06.01.2016

Green safeguards yield higher economic returns

For growth to go forward, it must be environmentally and socially

concordant.

The launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and agreements

in Paris finally signalled the realisation that we can no longer achieve our

economic ambitions by endangering the environment and society. But even

as countries agreed on the need to nurture sustainability, it has come under

fire from the mistaken notion that doing so will slow the pace of growth.

Vinod Thomas

A case in point is the severe pressure on environmental and social

safeguards which international banks apply to deflect damages that projects

can cause. A spike in infrastructure investment is expected in Asia not only

from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) but also

from the two new entrants: the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

and the New Development Bank (NDB). More funding for transport, energy

and cities can be good for growth, but without adequate mitigation, roads

harm habitats, dams displace communities, slum rebuilding hurts livelihoods

and climate change blocks growth.

Worrisome proposal

Thus, it is worrisome that a current proposal at the World Bank, an outline at

AIIB, and emerging thinking at the NDB are poised to soften these defences

on the premise that it will speed growth. Brazil, India, Indonesia, Russia and

others have also taken steps to weaken protection related to land acquisition,

resettlement, and deforestation. The reality, reflected in countries’ support

for the SDGs and the Paris accord, however, is that for growth to go

forward, it must be environmentally and socially concordant.

After all, the logic of having safeguards is grounded in economic theory.

Whether it is displacing people from their homesteads, polluting the air we

breathe, or jumping a red light and endangering others, regulatory protection

is required to prevent spillover damages (or externalities). Welfare

economics calls for enforcing regulations or setting equivalent taxes rather

than just announcing flexible standards.

Experiences over the past decades establish the necessity for safeguards. In

their absence, new road projects in forest areas of Brazil and Indonesia have

aided the encroachment of agriculture and livestock and massive

deforestation. The needed scale of the response can be vast: the Sardar

Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river eventually displaced over 2,00,000

people, while China’s Three Gorges Dam displaced six times as many. And

ineffective measures can be very costly. The 1978 Amoco-Cadiz tanker spill

on the Brittany coastline of France led to claims of $250 million, while the

costs in the 2010 BP-Amoco Gulf of Mexico oil spill in the U.S. were 100

times as much.

The central point is that compared to these benefits (or avoided damages),

the cost of having safeguards is typically small — often 3 per cent or less of

the project cost. That means safeguards promise high economic returns. But

to get these potential gains, experience tells us that four lessons must be

heeded.

Lessons to be heeded

First, safeguards must be legally binding, and compliance should be

enforceable. Standards that are to be met flexibly during a project’s life will

not suffice in ensuring protection against spillover damages. Sure, flexibility

can speed up project approval, but for risky projects, the resulting damages

could just delay project completions.

Second, international policy should govern safeguards, rather than national

systems that by law or in practice are not yet equivalent. Recent years have

seen several disasters under national systems; for example, the collapse of a

garment factory near Dhaka, Bangladesh; a mining disaster involving a dam

burst in Minas Gerais, Brazil; and explosions at a container storage station in

Tianjin, China.

Third, it is not enough to have systems in place, but implementation and

oversight need strengthening. In particular, downstream supervision of how

safeguards are being followed on the ground needs to be bolstered, but

without weakening upstream regulation. Monitoring of impacts is essential,

not by the investor alone but also by an independent party.

Fourth, the efficiency with which processes and procedures are followed can

usually be improved a great deal. Greater differentiation in the treatment of

high- and low-risk projects can help. Project processing can be speeded

through such efficiency improvements, and not through a weakening of the

regulation.

Effective safeguards are needed more than ever both at the established

lenders and the newcomers. How the international banks apply these

defences will be an indication of their true commitment to the SDGs and the

climate accord.

(Vinod Thomas is Director General of Independent Evaluation at the

Manila-based Asian Development Bank, and former Senior Vice President

and Director General of Independent Evaluation at the World Bank.)

Sangh Parivar unions seek softer loans for farmers

They asked the Centre to provide loans up to Rs. 5 lakh at four per cent

interest

In the pre-Budget consultations with the Union Finance Minister, the

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has demanded a substantial increase in

public investment in agriculture while farmers’ groups have asked the

Centre to provide loans up to Rs. 5 lakh to all farmers at 4 per cent interest,

higher support prices, increased coverage of crop insurance and adoption of

a consistent export policy.

BMS general secretary, Virjesh Upadhyay, said that in their suggestions, the

Sangh had asked the government to address issues pertaining to profitability

in agricultural and plantation sectors.

“These sectors are profitable globally, but they are largely not so profitable

activities in India and this issue has to be addressed,” he said.

“We have urged the government to provide support prices for tea, rubber and

cardamom besides other agriculture products. Also exclusive Ministries for

Fisheries and Plantation should be created to boost these sectors,” he said.

He said remunerative prices should be ensured for the agricultural produce.

Bharat Krishak Samaj (BKS) chairman Ajay Vir Jakhar has suggested that

the government do away with the interest subvention scheme on crop loans

and take corrective measures to provide institutional credit to small farmers.

“A CAG audit should be conducted for agriculture credit lending portfolio of

public sector banks,” he said.

BKS has also suggested doubling of farmers receiving loans up to Rs. 2 lakh

and only 1 per cent interest be charged for these loans.

GoM constituted for manpower planning

State government on Tuesday constituted a Group of Ministers to work out

manpower planning in health, animal husbandry, fisheries, agriculture,

horticulture and sericulture sectors and to suggest the number of colleges/

universities/ institutions to be established.

The GoM comprising Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas, Agriculture

Minister P. Pulla Rao and HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, among

others, will assess manpower projections by 2020, employment and self-

employment opportunities, number of colleges/ universities/ institutions to

be established in health, animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, agriculture,

horticulture and sericulture and identify locations for their establishment.

Industrial expo begins at Kakinada

The 40th annual East Godavari District Industrial, Agriculture and

Horticulture Exhibition began near Raja Tank (Kulai Cheruvu) here on

Tuesday.

Inaugurating the exhibition, Kakinada MP Thota Narasimham said the event

would offer entertainment to the public for 40 days, besides providing an

opportunity to traders.

Welfare schemes

He added that government departments, too, would set up stalls to popularise

various welfare schemes.

The MP called upon the public to make the three-day NTR Beach Festival in

Kakinada successful. District Collector H. Arun Kumar, officials and elected

representatives were present.

Fish farmers in deep waters

Several fish farmers in Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore districts

have incurred heavy losses as the recent floods washed away the fish reared

by them in ponds. “There was water everywhere and it was raining heavily

so I just could watch fish weighing a kg or so jumping out of the ponds,”

said K. Natarajan, a retired government employee who lost about Rs. 35 lakh

of his investment.

“I wanted to start a fruit tree farm on this land but a soil and water test

showed that I could only rear fish. So I invested my gratuity and savings. I

didn’t insure the fish farm and I am hoping for some assistance from the

government,” said Mr. Natarajan of Poosiwakkam in Kancheepuram district,

who lost several aerators, motor pumps and almost all the matured fish in his

ponds.

