconut water or skimmed coconut milk.
Acetobccter xylnum is an obligate aerobe, chemotrophic, ellipsoidal to rod shaped, straight or slightly curved
organism belonging to the family of Acetobacteraceae. A. xylnum is treated as a species in scientic literature.
For classication, however, it has been considered a subspecies of Acetobccter ccet.
This coconut water dessert is produced through a series of steps from extraction of coconut water, fermentation
with bacterial cultures, separating and cutting the produced mat of nctc de coco, cleaning and washing the acetic
acid and cutting to packaging. nitially the culture solution is prepared by straining coconut water and then mixing
with sugar and acetic acid in stipulated proportions. The solution is boiled for ten minutes and then cooled. The
solution is inoculated with Acetobacter xylinium through a culture liquid made from pineapple waste. The cultured
solution is distributed either in wide mouthed glass jars or plastic basins, covered with paper or thin cloth to
protect from dust and kept undisturbed for about two to three weeks. Fermentation is completed in two to three
weeks depending on the environmental conditions. A temperature in the range of 2JJ2
o
C is ideal for the production
of nctc de coco. 0uring this period, a white or cream coloured jelly like surface growth forms and oats on top of
the culture medium. This surface growth is harvested, washed thoroughly to remove traces of acids and sliced into
cubes, approximately 1 x J cm or according to requirement.
Sugar equal to the weight of the sliced cubes is added along with requisite avours, mixed thoroughly and kept
overnight. Any undissoleved sugar is dispersed by stirring the next day. Water is added and the mixture is heated
to the boiling point with occasional stirring. The mixture is set aside overnight and the heating process is repeated
until the cubes are fully penetrated with sugar which is evident by clear and crystalline appearance of the cubes.
The sweetened and avoured cubes can be preserved in glass jars or retortable pouches, sterilized and sealed.
Nctc de coco is most commonly sweetened as a candy or dessert and is very popular in Phillippines and other
countries, particularly in the United States. t is served either mixed with other fruits or baked into delicious cream
pie or simply served with avoured syrup. t can accompany many things including pickles, drinks, ice cream,
puddings and fruit mixes. Nctc de coco is highly regarded for its high dietary bre and its low fat and cholesterol
content. The technology for production of Nctc de coco is available with Coconut 0evelopment 8oard, Kochi.
(Contrbuted by 'U.60DKHVK, ACV, TS0, Vumbai)
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Scientists have proved that watching fshes in the
aquarium tanks reduces blood pressure and Cardiologists
recommend eating fsh by heart patients, even after
bypass surgery. According to Dr M S Swaminathan,
about 20% per capita intake of animal protein for more
than 2.8 billion people is from fsh and for over 400
million people fsh meets 50% of the requirement for
animal protein and minerals. So fshes or fsheries
sector is important both for vegetarian as well as non
vegetarians. Further fsheries especially aqua culture
provides opportunities to adapt to climate change of this
warm planet by integrating it with agriculture.
ndia is the 2nd largest producer of cultured fsh (after
China) and 3rd largest producer of fsh in the world. The
growth of fsheries in the country at present is 8% per
year which is higher than any of its agricultural counter
parts. The share of fsheries in agricultural domestic
product has increased from 1.7% in 1979-80 to 5.94%
in 2007-08 making this sector an important one. Though
we may feel proud for this status, when we compare
with the vast potential, we feel the pain, for not exploiting
the available biological resources which could have
supported the nutritional security of the country. However,
we are not too late to realize this and still a lot more
could be done, in the future.
Our marine waters are comparatively over exploited. Out
of the estimated 3.9 million tonnes of potential marine
fsheries resources, about 3.00 million tonnes potential
has been exploited. The remaining about one million
tonne potential exist mainly in the deep sea and beyond
the fshing capacity of the small-scale fshing boats
in the country. Brackish water areas are with disease
and related environmental issues. Hence freshwater
aquacuIture is the future. Our country is endowed with
vast inland water resources covering 2.36 million ha
of ponds and tanks; 1.07 million ha of beels & derelict
water bodies; 0.12 million ha of canals; 3.15 million ha of
reservoirs; 0.72 million ha of upland lakes which could be
utilised for aquaculture.
Government of India is encouraging the sector with
subsidy assistance. Development of Freshwater and
fl80l l00 fl800fl08 $00l0f l0f f0l0f0
Dr. P. SeIvaraj, AGM, Nabcons, Mumbai
Brackish water Aquaculture are being implemented by a
single agency called Fish Farmers Development Agency
(FFDA) in the respective States and Union Territories
and there is a network of 429 FFDAs in the country. The
national average productivity of ponds and tanks covered
under FFDA has reached to 2500 kg/ha/ year. Till 2007-
08, about 7.47 lakh ha water area has been brought
under fsh culture and 9.00 lakh fshers have been trained
and 12.79 lakh benefciaries covered.
The CoastaI AquacuIture Authority was established in
2005 with the objective of regulating coastal aquaculture
activities in coastal areas in order to ensure sustainable
development without causing damage to the coastal
environment. Besides making regulations for aquaculture
farms in coastal areas, it registers the shrimp farms
based on the recommendations of the State and District
Level Committees constituted for this purpose.
NationaI Fisheries DeveIopment Board (NFDB) was
established in Sept 2006 to work towards blue revolution
with a focus on to increase the fsh production of the
country to a level of 10.3 million tonnes, double the
exports from 7,000 crores to 14,000 crores and create
direct employment to about 3.5 million by extending
suitable assistance to under nland, Brackish water and
Marine sectors. NFDB is the platform for public-private
partnership in fsheries sector. Declaring 2010-11 as the
year for enhancement of the productivity of the water
bodies, NFDB has earmarked Rs. 270.15 crore for
various activities.
With all the efforts, the fsh production in our country
as well as our export earnings is increasing over years
which could be seen from the following table. Today
ndian seafood is being exported to 100 countries.
Year Fish Production Export
(Lakh Tonnes)
InIand Marine TotaI Quantity VaIue
('000'Tonnes) (Rs. in crore)
2005-06 28.16 37.55 65.71 551.28 7018.68
2006-07 30.24 38.45 68.69 482.22 6459.89
2007-08 29.19 42.07 71.26 541.70 7620.92
Z SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
There are certain major areas which require our
immediate attention for sustainable development.
The fsh eating population of our country is about
60% and the per capita availability of fsh is only
9 kg against the FAO recommendation of 11.1 kg.
Tripura is with the exception of 13 kg per capita
fsh availability. Fisheries is the State Subject and
the interest shown by different States varies widely
based on their priorities, potential and manpower. n
the Centre also department of fsheries come under
Ministry of Agriculture. Considering the importance
and potential for future a separate ministry needs to
be created for this crucial sector.
