The Hindu
New Delhi, 7 February 2009
Rs.1,750-cr. package for primary agricultural cooperative societies
A revival package of about Rs.1,750 crore has been worked out for around 4,110 primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACS) in the State. While the Centre will bear 75 per cent of the total assistance amount, the State and the PACS will meet the rest. The package has been finalised as a sequel to the State’s decision to implement the recommendations of the Vaidyanathan Task Force. The Centre’s share will be released through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). In January last year, the State government and the NABARD signed a memorandum of understanding to implement the Task Force’s recommendations. To get the share of the Union government, the State is required to contribute its part. On Wednesday, the State government sanctioned Rs.207.51 crore. The total assistance amount of Rs.1,748.99 crore was finalised at a State-level Implementing and Monitoring Committee meeting last month. This would cover 4,111 PACS affiliated to 22 District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs). [Formed by the Centre in August 2004, the Vaidyanathan Task Force submitted its report on the short-term rural credit cooperative structure in February 2005. It presented its report for the revival of the long-term credit cooperative structure in August 2006.] The committee’s decision was based on the proposals of the district-level panels, which were framed subsequent to special audit of 4,337 PACS. However, only 4,111 societies were eligible for the assistance. Of the total amount, the share of the Centre would be Rs.1,344.53 crore; State government – Rs. 207.51 and PACS – Rs. 196.95 crore. In view of the stipulation that the Centre would release 25 per cent of its share only after the State government met all its commitments including holding the elections to cooperative bodies, the State-level committee, at its meeting, approved an amount of Rs.1,008.4 crore as the share of the Union government. As part of the implementation of the recommendations, the State government had also provided a legal framework, providing functional autonomy to societies. In respect of the polls to cooperative bodies, there is a case pending before the Supreme Court. The government action will depend upon the court verdict.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Rs.1,750-cr. package for primary agricultural cooperative societies
Plant pests’ biofuelled -AK Gupta
Down to Earth
New Delhi, 15 February 2009
Plant pests’ biofuelled
EXPANSION of corn acreage in four US states- Michigan , Iowa , Minnesota and Wisconsin -to meet ethanol targets has reduced the number of insects involved in soyabean pest control. This in turn has triggered yield loss, excessive dependence on pesticides and an overall increase in cost of production. A study estimated crop loss due to pest attack on soyabean crops to be US $58 million for the year 2007-08. "Corn is a less favourable habitat for many ladybird beetles and other beneficial insects that feed on pests like the soyabean aphid (Aphis glycines)," wrote Doug Landis, professor of entomology at Michigan State University and part of the team that did the study. Agricultural landscapes with a high proportion of food crops like wheat, alfalfa and vegetable crops support a greater abundance of natural insects which keep pest population sizes low. Monocrop landscapes like those occupied by bioenergy crops have been found to change habitat characteristics preventing the landscapes from supporting biocontrol. Corn acreage across USA increased by 19 per cent to a total of 37.9 million hectares due to cost reduction in production of minor crops and cultivation of fallow land under the Conservation Reserve Program Acreage in 2006-2007. From 2007 to 2008, the corn plantation declined 7 per cent, but remained the second highest since 1946, as per data by the US Department of Agriculture. Increase in corn prices and demand benefited corn growers but they incurred expenses in soyabean production. The study released in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Vol 105, No 51) suggests alternatives to corn production like cellulosic ethanol obtained from grasses like switch grass and mixed prairie. These would diversify agricultural landscapes and support multiple ecosystems while meeting biofuel target.
