Organic Farming Association of India

21-May-2012 17:54 IST

Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries, Dr. Charan Das Mahant today gave away awards and certificates to farming communities and individuals for conservation of biodiversity.

For this year the Plant Genome Saviour Community Awards are being given to four farming communities for their contribution in saving traditional plant varieties.

Shyamsunder Sister Nivedita Sangha, Burdwan, West Bengal gets the award for developmental services to rural and agricultural sector including conservation and preservation of traditional rice varieties.

Pokkali Rice Farming Community, Ernakulam, Kerala receives the award for organic farming system for sustainable growth of rice in low saline phase. Pokkali variety selected and conserved by farmers is inherently tolerant to salinity and submergence.

Wayanad District Development Action Council, Wayanad, Kerala is engaged in overall development of the tribal communities of Wayanad and adjoining districts in Malabar Agro-biodiversity hot-spot of India. It has conserved traditional landraces of rice and encouraged traditional agricultural system. The conservation efforts of the Council not only promoted bio-diversity, indigenous and cultural diversity but also played an important role in enhancing the food and nutritional security.

Tamil Nadu Hill Banana Growers’ Federation, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu is working in the Pulney hills in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, which is the home of famous Virupakshi Hill Banana. The community revived this banana as it is tolerant to the bunchy-top virus disease with their conservation and preservation.

The award carries Rs. 10.00 lakhs in cash, a citation and a memento to the representatives of the above farmers’ community.

Besides, 7 farmers/communities were given Plant Genome Saviour Recognition Certificates.

Presenting the Awards and Certificates, the Minister lauded farming communities’ role in conservation of biodiversity, He said:

In compliance to its international commitments under Trade-Related Aspects of intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), India enacted the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act in 2001 for the protection of plant varieties, the rights of farmers and plant breeders and to encourage the development of new plant varieties.

India is the first country in the world which has enacted such legislation which protects the rights of farmers, groups of farmers, communities and tribal populations in respect of their contributions made at time in conserving, improving and making available plant genetic resources for the development of the new varieties of plants.

The Government of India has established a Gene Fund for supporting the activities of conservation and preservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.  Under this Fund, Plant Genome Saviour Community Awards have been established to provide due recognition and support the persons engaged in such activities.

(Source: PTI, GoI, Ministry of Agriculture)

18-May-2012 16:23 IST

The Government is promoting organic farming through various schemes such as National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF), National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Horticulture Mission for North East & Himalayan States (HMNEH).
Activities like capacity building, input production, technology transfer and awareness campaign are being supported under these schemes/programmes.
These initiatives have helped increased availability of organic produce in the country.
Government had set up a Task Force in 2001 for promotion of organic farming in the country. Based on its recommendation, National Centre on Organic Farming and its six regional centres became operational during 2004. During 2008, Government constituted an ” Expert Committee for Promotion of Organic Farming”. Based on its recommendation, quality control regime for various organic inputs and farmer group centric certification system “PGS¬-India” were introduced in National Project on Organic Farming scheme.
This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.

(Source: PTI :  http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=84129)

ET Bureau May 18, 2012, 11.58AM IST

Is the government finally moving to address the burgeoning crisis in India’s agricultural soils? On May 15, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar had told the Lok Sabha that due to excess use of fertilisers in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, paddy cannot be grown any longer. He also said that so much urea is being used by farmers that it is affecting productivity. And that his ministry was planning to redirect India’s fertiliser subsidy towards organic and balanced fertilisers.

This is a welcome announcement. Last year, when scientists at Bhopal-based Indian Institute of Soil Sciences collated results from soil testing laboratories across the country, they found that nutrient-deficiencies were rife across India’s farmlands. Large parts of the country are deficient in two or more critical nutrients. Areas like the Indo-Gangetic plains – Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar – which produce nearly 50 per cent of the nation’s grains and feed about 40 per cent of the population – were seeing multiple deficiencies. This is over and above other worrying changes in agricultural soils, such as falling levels of soil organic carbon, rising salinisation, erosion of farmlands and falling numbers of soil fauna like earthworms and insects. All of which again suggests that our agricultural soils are changing in fundamental ways.

The recent shift to the Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) has made matters worse. It was supposed to repair the problems introduced by the erstwhile system of fertiliser subsidy, which focuses only on basic fertilisers containing nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), with a particularly strong pro-nitrogen (urea) bias, and ignored all micronutrients.