“Some fish farmers I know are contemplating suicide. They had invested

over Rs. 70 lakh. But as we are technically counted as agricultural farmers,

the government can offer us a compensation of only Rs. 12,500 per acre.

When we rear a huge quantity of fish, officials from every aquaculture body

showcase our efforts proudly, but now there is none to help,” charged an

angry J. Sivagnanam of Kattur in Tiruvallur district.

He supplies live fish to stores and also cultivates American white prawn that

has a good export market. “I had planned to harvest the fish in the first week

of December so that I could repay the loans taken for my daughter’s

wedding. My plans have been washed away,” he said.

Many inland fishermen, who depend on Public Works Department’s tanks

have also suffered a loss of livelihood. S. Murugammal, president of

Meenavar Sangam (fishers association) at the Nathampet lake in

Kancheepuram, said that the 100 fishers, including 40 women, have been

without any work for the past month-and-a-half.

“All the kendai fish swam away. Catching kendai pays better as it is costlier.

We take one portion of the sale proceeds while the Fisheries Department

takes the rest. In case of Tilapia, which is what we catch now, we get Rs. 10

per kg and after a day’s hard work all we get is Rs. 100 to Rs. 150,” she said.

The association members are seeking compensation as they have remained

without work and had to purchase fishing nets.

But local Fisheries officials have ruled out compensation. compensating

them.

Hundreds of fish farmers and inland fishermen in the flood-ravaged districts

are seeking adequate just compensation from the government.

Farms in Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore ruined by recent

floods

‘Increase minimum support price for copra’

To help coconut farmers get good income, the Central Government should

increase the price of copra to Rs. 100 a kg and consider imposing a ban on

import of palm kernels, former Union Minister S.R. Balasubramoniyan has

said.

In his letter to the Union Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh, he

said that from Rs. 50 – 51 a kg a few years ago, the minimum support price

(MSP) had increased to only Rs. 55, which hurt the coconut farmers and

turned coconut cultivation economically unviable.

While the increase in MSP is only around eight per cent, the rise in

production cost of coconut oil had gone up by 60 – 80 per cent. The cost of

labour had also increased by 30 per cent in the past few years.

In addition to the increase in production cost and labour, the farmers were

also hurt by the import of palmoline oil and palm kernels as the oil at Rs. 50

a kg led to mix of palmoline oil with groundnut oil and coconut oil and sale

of the mixed product as pure groundnut oil and coconut oil, Mr.

Balasubramoniyan said and claimed to have proof of the same.

Net result

The net result was that the palmoline lobby made a rich harvest while the

coconut farmers suffered.

The former Minister pointed out that during Atal Bihari Vajpayee tenure as

Prime Minister import of palm kernels was banned and wanted the present

Government to reintroduce the ban.

‘Climate change, a threat to agricultural productivity’

S.R. Niranjana, Vice-Chancellor of Gulbarga University, has expressed

concern over the adverse impact of global warming on agricultural

productivity and food security.

Delivering the inaugural address at a national symposium on ‘Recent trends

in plant pathological research and education’ here on Tuesday, he called

upon agricultural scientists to orient their research to address issues that

could possibly arise out of climate change.

The symposium was jointly organised by the Indian Phytopathological

Society and University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur.

Adverse impact

“Climate change will definitely adversely impact food productivity and lead

to rise of prices of foodgrains worldwide. The scenario will lead to social

unrest and famine. Projections have shown that the production of major

cereals will be decreased by 2020. The production of rice will come down

by 11 per cent and that of wheat by 14 per cent. The elevated carbon dioxide

level will lead to reduction of nutritional quality in many crops. Global

warming will impact the rainfall pattern and also lead to increase in the

number of pests,” Mr. Niranjana said. He stressed the need to develop crop

verities resilient to climatic fluctuations.

Pest control

Pointing out the role of pests in the drop in yield and increase in the cost of

production, Mr. Nijanjana said that 500 million tonnes of foodgrains were

lost annually duo to plant diseases. He said that the current pest control

methods were, to some extent, costly and inefficient.

Mr. Niranjana said that there was a need to put all tools of modern science to

work for better management of our limited resources, reducing pre and post

harvest losses and improving the capacity of hungry people to purchase

food.

“Utilisation of technology for India’s development is more dependent on

practical experiences of farmers than the statements on acceptance or

rejection of new technologies. Plant pathologists need to come up with

technologies that are safe for humans, animals and environment,” he said.

Counselling

A.H. Rajasab, Vice-Chancellor of Tumkur University, said that there was a

need to counsel farmers and agricultural labourers in distress to prevent them

from taking extreme steps.

“Only development of technologies won’t save the country. A laptop or

smartphone cannot produce food. It is hard working farmers who do it.

There is an urgent need to protect our farmers and agricultural labourers.

Agricultural universities must take up the task of counselling farmers in

distress,” he said.

P.M. Salimath, Vice-Chancellor of UAS-R; C.D. Mayee, former chairman of

Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board; B.V. Patil, former Vice-

Chancellor and Director of Education of UAS-R; and plant pathologists

M.K. Naik and Gururaj Sunkad were present.

The scenario will lead to social unrest and famine, says Gulbarga varsity

VC

Pathologist criticises proponents of organic farming, environmentalists

‘The fellows in Delhi, who have never seen cattle urine, suggest you to use it

as bio-pesticide’

C.D. Mayee, former chairman of the Agriculture Scientists Recruitment

Board, delivering the keynote address at a national symposium in Raichur on

Tuesday. —PHOTO: SANTOSH SAGAR

C.D. Mayee, former chairman of the Agriculture Scientists Recruitment

Board, has criticised proponents of organic farming and environmentalists

saying that they advice more and do nothing.

He was delivering the keynote address at a national symposium on ‘Recent

trends in plant pathological research and education’, jointly organised by the

Indian Phytopathological Society and University of Agricultural Sciences,

Raichur, here on Tuesday.

“The fellows sitting in Delhi who has never seen cattle urine or dung suggest

you to use them as bio-pesticide. You should spoil your hands in dung and

they will be in five-star hotels,” he said.

Recalling his own study, Mr. Mayee suspected the purity of organic

agricultural inputs as bio-pesticides and stressed the need of devising handy

tools with which individual farmers could test their purity.

“I have analysed 20 bio-pesticides sold in Hyderabad market and found that

all of them contained chemical pesticide. We need to devise tools that could

be handy for farmers in testing inputs on their own as ‘Inspector Raj’ won’t

control it. We have already devised a kit with which a farmer can detect

spurious seeds in Bt cotton seed packet. Such tools for biological, botanical

and chemical detection must continue to be devised. Otherwise, overall

cheating of farmers will go on in the name of organic farming,” he said.

Mr. Mayee held that food contamination could be avoided with proper use of

technology.

“Despite around 40 sprays being used for grapes, not a single consignment

of exported grape is being rejected these days as farmers are taught of proper

usage of chemicals. Because of this monitoring right from the ground level,

we could effectively address the issues of resistance and residue,” he said.

