A New Approach to Agriculture.

Our cooperative's engagement with Odisha Agriculture has almost touched 10 Years.During these time there has been periods where we have felt that a particular approach is desirable to pursue & in some other the said approach has not brought any fruitful gains.The major issue here is that in an underdeveloped State like odisha a mixture of professional strategies & homegrown  ideas can be utilized to make meaningful success.Despite all round limitations of the Agri system in the State,the major success story has been rising yield of cereals like Rice.Though the yield per acre was always at historical lows as compared to the national average but still since last few years the yield is closely inching towards the national average.Now the Government of the day is faced with a difficult situation to reduce this overflowing stock of paddy.How did it happen?The simple answer to this is transmission of technology.It is often said technology has no nationality and once its passes the test of consumer acceptance its journey becomes rapid.Due to improved seed technology and effective delivery system through Government channels,it has become possible to reach the last mile.The massive public investment by the successive Governments through flagship RKVY programme and some sectoral initiatives has created a situation in the Eastern part of the country to push up the yield which was anyway low as compared to other regions of the country.In addition to this some simple homegrown adaptation of techniques like line sowing and seed treatment has found acceptance with large majority of farmers.It is sometimes said Necessity is the father of innovation.Though it was said in a different context but lack of labor in our villages has accentuated the need for mechanization.A Statistics show that Odisha has the largest absorption of power tillers in the country.Though some of them must be going to the grey channels but still its a fact that mechanization of our Agriculture has started and would soon reach a point of no return.Now its not an uncommon sight to see transplanters,harvesters in our fields.Now the farmers are forming groups to use these instruments and pay for their rentals.These and many such measures which were started with very uncertain future are gathering force.The problems are aplenty and it would stay put for years to come,but these small breakthroughs are going to gain substantial ground and obviously make a difference.Welcome to a New world which has primarily emerged out of structural problems and not the absence of it.So a default setting is creating a situation of new agricultural growth.Can it be a peculiar Indian story,only time would tell.

New strategy for growth of Agriculture in Odisha

In  recent times there have been lots of talk regarding ways to improve the prospects of Agriculture.Various State Government are trying to find out ways to improve the lots of the farmers.Odisha Government is no exception to this.Being a predominantly Rice based State,The state Government is trying to find out various innovative methods to increase the yield of not only paddy,but also host of Agricultural produce.The Establishment of Farmer commission was a step in this direction.The commission was asked to identify problems that ail the farming sector and ways of mitigation.I was asked to make a submission on 13.08.12.I highlighted certain issues which I have come to know from my practical experiences during the last ten years. The issues raised by me were (a) infrastructural problems.I pointed out there are various small issues relating to infrastructure which can be handled with minimum of investments.For Example Godown Issues.There are idle spaces of primary cooperative societies which can be used for rent .In that way society gets rent and temporary storage problems can be eliminated.Similarly we can convert small rooms for temporary godowns in the harvesting time with minimum alterations.A testing lab for sesame can be established with a small investment.(B) And for this central point is to strategize.A proper strategy can obviate many problems.With this regard my point was to develop a cluster approach with a minimum of 50000acres spanning over 3years.If we are not able to find large amount of acres ,then we can cover adjoining districts.With this regard 50000 acres in White sesame can be developed in the districtsof cuttack,Anugul,puri & Nayagarh.(c)Close liasion with national level trade bodies.The importance of the same cannot be ignored.Because marketing of the agri-produce is dependent on the quality specifications of the buyers.If we can produce what the buyers need,then selling is not a difficult proposition.For this the selection of seeds,quality parameteres have to be adhered to (d)In the modern age of computerization of process,we have to initiate these at the earliest .Government of India is spending huge amount money in form of inputs to the Agricultural sector.But whether the inputs are going the right way or to the right person is still a question of conjecture.The establishment of this process would go a long way in having a transparent system,which would lead to the correct appraisal of the same(e) I stressed the importance of food processing industry.Because that is the surest way of growing of our Agricultural economy.This would not only encourage local employment but would give the farmers means to grow their income.These and other suggestions seemed to be well received by the panel because these are based on pragmatism and realism.I sincerely believe practical suggestions are the requirements of the day and sooner its implemented its better.www.gvcl.org

Uncertain future.

In the month of july the food prices in the international market have appreciated in a big way,surpassing all earlier periodic rises in the last three years.According to a report of the World bank the prices have appreciated 33% in the month of july beating the previous high of 2008 This has primarily happened because of declining food production worldwide,and diversion to non food sector Maize prices have increased by 84% as compared to the last year,so also is the case of Sugar which has increased by 62% The rise of Maize prices have been partly attributed to Ethanol sector Even in case of Rice the prices have increased by 11%.As per the report the situation has been partly rescued by higher production of wheat in USA & Europe and Maize in Argentina & Brazil This continued rise of food & energy prices has created dangerous inflationary trends . This would create difficult problems for the poor & emerging nations . Though there is a prediction of world foodgrain production increasing by 3% in 2011-2012,but still the growth is predicted is meagre given the already depleating stocks and inflationary tendencies worldwide .Though in India the monsoon has been smooth,but still it would be too early to hazard any guess with this regard.So one just expect countries like India & China to have normal agricultural growth so that it does not aggravate already worsening situation.