You may be remembering, during our childhood,
grand mother always advise us to eat complete fsh
so as to get the protein, vitamins and other important
omega 3 fatty acids for our better health. Those
small indigenous fsh species are getting extinct
over a period of time. Now they are available in little
quantity in some parts of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu
and Andhra Pradesh and are costlier than other
fshes. This genetic resources and bio diversity need
to be protected from extinction, through well planned
conservation management, DNA fngerprints, bar
coding etc
n our efforts for blue revolution, many indigenous
species have been neglected, which has huge
potential for addressing the nutritional security
issues. Little efforts have been made to explore
indigenous fsh species like minor carps, cat fsh,
murrels, and other air breathing fshes that are
similar to carps and prawns in terms of food value. f
tapped scientifcally, these resources could improve
the socio economic conditions of poor, create
adequate employment opportunities as well as
combat malnutrition.
ndian Aquaculture is dominated only by the
carps and prawns which constitute less than 5%
of the potential fsh species that are suitable for
aquaculture. New species like sea bass, prawn
Litopenaeus vannamie, and air breathing fshes like
Pangassius etc have to be introduced to culture
systems and the capacity building at farmers level is
very much required.
MaricuIture of fshes, sea weeds, crabs etc is
another big area which has huge potential to tap the
brackish water resources, which will not only protect
the environment but also provide suitable alternate
employment opportunities for the youth of fsh folk
which is in the clutches of poverty for many years.
OrnamentaI fsh culture, harvest from nature,
export is another gold mine which can make ndia
as ornamental hub surpassing Singapore. We have
both inland and marine ornamental fshes with mind
boggling colours. This sector needs to be promoted
in a well planned and systematic way.
Aquaculture can be integrated with AgricuIture
and all other allied sectors increasing the income of
the farmer many fold, making all the sectors viable,
maintain the ecological balance as well as improve
bio diversity. The interesting fact is that the waste of
one sector is the feed / fertilizer of the other sector.
Fishes inside the waters, ducks swimming above,
pigs and country chicken on the bunds, cows in the
shade of banana plantations on the bunds, paddy by
the side of the pond will certainly make the farmer
busy in the blackberry trading with the traders.
One can easily understand that the present condition is
more or less similar to a poor man sleeping over the gold
mine, waiting for someone to come to feed him. n this
article let us discuss about few important varieties that
are picking up very fast in our country.
Pangassius sutchi
This fsh is commonly called as 'Pangassius" is a
fast-growing air breathing, freshwater catfsh, which
is recently becoming a very popular food fsh and
valuable aquaculture species. This exotic fsh is widely
cultured in Asia and Southeast Asia, viz China, Vietnam,
Bangladesh, Thailand and also picking up now in
countries like Malaysia, Cambodia, etc. Since it doesn't
have intramuscular bones, the fesh can be easily flleted
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and has tremendous potential for domestic as well as
export market.
By 2008 it was estimated that Pangassius is being
farmed in an area of about 40,000 ha with an expected
production of 1.80 to 2.20 lakh tons. There is a growing
interest among farmers to take up this in a larger extent,
thus paving way for commercial scale culture units and
hatcheries. They can be cultured in monoculture systems
in ponds, cages and pens being a facultative air breather
it tolerates poor water quality conditions (like low level
of dissolved oxygen, polluted water) compared to other
freshwater fsh species and even can be stocked at high
densities as high as 120/m
2
. t attains 1.0 to 1.5 kg in
8 - 10 months during the culture period. For the interest
of vegetarians, may say that these fshes are getting
popular in aquarium tanks also in the name of ridescent
Shark Catfsh.
Since this fsh is omnivorous and prolifc breeder, it may
become weed in our common waters. Hence, the culture
of Pangassius sutchi in ndia shall be governed by the
following guidelines:
nterested farmers have to apply to the State
Fisheries Department for necessary permission.
Culture without prior permission is illegal and such
farmers are liable for punishment.
The farm should not be located adjacent to rivers,
food prone areas. nlets and outlets of culture ponds
should be provided with screens to prevent escape
of fshes from the pond into the natural environment.
Each pond should not be more than 5 hectares
in area and an average depth of 1.5 ft for better
monitoring and management. Grow out culture period
for ponds could be 8 to 12 months depending upon
stocking density and the targeted size at harvest.
Generally the marketable size is 1-1.5 kg.
Unnecessary usage of chemicals / drugs shall be
avoided. After every two crops pond desiltation and
drying should be carried out. The used culture water
should not be discharged directly into natural without
any treatment such as lime, Sodium hypochlorite
etc. As far as possible run off from agriculture felds
should be avoided to reduce bioaccumulation of
pesticides. Any sign of diseases should be reported
immediately to the Department.
NFDB provides back-ended subsidy to the entrepreneur / farmer The unit
cost is given below
Construction/renovation costs
a. Construction of ponds with
sluices, pipeline etc. Rs.3.00 Lakh
b. Renovation of existing ponds
(Max. 10 ha/ farmer) Rs.0.75 lakh
Inputs for rst year
Cost of fngerlings @ Rs 3.00 per fngerling Rs.0.60 lakh
Cost of feed (26,000 tons @FCR 1:1.3)
@ Rs. 20,000/ton Rs.4.40 lakh
TotaI input costs Rs. 5.00 Iakh
As can be seen the cost of feed is the maximum expenditure and hence
NFDB extend special Subsidy assistance to the project in the following way.
For construction/renovation : 20% of the unit cost for all
farmers & 25% for SC/ST farmers
For construction/renovation : 40% of the unit cost for all
Subsidy for input costs farmers
Farmers are entitled for 40% subsidy on input costs for the initial period of
2 years and thereafter it would be 20% for all farmers and 25% for SC/ST
farmers.
Sea Bass
n saline or fresh water environments another fsh called
Bhetki the Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer) is one of the
important cultivable fsh. t is being extensively cultured
in South East Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore and ndonesia n ndia these fshes could be
grown in the abandoned shrimp farms. Central nstitute
of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CBA), Chennai has
already developed a feed for sea bass farming Due to
the cannibalistic nature of sea bass the seeds have to be
reared in phases before the grow out rearing viz; Phase
- hatchery reared fry to fngerlings (3-5 gm size) in 45-60
days and Phase - pre grow out fngerlings to juveniles
(3-5 gm size to 60-80gm) in 2-3 months n the grow out
system, the juveniles are stocked at the rate of 10,000
nos/ha and reared for a period of 6-7 months till it attains
a size of 700-800 gm. A total expenditure of C 40 lakh
(C 3 lakh towards capital expenditure and C 37 lakh
towards recurring expenditure for one crop of one year)
gives a gross revenue of C 45.50 lakh/crop from a water
spread area of 5 ha. The market price is C 150 - 250 per
kg depending upon the size, availability and season.
White Iegged shrimp
Litopenaeus vannamei which is commonly called as
white legged shrimp is being cultured in a big way in
the country. The problems of quality of brood stock &
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TECHNICAL DIGEST
seeds, seed certifcation and disease outbreaks etc. were
drastically reduced by the introduction of SPF vannamei
as an alternative to tiger prawn P. monodon. After the
commercial success in South East Asian Countries this
shrimp was introduced in ndia. nterested farmers need
to apply for permission from CAA and have to fulfll Bio-
security requirements like, Fencing, Bird Netting, Water
ntake System and an Effuent Treatment System. Only
tested and certifed seeds are to be cultured. Specifc
Pathogen Free (SPF) brood stock is being imported from
USA and the same is Quarantined in ndia before culture.
The quarantine facility is established in Rajiv Gandhi
Centre for Aquaculture in Chennai. SPF shrimp seeds are
being cultured in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. There
are 24 hatcheries located mainly in Andhra Pradesh (15),
Tamil Nadu (8), Gujarat (1) which are permitted by Costal
Aquaculture Authority (CAA) to import SPF L. vannamei
brood stock and multiplication. As of June 2010, 130
farms with a water spread area of 1315 ha have been
permitted to take up farming.