Mr. Mayee slammed environmentalists as well by terming them advisors

who don’t do anything.

“There are many people who don’t do anything in conserving environment,

but keep on telling you what you should to for protecting it. We have

tremendous advisors, but all of them are not actually doers,” he said.

Mr. Mayee said that the Green Revolution hardly benefited farmers though it

did a wonderful job in addressing country’s food security issues.

“Farmers are now asking who Green Revolution was introduced for. They

demand some revolutions which they could gain from. Gain Revolutions.

They are more concerned about the benefits that technologies could offer

them,” he said.

Pointing out vital projections from National Institution for Transforming

India (NITI) Aayog, Mr. Mayee stressed the need of looking into future

trends while orienting the plant pathological research.

“As per NITI Aayog’s projection, country’s population will cross 1.75

billion by 2050 requiring around 400 million tonnes of foodgrains a year.

The import of pulses will increase to 35 million tonnes and oil seeds to 45

million tonnes. The total number of landholders will increase from 139

million to 160 million reducing per capita landholding to 1.7 hectare. Rural

urban population ratio of 60:40 will almost get reversed to make 38:68

indicating rapid urbanisation,” he said.

Lack of post-monsoon rain spells doom for rabi crops

Rabi crops, especially jowar, maize, Bengal gram, cowpea andsunflower in

36,769 hectares of land have completely failed

A view of a field in Ballari taluk where Bengal gram has withered.

The failure of post-monsoon rain spelt doom for farmers, especially those in

the rain-fed areas of Ballari district, during the rabi cultivation season.

Rabi crops, especially jowar, maize, Bengal gram, cowpea and sunflower in

about 36,769 hectares of land have completely failed. The approximate loss

has been put around Rs. 50 crore.

Sources in the Agriculture Department told The Hindu that as against a rabi

sowing target of 2.04 lakh hectares, sowing was completed in 1.71 lakh

hectares, of which a major portion of 1.18 lakh hectares fell in the rain-fed

area.

Contrary to expectations of a good post-monsoon rain, the district recorded

an average deficient rainfall of minus 13 per cent in October, an average

deficient rainfall of minus 66 per cent in November and an average deficient

rainfall of minus 73 per cent in December.

As against a normal average rainfall of 106.8 mm in October, the actual

average rainfall recorded was 93.2 mm.

In November, as against an average normal of 31.7 mm, the district recorded

10.7 mm and in December, the actual rainfall received was 2.7 mm against a

normal average of 10.0 mm.

Ballari, Sirguppa, Hagari Bommanahalli and Hadagali are the taluks where

crops have been damaged.

The highest crop loss was recorded in Hadagali (20,500 hectares) followed

by Ballari (12,650 hectares), Sirguppa (2,000 hectares) and Hagari

Bommanahalli (1,619 hectares). Rabi jowar was sown in 33,530 hectares

while the loss of crop was in 10,083 hectares, Bengal gram was sown in a

little over one lakh hectares and the crop had failed in 23,005 hectares.

Similarly, sunflower was sown in 19,940 hectares, whereas the loss was in

3,250 hectares.

Sources said that the department has submitted a detailed report in this

connection to the government.

Finance Dept clears filling of 1,069 posts

The Finance Department has given its nod for filling 1,069 posts in the

Agriculture and Irrigation Departments through direct recruitment to be

taken up by Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).

The decision was taken keeping in view the actual requirement of manpower

with reference to the nature of work and activities of the departments and

also the overall financial implications on the government.

Groundwater wing

The posts to be filled include 1,000 Agriculture Extension Officers Grade-II

and 69 posts in the groundwater wing of the Irrigation Department. The

posts to be filled in the groundwater wing include Assistant Geophysicist-2,

Assistant Chemist-1, Assistant Executive Engineer (Mechanical)-1,

Assistant Hydrologist-37, Assistant Engineer (Civil)-10, Technical Assistant

(Geophysics)-6, Technical Assistant (Hydrogeology)-7 and Technical

Assistant (Hydrology)-5. Secretary (Finance) N. Siva Sankar directed the

TSPSC to take appropriate steps for filling up the vacancies through direct

recruitment by obtaining details such as local cadres of the vacancies as per

the Presidential Order (zone/district), roster points, qualifications and others

from the authorities concerned.

Kakatiya Canal will be renovated: KCR

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao inaugurating Bhupalpally power plant

in Warangal district on Tuesday. – Photo: M. Murali

The State Government will be spending Rs.25,0000 crore every year for

development of irrigation facilities so that farmers can grow three crops a

year, said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao here on Tuesday.

Addressing a public meeting at Bhupalpally after commissioning the 600

MW power plant, he said the entire Kakatiya Canal would be repaired and

renovated this summer to ensure supply of 8000 cusecs, its full capacity,

with an estimate of Rs. 130 crore.

He said water from Devadula will be pumped into Bheem Ghanpur and

Laknavaram tanks to ensure water supply to two crops and even three crops.

Farmers in Bhupalpally, Mulugu and other mandals will get enough water

for irrigation soon, he said.

“Agriculture Minister P. Srinivas Reddy has requested me to sanction a

minor lift irrigation project to ensure water to some villages in this mandal.

We will definitely take it up without any delay,” he said.

Earlier, local MLA and Assembly Speaker S. Madhusudhana Chary

appealed to the Chief Minister to address some of the issues of his

Bhupalapally constituency.

Responding to him, the Chief Minister said Bhupalapally would get funding

for construction of post-graduate college, a new polytechnic college and

police battalion at Gandhi Nagar village. He said he will also be sanctioning

additional 2000 two bed-room houses as requested by the Speaker.

“I am greatly indebted to you for the thumping majority you gave to P.

Dayakar in the recent parliament byelections. You will get all you want as

the State Government is committed to build Bangaru Telangana,” he said.

The Chief Minister said he would be holding a detailed review meeting with

all the officials and public representatives and would announce more

development programmes on Wednesday before leaving the district for

Hyderabad.

KAU on alert against tomato pest tuta absoluta

Kerala Agricultural University is on the alert for tomato leaf miner tuta

absoluta, which has been described by farm scientists as highly dangerous,

capable of destroying infected plants if not detected early.

A scientist at the University’s bio-controls project said that the pest had not

been detected in Kerala so far though there was a report from

Kozhinjampara area in Palakkad district where tomato is grown extensively

in three panchayats. A survey of the area did not yield any sign of the leaf

miner, said the scientist. However, he said that scientists were on the lookout

for any isolated case.

The pest is reported to have originated in Latin America and spread through

infected fruits and packaging materials to Europe, Africa, the Middle East

and Asia. “The pest is crossing borders and devastating tomato production in

both protected and open fields,” said Dhana Raj Boina of the National

Institute of Plant Health Management, Hyderabad, in a recent presentation

before a group of scientists from Kerala.

