State set to be ‘Haritandhra’

Published on 11/17/2006
VV BALAKRISHNA

Hyderabad, Nov 16: Here is some cheerful news to eco-lovers. The State is inching towards achieving the goal of ‘Haritanadhra’ literally. Within and outside the reserve forest areas, the green cover is increasing. And the increase in the vegetation outside the reserve forest area in the State is the highest in the country.

The depressing news is the sight of some buffaloes happily grazing the well-grown grass on the road-dividers near the Begumpet police station. And some eco-insensitive people trampling the grass and cutting plants on the medians.

Coming to the ‘Haritandhra’, thanks to the collective efforts by the Vana Samrakshana Saimthis (VSS) and various government departments, the vegetation area in the reserve forests has increased by 5,097 sq kms in eight years. The increase in the vegetation within the reserve forest was 1,130 sq km in 2003 when compared to 2001 figures.

The green cover outside the reserve forest area increased to 12,120 sq km. It is 4.41 per cent of the state geographical area. The tree cover outside forest area in 2001 was 9,011 sq km. i.e. 3.28 per cent of the geographical area. Andhra Pradesh stood first in the country in vegetative cover outside the forest area, according to latest data available with the Forest Department.

The Forest Survey of India and the Geomatics Centre of the State Forest Department interpreted the satellite images available with National Remote Sensing Agency.

The Geomatics centre of the State forest department has bagged gold icon this year for the effective work done in the field of interpretation of mapping of forest vegetative cover and forest fire hazards zones.

The increase in green cover was significant achievement, said an official of Forest Department and attributed the same to Canadian funds pumped in during 1980-86 and the efforts put in by around 8,663 VSSs and farmers thereafter. Efforts of taking up plantation activity by social forestry wing, various other departments and private agencies like paper mills were the main reason for increase in green cover outside the forest area, according to sources.

Every year the department is planting around 30 to 35 crore seedlings across the State through various sources. In the present season, 47.72 crore seedling were raised in the State and so far 29 crore seedlings were planted.

DNA lab for seeds set to score a first

Published on 7/27/2006
VV BALAKRISHNA

Hyderabad, July 26: The first State-owned DNA fingerprinting laboratory in the country for testing genetic purity of seeds is coming up here. The laboratory is all set to function from next month.

The ground work for the laboratory, set up at Samithi Training Centre of Agriculture Department at Malakpet, has been completed and it will start testing the quality of seeds soon.

In view of the numerous complaints being received about failure of paddy, chilli, groundnut and cotton seed, the main focus will be on whether the seed will reach the flowering stage within the stipulated time given by the companies and give yield as claimed by the producers.

So far the department has relied upon conventional testing method i.e. ‘grow out test’ (GOT), which is time-consuming and useful only for postmortem. But DNA fingerprinting will give results within two days to the farmer clarifying whether the seed is genetically pure or not. This saves the farmer monetary loss.

According to officials, inferior seed is one of the major factors that is pushing the farmers into debt-trap. However, there is no mechanism to find out how much money is being lost by farmers due to impure seeds.

GOT tests require land, water and time. The purity of seed will be known only after the seed develops into a plant. By the time the results are out, farmers could have sown the seed and incurred severe loss. In the DNA fingerprinting system, the farmer can decide instantly whether to use the seed or not.

The laboratory, costing Rs 3.5 crore, is technically supported by the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Research (NBPGR), Delhi. All the expenditure is borne by the State Government as it took the initiative to set up the lab on government lines.

Officials will conduct tests free of cost on the seed collected by agricultural officials or samples given by farmers. They will compare the seed characteristics with those collected by the officials from seed producers. ‘‘We have a database on all government-notified seed varieties.

Now, we are collecting the database on hybrid and Bt seeds developed by private companies,’’ agriculture officer Radha Madhav told Express. He said that they would be able to test 10,000 samples a year.

With the establishment of the DNA lab, the department would be in a position to initiate legal action against the erring seed-producing companies, he added.

One additional director and three agriculture officers are posted at the laboratory.

SEED LABS: Meanwhile, seed laboratories for conducting germination tests have been established in all the 19 districts this year.

Hitherto such laboratories have been existent only at Yemmiganuru, Tadepalligudem and Rajendranagar.

Members of CITU-affiliated building workers’ union staging a dharna at the Hyderabad collectorate on Wednesday, demanding a hike in wages and provision of work.Expressphoto

Chilli farmers seek organic e-remedy

VV Balakrishna
First Published : 26 Nov 2009 02:58:00 AM IST
Last Updated :

HYDERABAD: In tune with the changing global scenario, chilli farmers in three States -- AP, Karnataka and Orissa -- have formed into a society and launched an exclusive website to encourage organic farming and boost dwindling export of chillies.

In a first-of-its kind initiative in the country, around 95 cooperative societies in the three States have banded together into a Chilli-Growers Cooperative Society which recently launched its website: ``chilligrowers.com’’ to help farmers in all aspects -- from collecting quality seed to improving the quality of produce.

India used to top the world chilli trade, accounting for 25 per cent of it. But stiff competition from China and excessive use of pesticides saw exports dwindle to 17.4 per cent this year.

``Several countries have been rejecting chillies and chilli products from the country after detecting pesticide residues,’’ Chilli Growers Cooperative Society chairman Nadendla Poornachandra Rao told Express.