With the introduction of SPF L. vannamei, many farmers
have renovated their abandoned farms and gained the
confdence in shrimp farming once again due to the
assured economic viability. Farmers are highly health
conscious (of shrimps) and do not allow any visitors. CAA
has estimated to encourage at least 2,000 ha by 2010-
11. The anticipated production from this area @ 5.00 MT/
ha, would be 20,000 MT/year. Considering the demand,
there is huge potential for export earnings from this
shrimp in coming years.
ConcIusion
There is a saying in China where there is no fsh there
is no money. We need to keep the local fsherman at
the centre of our attention, while suggesting, planning
and executing the developmental programmes. Whether
it is for conservation or protection of indigenous species
or promotion of new varieties, the participation of primary
producers ie., farmers in the grass root level, is very
much important.
As said by our father of nation, we must be the change
we wish to see in the World The issue is not the dearth
of research institutions, professionals, Political will,
Government initiatives, progressive farmers or fnancial
resources. The missing link is the coordinated efforts
by all of them. Let us start the process and take steps
forward. Let Mother ndia feed the entire world.
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Water QuaIity Requirement for Irrigation
Water quality is constantly threatened by many
different sources and types of pollution. For any water
body to function adequately in satisfying the specifc
quality need, it must have a certain degree of purity.
Based on certain criteria, Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) and Bureau of ndian Standards(BS)
recommend water quality parameters for different
uses. Water can be classifed in to fve classes
depending upon its chemical properties as given
in table below. The classifcation is made taking into
consideration the long-term infuence of water quality on
crop production, soil conditions and farm management.
Water Sodium EIectricaI Sodium RSC
cIass (Na)% conductivity absorp- meq/I
(mS/cm) tion ratio
Excellent < 20 < 250 < 10 < 1.25
Good 20 40 250 750 10 18 1.25 2.0
Medium 40 60 750 2250 18 26 2.0 2.5
Bad 60 80 2250 4000 > 26 2.5 3.0
Very bad > 80 > 4000 > 26 > 3.0
(Contributed by S.Hrangkhol, Manager, TSD, Mumbai)
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1 Introduction:
Sericulture activity is often associated with poor people,
poor land and also high value business. This activity
is labour intensive from raising of crop and rearing of
worms to reeling and weaving, but the ultimate produce
has consumed mostly by the upper class population.
Hence this activity though has very poor people at the
bottom of the chain, the activity has potential of niche
business at the top. Whenever sericulture is discussed,
it is on Mulberry based activity using Bombyx mori which
accounts for 95% of silk market all over the world. Non
Mulberry silk covers different types of silk produced by
different types of organisms. Silk is a fborous protein of
animal origin. The non mulberry silk include, Tasar silk,
Muga silk, Eri silk, Anaphe silk, Fagara silk, Coan silk,
Mussel silk and Spider silk (Ganga and Sulochana Chetty
1994). n ndia, Tasar, Muga and Eri are important non
mulberry silk. Tasar culture is a traditional activity in the
eastern region and several special type of textile were
made from Tasar silk yarn since ages. n Bihar this
activity is a prominent livelihood generation activity for the
poor in Banka and nearby districts. This paper discusses
different aspects of this activity and bankability of Tasar
culture.
Dutta (1997) stated that, in tropical areas, while
agricultural activities are season bound, sericulture
activity can be carried out through out the year and
he also indicated that non mulberry sericulture is an
important source of income for tribal people and other
weaker sections involved in the culture.
2 Agro cIimate of Bihar and choice of
Banka and Jamui for Tasar
As per the classifcation proposed by Planning
commission, Bihar falls in middle Gangetic plains
with river Ganges as the dividing line between North
and South Bihar plains. n South Bihar a small portion
adjoining Jharkhand is associated with the Chotanagpur
plateau. Entire Bihar, except the hilly undulating terrain
in the South has almost fat alluvial terrain. The North
Bihar plains are highly food prone while South Bihar
plains are food as well as drought prone. The major
crops grown are Rice, Wheat, Maize, Potato, Vegetables
l88008 80 F0l0ll8l 0l 0f00ll fl0N l "1$8 $00l0f
Dr. Sandip Ghosh, CGM (Retired), NABARD
and fruit crops, Mango and Litchi. Soil depth and
chemical properties are not a serious problem in most
parts of Bihar but some districts have undulating terrain
where soil erosion is a major problem and this has
created huge uncultureable waste lands. These waste
lands are the areas where tree based intervention can
be done so as to control soil loss and at the same time
income generation activity based on the plantation can
be initiated. This will be the best land use as per the
Land Capability Classifcation. Normal rainfall in Banka is
1156mm per annum and that in Jamui is 1161mm while
normal rainfall for South Bihar is 1089mm per annum.
The rainfall is mono modal almost entirely being received
during Monsoon season and as the intensity is high, lot
of erosion takes place which is the cause for degradation
of the top land (locally called unproductive Tanr).
3 Land use statistics of Bihar, Jamui and
Banka :
Land use statistics collected from the State Statistics
department is presented here which clearly indicates
that the two districts, namely Jamui and Banka has
the maximum unculturable waste land where major
intervention for increasing area and production under feld
crops may not be a viable proposition, hence tree based
system of development may be more suitable. Among
tree based crops also, Mango, Litchi which are grown
as commercial crops are raised in better land having
suffcient soil depth, but in most hilly parts of Jamui and
Banka soil depth is also a limitation hence Forest species
like Arjuna is a better option. The following table show
the land use statistics of Bihar and the two districts :
3.1 Land use data of Bihar, Jamui and Banka
SI. Items of Biahr % of Jamui % of Banka % of
No. Iand use area Geogra. area Geogra. area Geogra.
(ha) area (ha) area (ha) area
1 Geographical area 9359568 _ 305289 _ 305621
2 Forest area 621635 6.64 92855 30.42 46310 15.15
3 Total uncultur.
Waste land 3787166 40.46 230271 75.43 153249 50.14
4 Net sown area 5572402 59.54 75018 24.57 152372 49.86
5 Gross cropped
area 7399318 80536 160193
6 Cropping
intensity 132.79 107.36 105.13
J0 SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
The above table shows some important points: (1)
Both Jamui and Banka districts have more Forest area
in percentage terms than the State as a whole.(2) Both
these districts have huge area under unculturable waste
land and it is much more than the State in percentage
terms.(3) Since the data on Unculturable waste land
also includes the Forest land it is evident that most
waste lands are under individual holding and not in
Government Forest land.(4) Cropping activity is much
poor in these two districts as the cropping intensity
is around 100% while that for the State as a whole is
around 133% which also shows that the people here
do not have much opportunity to work as agricultural
labourers.