“Given its aggressive nature and crop destruction potential, it has quickly

become a key pest of concern everywhere,” he said. The pest was detected in

October 2014 in Pune, Maharashtra, and was then reported from Karnataka.

Director of the Bangalore-based National Bureau of Agricultural Insect

Resources Abraham Vergese said that tuta absoluta had mostly been found

in tomato in India. About 90 per cent of the cases have been in the particular

crop. However, he said, it could also infect crops like brinjal and potato and

had been found in these crops though on a smaller scale.

His advice to Kerala farmers is not to import saplings since Karnataka has

already confirmed presence of the pest. He said that imported tomatoes

should be randomly checked for infection and infected fruits destroyed. He

also said that farmers should be trained to detect the symptoms of attack by

tuta absoluta.

Deploying pheromone traps in all stages of the crop has been found effective

against leaf miner.

Use of sticky traps or water-oil traps with pheromone bait; deployment of

parasitoids and predators too are effective.

Thrust on leasing farmlands to promote credit flow

Chief Minister releases State Focus Paper for 2016-17

The State Focus Paper for 2016-17, prepared by the Kerala regional office of

the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), has

advocated the promotion of lease of agriculture and fallow lands to facilitate

credit flow for farming.

It also states digitisation of land records will facilitate easy transfer of usage

and ownership rights.

The paper, which was released by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the

State Credit Seminar, has pegged the State’s Potential Linked Credit Plans

(PLPs) for 2016-17 at Rs.1,19,392 crore, marking a growth of 11 per cent

over the previous fiscal’s target of Rs.1,07,833 crore. Nearly 33 per cent,

approximately Rs.5,5031 crore, of the total credit potential is meant for

agriculture sector.

The focus paper, themed on ‘Accelerating the pace of capital formation in

agriculture and allied sector in Kerala,’ also emphasised on the need for a

value chain approach in agriculture and called for promoting sustainable

agriculture. The National Steering Committee on Climate has approved a

project for promoting Kaipad and Pokkali farming systems in the coastal

wetlands of the State with an assistance of Rs.25 crore. The project will be

implemented in Kannur, Thrissur, Alappuzha, and Ernakulam.

tate’s Potential Linked Credit Plans pegged at Rs.1,19,392 crore

Rs.25-crore project for promoting Kaipad, Pokkali farming

Rs. 3,000-cr. plan to enhance socio-economic life of fishermen

Union govt. has envisaged ‘Blue Revolution’ to be implemented in the

nextfive years

Blue Revolution, a scheme envisaged by the Union government and to be

implemented at a cost of Rs. 3,000 crore during the next five years, seeks to

create an enabling environment for the socio-economic development of

fishermen in the country, Aditya Kumar Joshi, Joint Scretary (Fisheries),

Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries, Ministry of

Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, has said.

Mr. Joshi was speaking on the concluding day of a two-day national seminar

on ‘Adoption of space technology for fisheries’ organised by the department

here on Tuesday. He said the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

recently gave the approval for the implementation of the umbrella scheme

for the integrated development and management of fisheries.

Six components

The scheme covers development and management of inland fisheries,

aquaculture, marine fisheries, including deep sea fishing, mariculture and all

the work undertaken by the National Fisheries Development Board. Mr.

Joshi said that the scheme had six broad components, NFDB and its

activities; development of inland fisheries and aquaculture; development of

marine fisheries, infrastructure and post-harvest operations; strengthening of

database and geographical information system of the fisheries sector;

institutional arrangement for fisheries sector and monitoring, control and

surveillance and other need-based interventions. The last three components

would be implemented by the department with complete Central unding, he

added.

Approach

He said that the scheme aimed at a focussed and integrated approach for

development and management of the sector to ensure a sustained annual

growth rate of 6 per cent to 8 per cent against the overall annual growth of

about 4 per cent during the 11th Five Year Plan period. It focuses mainly on

increasing the production and productivity from aquaculture and fisheries

resources, both inland and marine.

Mr. Joshi noted that the entire fisheries sector, covering about 14.5 million

fishermen, would get benefited by the scheme. It would also benefit other

stakeholders such as fish farmers, fisheries entrepreneurs, fish retailers,

wholesalers, fish processors, fish exports and women groups amongst others.

Mobile tele-vet unit

Minister for Agriculture K.P. Mohanan on Tuesday inaugurated the first

mobile tele-veterinary unit. The unit developed by C-DAC for the Animal

Husbandry Department has advanced medical equipment for treating

animals suffering from major illness and injuries. With the facilities in the

mobile unit, bone fractures of animals and disease condition of internal

organs can be diagnosed on the spot and appropriate treatment can be given.

— Staff Reporter

CM for interest-free loans for farmers

Says farm sector going through adverse circumstances

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has called for providing interest-free loans

to those farmers who had availed themselves of the interest subvention

scheme and ensured the repayment of their loans in a prompt manner. He

added that the State government was willing to shoulder a greater

responsibility for attaining the goal.

Inaugurating the State Credit Seminar organised by the Kerala regional

office of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

(NABARD) here on Tuesday, Mr. Chandy pointed out that the farming

community in the State battled several adverse circumstances to sustain

themselves. The increasing costs of inputs as well as the stagnating prices

for agricultural produce had resulted in great uncertainty in the sector.

“Moreover, compensations provided for crop loss in natural calamities were

inadequate. The long-standing demand for crop insurance was yet to be

realised. Measures that have been adopted to alleviate the difficulties faced

by farmers were yet to bear fruit. Under such circumstances, farmers will be

able to remain afloat only with financial assistance and schemes such as the

interest subvention scheme,” Mr. Chandy said.

Lauding the initiative of NABARD to support the Kannur District

Cooperative Bank’s project to computerise primary agricultural cooperative

societies (PACS), Mr. Chandy called for extending the scheme to other

district cooperative banks in the State.

Delivering the keynote address, Agriculture Minister K.P. Mohanan said that

the development of farmers’ producers companies was the most effective

way to tackle agrarian distress. He said the agricultural growth rate in the

State had improved significantly from -7 per cent in 2010-11 to 5.26 per cent

in 2014-15.

Karshaka Mitram awards, instituted by the NABARD, were presented to

Gramalakshmi farmers’ club in Kasaragod, Aiswarya farmers’ club at

Kothamangalam and Kakkombu farmers’ club in Idukki during the function.

NABARD chief general manager Ramesh Tenkil presided. RBI regional

director Nirmal Chand, State Bank of Travancore managing director

Jeevandas Narayan, Cooperation special secretary P. Venugopal, Registrar

of Cooperative Societies S. Lalithambika and NABARD general manager P.

Balachandran spoke.

Farmers battling adverse conditions, according

to Chandy

Says compensation

provided for crop loss in calamities is inadequate

Turmeric farmers looking at bumper harvest

The colour of the turmeric plants has turned yellow at many places,

indicating that the crop is almost ready for harvesting.

Proximity to Salem, Erode markets is an advantage to farmers in

Uppilliyapuram.

