Agri ministry for 3-5 mt rice exports

The ministry of agriculture has recommended allowing export of three-five million tonnes (mt) of rice, following a bumper crop this year. This is based on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) in its report on minimum support price (MSP) for kharif crops.

“The buffer stock of foodgrain is around 65 mt as against a desired level of 30-35 mt,” official sources said. The country banned shipments of wheat in early 2007 and non-basmati rice in April 2008 to bolster domestic supplies. The central pool collected a total foodgrain stock (wheat and rice) of 65.6 mt in June this year, almost triple the quantity collected five years ago, according to the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

The agriculture ministry increased MSP of common variety of raw rice to an all-time high of Rs 1,080 a quintal and an additional bonus of Rs 80 a quintal. Due to high inflationary condition, MSP for paddy was also fixed at Rs 1,080 per quintal, up from Rs 1,000 a quintal last year. The ministry has decided to declare bonus only if prices fall in the domestic market due to surplus existing stock and the government will not allow non-basmati rice exports, officials said.

The food and consumer affairs ministry on the other hand, has opposed the recommendation for export due to food security and high inflation. The government needs 70 mt of rice and wheat to meet demands of the proposed Food Security Act, under which the Centre plans to give legal rights on subsidised food to about 70 per cent of the country’s population.

In February, expecting a record rice production and surplus stocks with FCI, the government partially rolled back the ban on non-basmati rice exports. It allowed export of up to 150,000 tonnes of three varieties of non-basmati rice. These varieties are ponni, rosematta and sona masuri, grown in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Before the rice export ban in 2008, the country used to export around Rs 8,000 crore worth of non-basmati rice annually.

A study on aromatic short grain rice prepared by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority has identified varieties such as kalanamak, tilakchandan and jeerabati (UP), kala jeera (Orissa), katrani ( Bihar), ambemohar (Maharashtra), govindbhog and badshahbhog (West Bengal), dubraj, badshahbhog and jawaphool (Chhattisgarh) and kala joha (Assam) which could be harnessed and developed for their export potential.

India, China to conduct study on climate change

Controversy over the dam over Brahmaputra notwithstanding, India and China would soon start a joint study of Brahmaputra-Salween and the Kangchenjunga landscapes to find out the impact of climate change on the local habitation, as desired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The environment ministry has sought the external affairs ministry’s approval to spend US $ one million for these studies to be conducted, under the aegis of the Kathmandu based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a specialized body on Himalayan bio-diversity.

The initiative is part of a government bid to have a collaborative effort to study the Himalayan ecosystem spread over India, China, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.

The Brahmaputra-Salween landscape is an important component of the eastern Himalayan ecosystem, which is recognized as a focal point of plant biodiversity and is the last intact natural forest biosphere, which is relatively undisturbed.

The background note for the study, however, identifies shifting agriculture and illegal wildlife trade as major challenge for the Brahmaputra Salween landscape. While China has done lot of research, India and Myanmar lacks enough documents on threats to its north-eastern bio-diversity.

In addition, ICIMOD has identified climate change as a major threat and stressed on the need for having a strategy to deal with these challenges. Dehradun based G B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development will represent India in the multi-lateral research project.

The bio-diversity management of Kangchenjuna landscape spread over western Bhutan, Sikkim, Darjeeling and eastern Nepal, is equally important. In the last few decades the landscape has undergone huge deterioration and through this project the government aims at transboundary improvement.

“We took the first step in case of Mount Kailash. Now, we have sought approval of MEA for two more transboundary conservation projects,” environment minister Jairam Ramesh told HT.

PM Singh had asked the ministry to initiate regional programmes on glaciology for better understanding of their intricate behaviour. In all there are 33,000 glaciers in Himalayas, of which 10,000 to 12,000 are in India. Although satellite mapping of most glaciers has been done, the on ground study of glaciers has been minimal.

To improve understanding of glaciers, the government has decided to give US $ one million as a one time grant to the ICIMOD Foundation and increase its yearly contribution. The government will be giving US $ one million for a period of three years starting from 2012 as compared to less than half a million US dollars to ICIMOD between 2007 and 2001.

India requires a Ministry for Climate Change: Prasada Rao

When Gondi Sri Lakshmi Hari Vara Prasada Rao submitted his Ph.D. thesis in 1970’s, there were references to climate change in it. “At that time, I was laughing with in me...climate change...Nobody had heard of it, let alone referred to it.”

Now after four decades, GSLHV Prasada Rao Ph.D is the Special Officer, Academy of Climate Change Education and Research (ACCER) one of the bright spots in the fight against climate change. ACCER is run by the Kerala Agriculture University in South India.