4 The proportion of ST, SC and ST+SC in
Bihar and in Jamui, Banka districts as
weII as a few bIocks and possibiIity of
sociaI acceptance of Tasar cuIture :
A table indicating proportion of SC/ST population in Bihar
as a whole and that in the two districts as well as a few
blocks as obtained from 2001 census are presented here:
State/District/BIock % SC % ST %ST+SC
Bihar (rural) 16.39 0.97 17.35
Jamui district (rural) 17.72 5.15 22.86
Jhajha(rural) 11.08 3.08 14.16
Chakai(rural) 17.51 17.77 35.28
Banka district (rural) 12.49 4.83 17.32
Chanan(rural) 13.85 10.00 23.85
Katoria(rural) 9.21 13.92 23.13
Baunsi(rural) 9.75 12.40 22.15
The data indicated in the table above show clearly that
Jamui and Banka districts have much higher proportion
of SC and ST population compared to Bihar state as
a whole. Among these two districts, Chakai, Chanan,
Katoria and Baunsi are having much higher proportion
of SC and ST population compared to the State and
the districts and hence these are the areas where the
interventions on tree based waste land development
should happen.
Tasar silk in ndia are of two types, Tropical and
Temperate. t is also grown in China and Japan. Tropical
Tasar is cultured through Antheraca mylitta and the
host plant is Asan (Terminalia tomantosa) which is the
dominant species in several forest areas in Central,
Eastern ndia as well as the Western Ghats. These
trees grow very tall and thus any sericulture activity
becomes unmanageable or rather impossible. Through
ages the forest dwellers, mostly the ST community has
been collecting cocoons from the jungles and selling
these to the business men at a throw away price as
they themselves do not have access to market and thus
oblivious about the market rates. Through intervention
of scientists and technicians from Government, Quasi
Government and Non Government Organizations, culture
of Tasar has become popular using Arjuna (Terminalia
arjuna) as the host plant. Arjuna also grows tall but it can
be kept at moderate height using pollarding technique
which also induces foliage growth, essential for rearing of
the worms. Since ST population is traditionally associated
with this activity, this intervention should be taken up in
tribal dominated areas.
5 Arjuna pIantation in waste Iands :
The lands in Banka and Jamui district has a rolling
topography with barren table top lands called "tanr" as
per local terminology. Runoff water from the table top
drops into gullies and thus gully heads advances and
land degradation increases. Such lands can be treated
with Arjun plantation followed by rearing of Tasar worms.
Such lands can not be used for high value tree crops
like mango or litchi etc., which are costlier and need
better quality land as well as better management and
protection. Since these Arjun saplings are to be planted
in large numbers in degraded waste lands, these can
be supported under watershed development or similar
programmes with grant. The gestation period of these
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Fig-1 : Arjuna plantation on waste land
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plantations, before start of rearing is about four to fve
years. n one acre of plantation the gross income from
cocoons vary from Rs 4000 to Rs 6000 depending upon
the age of the plantation. The activity is mostly done
by the women and they may be assisted by banks by
providing consumption loan. Consumption loans can be
given up to Rs10,000 with out any security and if KYC
norms are satisfed there should not be any problem for
the banks.
6 Seed cocoon production :
This is one of the most important
activity in sericulture and involves
skilled workers known as cocoon
seed farmer, grainage houses
and other basic infrastructure like
microscope, chemicals etc. The
grainage houses are to be located
in an area where good quality
host plants are also available
in suffcient numbers. These infrastructure are mostly
supported under grant, though some licensed growers
are also allowed to do the business of production and
sale of DFL. Such skilled persons can be provided loan
by banks if recommended by the concerned department.
7 Tasar siIk reeIing :
Silk reeling activity involves several processes like Stifing
storing reeling and then storage of yarn. For all these
activities basic infrastructure is necessary. n resource
poor areas the basic infrastructure has to be created
out of grant resources; however loans can be extended
to the individual reeler or to some agency like producer
company. The need for bank loan is of short term nature,
for purchase of cocoons from the market when the
season time is on. These cocoons are kept in storage
and are used by individual reelers during the year. Some
estimates of cost and income from reeling activity are
given below:
1. Average cost of cocoon is Rs1.30 per cocoon.
2. Each cocoon can produce 1.4gm of silk yarn.
3. Working for six hours a day a reeler can produce 140
gm silk.
4. Working for 25 days a month the production will be
3.5 kg of yarn.
5. Assuming sale price of Rs1800 per kg, the gross
income will be Rs6300.
6. Excluding the cost of cocoon and some incidentals
the net income will be Rs2500 which is almost
earning Rs122 wages per working day.
The reeling activity can be done availing bank loan but
it has to be routed through any institution like Producer
company. Only an institution can make the necessary
arrangements for purchase of cocoons and storage as
well as sale of yarn and can distribute the proft among the
share holders. The issues involved in this are (1) fnancing
to producer companies formed by the members of SHG
as in the case of MASUTA, should be encouraged and the
interest rates charged should be reasonable. (2) NGOs
working as MF can also assist this kind of institution as
they are better placed to service these loans. (3) The
income from reeling activity can be seen as an additional
income generation activity for the family.
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Fig-2: Cocoons and moths in a grainage
Fig.3 Tasar cocoon and the reeling activity in Banka district of Bihar
JZ SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
8 Tasar marketing :
Traditionally Bhagalpur is the main market for Tasar yarn
and the place is close to Banka as well as Jamui. Hence
marketing is not a problem at all. Several silk weavers
are engaged in weaving activity and Tasar sarees have a
good market. However the style and fashion is changing
and according to the choice of the ultimate consumers
the end product will have to change from time to time
and any development has to be seen in totality.
9 What has been done in Banka and Jamui
tiII now :
Convergence of assistance from different sources can be
seen in Banka district where stifing chamber, grainage,
cocoon store exist. There are pockets where large scale
plantation on private land exists. MASUTA, producer
company has registered around 473 women reelers
in Bihar and has a plan to increase the number to 650
by the end of next fnancial year and has availed cash
credit from NABARD under UPNRM amounting Rs.2.5
crore. This amount needs to be increased in order to
cover larger area and more number of reelers. PRADAN
has been sanctioned a project under TDF by NABARD
for assisting 1500 tribal families in Banka and 1750 tribal
families in Jamui where large scale Arjun plantation will
take place and necessary infrastructure for grainage and
reeling will be made.
Apart from the efforts made under TDF, under RKVY
programme on watershed development, Arjun and other
plantations are being taken up in waste lands which
will serve as resource for cocoon rearing. The nursery
technique, pollarding, plantation and related techniques
for Arjuna has been successfully implemented by the
technical personnel of PRADAN who are giving training
to the selected villagers. This programme can also be
enhanced in coming years involving other interested
NGO and village level institutions.
n Banka in a village named Mochanma, solar operated
reeling machines are being installed under the Rural
innovation Fund (RF) assistance of NABARD. The
machine was developed by a foreign lady engineer
who visited PRADAN's project areas and the same is
assisted under RF. Once this becomes fully operational,
the production of yarn per day per head will increase
enormously and thus the demand for cocoon will increase
and also the income.
10 What needs to be done
The soil under Arjuna plantation which is used for Tasar
rearing gets the droppings from the caterpillars which
improves the soil health. Systematic study of this is
required. Since the soil is improved, cultivation of some
shade loving crops like Turmeric and Ginger may be tried
which will increase the income from the land and will
encourage the farmers.
As the price of yarn increases in the market, spurious
material, from various sources, in the name of Tasar
is entering the market. Some kind of mechanism for
protection of the consumer as well as producer has to
be developed keeping the long term interest of all stake
holders.