New Delhi, 15 February 2009
Plant pests’ biofuelled
EXPANSION of corn acreage in four US states- Michigan , Iowa , Minnesota and Wisconsin -to meet ethanol targets has reduced the number of insects involved in soyabean pest control. This in turn has triggered yield loss, excessive dependence on pesticides and an overall increase in cost of production. A study estimated crop loss due to pest attack on soyabean crops to be US $58 million for the year 2007-08. "Corn is a less favourable habitat for many ladybird beetles and other beneficial insects that feed on pests like the soyabean aphid (Aphis glycines)," wrote Doug Landis, professor of entomology at Michigan State University and part of the team that did the study. Agricultural landscapes with a high proportion of food crops like wheat, alfalfa and vegetable crops support a greater abundance of natural insects which keep pest population sizes low. Monocrop landscapes like those occupied by bioenergy crops have been found to change habitat characteristics preventing the landscapes from supporting biocontrol. Corn acreage across USA increased by 19 per cent to a total of 37.9 million hectares due to cost reduction in production of minor crops and cultivation of fallow land under the Conservation Reserve Program Acreage in 2006-2007. From 2007 to 2008, the corn plantation declined 7 per cent, but remained the second highest since 1946, as per data by the US Department of Agriculture. Increase in corn prices and demand benefited corn growers but they incurred expenses in soyabean production. The study released in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Vol 105, No 51) suggests alternatives to corn production like cellulosic ethanol obtained from grasses like switch grass and mixed prairie. These would diversify agricultural landscapes and support multiple ecosystems while meeting biofuel target.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
An 'agricultural' Wikipedia' (Agrinews)
The Statesman
New Delhi, 28 January 2009
An 'agricultural' Wikipedia'
INDIAN scientists have launched an "agricultural Wikipedia' to act as an online repository of agricultural information in the country. The government-backed initiative, Agropedia, was launched on 12 January and it aims to disseminate crop- and region-specific information to farmers and agricultural extension workers - who communicate agricultural information and research findings to farmers - and provide information for students and researchers. The website currently contains information on nine crops - rice, wheat, chickpea, pigeon pea, vegetable pea, lychee, sugarcane, groundnut and sorghum - but its creators say that all agriculture-related topics will be eventually covered. Content will be continually added and validated through review and analysis by invited agricultural researchers, in a manner similar to that used by Wikipedia and using open source tools, says V Ba1aji, head of knowledge management and sharing with the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, a partner in the project. The site also houses blogs and forums where anyone can provide and exchange knowledge. The Rs 85-million project is being implemented over 30 months and is backed by the National Agricultural Innovation Project, a six-year government programme intended to modernize agriculture. The World Bank and the Indian government have provided the funding for the project and six Indian agricultural and technology institutions are partners, providing information and technological expertise. India is considered a global leader in promoting innovative ways of using technology for farm and rural outreach, Balaji said. In the last five years, close to 12,000 information technology-enabled rural information centres some with Internet access - had been established but· there was a lack of accessible agricultural information, he says. It was hoped that even where farmers had no access to the Internet, the Agropedia information could be used as a basis for radio plays, for example, said Balaji. Agropedia's lead architect, TV Prabhakar, of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur , initially envisioned the website as the equivalent of Wikipedia for global agriculture three years ago, but for now it would concentrate on India-specific information. He said that the initial phase of the project - developing a mechanism to manage the vast repository of knowledge - was nearly complete, and the next step was to develop ways to disseminate the knowledge. Trials will soon begin in six locations around the country.