Small and marginal farmers of the district expect a bumper harvest of

turmeric crop thanks to the favourable climate and good northeast monsoon.

Unlike Erode, Coimbatore, and Salem districts, where turmeric is a major

crop, it is cultivated in a few pockets of the district, including

Uppilliyapuram, Thathaiyengarpettai, and Thuraiyur blocks. About 350

hectares have been brought under turmeric cultivation this season that starts

in May and ends in February. Of 350 hectares, Uppilliyapuram alone

accounts for more than 60 per cent of turmeric cultivation in the district.

It is mainly due to the presence of alluvial soil in the region. The proximity

of farmers to Salem and Erode, which are known for turmeric cultivation, is

also cited as the reason for Uppilliyapuram farmers preferring turmeric

cultivation. The colour of the plants, which had looked green till a few

weeks ago, has been changing to yellow. The leaves are also drying, which

is a sign of crop maturity.

With the prevailing climate suitable for the last stage of the crop, farmers

expect good yield.

“We did not get expected rain during the last monsoon. However, it was not

poor. We have managed to save the crop by harvesting rainwater. I expect

good yield this year,” said M. Rajendran of Sopanapuram near

Uppiliyapuram, who has raised turmeric on his two acres of land.

P. Ravichandran, Assistant Director of Horticulture, said it was expected that

the after-process yield would be around 1.5 tonnes per acre. He said the area

coverage, which had reached around 1,000 hectares when price of turmeric

was hovering around Rs. 17,000 a quintal a few years, had come down to

350 hectares this season mainly due to price instability. However, it was

likely to go up in the next season.

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Forest Department sets up rescue centre

The hatchery set up for Olive Ridley turtle at Besant Nagar beach —Photo:

K. Pichumani

The Forest Department has established an Olive Ridley rescue centre, which

will operate during the nesting season.

S. David Raj, Forest Range Officer, said that the centre would be fully

functional during the nesting season, which begins later this month.

“The centre will have the necessary medical kits as well as a veterinarian,

who will take care of any injured turtles found on the shore,” he said. So far,

the Department has found three nests with over 100 to 140 eggs each at the

beach near the Ashtalakshmi temple, Marina Beach and Kovalam.

“We have set up 2 hatcheries at Besant Nagar near the Broken Bridge and at

Kovalam where the eggs have been kept. So far, we have not found any

injured turtles,” he said. The Department expects more turtles to come to the

shores here after Pongal.

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Training programme held

The Salem district unit of the Tamil Nadu Science Forum (TNSF) conducted

a day-long training programme on increasing the forest cover and protecting

the environment for the benefit of the teacher coordinators of the ‘Thulir

Illam’ school boys clubs recently.

The event was held at the Sengunthar Mahajana Higher Secondary School in

Tharamangalam town.

The TNSF has sponsored about 50 Thulir Illam clubs in the district.

These clubs, each accounting for about 20 school students, function under a

teacher coordinator.

Project

The members of the Thulir Illams have been directed to do a project to study

the importance of increasing the forest cover and also on protecting the

surrounding environment; and the impact of changing climate.

The student members will be guided by the teacher coordinators.

The programme was organised to train the coordinators for extending proper

guidance to the students.

Rajendra Cholan, science teacher of Sengunthar School and Palani, teacher

of Chinnasamy Ayya Middle School, Attur, who had undergone regional

level training for the teacher coordinators of the four districts of Salem,

Vellore, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, held at Vellore recently, were the

resource persons at the programme.

V. Ramamoorthy, district secretary of the TNSF, R.K. Lal, Salem district

coordinator of the Thulir Illam, and others spoke.

The TNSF has proposed to conduct training programme for the student

members of the Thulir Clubs at the Botanical Garden in the hill station of

Yercaud shortly, according to Mr. Ramamoorthy.

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Basmati price free fall has farmers counting losses

Basmati prices rates have dipped over 50% from Rs 4,000 a quintal in

2013 to Rs 2,000 this season. (HT Photo)

With the state and the Central governments failing to check the fall in

basmati prices — rates have dipped over 50% from Rs 4,000 a quintal in

2013 to Rs 2,000 this season — the crop, once touted as a route to breaking

the water-guzzling cycle of wheat and paddy, has left the producers knee-

deep in losses that mount up to Rs 7,000 an acre.

Consider the case of Roop Singh, a farmer from Deon village, Bathinda.

“I hired 35 acres at between Rs 40,000 and Rs 47,000 per acre. On 18 acres,

I sowed basmati. The average yield was 16 quintal per acre. I have sold the

produce at rates ranging between Rs 2,100 and Rs 2,240 per quintal,

meaning earnings of just around Rs 33,000 an acre against the rent of Rs

40,000 — a loss of Rs 7,000 an acre. This is without the cost of my labour

and other inputs like electricity, water etc,” he says, adding that he had

transported his produce from Bathinda to Kotkapura, 55-km away, expecting

better rates. This is not an isolated case.

The same story of unsustainable losses, especially in basmati, is repeated by

farmers across the region.

“I sowed basmati on 10 acres and stored it for over two months, expecting a

better price. Finally, I sold it for Rs 2,230 a quintal on Tuesday and earned

Rs 35,000 per acre. This does not even cover the land rent. Paddy, on the

other hand, fetched Rs 40,000 per acre,” says Naib Singh, a farmer from

Lande village, Moga, who also transported his produce to the Kotkapura

grain market.

Trade speaks it mind

“Neither the state, nor the Centre has intervened to stop the free fall in

basmati prices even as the production has fallen by more than 38%. This

season, only 24 lakh tonne has arrived in grain markets against 32 lakh tonne

last season. The governments have left both farmers as well as basmati

millers to fend for themselves,” claimed Ashish Kathuria, general secretary,

Punjab Basmati Manufactures Association.

“The government wants diversification, but has failed to support basmati,

the only hope for this to happen,” he claimed.

‘Basmati or fine paddy variety’

Bhartiya Kisan Union, (Sidhupore-Ekta) president Jagjeet Singh Dallewal,

said, “Basmati growers have been cheated. The Centre has a pro-trader

approach and is allowing exploitation of farmers. For a short while, basmati

prices were allowed to increase to Rs 3,000 per quintal. When farmers

brought the produce to market, prices dipped. The government is also

exploiting farmers. For instance, Basmati 1509 is being bought by it at just

Rs 1,450 per quintal on the pretext that it is a superfine variety of paddy. If it

is a paddy variety, why were the farmers allowed to sow it as basmati?”

Official version

“Private millers are procuring basmati. The prices have increased from

around Rs 1,500 a quintal to around Rs 2,500 a quintal now. The fluctuation

is because of many reasons — including international market, demand and

supply and area under the crop,” said Faridkot mandi officer Kulbir Singh

Matta.

Hottest food trends of 2016: Power bowls to spiralized vegetable

This year, full-fat dairy products and ancient grains will make a

comeback; however sugar will be shunned, predict nutritionists.

(Shutterstock)

When it comes to nutrition trends, this year will see several comebacks.