References:
1. Dutta, R.K. (1997) Sericulture, signifcant benefts
from R&D. Survey of ndian Agriculture 1997(page
149-153).
2. Ganga, G. and Sulochana Chetty, J.(1994)
An introduction to Sericulture. Oxford and BH
publication.
3. State Focus Paper (2009-10) NABARD Bihar
regional offce (page 3-13).
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1. Introduction
Nanobiotechnology is the combination of two of the
most promising and upcoming streams of science i.e.
nanotechnology and biotechnology. Nanotechnology
has the potential to bring anything from scratch, atom
by atom while nanobiotechnology deals with creating
or manipulating biological systems and materials at the
atomic and molecular levels.
n years to come, nanobiotechnology is expected to grow
by leaps and bounds showing its impact on the other felds
of science and technology and playing a vital role in the
development of products ranging from medical devices,
chemical coating, novel foods, water purifcation units etc.
2. Denition
The design, characterization, production, and
application of structures, devices, and systems
by controlled manipulation of size and shape
at the nanometer scale (atomic, molecular, and
macromolecular scale) that produces structures,
devices, and systems with at least one novel/superior
characteristic or property.
Nanobiotechnology too, like biotechnology is
interdisciplinary in nature as it combines the laws
8800l0l0000l0
Miss Shivani, AM, TSD, Mumbai
and principles of physics, chemistry and biology at the
nanoscale levels (billionth of a metre).
3. Importance and AppIications
Application of nanobiotechnology can lead to improved
products with benefcial change in the physical properties
due to shrinkage of size thus, increasing the reactivity by
increasing the surface area to volume ratio. Nanobiotech
equips the researchers to detect rare events at molecular
levels even at very low concentrations.
3.1 AgricuIture
Nanobiotechnology can have a huge impact on the entire
agriculture sector and food processing industry ranging
from various processes like production, conservation,
processing, packaging, transportation and even waste
treatment.
t has the potential to work towards food security for the
ever increasing population with its capacity to address
the major challenges related to agriculture like low yields
in cultivable areas, large uncultivable areas, wastage of
inputs like water, fertilizers, pesticides, food spoilage etc.
3.1.1 Some recent researches
(nanobiotechnoIogy in agricuIture):-
a. A carbon dioxide sensor was developed using
polyaniline boronic acid (PABA) conducting polymer
nanoparticles as the electrically conductive region
of the sensor and was demonstrated for use in
detecting incipient or ongoing spoilage in stored
grain. The developed sensor dynamically detected
up to 2455 ppm of CO
2
concentration levels. The
response of the PABA flm to CO
2
concentration
was not affected by the presence of alcohols and
ketones, proving that the developed sensor is not
cross sensitive to these compounds which may be
present in spoiling grain. The sensor packaging
components were selected and built in such a way to
avoid contamination of the sensing material and the
substrate by undesirable components including grain
dust and chaff.
Fig.1. Human hair fragment and a network of single-walled
carbon nanotubes
TECHNICAL DIGEST
b. n genetic transformation studies, explants are
exposed to antibiotics in the medium for a long time
to eradicate their surplus bacteria. This not only
increases the possible resistance to surplus bacteria
(because common antibiotics have a single mode
of action) but it may lead to some side effects on
explants like retardation of growth of plant tissue,
increase the dependence of plant on the drug etc. n
this study, for the frst time, the interaction of silver
nanoparticle (NS) against Agrobacterium tumefaciens
strain and A. rhizogenes strain, that are the
common bacteria in genetic transformation studies,
showed the biocidal action of this nanoparticle on
bacteria. Results show that, NS can alternatively
be used instead of common antibiotic treatments in
genetic transformation experiments. This could be a
milestone for future research in the area of genetic
engineering.
c. Also similar to the above case the possibility of using
silver nanoparticles as fungicide was explored, for
protection of a living organism. Wheat seeds were
coated with these particles and planted and the
results obtained proved that silver nanoparticles can
be used instead of conventional fungicide to protect
the seeds against fungi. Germination of seeds was
not affected by this new nano-treatment; the method
can be used on a wide range of common treatment
for seed protection. With this the use of preplanting
fungicides like Carboxitiram can be avoided. Results
showed that soil conditions have little effect on seed
protection with silver nanoparticles against fungi,
and protection is completely independent of soil
conditions and the use of silver nanoparticles do
not reduce seed germination. n other words, seed
viability is not signifcantly affected.
d. Nano-crystalline metal oxides (CaO, MgO and
ZnO) and micrometric metal oxides were found to
have lethal and growth inhibitory effects on yeasts
and fungal spores which are involved in the spoilage
of fruit juices and drinks.
3.2 Foods
Manufacturing of high quality and safe food through
effcient and sustainable means can be achieved through
nanobiotechnology with its application in the production,
processing, quality monitoring, safety and packaging
of food. Nanoparticles can be used to improve the
mechanical and heat-resistance properties and also
lower the oxygen transmission rate so as to prevent or
delay food spoilage thus increasing the shelf life of the
produce. This can be achieved through a nanocomposite
coating process i.e. by placing anti-microbial agents
directly on the surface of the coated flm.
3.2.1 ExampIes of Nano-foods
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PENs) lists three
foods - a brand of canola cooking oil called Canola Active
Oil, a tea called Nanotea and a chocolate diet shake
called Nanoceuticals Slim Shake Chocolate.
According to company information posted on PENs
Web site, the canola oil, by Shemen ndustries of srael,
contains an additive called nanodrops designed to
carry vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals through the
digestive system and urea.
The shake, according to U.S. manufacturer RBC Life
Sciences nc., uses cocoa infused NanoClusters to
enhance the taste and health benefts of cocoa without
the need for extra sugar.
3.3 Medicine
The health care industry is predicted to receive the frst
signifcant benefts of nanobiotechnology. Biomedical
nanotechnology and nanomedicine etc are the new
emerging branches of nanobiotechnology related to
medical feld. The size of nanomaterials being similar to
that of most biological molecules and structures can be
useful for both in vivo and in vitro biomedical research
and applications. Thus far, successful research on
biological nanomaterials has led to the development of
diagnostic devices, analytical tools, physical therapy
applications, and drug delivery vehicles.
3.4 Diagnostics
Biosensor (lab-on-a-chip) technology also makes use of
applications of nanobiotechnology. Binding of magnetic
nanoparticles with a suitable antibody, may be used to
label specifc molecules, structures or microorganisms.
Gold nanoparticles tagged with short segments of
DNA can be used as a probe for detection of genetic
sequence in a given sample.
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3.5 Drug deIivery
Nanobiotechnology will prove to be boon for the medical
feld as nanoparticles may aid in drug delivery to the
specifc target cells. They could hold drug molecules
of the smallest size, transporting them to the desired
location and then enabling their active release. This being
a highly selective approach will result in societal benefts
by reduction of treatment expenses as well as human
suffering resulting in overall societal benefts. (Fig.2)
3.7 Tissue engineering
Tissue engineering makes use of artifcially stimulated
cell proliferation by using suitable nanomaterial-based
scaffolds and growth factors. This can help to reproduce
or repair damaged tissues that can replace today's
conventional treatments like organ transplants or artifcial
implants and may also lead to life extension.