New Delhi, 28 January 2009
An 'agricultural' Wikipedia'
INDIAN scientists have launched an "agricultural Wikipedia' to act as an online repository of agricultural information in the country. The government-backed initiative, Agropedia, was launched on 12 January and it aims to disseminate crop- and region-specific information to farmers and agricultural extension workers - who communicate agricultural information and research findings to farmers - and provide information for students and researchers. The website currently contains information on nine crops - rice, wheat, chickpea, pigeon pea, vegetable pea, lychee, sugarcane, groundnut and sorghum - but its creators say that all agriculture-related topics will be eventually covered. Content will be continually added and validated through review and analysis by invited agricultural researchers, in a manner similar to that used by Wikipedia and using open source tools, says V Ba1aji, head of knowledge management and sharing with the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, a partner in the project. The site also houses blogs and forums where anyone can provide and exchange knowledge. The Rs 85-million project is being implemented over 30 months and is backed by the National Agricultural Innovation Project, a six-year government programme intended to modernize agriculture. The World Bank and the Indian government have provided the funding for the project and six Indian agricultural and technology institutions are partners, providing information and technological expertise. India is considered a global leader in promoting innovative ways of using technology for farm and rural outreach, Balaji said. In the last five years, close to 12,000 information technology-enabled rural information centres some with Internet access - had been established but· there was a lack of accessible agricultural information, he says. It was hoped that even where farmers had no access to the Internet, the Agropedia information could be used as a basis for radio plays, for example, said Balaji. Agropedia's lead architect, TV Prabhakar, of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur , initially envisioned the website as the equivalent of Wikipedia for global agriculture three years ago, but for now it would concentrate on India-specific information. He said that the initial phase of the project - developing a mechanism to manage the vast repository of knowledge - was nearly complete, and the next step was to develop ways to disseminate the knowledge. Trials will soon begin in six locations around the country.
Red alert for GM crops (Agrinews)
The Telegraph
Kolkata, 28 January 2009
Red alert for GM crops
Bt brinjal is unsafe for human consumption and its release into the environment puts human and animal health at high risk, said US-based Institute of Responsible Technology executive director Jeffery Smith. Smith requested a “wake-up call”, as Orissa was going to be the experiment ground for Bt brinjal cultivation. Prompted by Bt seed dealers, primarily from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, farmers here have been taking up commercial cultivation of Bt cotton in a big way. Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology has recently started research on genetically modified food and its commercial cultivation in the state. The feedback from farmers in Bolangir, Rayagada and Nuapada districts of show erratic yields, failed cops, increased pest incidence, new diseases among others. Besides, there have been reports about death of cattle after grazing on harvested Bt cotton fields and those handling the crop have come down with severe allergies. “While the situation resulting out of Bt cotton cultivation is getting increasingly critical, the government instead of halting the cultivation is going to allow Bt brinjal in the state,” Smith rued. Bt Cotton was introduced in India in 2002 and five states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab , Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, have officially allowed its commercial cultivation. “While the Andhra Pradesh animal husbandry department admitted that the sheep deaths in Warangal district were caused by Bt toxin, doctors of Jana Swasthya Abhiyan in Madhya Pradesh have confirmed that Bt cotton is behind the allergies witnessed among cotton farmers there,” Smith said.
Kolkata, 28 January 2009
Red alert for GM crops
Bt brinjal is unsafe for human consumption and its release into the environment puts human and animal health at high risk, said US-based Institute of Responsible Technology executive director Jeffery Smith. Smith requested a “wake-up call”, as Orissa was going to be the experiment ground for Bt brinjal cultivation. Prompted by Bt seed dealers, primarily from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, farmers here have been taking up commercial cultivation of Bt cotton in a big way. Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology has recently started research on genetically modified food and its commercial cultivation in the state. The feedback from farmers in Bolangir, Rayagada and Nuapada districts of show erratic yields, failed cops, increased pest incidence, new diseases among others. Besides, there have been reports about death of cattle after grazing on harvested Bt cotton fields and those handling the crop have come down with severe allergies. “While the situation resulting out of Bt cotton cultivation is getting increasingly critical, the government instead of halting the cultivation is going to allow Bt brinjal in the state,” Smith rued. Bt Cotton was introduced in India in 2002 and five states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab , Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, have officially allowed its commercial cultivation. “While the Andhra Pradesh animal husbandry department admitted that the sheep deaths in Warangal district were caused by Bt toxin, doctors of Jana Swasthya Abhiyan in Madhya Pradesh have confirmed that Bt cotton is behind the allergies witnessed among cotton farmers there,” Smith said.
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