In a chat with Rakesh Neelakandan of Commodity Online, Rao expressed the view that India requires a Ministry for Climate Change. He spoke about how climate variability and not climate change is affecting crops, how climate change effects can be mitigated by small but concrete steps in crop management among many other things. Excerpts:

CO: Can the terms climate change and global warming used interchangeably?

PR: First of all, it is global warming and climate change and not climate change and global warming. Because of global warming there is likely to be changes in weather systems. Once it is there for a long-term, it is climate change.

CO: How climate change affects crops and crop prices?

PR: Climate change is having indirect effect on crops. It is not the climate change that affects crops. It is climate variability. Climate variability is short-term while climate change is long term. Climate change is referred to as any significant change in climatic parameters like temperature and rain fall in any given period with reference to long period averages: the thirty years between 1961 and 1990(which is fixed by the IPCC).

But, climate variability is a short-term change; may be seasonal, may be annual. It can prove to be more dangerous to crops.

We may conclude that climate change is fuelling climate variability affecting the crops which in turn affect the prices.

CO: So what keep the scientists occupied...?

PR: Global warming is likely to impact the atmospheric process. That keeps the scientists worried. Whether the one degree Celsius rise is likely to change the atmospheric process in terms of monsoon uncertainties, heavy cyclones, floods, droughts, heat waves, cold waves, cloud bursts...scientists are worried about them.

Additionally, the frequency of the ravages is likely to increase according to climate model outputs.

CO: How modelling is employed in climate change studies?

PR: Impact analysis of climate change on crops is done through modelling. The parameters in the form of increase in temperature, increase in carbon-di-oxide etc. are provided as inputs into the models. It is a simulation exercise.

When there is increase in temperature, increase in CO2 levels beyond certain optimum levels, they are likely to have adverse effects. This is generally projected as decline in yields. This is irrespective of temperate or tropical regions.

But, because of climate change, if one speaks of crops, that is a question mark. After all, it is modelling only.

CO: How can we mitigate the effects of climate change?

PR: In 2004, due to hydrological drought, black pepper vines in Wayanad were wiped out. There was no water in the rivers, so the farmers could not irrigate. Temperature was high.

But if the combination of black pepper and coffee were employed, it could have withstood the adverse effects of climate change; as coffee would have. It is a traditional practise. Not something new.

If there are proper water outlet systems in paddy fields, it could, in one way save the paddy fields as unexpected rains arrive. These are some simple measures, but can bring huge changes. For instance, managing the timely availability of machines employed in harvesting...

In kharif season, the temperature cannot go beyond 30 degree Celsius. That being the case, paddy can tolerate 34 or even 40 degree Celsius of temperature rise. But the fields have to be irrigated properly. Technology is to be employed.

CO: Is climate change something new? How humans affect climate change?

PR: No. Climate change is a cyclical activity. It is something natural. But it happens once in a while, once in 0.1 million years or so; of which we cannot predict. But after 1998, the planet was spotted warming continuously, the rate of which is unprecedented. So, global warming is deemed human induced.

CO: Is climate change a hoax?

PR: That is not correct, not at all correct. There are more than 2500 scientists across the world. And climate change’s effects are studied throughout the world. When it comes to the definition of climate change, there is unanimity. So, climate change is well defined...global warming is real...polar ice is melting. The IPCC has said this.

CO: What the governments can do about climate change?

PR: Climate change affects a whole gamut of sectors. Climate change affects human health, it affects, animals, it affects agriculture. So, there should be a ministry for it: a ministry of climate change. There should also be more studies carried out in the topic.

And for that, in addition to policy response, we need more Human Resources.

MSc. Integrated Climate Change Adaptation is our response to climate change. An integrated five year programme, it offers electives in agriculture, veterinary and animal sciences, fisheries, forestry, biodiversity, water resources and health. The course is the first-of-its-kind in Asia.

The course is being initiated at the Kerala Agriculture University and would provide students the capability to make recommendations on future adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Global conference on mango in Lucknow from June 21

Lucknow is hosting a global conference on mango and the challenges facing the crop and its growers in backdrop of changing climatic conditions.

India, being the world’s second largest producer of fruits, is endowed with rich genetic diversity of over 1,000 mango varieties. Although India is the leading mango producer, the per hectare yield is much lower compared to several other countries.

The international event ‘Augmenting Production and Utilization of Mango: Biotic and Abiotic Stresses’ is being organised from June 21 by Lucknow-based Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), a constituent of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The event would witness presentations on the theme and lead speakers from potential mango growing countries namely USA, South Africa, Astralia, Spain, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Harish Rawat will be present for the All India Mango Show. The event will also feature ‘Mango Expo-2011’ to showcase mango varieties from different regions of India, technological innovations and stalls from input supplying firms, agencies and institutions.