3.8 Fisheries
Nanotechnology has multiple applications in the fsheries
and aquaculture.
The possible potential areas where nanobiotechnology
could be applied are:
mprovement in the nutritional, chemical and physical
quality of the feed and its ingredients by application
of nanobiotechnology during their manufacturing thus
producing more effective fsh feed. (Fig.1)
Different aspects of fsheries and aquaculture have
the scope of involving nanobiotechnology in new
materials like antifouling in fshing and aquaculture
nets, antibacterial substances for aquaculture tanks,
packaging materials for seafood products, new
devices equipped for detection of shelf life of sea
products, etc.
Nanotechnology Devices using 40nm particles
of a lanthanum based compound which absorbs
phosphates from the water and prevents algae
growth thus helping in cleaning fsh ponds.
Research has shown that the fshes fed with iron
nanoparticles exhibit a faster growth rate.
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'Smart' drug delivery system - Today, delivery of
antibiotics and pharmaceuticals to animals is through
feed and injection systems primarily and they are
provided as a treatment to the symptoms of the disease,
to cure the disease or as a preventive measure.
Nanobiotechnology is envisioned to build nanoscale
devices which will have the capability not only to detect
but also to treat an infection, nutrient defciency or
other health related problem even before the symptoms
are evident. These 'Smart' delivery systems will have
multifunctional characteristics to avoid biological barriers
to successful targeting.
3.6 A list of some of the other applications of
nanomaterials to biology or medicine is given below:
Fluorescent biological labels.
Bio detection of pathogens.
Detection of proteins.
Probing of DNA structure.
Tumour destruction via heating (hyperthermia).
Separation and purifcation of biological molecules
and cells.
Phagokinetic studies.
Fig. 2 Help is on the way for people with a fear of needles. Monash
researchers have designed a drug delivery device that does away
with injections.
Fig.3 Scheme of polyelectrolyte multilayer capsule preparation
applying the Layer-by-Layer technique, the base of the INTEL
Feed concept. INTEL Feed is a concept where the physical and
nutritional properties of a fsh feed are controlled. INTEL Feed
3.9 AnimaI Husbandry
The various potential areas of applications in the area of
animal husbandry includes:
ntegration of chemical, physical and biological devices
working together as sensors at the nanoscale may
J SSUE 13, January 2011 For Private circulation only
TECHNICAL DIGEST
help in detection of very small amounts of a chemical
contaminant, virus or bacteria in agricultural and food
systems.
Nanotechnology has a high potential to beneft animal
husbandry and agriculture by increasing the effciency
and food systems thus increasing food safety for the
consumer.
3.10 NationaI Security
Emerging applications of nanobiotechnologies may be in
helping to maintain national security by working towards
new and powerful biodetection systems having potential
to analyze a bioterrorism threat, modifed nanomaterials
can be used to detoxify an area or human exposed to a
set of toxins etc.
3.11 Environment
Nanobiotechnology may be applied for pollution prevention,
remediation and sustainability of the environmental quality
through improved detection, sensing, removal of the fnest
contaminants from air, water and soil, and the creation of
new green industrial technologies, which result in reduction
of industrial effuents.
Protection of human health and ecosystems requires
rapid, precise biosensors capable of detecting pollutants
even if in low concentrations at the molecular level. This
can be achieved with development of more accurate
and sensitive techniques for ecosystem monitoring and
process control and compliance in a cost effective way.
However extensive research is needed using nanoscale
science and technology to identify opportunities in and
applications to environmental problems, and to evaluate
the potential environmental impacts of nanotechnology on
the environment.
4. Future of NanobiotechnoIogy
The possibilities seem endless.
4.1 For the environment, nanobiotechnology will be
used to tackle environmental problems. New 'green'
processing technologies have to be developed to curb
emissions and minimize the generation of undesirable by-
product effuents.
4.2 n heaIth care and medicine biological
nanosensors are being developed and will be used for
fast and accurate diagnosis of diseases and also for
effcient drug discovery process. Further, research and
development in nanobiotechnology may lead to building
of artifcial organs.
4.3 Nano-bio processor - A device for programming
complex biological pathways on a chip that mimics
responses of the human body and aids the development
of corresponding treatments. The principle behind this
is the arrangement of nanoparticles with a dosage of
biomolecules for the production of nanomedicines that
target specifc early biomarkers indicative of disease.
4.4 SeIf-Monitoring of PhysioIogicaI WeII-Being
and Dysfunction Using Nano ImpIant Devices
- Nanobiotechnology may be applied in molecular
prosthetics nano components that can repair or replace
defective cellular components such as ion channels
or protein signaling receptors etc. Another important
application can be detection of early disease markers by
synthetic nano materials by intracellular imaging.
4.5 Brain-to-Brain and Brain-to-Machine Interfaces
- This is hypothetical like any sci-f Hollywood movie
but the goal is to establish direct links between
neuronal tissue and machines allowing direct control of
mechanical, electronic, and even virtual objects as if they
were extensions of human bodies.
5. SocietaI aspects
Like any other technology the potential problem with
nanobiotechnologies too is its implementation and
commercialization. With advances in the applications
of nanobiotechnology and industries tapping the most
promising research results on product improvements for
commercialization, nanobiotechnology may soon enter
unquestioned and unnoticed in our day-to-day life. To
check the same there are activist groups that call for
a moratorium on the use of nanoparticles in consumer
products; toxicologists are increasing their research
efforts on nanomaterials; and government bodies
struggling to become knowledgeable about it and debate
the need for new regulations.
6. Risk Factor
Nanoparticles in themselves are not risky, as they already
exist in nature. However, it is their uncontrolled release in
the environment alongwith alterations in their properties
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like mobility, reactivity etc. that may become a cause of
concern in future. For this it is required to assess certain
nanoparticles which are harmful to living beings or
environment and they should be carefully dealt with not
to cause any hazard.
7. ConcIusion
Nanobiotechnology has the huge potential to create
entirely new set of processes, products and industries
leading to a new revolution. The decision of the
consumer to accept the technology and products offered
by nanobiotechnology will be vital to the future of this
industry.
Nevertheless, nanobiotechnology will cause massive
technological change although in tiny steps, thus
ultimately resulting in melting of divisions between
various felds of science and changing every part of our
lives.
References :
1. Braden et al. X-ray crystal structure of an anti-
Buckminsterfullerene antibody Fab fragment:
Biomolecular recognition of C60 (2000) Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA 97, 12193-12197.
2. Journal of Nanobiotechnology-Applications of
nanoparticles in biology and medicine, OV Salata,
Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University
of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE,
UK.30 April 2004.
3. Source: 'Down on the Farm: the mpact of Nano-
Scale Technologies on Food and Agriculture', ETC
Group Report, November 2004.
4. 2005, All Text, Kathleen A. Cook 2005, Design,
Northwestern University.
5. Nanotechnology and animal health by N.R.
Scott,Department of Biological & Environmental
Engineering, Cornell University, thaca, New York,
14853-5701,United States of America (Rev. sci.
tech. Off. int. Epiz., 2005, 24 (1), 425-432).
6. Nolting B, Biophysical Nanotechnology. n:
Methods in Modern Biophysics, Springer, 2005,
SBN 3-540-27703-X.
7. Vella, Matt, High Style Goes High Tech Business
Week Online February 5,2007.