Experts predict that new trends like power bowls (a bowl full of foods that

charge you up) and spiralized vegetable (vegetables that are cut using

spiralizing machines to avoid chopping) will also make a mark in 2016.

Whether old or new, all these trends have a common goal — to help you

maintain a healthy diet minus the monotony.

1 Grains and pulses

Millet is a healthy, ancient grain . (Shutterstock)

Experts are of the opinion that sprouted grains and ancient grains (such as

quinoa and millet) will make a comeback this year. Quinoa is being touted

as the new kid on the protein block. It has fibre that is known to reduce bad

cholesterol. Alfalfa, too, is set to gain popularity this year. In fact, the United

Nations has declared 2016 as the ‘International Year of the Pulse’. With the

vegan diet also gaining more popularity, pulses like moong and matki will

also be in high demand.

2 Spiralized vegetables

Spiralizing is a fun way to get your fill of fresh produce. (Shutterstock)

Vegetables like carrots, turnips, beetroots, cucumbers and zucchinis are

being‘spiralized’ into pasta-like forms using julienne peelers and spiralizing

machines. The idea behind this is to chop a vegetable as little as possible to

keep its nutritional value intact. These vegetable forms are definitely a treat

to the eyes, and surely give the usual salads a more interesting spin.

3 Sustainable diets

“Does my diet contribute to environmental harm?” is a question many are

asking. Such health and fitness enthusiasts will make a conscious effort to

choose foods that will leave minimal carbon footprint. The 2015 Dietary

Guidelines Advisory Committee report suggests that the environmental

impact of food production is a cause for concern. Therefore, sustainable

diets are set to be a rage this year.

4 Full-fat dairy products

The fat component of milk is packed with bioactive compounds like

conjugated linoleic acid. Research suggests that these bioactive compounds

decrease the risk of coronary heart disease, obesity, Type-2 diabetes and

metabolic syndrome. They also reduce the growth of cancer cells. This news

has led to the acceptance of dairy in its wholesome form. Experts believe

that this year will see a drop in the demand for fat-free dairy products.

5 Mindfulness

The key to maintaining a healthy diet lies in knowing that everything

consumed in moderation is okay. This is where mindfulness comes in. It

encourages you to become aware of the food you are consuming.

6 Soups

Soups will be more than just appetisers this year. Nutrition experts advise

you to switch over from watery broths to thicker soups, such as those made

with lentils or mixed vegetables. These soups are considered more satiating

than traditional dinner meals, and can help avoid obesity as well.

7 No sugar

A recent research stated that people living in Blue Zones (places with

maximum population of centenarians — Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan;

Ogliastra Region, Sardinia; Loma Linda, USA; and Nicoya Peninsula, Costa

Rica), lived longer because of their sugar-free diets. The bad effects of sugar

(its carcinogenic properties; and it increases the risk of heart disease) were

known, but in the light of these findings, it became quite clear that if one

wants to live a healthy life, then one needs to discard sugar from their diets.

8 Power bowls

Instagram feeds of popular food-bloggers such as Rens Kroes and Lisa Van

Cuijk attracted a lot of attention to terms such as ‘power food’ and ‘power

bowls’ (a bowl full of foods that keep you charged). Given how attractive

these colourful power bowls look, it comes as no surprise that health

enthusiasts have eagerly dug into this trend, which is set to gain even more

popularity this year.

9 Probiotics

Food items like curd and banana contain probiotic bacteria.

(Shutterstock)

The phrase ‘gut feeling’ got a whole new meaning, when a recent research

established the connection between our brain and our guts. The study looked

into the relationship between our gut’s microbiome (bacteria) and our brain.

Experts say that 90% of all neurotransmitters like serotonin are present in

our guts. This makes the guts our secondary brain. Since food items like

curd and kefir contain probiotic bacteria, health conscious people will opt

for them in order to maintain their microbiome levels.

— With inputs from Dr Amrapali Patil, nutritionist and yoga guru

Blue Revolution to up fisheries output to 15 million t by 2020

MANGALURU, JANUARY 5:

India wants to increase production from fisheries sector from the existing 10

million tonnes (mt) a year to 15 mt by 2020, according to a top official from

the Union Agriculture Ministry.

Speaking on ‘Blue revolution: Integrated development and management of

fisheries’ in Mangaluru on Tuesday, Aditya Kumar Joshi, Joint Secretary

(Fisheries), Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries in the

Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said that the Centre

has set an outlay of ₹ 3,000 crore for the implementation of ‘blue

revolution’ programme in the next five years.

Stating that the overall fish production in the country has crossed 10 mt with

an annual growth rate of 6 per cent, he said the Centre intends to increase the

production to 15 mt by increasing the annual growth rate to 8 per cent on a

sustainable basis.

Importance has been given for marine and inland fisheries to achieve this

growth, and also to strengthen and upgrade MCS (Monitoring, Control and

Surveillance) centres along the coastal states.

In marine fisheries sector, the focus will be on upgrading technology and on

developing and strengthening fisheries harbours and fish landing centres in

the coastal areas of the country. Works on developing 19 fisheries harbours

and 14 fish landing centres are in various stages in this regard.

The development of cold chains, fish processing centres, ice plants and

marketing infrastructure will be part of this plan.

Referring to the inland fisheries, he said there is a need to increase the area

of production as the country has good number of water bodies.

The productivity from inland fisheries should be increased from the existing

2.9 tonnes per hectare per year to six tonnes per hectare per year, he said.

The inland fisheries sector should also focus on sourcing quality seeds and

quality fish feed to increase fish production in the country.

He said that MCS centres can play a major role in the registration of vessels

and in issuing biometric identity cards to fishermen in the country.

(This article was published on January 5, 2016)

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Global meet on agri-biz at IRMA

ANAND, JANUARY 5:

The Institute of Rural Management-Anand (IRMA) will be hosting a two-

day international conference on agribusiness in emerging economies from

Wednesday (January 6 and 7).

The conference is being organised in collaboration with Syracuse

University’s Whitman School of Management, and the Journal of

Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies (JADEE).

It will cover a broad spectrum of relevant themes, methodologies and

research approaches, IRMA said in a release here on Tuesday. The event

will address a number of issues with 84 paper presentation in several parallel

sessions.

About 140 participants are attending this conference from India, the US,

Europe, Africa and Sri Lanka. IRMA will felicitate Rana Kapoor, MD &

CEO of Yes Bank, for his contribution to agri-business in emerging

economies and Rs. Sodhi, MD, GCMMF, for his contribution to

development and growth of dairy cooperatives.

(This article was published on January 5, 2016)

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CTTA turnover in 2015 up 3%

COONOOR, JANUARY 5:

Although the players at the auctions of Coonoor Tea Trade Association

(CTTA) had suffered lower realisations in many months of 2015 compared

to 2014, the year has ended with the cumulative turnover increasing by 2.84

per cent over 2014. Till December end, 52 auctions had been held. Since

about 25 per cent of volume had remained unsold in most auctions,

producers reduced their asking price to induce higher absorption. This

eventually resulted in the average price falling to ₹ 72.43 a kg from

₹ 73.01. The lower price helped higher absorption with the volume sold

rising to 5.95 crore kg from 5.74 crore kg. This helped the overall turnover

to rise to ₹ 430.96 crore from ₹ 419.07 crore – a growth of 2.84 per cent.