CISH Director and Organizing Secretary for the conference H Ravishankar said India topped the list in mango production and acreage at 15.02 million tonnes and 2.51 million hectares respectively.

However, India’s productivity at about 6.80 tonnes per hectare was much behind countries, such as, Brazil (16.8), Indonesia (10.9), Pakistan (10.6), Mexico (10.5), Bangladesh (9.5) and China (8.8).

He said mango provided plenty of opportunities, but posed number of challenges of production, post harvest management, processing into value added products and utilisation of mango wastes.

With the changing climate scenario across the globe, many new biotic and abiotic stresses were emerging as challenges. Besides, new scientific and technological innovations had also been developed leading to better understanding of genes, genomics, physiology, production systems and utilisation, which required to be harmonised to ensure profitability and sustainability in mango production, he noted.

In this background, the conference aims to provide an interactive platform for deliberation on issues confronting the global mango industry and develop a roadmap for sustainable production and utilisation of mango through networking.

The four-day conference will have four workshops on conservation technologies, genes and genomics, production of quality planting materials and eco-friendly technologies.

Acreage rises for cotton, shrinks for paddy

As kharif sowing begin in irrigated belts of India, farmers are changing the sowing pattern depending on the remunerative prices they got in the previous year. Cotton prices, which touched a 140-year high this season, is expected to see an increase in acreage in prime growing states of Gujarat and Maharshtra. Across Punjab and Haryana, where more than 90% of the sowing has been completed, farmers have moved from paddy cultivation to cotton this year owing to better returns this season. In Punjab, the acreage increased by 87,000 hectares, touching 5.70 lakh hectares.

Similarly in Haryana, the cotton acreage is expected to have increased by 20% at 6 lakh hectares. The production is expected to touch 25.44 lakh bales, compared to 17.44 lakh bales during the 2010-11 marketing season. Cotton Association of India president Dhiren N Seth said that cotton acreage in the country was likely to increase by 10% to 15% in 2011-12 season with farmers moving from sowing soyabean, groundnut and rice. In 2010-11 , area under cotton was 11.16 million hectares. In Maharashtra, where sowing is yet to begin, cotton acreage is expected to see a 10% increase to 43.50 lakh hectare with production targeted to increase by 24 5 lakh bales at 95.96 lakh bales (one bale=170 kg). Farmers in Gujarat are likely to move from oil seeds and groundnut to cotton this season . State agriculture officers have targeted to cover over 26 lakh hectares under cotton with a production of over 105 lakh bales this season.

In Rajasthan , the cotton acreage has seen a jump from 3.35 lakh hectares to 3.80 lakh hectares . With the start of the South-West monsoon in June, paddy nursery sowing has started across India. According to the agriculture ministry's third advance estimate, rice production in the kharif 2010-11 season is expected at 80.38 million tonne, while the total output in the 2010-11 season is expected at 94.11 million tonne. Industry watchers feel that the acreage under paddy across India is likely to increase by 10% to 15% this year. Timely onset of monsoon has been a mixed blessing for the paddy cultivators in Kerala.

In low-lying Kuttanad region, almost 500 hectares of freshly sown paddy was totally flooded. But in Palakkad , the timely arrival of rains is expected to benefit the paddy crop. The district has the largest area of about 55,000 hectares in the state where total acreage under paddy is 2.34 lakh hectare. "Sowing of paddy in West Bengal is yet to set in as there has been not much rain in the state till date. However, we arehoping that rains will take off in another 4-5 days after which kharif sowing will begin ," said Palas Das, one of the leading paddy growers in the state. Area under paddy is expected to touch 58.3 lakh hectare in West Bengal .

The Uttar Pradesh agriculture director Mukesh Gautam said that they have targetted sowing of paddy on 59.60 lakh hectares and a production of 135 lakh tonne this year. Last year, the state produced 119.40 lakh tonne rice and it is estimated to increase by 16 lakh tonne on favourable weather conditions. However, in Punjab and Haryana , where water availability is a major concern, the paddy acreage is expected to reduce this year. The Punjab agriculture department has projected that the area under paddy may drop to 27.50 lakh hectares from 28.31 lakh hectares in 2010-11 . Similarly in Haryana, area under paddy is expected to be 12 lakh hectares from 12.45 lakh hectares last year. According to the Indian Maize Development Association president Sain Dass, maize, which is largely cultivated in the raid-fed areas, is waiting for a good monsoon . "Since good rainfall has been predicted, the production should be higher than the previous year's . In the last few years, about 1 million hectares have been added ," he said.