8. Prof. Sridhat Vaithianathan, The CFA University
Press, Nanotechnology highly promising or Hype,
E-Business, (June 2007), pp.28.
9. nternational Journal of Green Nanotechnology:
Biomedicine, Volume 1, ssue 1 January 2009,
pages B24-B38. Nanobiotechnology: Application
of Nanotechnology in Therapeutics and Diagnosis
(Authors: Chandana Mohanty Geetanjali Arya;
Rama S. Verma Sanjeeb K. Sahoo).
10. Suresh Neethirajan, Digvir Jayas. 2009.
Nanotechnology for food and bioprocessing
industries. 5th CGR nternational Technical
Symposium on Food Processing, Monitoring
Technology in Bioprocesses and Food Quality
Management, Postdam, Germany. 8 p.
11. NBTC: Nanobiotechnology Center. Retrieved
2010-09-04.
12. A Resource for Studying Biological Macromolecules
RCSB Protein Data Bank.
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TECHNICAL DIGEST
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TraceNet - a traceability mechanism for agricultural
products, is an initiative of Agricultural and Processed
Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
Concerned over the pesticide residue problems in
Grape Exports, APEDA had developed a traceability
mechanism for Table Grapes in 2003. GrapeNet has put
in place an end-to-end system for monitoring pesticide
residue, achieve product standardization and facilitate
tracing back from pallets to the farm of the ndian
grower, through the various stages of sampling, testing,
certifcation and packing. APEDA developed a web
based software called GrapeNet for implementing the
traceability system. After successful implementation of
this, a similar system was launched for Pomegranates
called AnarNet. TraceNet was developed, integrating
all stakeholders in the supply chain of organic products
exported from the country.
Under TraceNet, the organic certifcation bodies
are required to register the operators engaged in the
business of organic products through a GPS device and
issue a Registration Certifcate with a Unique Registration
Number. Basic details of the operators like name,
address, number of farmers, area of the farms, scope of
activities, area covered etc. are included in the certifcate.
All the steps of record keeping and inspection/certifcation
are required to be followed through the TraceNet. The
TraceNet mechanism is compliant with all critical internet
security stands and is audited by an accredited auditor.
t covers certifcation of all horticultural and agricultural
crops including cotton/cotton products, processed food
and wild harvest.
TraceNet can be easily used from anywhere and anytime.
t helps in tracing back the consignments exported to
the farms. There are no paper work involved thereby
eliminating error. So far nearly 4.25 lakh farmers have
been registered under TraceNet.
(Contributed by Dr. K.S. Mahesh, AGM, TSD, Mumbai)
Skimming WeIIs
n coastal areas where saline water ingress is taking
place below the surface, the structures called Skimming
Wells are solution to meet the water requirement of
short duration crops like fowers, vegetables, pulses,
groundnuts etc., in small command up to 0.4 Ha. t is
the process of tapping the fresh water foating and
accumulated due to recharge from rainfall, irrigation and
or canal seepage over the native saline ground water by
conventional dug wells through installation of collector
pipeline horizontally in the potential directions around the
well.
Small groups owning very fragmented land holding can
join together and construct the well in coastal areas to
increase their farm income. The fresh water can also
be irrigated through drip and sprinklers to increase the
irrigation effciency and also to increase the command
under the structure. The TamilNadu Rice Research
nstitute, TNAU, Aduthurai have constructed such test
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The Business Development Meet of the Technical
Offcers of the Fisheries Discipline of NABARD was held
on 22nd and 23rd October 2010 at Chennai. Shri P.L.
Behera, Executive Director, Dr P. Renganathan CGM,
TSD, Shri R. Narayan, CGM Tamilnadu RO, Shri G.S
Mehta, GM and Shri H. Bharathkumar GM Tamilnadu RO
guided the deliberations of the two day Meet.
Senior Executives from Marine Product Export
Development Authority (MPEDA), Kochi, Bay of Bengal
Programme nter Govermental Organisation (BOBP-
GO), Chennai, National Fisheries Development Board
(NFDB), Hyderabad and also Society of Aquaculture
808l088 0090l0#M0l N00l fl800fl08 0l80l#ll0
HeId on 22-23 October 2010 at Chennai
Professionals (SAP), Chennai addressed the participants
and shared their experiences and expectations from
banking industry.
The major action points emerged are
Redesigning the insurance schemes pertaining to
fsheries sector to make it more farmer friendly.
Organising State and Zonal level workshops on
fsheries by the Regional Offces.
Mobilising more RDF project proposals for
nfrastructure development in fsheries like
Modernisation of fsh markets, cold chain, hatcheries,
wells in Nagapattinam district. The skimming wells are
solution to irrigation problems for small land holdings in
the coastal areas.
Advantages of Modied Skimming WeIIs are:
Prevents over exploitation of ground water beyond
the collector depth
Guarantees the control against saline ground water
upconing problem or sea water intrusion.
Sustained fresh water supply during summer.
Prevents wastage of land for excavated pits.
Loss of water through evaporation is avoided.
Facilitates the adoption of modern irrigation systems
-drips / sprinklers
mproves the water use effciency in crop production.
Permanent soulution of fresh water scarce in coastal
areas.
Disadvantages of the ConventionaI skimming
weIIs
Wastage of larger area of productive land towards
digging the well (Oothu kuzhi).
ncreased chances of up coning of saline ground
water.
rrigation process involving manual splashing of
water requires huge application expenditure.
Higher maintenance costs associated with caving in
of sands during monsoon season.
MateriaIs used for constructing a Skimming
weII
SI.
MateriaIs Quantity
No.
1 RCC Rings (1.8m D x 3m height
and 7.5 cm wall thickness) 16
2 Perforated PVC pipes
(10cm D, 80 m long) 80 m
3 Gravels ( size) 1 Unit
4 Coconut coir 1 kg
5 Nylon mesh (60) 80 m
6 Quick coupler (100mm) 2
7 End caps (100 mm) 2
8 PVC pipes 2
(Courtesy TRRI, TNAU, Aduthurai and Contributed by N.V. Bhaskaran,
AGM, TSD, Mumbai)
TECHNICAL DIGEST
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landing centers, fshing harbours, roads etc; by the
Regional Offces.
dentifying and demarcating suitable Government
land for coastal aquaculture for setting up aqua
estates with common infrastructural facilities.
Preparation of new Model schemes on Litopenaeus
vannamei, Pangassius sutchi, Lates calcarifer
culture.
Conducting special studies on Beel Fisheries.
Formation of fshermen SHGs/ JLGs in close
coordination with NGOs and extending necessary
fnancial assistance.
Business DeveIopment Meet of
Water Resources DiscipIine
15-16 November, 2010 at Hyderabad
Water Resources discipline of Technical Services
Department, Head Offce, NABARD organized a two
day Business Development Meet(BDM) on 15
th
& 16
th
November 2010 at Hotel Best Western Amrutha Castle,
Hyderabad.
Dr. A.K. Bandyopadhyaya, Executive Director, delivered
the key note address while Shri P.Mohanaiah, CGM,
Andhra Pradesh Regional Offce delivered the welcome
address. On the occasion, one publication prepared by
Water Resources discipline, TSD, Head Offce viz. the
National Status Paper on Water Resources, along with a
CD containing National Status Paper on Water Resources
discipline and the Compendium of State wise Status
Papers on Water Resources discipline were released.