He said that the society, through its website, would encourage farmers to use organic manure. This, he hoped, would boost exports and ensure the growers remunerative prices.

Rao said the website was receiving good response. The society currently had 40,000 members from Karnataka, 8,000 from Andhra Pradesh and 5,000 from Orissa.It plans to construct around 10 cold chains for farmers in the State. Poornachandra Rao said the website would help farmers keep abreast of international prices on a daily basis, as well as acquire knowledge of standards and useful inputs.

vvbalakrishna@expessbuzz.com

Research failure behind red gram shortage?

VV Balakrishna
First Published : 24 Aug 2009 03:46:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 24 Aug 2009 10:55:49 AM IST

HYDERABAD: Lack of focused research on red gram (pigeon pea) has apparently led to the present situation of acute shortage of pulses and price touching an all-time high of Rs 100 per kilo.

``Not much research has gone into red gram crop,’’ Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy told reporters in an informal chat recently.

Several decades of neglect have seen yield per acre stagnating at between 2 to 3.5 tonnes per acre.

This is in contrast with wheat and rice which have benefited from extensive research. The yield per acre of wheat, which used to be just 8 to 10 quintals a few years ago, is now between 25 and 50 quintals.

Similarly, productivity of paddy was just 13 quintals, but with improved seed varieties it now touches 50 quintals per acre in rabi and 40 in kharif.

The reason for lack of research in pulses, especially in red gram, is that none has recognised pulses as major food crops. But over a period of time consumption of redgram has increased in the country for its nutritional value.

When NT Rama Rao was chief minister and wanted to distribute the 1,000 acres of surplus lands of the Challapalli Zamindar in Krishna district, some suggested that a pulses research station be set up there. But litigation put paid to the proposal.

The officials the leased in 110 acres and started a research station for pulses in Challapalli, but the work there seems not very effective for want of proper monitoring.

Several farmer organisations have been urging the State Government to start a ``rice fallow pulses research station’’ in the State. Though there is an ongoing all-India coordinated research project on pigeon pea, the technology has yet to be transferred from lab to farm.

With 20 per cent protein, red gram is an important supplement to an energy rich cereal diet.

According to sources at the Indian Institute of Pulses Research, the production of red gram increased from 1.7 million tonnes in 1950 to 2.8 million tonnes in 2006.

However, the crop acreage has hardly increased over the years.

Consequently, per capita availability of pigeon pea is very low, the IIPR sources said.

TDP leader Ummareddy Venkateswarlu has demanded that the State Government establish a research station on pulses focusing on improvement in yield and quality, and boosting of biotic and abiotic resistance.

vvbalakrishna@epmltd.com

Yields of rainfed crops may fall drastically

VV Balakrishna
First Published : 31 Aug 2009 03:03:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 31 Aug 2009 09:42:25 AM IST

HYDERABAD: The effect of drought is now being felt.

Twenty three per cent of crops sown have withered due to lack of sufficient rain.

The total cropped area is 49.57 lakh hectares against the normal 79.07 lakh hectares.

Though, with the late rains infused some confidence among farming community, the farmers in almost all the districts were facing pest and disease problems.

Now, officials are estimating that due to dry spell in the first two months, the yield levels of rainfed crops may be reduced drastically during Kharif season.

According to the statistics available with the Agricultural Department, cotton and soyabean are the only crops sown in more than 100 per cent of the normal sowing area. Horsegram and chillies were sown in less than 25 per cent area.

Due to the recent rains the agricultural activity picked up. The total area sown in the State is 49.57 lakh hectares, i.e. 63 per cent of the normal sowing of 79.07 lakh hectares till this week.

Paddy, bajra, sunflower, seasamum and mesta were sown covering 26 to 50 per cent area. Jowar, ragi, maize, redgram, green gram, black gram, groundnut, castor, sugarcane, onion and turneric were sown in 76 to 100 per cent area.

The agricultural activity is in full swing only in Nellore, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Rangareddy and Adilabad districts.

The activity is yet to pick up in Anantapur, Guntur, Nalgonda, Kadapa and Prakasam districts. The activity was moderate in the remaining districts, according to official sources.

Erratic rainfall in the State has resulted in poor sowing of rainfed crops. With the recent rains, the transplantation of paddy is in progress. Where moisture is available, the inter cultivation operations are in progress in early sown crops.

The standing crop of sugarcane is at vegetative stage. The early sown groundnut is at peg penetration to harvesting state. Ragi is at dough stage. Pulses and soyabean are at vegetative to flowering stage. Cotton is at boil development stage.

The yield of kharif paddy is also likely to be reduced as the plantation was completed in only 12.42 lakh hectares. This is only 49 per cent of the seasonal plantation area. In khariff-2008, plantation of paddy was completed in 19.03 lakh hectares by the end of August.

The cotton was the only crop which was sown in 105 per cent area than the normal area. Cotton was sown in 12 lakh hectares till date as against the normal area of 11.41 lakh hectares.

The sparse commodity red gram was sown only in 2.92 lakh hectares against the normal area of 4.52 hectares. In all foodgrains were sown in 23.24 lakh hectares against the normal area of 42.09 hectares. Chillies were also sown only in 0.34 lakh hectares against the normal area of 1.62 hectares.

vvbalakrishna@epmltd.com