(This article was published on January 5, 2016)

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Now, an app for fishermen to track sea conditions

MANGALURU, JANUARY 5:

Location-specific information in local languages on a mobile app for those

venturing to deep-sea fishing will be on Google Play Store by February.

MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), in association with

Qualcomm and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services

(INCOIS), has already done a pilot project on such an app with around 5,000

fishermen in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, according to Nancy J Anabel,

Director of MSSRF.

Speaking on ‘Role of ICT and space technology in transforming fishing

communities’ at the second day sessions of the national-level workshop on

‘Adoption of Space Technology for Fisheries’ in Mangaluru on Tuesday, she

said that the pilot project on ‘Fisher Friend’ mobile application was launched

in 2014 in 18 mobile handsets. Now more than 5,000 fishermen are using

this app.

The app provides information about weather and ocean conditions, potential

fishing zones (PFZs), disaster alerts and current market prices of fish. The

app warns fishermen, if they are crossing the international boundary line in

the sea, she said.

There is a provision in the app to alert the Coast Guard crew in case of

emergencies. Fishermen can avoid danger zones in the sea and the areas with

sunken ships by using this app.

Stating that fishermen want the app in their local languages, she said the app

is now available in four languages.

Work is almost completed for Bengali and Marathi language app. Almost 80

per cent of work has been completed in Gujarati and Odia language app, she

said.

A pan-India app with different local languages will be ready on Google Play

Store by February, Anabel said.

(This article was published on January 5, 2016)

NABARD, NRSC ink pact for monitoring of watershed projects

HYDERABAD, JAN 5:

Monitoring of watershed projects, especially in remote villages will now be

improved with the use of satellite technology and web page.

Facilitating this is an MoU signed between the NABARD and the NRSC,

Hyderabad recently. The project will begin with the web-based monitoring

of Indo-German Watershed Development (IGWDP) projects in 3 states

namely Gujarat, Rajasthan and Telangana.

Also under its ambit are the NABARD assisted watershed projects under

Watershed Development Fund (WDF), in Madhya Pradesh.

As per the MoU, the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) will create a

separate web page for NABARD on its BHUVAN portal, develop

customized software tool and mobile application for real time monitoring,

online comparison and visualization with respect to activities implemented

in the projects.

Going forward, the role of remote sensing, GIS and GPS technologies in

monitoring and digitization of agriculture and rural development projects

will also be explored further.

(This article was published on January 5, 2016)

Weak demand softens groundnut oil

RAJKOT, JANUARY 5:

As demand reduced at the higher level, groundnut oil price moved down at

both wholesale and retail markets on Tuesday. Cotton oil also traded down

as price of cottonseed decreased. Traders said that demand was down during

past couple of days as price had gone up which pressurised the groundnut oil

price buying from local brand and stockists was slow. Groundnut oil loose

declined ₹ 20 to ₹ 915-920 per 10 kg, Jamnagar line teliya tin was down by

₹ 30 to ₹ 1,420-1,421 per 15 kg. About three tankers of groundnut oil were

traded in Saurashtra’s mills. Washed cotton oil lost ₹ 2 to ₹ 548-551 per 10

kg and groundnut oil new tin was quoted unchanged at ₹ 990-1,010 per 15

kg. About 25 tankers of cotton oil were traded in Saurashtra.

(This article was published on January 5, 2016)

Post Comment

PEC issues tender to import 320,000 tonnes corn

HAMBURG, JAN 5:

State-run trading company PEC has issued an international tender to import

320,000 tonnes yellow corn (maize), European traders said on Tuesday.

The tender closes on January 11 and offers must remain valid up to January

14, they said.

Sources said on December 31 that India will soon ask state-run traders to

import half a million tonnes of duty-free corn after a second drought in the

country cut crops in what would be the country's first overseas purchase in

16 years.

India is traditionally a major corn exporter to South East Asia, but higher

local prices due to the first repeat drought in nearly three decades and rising

domestic demand have hampered exports.

In the new tender, PEC is seeking corn free of genetically-modified

organisms (GMOs) which can be sourced from any optional origins, traders

said.

Shipment is sought to a series of Indian ports between Jan. 20 to Feb. 20,

2016 depending on the harbour involved, they said.

(This article was published on January 5, 2016)

Post Comment

Cardamom stays steady on thin arrivals

KOCHI, JANUARY 4:

Cardamom prices remained nearly steady on matching demand and supply at

last week’s auctions held in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Arrivals showed a decline because of Christmas holidays, which was also

attributed to the steady market, trade sources said. Exporters were buying as

the prices of exportable grade material continued to stay at affordable levels,

they said. They were reported to have bought an estimated 70-80 tonnes of

cardamom last week.

Arrivals last week slipped to 703 tonnes against 718 tonnes the previous

week.

The individual auction average last week remained steady and was

vacillating between ₹ 550 and ₹ 608 a kg. At today’s Cardamom Planters’

Association (CPA) auction in Bodinayakannur, arrivals increased to 59.4

tonnes from 50.6 tonnes the previous Monday and almost the entire quantity

was sold. The auction average moved up to ₹ 567.56 from ₹ 557.94.

Total arrivals during the season up to January 02 were at around 16,529

tonnes and sales were at 16,030 tonnes. The individual auction average as on

January 2 was at ₹ 622.55 a kg.

Prices of graded varieties (₹ /kg): 8mm bold good green colour 900-950;

8mm 840-900; 7-8 mm 700-725; 6-7 mm 590-620; below 6 mm: 560-580.

(This article was published on January 4, 2016)

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Spot pepper moves on demand

KOCHI, JANUARY 5:

Spot pepper prices moved up on Tuesday on good buying support. Inter-

State dealers were covering. But supply remained tight because of selective

plucking by growers. Buyers were there for high bulk density material but it

was not available, trade sources said.

On the terminal market, 17 tonnes arrived and were traded at prices ranging

between ₹ 625 and ₹ 640 a kg. Spot prices moved up by ₹ 200 a quintal to

₹ 62,700 (ungarbled) and ₹ 65,700 (garbled).

January, February and March contracts on IPSTA remained steady at

₹ 67,000, ₹ 60,500 and ₹ 58,000. Export prices were at $10,150 a tonne

c&f for Europe and $10,400 for the US.

In the international markets, Vietnam was offering V Asta at $8,375; 550

GL at $8,050 and 500 GL at $7,800. Indonesia was offering L Asta at

$8,500, while Brazil quoted B Asta at $8,375.

(This article was published on January 5, 2016)

Post Comment

MCX cardamom (₹ 820/kg): Buy

January 5, 2016:

Cardamom futures traded on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) was

volatile testing the 200-day moving average around ₹ 820 a kg on Tuesday

due to profit-taking and subdued demand at the spot market.