The production touched 20 million tonne last year. In Karnataka, maize will be sown on 12.7 lakh hectares, in Andhra Pradesh on 6.8 lakh hectares and in Tamil Nadu on 2.5 lakh hectares. In Uttar Pradesh, maize acreage is aimed at 8.14 lakh hectares and the production is expected to hit 14.55 lakh tonne. In Maharashtra, area is expected to increase by 5% at 7.65 lakh hectares and a production of 22.57 lakh tonne is expected. Soyabean acreage is expected to decline by over 4% at 25.30 lakh hectare in 2011-12 with production seeing a mere 2% fall at 39.22 lakh tonne. "Soyabean acreage will go up by 50,000 hectare in Madhya Pradesh, though acreage may decline in Maharashtra. We expect the acreage to increase in south India," said Rajesh Agarwal , spokesperson of the Soyabean Processors Association of India. Also, acreage of guar is expected to shrunk from 30.01 lakh hectares to 27 lakh hectares in Rajasthan .

The production is estimated at 10.8 lakh tonne – down by around 5 lakh tonne from the last year's actual production. The targeted acreage for bajra in Rajasthan is likely to be 50 lakh hectares as against 54.89 lakh hectares last year. Last year, there was a bumper production of bajra with a total output of 60 lakh tonne as against the average production of 32.39 lakh tonne. This year, the targetted production is kept at 45 lakh tonne. Similarly, bajra acreage in Uttar Pradesh is targetted to be at 9.50 lakh hectares and the production is aimed at 16.80 lakh tonne. Gautam said that total kharif sowing in Uttar Pradesh would be on about 87.62 lakh hectares compared to 83 lakh hectares last year.

A similar trend is also to be seen in Maharashtra where jowar and bajra acreage is expected to fall by 10% at 18.66 lkah hectares and the prodcution by 5.3% at 23.78 lakh tonne. The targetted area under cultivation for oilseeds in Rajasthan is expected to decline. As against last year's acreage of 29.05 lakh hectares, this year's target has been set at 26 lakh hectare.

Admin orders vigilance in black marketing of seeds, fertilizer

AMRAVATI: Taking cognisance of complaints from farmers about non-availability of seeds and fertilizers in some parts of the division, divisional commissioner Praveen Singh Pardeshi has directed agriculture departmentofficials to ensure sufficient seeds and fertilizers supply immediately. Pardeshi took stock of availability of seed and fertilizers in the region at a meeting held on Tuesday.

Addressing the meeting, Pardeshi directed officials to lodge FIR against shopkeepers indulging in malpractices and black marketing of seeds and fertilizers. He also directed arrest of shopkeepers who extort money from farmers.

Pardeshi further said agriculture officials should ensure sufficient supply of seeds and fertilizers in the region. He also said that distribution of seeds and fertilizers should be held under the vigilance of police. The administration has received complaints from farmers of Warud tehsil of Amravati district and some villages in Melghat about insufficient stock of seeds and fertilizers.

Speaking about crop loans, Pardeshi said State Bank of India, lead bank and DCC bank should convene a meeting to plan crop loans for farmers. He also instructed officials to complete the procedure of distribution of crop loans by July 15, 2011.

He also said that 7/12 documents provided to farmers through Setu offices should be held valid to provide loans to farmers. The administration has also formed 16 flying squads to check black marketing of seeds and fertilizers, with eight more squads in Akola, 14 squads in Buldhana, 7 squads in Washim and 17 in Yavatmal.

Special IG Mohan Rathod, who was present at the meeting, assured that the police department will provide complete cooperation to the agriculture department.

BS Dhillon is new VC of PAU

Eminent agricultural scientist Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon was appointed Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) today. His name was cleared by the university’s Board of Management at a meeting in Chandigarh.

Dr Dhillon is known the world over for his scientific breakthroughs in maize breeding. A former Assistant Director-General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, he was chosen from among more than 12 top scientists for the post lying vacant after the tenure of Dr MS Kang came to an end on April 30.

Dr Dhillon will take up his new assignment by next week-end. An alumnus of PAU, it will be a homecoming for Dr Dhillon, who served his alma mater as Director of Research from 2005 to 2007. At present, he is working with the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany, on maize biotechnology. Talking to The Tribune over the phone from Germany, Dr Dhillon said the biggest challenge before him was to bring agricultural research back on track. ‘‘I am confident that I will be able to organise funds for research.

It just requires the right perspective to convince the government on this. Motivating scientists is another major task that I will take up during my tenure,’’ he said. Dr Dhillon said that addressing the concerns of the farming community and educating them on conservation of resources and the judicious use of pesticides was the need of the hour.

Born in Amritsar in 1947, Dr Dhillon did his doctorate from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi.

Expressing satisfaction over the appointment, former PAU VC Dr GS Kalkat said:“Dr Dhillon is a competent person and a good human being. He will take the university to greater heights".