Normally 600 seedlings of tall varieties can be planted on an acre, but if it was dwarf hybrid ones, up to 800 can be planted. The tissue-cultured seedlings of two dwarf hybrid varieties of arecanut developed by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, Kerala, are likely to be commercially available to farmers from January next.CPCRI director P. Chowdappa told The Hindu that the institute developed the varieties — VTLAH–1 and VTLAH–2 — more than three years ago. Its tissue culture technology has been transferred to a Tamil Nadu-based company, which in turn is likely to start its commercial seedling production from next year. Both are chali (white arecanut) varieties.Mr. Chowdappa said VTLAH–1 yielded 2.54 kg a palm while
Month: July 2018
This former techie’s organic strawberry farm is blazing a trail in the Nilgiris
Five-acre farm is nestled inside a patch of Shola forest with natural streams and artificial ponds running through it Babu Rajasekaran wields a machete as he meets us around 30 km from Udhagamandalam, down the slopes adjoining Mukurthi National Park. He is there , to escort us to his organic strawberry farm.We look a bit dubiously at his weapon. “It just makes me braver about facing any wildlife I might encounter on the way,” says Rajasekaran. The five-acre Heartberry Farm is nestled inside a patch of Shola forest, with natural streams and artificial ponds running through it. “There are tigers here, spotted almost every day by the workers on the farm. Sloth bears and leopards are even more common,
Paddy sowing in east hit by rain deficit
39 ‘large deficit’ districts in Bihar, U.P. Paddy sowing is lagging behind in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as eastern India faces a 40% deficit in monsoon rains. In those States, 39 districts fall in the India Meteorological Department’s “large deficit” category, which means they are seeing 60%-90% shortfall.The area covered by kharif paddy crops is lower than normal at this point in the season, with a 12% drop seen nationwide. As on July 20, only 156.5 lakh hectares have seen paddy sowing, according to the Agriculture Ministry. In the corresponding week last year, it was more than 178.7 lakh hectares. That’s a shortage of almost 23 lakh hectares. The lag is much more pronounced in the eastern States. In
Pulses imports to fall hitting Canada, others
Pulses imports to India, the world’s biggest buyer, may fall to their lowest in almost two decades after the Centre raised import taxes and restricted overseas purchases to bolster prices, impacting the plans of its global suppliers.The reduction in imports illustrates the government’s steps to raise the prices of pulses, like peas and lentils, to reduce payouts to farmers under its food subsidy scheme. Farmers in Canada, Australia and Russia that rely on Indian demand will likely intensify their cutbacks in pulses cultivation and continue to seek other markets in response.India’s pulses imports could slide almost 80% to 1.2 million tonnes in the current fiscal, the lowest since 2000-01, Bimal Kothari, vice-chairman, Indian Pulses and Grains Association, told Reuters.
Sugar production set to hit a record high next season
Cane farmers may face about ₹25,000 crore in payment arrears from sugar mills by next May, according to industry estimates. With an 8% increase in acreage under sugarcane and adequate rainfall expected to lead to a bumper crop, the resultant production glut could hit farmers hard in an election year.Satellite images from the latter part of June show that the total acreage under sugarcane in the country is estimated to be around 54.35 lakh hectares this kharif season, an 8% increase from the previous year, according to a statement by the Indian Sugar Mills Association. High yieldWith farmers switching more of their acreage to a cane variety with a higher sugar yield, ISMA expects mills to produce a
Farmers hit by slump in pepper prices
‘Cheaper imports from Vietnam, via Sri Lanka, benefiting from duty pacts; southern producers in a fix’ A sharp fall in the price of black pepper, coupled with low production of the spice, has put farmers in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka — the three major pepper producing States in the country — in a fix.Black pepper prices crashed from ₹760 a kg in 2017 to ₹600 a kg and then to ₹500 a kg. The spot price of pepper in Wayanad, a major pepper-producing region in Kerala, on Tuesday, was ₹300-₹310 as against ₹500 during the corresponding period last year, said M.C. Abdu of Ideal Spices, a pepper dealer in Wayanad.“The influx of imported pepper from Vietnam via Sri
Minimum Support Price: A matter of definition
The government has agreed to fix the Minimum Support Price (MSP) at 50% more than the production cost incurred by the farmer in kharif crops. But, there is a marked difference between what the government considers as the cost of production and what the farmer incurs. Here's a look at the difference in definition, how much each crop loses because of this difference and how frequently the Centre changes the MSP. The below table shows that the gap between promised and calculated MSP is highest for dal varieties Moong, Urad and Arhar. The below chart depicts the relationship between MSP and years when there was a Lok Sabha election. You have reached your limit for free articles this month. To get full access,
For a slice of exotica: from broccoli to zucchini, exotic crops charm Nilgiris farmers
The weather conditions at Kookalthorai are conducive for cultivation of the exotic vegetable varieties For M. Kari, a farmer at Kookalthorai area in the Nilgiris, cultivation of broccoli and iceberg lettuce for the past 10 years has meant an assured income from agriculture. On his four-acre farm, he grows carrot, beetroot and also some varieties of exotic vegetables.More than 100 farmers in Kookalthorai area of the Nilgiris are into cultivation of exotic vegetables such as broccoli, zucchini, iceberg lettuce, brussels sprout, red cabbage and leek. These are available at departmental stores and served cooked at star hotels.The weather conditions at Kookalthorai are conducive for cultivation of these exotic vegetable varieties. Hence, the yield is better compared with other parts
Give legal backing to MSP: panel
Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices says farmers must be able to sell at MSP The government panel, which recommended minimum support prices for kharif crops that were approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, has also recommended that the Centre bring out a legislation which would give that announcement some legal teeth by giving farmers the right to sell their produce at those prices.The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices is a statutory panel under the Ministry of Agriculture which makes the recommendations for MSPs for 23 kharif and rabi crops. Its suggestions are not binding on the government. In its report titled ‘Price Policy for Kharif Crops for the Marketing Season 2018-19,’ the CACP notes that the procurement
Coringa mangroves to emulate Sundarbans in bee keeping
It’s a busy bee operation. The Forest department, with the UNDP-GEF-EGREE (United Nations Development Programme-Global Environment Facility-East Godavari River Estuarine Ecosystem) Foundation, has launched a multi-purpose operation to increase honeybee population in the Coringa mangroves here. It will train women in villages abutting the mangroves in bee keeping, ensuring their livelihood and reducing dependency on the mangrove forest in a phased manner.Bee bustersUnlike the Sundarbans in West Bengal and Bhitarkanika mangroves in Odisha, Coringa has been lagging in terms of honey production owing to deforestation coupled with the use of pesticides in the abutting farms and fish tanks.Money in honeyAccording to statistics, the largest mangrove Sundarbans produce about 1.1 lakh kg of honey every year, while the third largest