COTTON SUPREMACY-A NEW PHENOMENON

In recent times no other crop has shown spectacular progress as like cotton in India.Thanks to BT technology,cotton now is the third highest sown acerage wise after Rice & Wheat. Of course this has something to do with spiking of international cotton prices.According to a rough estimate Indias cotton crop is worth $ 14 billion .Infact this year the farmers across India have roughly earned 54000 - 85000 per hectare which is substantial as compared to other cultivated crops.But the problem with this is that every added cotton acerage would lead to reduction in sowing areas of important oilseeds & pulses crops. This is where the policy planners have to be very much aware of the flight of acerage .Of course nothing can be done about this because ultimately commerce prevails,but still adminstrative measures can be initiated to stem this flight.With this regard the important focus could be high yeilding varieties of seeds which can do a revolution in oilseeds & pulses as BT did to cotton. Already there is a talk of higher acerage area for cotton this year seeing the profitability of the crop . With virtually no additional scope of bringing more area into Agriculture it has to come at the expanse of other crops. So the much needed food security might be at peril.It would be interesting to note the future progression of cotton as contrasted to other crops.

SMILING TRIBE- THE JUANGS.

The Agri activities carried out by my organisation have sometimes brought forth important observations which form the basis of some new understanding of peoples life and culture,moreso if they belong to important ,endangered tribe like The Juangs. My brief interaction with some of them back in 2008 increased my quest for knowing about them albeit helped by our continuous agri activities in the areas of Banspal,Telkoi & Harichandanpur of Keonjhar district . Their simple lifestyle tempered with relegious colouring,smiling faces despite rigours of jungle life are deeply etched in my mind. The Juangs are an important tribe among 46 tribes in the district of Keonjhar. They trace their birth to the Hills of Gonasika,from where river baitarani originates The word Juang means 'Man'.Infact they are also known as Patra-Savaras(leaf) As we are all aware from the history of ancient times the Savaras used to dress themselves up in Leaves.Their own dialect is known as Kolarian,but constant integration and mingling have made them speak a distinct oriya. Their habitat is constantly on move because they find it inauspicious to settle permanently anywhere.The Juangs are primarily patrilineal and monogamy is commonly prevalent and more importantly Levirate &soroate type of marriages are in existence The Juang life is always in consonance with the nature and they pray The Sun God and Earth Goddess.The Gramshree is the presiding deity of the village All their joyous and relegious activities are marked by dancing and singing with the Drum (changu) being the main attraction The Juangs are divided into two distinct groups known as Bandhu & kutumba and marriage within the same clan is considered incestuous What I found very interesting is the division of labor among male & female While adult males undertook strenuous activities like ploughing and hoeing and even watching the crops at night (incidentally couple of persons died when wild bear attacked them in our maize area) ,the cleaning of seeds for sowing,weeding,and harvesting are done by the ladies Their celebratory approach to life standout and their societal norms are as formalized as ours. One can only marvel at the fact that our ancient tribes are as developed as ours with a heightened life quotient satisfaction level than us. As I conclude memories pleasant are deeply etched in my mind and longing to be with the smiling faces once again.

SAFFLOWER- A NEW AGE OIL SEED CROP

In recent times there has been much talk regarding a minor oil seed crop called Safflower.It basically belongs to the same family as Sunflower.The crop was originally grown in the Mediterranean,north eastern Africa & south western Asia & India for the flowers that are used in making red & yellow dyes for clothing and food preparation But nowadays its use has been broadbased to include oil,meal,birdseed,&raw materials for various industrial products.Infact it is increasingly used in cosmetics & cooking oil thesedays. Safflower seed contains 30-40% oil and nutritionally similar to sunflower.India is ranked number one in global safflower production & acerage with almost 3lakh hectre but due to poor productivity it constitutes only 29% of the global production The current productivity is only 630kg/hect as compared to the global productivity of 893kg/hect and it constitutes seventh place in the area dedicated to oilseeds in India Maharashtra,karnataka,Gujurat&Andhrapradesh are the major safflower producing states Safflower as a source for pigment ,medicinal & nutritional use can be encouraged More importantly Indian safflower has a special demand as bird feed in international market due to special appearance. The time has come to concentrate on these minor oil produce as it has increased value added component.With established oil seed crops taking precedence,a slight deviation from the cropping pattern can work wonders where the former fails to deliver I presume it would be a good alternative to the established oil crops.

DANGEROUS SIGNALS

The rapid decline of Agricultural growth in Orissa has worried the planning commission. According to the latest estimate of planning commission the agri growth has deaccelerated to -0.86% as compared to 2008-09 (0.14%) & 2007-08 (4.71%) As a result of which the 11th 5 yr plan of achieving a 3% agri growth rate seems far fetched .The food grain production has also shown a declining trend from 81,44,000 MT in 2007-08 to 73,93,000MT in 2008-09 Out of this foodgrain production almost 90% is contributed by paddy where the per hectre yeild is just 15.29 quintal as compared to the national yeild of 21.86 quintal per hectre Apart from the problems associated with Nature,the poor irrigation facilities have accentuated the problems further.In this scenario the State Government desire to diversify the cropping pattern from purely paddy based to other crops is desirable .The recent thrust on Maize,Mustard,pulses & oil seeds like groundnut,sunflower& sesamum would bring about the much needed flexibility.In addition to this the seed replacement ratio & marketibility are also the crucial aspects of the Agri production systems which should be taken care of at the earliest . The time has also come to review & analyse the irrigation programmes & increase the public investment in this crucial sector. Similarly concerted action need to be taken in the Animal husbandry & fishries sector which is somehow not getting the desired attention which it ought to. Given the seriousness of the situation a white paper strategising the objectives,goals & time frame wont be a bad idea either.