With NBS, the government was to fix subsidy on fertilisers based on their nutrient content. Companies would be paid a fixed amount for each nutrient used, irrespective of the cost of production. Sulphur, boron and zinc were added to the list of nutrients attracting subsidy. The government reckoned that the NBS would give companies an incentive to produce more complex fertilisers fortified with micronutrients.

While the government freed prices of fertilisers containing potassium and phosphorus, it did not touch Urea prices – fearing blowback from farmers. In line with global trends, prices of fertilisers like DAP climbed rapidly from around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,900. In contrast, Urea prices stayed around Rs 500.

In response, India’s farmers, most of whom are already economically marginalised, moved away from DAP, etc, and began using more Urea instead. The outcome has been predictable. Take NPK. It is expected to be used in a 4:2:1 ratio. In 2010′s Kharif, the NPK ratio was around 4.4:2.6:1. Last year, it worsened to 10.8:4.9:1.

In this backdrop, Pawar’s statement is intriguing. He told the Lok Sabha that the government is planning to reduce fertiliser subsidy and divert funds to organic manures, bio-fertilisers, green manures and promotion of organic farming. He also said that financial assistance was being provided for setting up of mechanised compost plants from vegetable and fruit waste and bio-fertiliser production units to ensure increased availability of compost and bio-fertilisers.

The news has been welcomed cautiously by dryland agriculture experts. In a press statement, the Revitalizing Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) network, which describes itself as comprising 175 civil society organisations, research institutions, etc, said if Pawar’s statement was implemented, it would “definitely address most of these concerns on soil health, provided it is accompanied by appropriate institutional reforms, research support, incentives and a community-driven implementation plan.”

The statement said: “Government should keep in mind the fact that the traditional way of subsidizing the input manufacturer/dealers in the name of ‘bio-fertilisers’ will not work in the case of promotion of bulky organic manures. Accordingly, the network has demanded that “25 per cent of the chemical fertilizer subsidy should be diverted to support promotion of bulky organic manures and that this public investment should progressively increase to 50 per cent during the 12th plan period; the government should create grassroots institutions for holistic soil health restoration in contiguous farm lands through farming systems approach and regeneration of the commons; document support and promote traditional knowledge on soil health improvement; create soil testing labs for monitoring soil health in a holistic way; and, ensure research support for holistic soil health improvement.”

In another statement, Greenpeace also welcomed the Agriculture Ministry’s statement, while stressing the need for creating a new delivery mechanism. In a statement, Gopikrishna SR, Senior Campaigner, Sustainable Agriculture Campaign, Greenpeace India, said: “It is to be noted that the traditional way of subsidising input manufacturers will not work in the case of support for ecological fertilization. Government needs to support grassroots institutions and devise farmer-centric incentive systems to translate this statement to action on ground.”

(Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-05-18/news/31765795_1_fertiliser-subsidy-urea-prices-complex-fertilisers)

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation May 17, 2012 1:00 am

Hawaiian genetically modified papayas have been found at a farmer’s plantation in Kanchanaburi province, a study revealed yesterday. Piyasak Chaumpluk, from Chulalongkorn University’s Department of Botany, who conducted the study, said the papaya in Kanchanaburi would be sent to a local fresh market, a supermarket in a department store and for export to other countries.

He presented his findings to a seminar entitled “2012 Food Security Assembly” organised by BioThai Foundation, the Sustainable Agriculture Foundation, and Alternative Agriculture Network.

Piyasak collected 319 samples of plants that may be genetically modified (GMO). Of this number, some 27 samples were cotton, 74 samples were papaya, 108 samples were rice, 105 samples were maize. The rest were chilli, tomato, and yellow bean.

According to his laboratory study, 29 samples of Hawaiian papaya in Kanchanaburi were found to the tainted with GMO and nine samples of cotton were also contaminated with GMO in Kanchanaburi and Sukhothai provinces.

Three years ago, Piyasak had found GMO contamination in maize for animal feed and cotton.

He said the GMO contamination at the plantation in Kanchanaburi might be accidental.

“Of course, the finding of GMO contamination in plants will affect the country’s image and I don’t want to blame the farmer for being the cause of contamination at their plantation. I think they unintentionally did it,” he said.

“The GMO contaminated plants will spread to other areas,” he added.

Pyasak said he had sent his report to the Department of Agriculture and asked it to strictly control GMO contamination in crop production but he had had no response from the state agency.

To date, GMO crops are not allowed in Thailand. Previously, a field trial of GMO papaya in Khon Kaen province was destroyed by a group of environmental activists after they found large-scale contamination of a neighbouring papaya farm, which resulted from field trials.