The BDM was inaugurated by Smt. Sunita Laxma
Reddy, Hon'ble Minister for Minor rrigation, APSDC
& WALAMTAR, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Resource
persons from Central Ground Water Board (CGWB),
Govt. of ndia, State Ground Water Department (SGWD),
Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, and NETAFM ndia Ltd.
participated in the meet. Shri S.S.Rajshekhar, General
Manager, TSD, HO guided the deliberations.
The major action points emerged during the meet are
as under:-
a. Programme for Water Users' Associations (WUA)
groups, on the lines of farmers' club with bigger
outlay and similar objective. Supporting the existing
WUA through some of the funds of NABARD such as
FTTF, FITF, RIF, etc.
b. Reintroduction and publication of unit cost.
c. Exploring the possibility to support State Government
under our R&D fund to take up the micro level
Groundwater assessment studies in overexploited
areas.
d. Examining the technical details of effcient and low
cost foreign made pump sets(Chinese pumpsets).
e. Emphasis to be given to issues like ground water
legislation, participatory irrigation management,
revival of failed wells compensation scheme, and
conjunctive use of water specially in canal command
areas.
f. Financing of micro irrigation activities in critical &
overexploited blocks and standardization of low
cost micro irrigation systems and their wide scale
availability.
g. Rationalization of the security deposit/power
connection charges and recurring charges in order to
enable small/marginal farmers to use power supply.
h. Arranging training programme on Water Resources
project appraisal.
TSD in association with APRO, Hyderabad has organized a Zonal Seed Industry- Bankers Workshop at Hyderabad on 26 November with
participation from all the stakeholders involved in Production, Processing and Marketing of Seeds in all the four Southern States i.e.
Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
The Workshop was inaugurated by Dr. K. G. Karmakar, Managing Director. The occasion was also graced by Shri B. Narendranath
Reddy, General Manager and Convenor, State Level Bankers Committee, Shri P. Vidyasagar, MD & CEO of Vibha Agritech Ltd., Shri
P. Mohanaiah, CGM, APRO, Dr. P. Renganathan, CGM, TSD and Shri P. Das, CGM, HRDD. Representatives from Seed Industry,
Banks, State Agriculture Departments, NGOs, Farmer Seed Producing Federations have also attended the Workshop. Dr. Renganathan
has co-ordinated all the technical sessions/presentations of lead papers by various speakers.
In his key note address, Dr.K.G.Karmakar, MD has highlighted the need for availability of quality seed at affordable prices to farmers in
order to ensure food security for all. He touched upon various issues like the need to increase the seed replacement ratio particularly that
of pulses and oilseeds, hassle free flow of credit to seed sector particularly for working capital and creation of storage and processing
infrastructure. He urged the scientific community to strengthen the research base and take necessary steps to protect the valuable
germplasm of the country. He stressed the need for creation of seed banks, transfer of technology, data bank on seed producers, adoption
of new technologies in seed production, insurance to seed producers etc
The agency-wise action points emanating from the workshop are furnished below :
A. NABARD:
To work-out methodology of
assessing working capital
requirement of seed industry
and provide to banks.
To encourage participation
of Voluntary agencies in seed
production by assisting them
under FIPF/ FTTF / RIF.
To popularise PPP mode in
seed production through
interventions with Govt./ Pvt.
seed companies .
To extend support from
various funds of NABARD
for transfer of technology on
seed issues and awareness
creation on quality seed
production, SRR etc.
B. Financing Institutions:
To look into the issue of
extending additional Cash
Credit limits to private seed
companies to meet unusual
spurt in demand for quality
seeds during natural
calamities.
To support and extend financial assistance to certified seed growers
To extend credit support to seed corporations for creation of additional seed infrastructure.
To extend financial assistance to Voluntary Agencies to take-up/ organise seed production.
C. Govt. Agencies:
In view of the difficulties encountered by hybrid seed producers with respect to shortage of labour and trained seed pollinators; more
capacity building programmes on seed pollination to be organised.
To extend subsidy for production of truthfully labelled seeds also.
To encourage participation of Voluntary Agencies to take-up seed production by supplying foundation seed.
To have strict control over seed producers so as to avoid supply of spurious seeds to the farmers.
To encourage PPP in seed production for the benefit of farmers.
D. Seed Companies:
To approach respective State Governments and identify the priority for seed production of important crops.
To ensure production and supply of quality seed at reasonable rate to the farmers
To conduct pilot projects on seed production for demonstration purpose. This can be taken-up in adopted villages of NABARD under
VDP.
E. Research Institutions/ State Agriculture Universities :
To share knowledge on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for production of quality seed with desired genetic purity
To involve farmers in foundation/ breeder seed production process.
More research on Hybrid Rice to improve cooking quality (Amylase content) & develop Rice Hybrids resistant to false smut.
Zonal Seed Industry Bankers Workshop
Southern Zone : Hyderabad, 26 November 2010
Zonal Seed Industry Bankers Workshop
Southern Zone : Hyderabad, 26 November 2010
Annaiio Bixa orcllana L.), rccrrcd as
sindhuria or laikan in Hindi, is a ircc o ihc
iropical rcgions o Amcrica and known or
ihc ycllow io orangc colourcd dyc ii
produccs. Ccniral and Souih Amcrican
naiics usc ihc sccds o Annaiio io makc a
body paini and lipsiick. Ior ihis rcason,
Annaiio is somciimcs callcd ihc lipsiick-ircc.
Ii is also grown in oihcr iropical or
sub-iropical rcgions o ihc world, including
Ccniral Amcrica, Arica and Asia. In India,
Annaiio is mosily sccn undcr wild condiiions
disiribuicd in Karnaiaka, Andhra Iradcsh,
Assam, 1amil Nadu, Orissa, Vcsi Bcngal,
Gujarai, Maharashira, Madhya Iradcsh and
Chhaiiisgarh.
Annaiio colouring is produccd rom ihc
rcddish pcricarp or pulp which surrounds ihc
sccd o ihc ircc. Ii is uscd in colouring
chccsc, margarinc, buiicr, ricc, smokcd ish
and cusiard powdcr.
1hc hcari-shapcd ruiis arc brown or rcddish
brown ai maiuriiy and arc cocrcd wiih
shori, sii hairs. Vhcn ully maiurc, ihc
ruiis splii opcn cxposing ihc numcrous dark
rcd sccds. Vhilc ihc ruii iiscl is noi cdiblc,
ihc orangc-rcd pulp ihai cocrs ihc sccd is
uscd as io producc a ycllow io orangc
commcrcial ood coloring. 1hc ripc ruiis arc
collccicd and maccraicd in waicr. 1hc dyc
sciilcs and is collccicd and dricd inio cakcs
and ihc sccds arc scparaicd and washcd. 1hc
colouring principlc in Annaiio is callcd bixin.
Annaiio sccd coniains +.:-:.: pigmcnis,
which consisis o :o-so bixin.
Annaiio rcquircs a iropical climaic and
grows wcll in loamy soils ai aliiiudcs bclow
:,ooo mcircs. Ii is propagaicd ihrough sccd
or sicm cuiiings.
Compilcd by Dr.K.S. Mahcsh, AGM)

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