However, the correction occurs after a strong 13 per cent surge in the

commodity price in the previous week which has brokena key resistance at

₹ 770 decisively.

Medium-term view: Following a strong rally from the December 2014 low

of ₹ 770, the contract encountered an important resistance at ₹ 1,190 in

early March 2015.

Subsequently, the contract changed direction and plunged with a gap-down

and has been on an intermediate-term downtrend since then.

Nevertheless, the contract found support marking a two year low at ₹ 602

on December 8, 2015 and reversed direction triggered by positive

divergence in the daily moving average convergence divergence indicator

backing the reversal.

Since then, the contract has been in a short term uptrend. The contract has a

significant long-term support at ₹ 600. While trending upwards, the contract

has conclusively breached its 21 and 50-day moving averages. But, it met

with a key resistance around ₹ 822 and started to dip.

Traders with a medium-term perspective can use this corrective decline to

initiate long position while maintaining a stop-loss at ₹ 750 levels.

Resumption of the uptrend can take the contract northwards to ₹ 850 and

then ₹ 900 in the medium term. Next resistance is at ₹ 950.

Short-term view: The contract has recently breached a key resistance band

between ₹ 750 and ₹ 770. This has altered the short-term outlook bullish.

As long as the contract trades above ₹ 750, the short-term outlook will

remain bullish. Both the daily and weekly price rate of change indicator are

hovering in the positive terrain implying buying interest.

Further, the daily relative strength index feature in the bullish zone signals

an upward momentum.

Traders with a short-term perspective can buy with a stop-loss at ₹ 770.

Targets on a strong rally beyond ₹ 822 are ₹ 835 and ₹ 850.

On the other hand, an emphatic fall below ₹ 750 will change the short-term

trend and mar the bullish outlook. Key supports below ₹ 750 are at ₹ 680

and ₹ 600.

Note: The recommendations are based on technical analysis. There is a risk

of loss in trading.

(This article was published on January 5, 2016)

Agriculture has high hopes from this Budget

Govt should revamp agricultural marketing to increase farmers' earnings and

amend land-leasing laws

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has met farm sector representatives for pre-

Budget consultations at a time Indian agriculture is passing through a bad

patch - especially because of two years of consecutive drought. Predictably,

therefore, most participants pitched for more credit on soft terms, higher

minimum support prices (MSP) for crops and the expansion of irrigation

facilities to enhance Indian agriculture's resilience against drought. They

also argued for augmenting the corpus of the price stabilisation fund and

consistent export policies. The other notable suggestions included revamping

agricultural marketing to increase farmers' earnings; higher spending on

agricultural research; expansion of agricultural insurance at subsidised

premiums; and amending land-leasing laws. The finance minister himself

candidly conceded that the farm sector needed more investment to boost

agricultural productivity by leveraging technology and efficient use of water.

Apart from these inputs, the finance minister also has at his disposal the

reports of the NITI Aayog's task force on agriculture and the Reserve Bank

of India (RBI) committee on financial inclusion. The RBI committee's report

has categorically stated that agricultural production is not commensurate

with the credit flow to it, which rose to a whopping Rs 8.4 lakh crore in

2014-15. A sizable part, obviously, doesn't reach where it is needed the most

- due not just to leakages in the system but also other factors, like the

ineligibility of tenant farmers for bank loans and the diversion of borrowed

funds to non-farm purposes. A sizable part of the subsidised credit is

cornered by asset-owning farmers; small and marginal land owners, as also

tenant farmers, still rely on moneylenders.

Another significant point made by the RBI panel is that much of the

subsidised credit is issued in the form of short-term crop loans to meet

farmers' immediate cash requirements. The need for long-term credit for

investment on productivity-boosting measures remains largely unmet. The

panel favours replacement of interest subvention on agricultural loans with

subsidy on universal crop insurance scheme to cover farmers' production and

price risks. Certainly, the panel has correctly diagnosed the credit system's

failings. However, caution is needed: none of the over a dozen farm

insurance schemes tried out so far has proved successful.

The report of the NITI Aayog task force, on the other hand, focuses on

improving farm productivity and making farming economically viable.

Among its suggestions that need consideration during the Budget-making

exercise include de-canalisation of urea and direct transfer of subsidy to

farmers; and the substitution of the procurement-based system for providing

minimum support prices with a wholly novel "price-deficiency payment"

mechanism. This will involve fixing floor prices for different crops, based

on their average market prices over the previous three years, and

compensating growers if they don't realise those rates. Thus, on the whole,

the finance minister has a fairly heavy agriculture sector agenda - apart from

the need to step up funding of some of the ongoing programmes to create

agriculture-supporting infrastructure.

All-India consumer price index numbers for agricultural and rural

labourers announced

PUNE: The All-India Consumer Price Index Numbers for Agricultural

Labourers and Rural Labourers (Base: 1986-87=100) for November, 2015

increased by 4 points each to stand at 853 (Eight hundred and fifty three)

points and 857 (Eight hundred and fifty seven) points respectively.

The press statement issued by the ministry of labour and employment states

that the rise/fall in index varied from State to State. In case of Agricultural

Labourers, it recorded an increase between 1 to 18 points in 11 States and a

decrease between 2 to 9 points in 8 States while it remained stationary in 1

State. Karnataka State with 950 points topped the index table whereas

Himachal Pradesh with 704 points stood at the bottom.

In case of Rural Labourers, it recorded an increase between 1 to 17 points in

11 States and a decrease between 1 to 9 points in 8 States while it remained

stationary in 1 State. Karnataka with 944 points topped the index table

whereas Himachal Pradesh with 743 points stood at the bottom.

The Consumer Price Index Numbers for Agricultural Labourers and Rural

Labourers of Tamilnadu State registered the maximum increase of 18 points

and 17 points respectively mainly due to increase in the prices of bajra,

pulses, meat goat, fish fresh/dry, milk, onion, chillies dry, vegetables and

fruits, bidi and firewood.

On the contrary, the Consumer Price Index Numbers for Agricultural

Labourers and Rural Labourers of Meghalaya State registered the maximum

decrease of 9 points each due to decrease in the prices of beef, pork, poulty,

onion, chillies green, ginger, vegetables and fruits, tobacco leaf and pan leaf.

'Voicemail goat farmers' in Tamil Nadu launch company

Theni collector N Venkatachalam giving away share certificates to a woman

on Tuesday (TOI photo).

THENI: As many as 1,234 women goat farmers in Bodi West Hills in Tamil

Nadu have floated a company. Each of these women has contributed an

equity share of Rs 1,000 as capital for the company -- Theni District Goat

Farmers Producer Company Limited.

The company will be involved in procuring medicines and fodder for their

goats and sell matured goats for handsome prices without the interference of

middlemen. The profit will be shared as dividend.

Theni district collector N Venkatachalam inaugurated the company on

Tuesday.