Meanwhile, a state agency had complained that experiments with genetically modified organisms were a harmful activity under Article 67 (2) of the Constitution. But this was opposed by some biotechnological experts and academics, who said many studies over the past 10 years in the US, Canada, Japan and China showed that GMO products did not cause any impact on humans and animals.

Piyasak said growing crops with GMOs should be listed as a harmful activity because they would affect human health and the environment.

If they [biotechnological experts] think that GMOs are good and will not affect human health, why are they afraid of listing GMOs as a harmful activity?” he said.

“The government should make a clear decision on whether we will go with genetically modified crops or alternative agriculture. But now we have learnt that we cannot control the contamination,” he said.

(Source:http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Genetically-modified-papaya-found-in-Kanchanaburi–30182185.html)

May 4, 2012

Ahmedabad: Indian horticulture sector is witnessing a ‘size revolution’ now. Farmers are opting for seeds that can produce small fruits and vegetables as nuclear families prefer to buy smaller varieties.

“Urban consumers are increasingly demanding smaller fruits and vegetables. Therefore, farmers are also focusing on this segment,” Organic Farming Association of India president Sarvadaman Patel said.

He added that farmers are getting more returns as the crop size is increased due to smaller vegetables.

Moreover, they are getting a premium for these crops as they were harvested earlier and looked tender. The demand for smaller variety is high in winter vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and sweet potatoes. Similarly, the trend is seen in summer vegetables like cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, lady finger, pumpkin etc.

Seed companies are set to benefit from this trend as farmers sow more seeds per acre. In order to ensure smaller size vegetables, seeds and saplings are planted closer. “For a family of two or three, it is difficult to consume a watermelon of 5-10 kg. So, now markets are flooded with watermelon of 1-3 kg. Earlier, consumers preferred a lady finger of 10-15 cm long; now they are opting for 5-8 cm long variety,” Bangalore-based Namdhari Seeds general manager (marketing) T Manjunath said. He added that the trend is picking up with retail chains demanding smaller size fruits and vegetables.

“Looking at the market trend and urban customer’s requirement, the size of the fruits like watermelon and papaya is reduced. This helps in fulfilling customer’s need by ensuring year-round production and availability,” Krishidhan Vegetable Seeds India director Kamal Somani said.

Business strategy specialist Harish Bijoor said farmers are now analysing market trends to understand the consumer needs through internet. “From small gadgets, we now come to items of food. A housewife doesn’t have to carry a pre-cut stock in her refrigerator now,” he said.

Mother Dairy business head (horticulture) Pradipta K. Sahoo said: “From joint families to nuclear families, consumers prefer pre-cut vegetables. If they were earlier buying one kg vegetables, now they buy only 250 gm.”

“The size preference is also region specific. A consumer in north India will go for small lady finger but in south they want large size with seeds,” he said.

However, farmers are concerned about the nutritional component.

“The bottle gourd should ideally weigh 700 gm to 800 gm but as consumers prefer smaller size we pluck them at 500 gm. This means that nutritional value is going down,” added Patel.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Small-vegetables-get-more-buyers-now/articleshow/12990994.cms)

May 15, 2012, 13:31 IST

Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI

Concerned over the adverse impact of fertilisers on soil and crops, government plans to reduce subsidy on it and divert funds to organic manures, bio-fertilisers, green manures and promotion of organic farming.

“During the first Green Revolution, productivity was increased by 50% with the help of fertilisers. But today balanced fertilisers are needed. Urea is being used by farmers in high quantity which is affecting productivity,” Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar informed Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The government plans to change the subsidy policy and give more subsidy for balanced fertilisers and sought Parliament’s support to divert the subsidy for fertilisers to organic and balanced manure, Pawar said during Question Hour.

He said due to excess use of fertilisers in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, paddy cannot be grown and government is now encouraging farmers of this region to sow pulses, oilseeds and wheat.

“Eastern India will concentrate mostly on growing paddy,” he said.

To another question, Pawar said, “Government is encouraging use of soil amendments, micro-nutrients, bio-fertilisers, organic fertilisers, green manure and organic farming approaches to boost overall productivity.”

Pawar said financial assistance was being provided for setting up of mechanised compost plants from vegetable and fruit waste and bio-fertiliser production units to ensure increased availability of compost and bio-fertilisers.

(Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_govt-plans-to-reduce-subsidy-on-fertilisers-sharad-pawar_1688984)

May 17, 2012

Chandigarh: After free power and water, Punjab farmers may reap another windfall. They will retire and get pension and provident fund. On Wednesday, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal promised to work out a viable proposal to introduce the pension scheme. This was a promise made by Shiromani Akali Dal before storming back to power in the state. Badal issued the order after a meeting with a Bharatiya Kisan Union delegation.

“Giving provident fund to farmers was an election promise. We demanded pension for the debt-ridden farmers,” said BKU leader Rajewal.

The cumulative debt burden on Punjab farmers is a staggering Rs 35,000 crore. The state government has sought a bailout package from the Centre for farmers. Hundreds of farmers have committed suicide with land holdings shrinking and profit margins becoming marginal. A retirement age will be fixed and farmer will be eligible to claim provident fund and pension, a government official said.

“PF and pension will be linked to the sale of farmers’ produce. One sixth of the money obtained from sale of crop will be deposited as PF contribution and the same amount will be contributed by the state government,” said Rajewal.

This will come as a boon for an estimated 14 lakh farmers in Punjab, who are not covered by any pension scheme. “We have seen old farmers being dumped by their debt-ridden families. They have nowhere to go nor do they have money in their banks,” said Rajewal.

The scheme will put an enormous financial burden on the cash-strapped government which is already paying over Rs 1000 crore subsidy for providing free power and water to farmers. Punjab commissioner (finance) has been asked to work out the quantum of burden this will put on the state.

(Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pension-PF-for-Punjab-farmers/articleshow/13179120.cms)

Dwindling production, rising costs, new diseases: ten years after genetically-modified cotton was introduced in India with high hopes of boosting the economy, farmers are deeply disappointed with its results and wondering if it was all worth it.

New Delhi – Ten years after its debut, genetically modified cotton is a huge disappointment.  Plants are vulnerable to new diseases; yields are far lower than expected.The Andhra Pradesh state government recently announced that the 2011 harvest was much lower than the 2010 crop. And for the first time, the Maharashtra government and a court from the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh, successfully sued German seed company Crop Science for 850,000 euros on behalf of more than 1,000 farmers for selling them seeds that did not deliver the promised yield.

The German company is denying responsibility and is blaming  “bad production control and weather conditions.”  It is thinking of appealing to get the sentence repealed. Since genetically-modified (GMO) cotton was introduced in India in 2002, crops have doubled and the country has become the world’s No. 2 cotton producer. But the “White Revolution,” as it was called, is now generating more suspicion than enthusiasm. Anti-GMO activists believe that the big harvests of the first years were due to better climate and irrigation systems. For the last six years, the average production has stagnated while transgenic cotton cultures have more than quadrupled. In 2009, GMO giant Monsanto admitted for the first time that its “Bollgard” cotton variety had lost its resistance against worms in the Gujarat fields, in western India. Two years later, the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) director, Keshav Raj Kranthi, warned against GM cotton’s growing vulnerability to bacteria.
Calls for a moratorium
“Productivity in northern India should decrease as the production capacity of the seeds is getting smaller. The latest hyrbid seeds have also contracted the ‘leaf curl virus’ and are more vulnerable to parasites, whereas non-genetically modified seeds used to be more resistant” a May 2011 CICR report explains.  Kranthi adds that transgenic seeds consume more water and nutrients, which lead to soil exhaustion. Fertilizers are needed to maximize production.
All these fertilizers, GMO seeds and insecticides are expensive: farmers have to take out loans from local moneylenders, or directly from their seed and fertilizer suppliers. A minor drop in the cotton rate or bad weather conditions can lead to tragedy. In 2006, in the Vidarbha region, thousands of farmers committed suicide by swallowing pesticide because they couldn’t pay off their debts. GMO cotton is a new technology that needs specific know-how to be put to the best use. Each one of the 780 varieties of transgenic cotton needs a different type of soil and different fertilizers. Local grains also have to be planted in just the right proportions to avoid bacteria and insects from developing resistance to transgenic seeds. “Small farmers don’t have the slightest idea about what they buy and how to grow GMO seeds. Their traditional know-how is about to disappear,” worries Sridhar Radhakrishnan from the Coalition for GMO-Free India. In case of bad crops, there is no legal action that the farmers can take to get compensation. “If anything goes wrong or if the farmers have difficulties, the states need to create laws to force companies to give them financial compensation,” Minister of Agriculture Sharad Pawar said recently in Parliament. Ten years after transgenic cotton was introduced, local Indian seeds have practically disappeared. The GMO seeds market represents 280 million euros. Companies promise to create new sorts of seeds that are more resistant and consumer less water. Meanwhile, anti-GMO activists demand an immediate moratorium on the culture of transgenic cotton in India.

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