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Agricultural Sector is the mainstay of the rural Indian economy around which socio-economic privileges anddeprivations revolve and any change in its structure is likely to have a corresponding impact on the existingpattern of Social equity.

According to the new series of national income released by the CSO, at 2011-12 prices the share of agriculturein total GDP is 18 per cent in 2013-14. As against a growth target of 4 per cent for agriculture and allied sectorsin the Twelfth Plan, the growth registered in the first year at 2011- 12 prices was 1.2 per cent, 3.7 per centin 2013- 14, and 1.1 per cent in 2014-15.

Area, Production and Yield

Yield is contingent upon several factors like variety and quality of seeds, soil quality, irrigation - includingquality of water-fertilizers- including their proportion-pesticides, labour, and extension services. Prices receivedby farmers and the certainty or assurance of getting a particular price also incentivize farmers to take to aparticular crop and use quality inputs in its cultivation.

To improve resilience of the agricultural sector and bolster food security-including availability and affordableaccess-our strategy for agriculture has to focus on improving yield and productivity. Though yield/productivityin foodgrains and pulses has increased post-2000, the yield gaps vis-à-vis other countries are wide and evenwithin different states yields vary widely, showing that there are possibilities of raising production by increasingyield of most of the crops without necessarily increasing prices.

In 2013- 14, total foodgrain production has been estimated at 265.6 million tonnes as per the second AdvanceEstimates (AE), which is higher by 8.5 million tonnes than the 2012-13 production and 22.1 million tonnesthan average foodgrain production during the last five years.

As per the 2nd Advance Estimates for 2014-15, total foodgrains production in the country is estimated at257.07 million tonnes which is the fourth highest quantity of annual foodgrains production in the country. Itmay be noted that despite deficiency of 12% in the monsoon rainfall during the year, the loss in productionhas been restricted to just around 3% over the previous year and has exceeded the average production duringthe last five years by 8.15 million tonnes.

As compared to last year's production of 265.57 million tonnes, current year's production of foodgrains is lowerby 8.5 million tonnes. This decline has occurred on account of lower production of rice, coarse, cereals andpulses due to erratic rainfall conditions during the monsoon season-2014.

An inverse relationship is noticed between increase in yield over time and the average cost of production ofvarious crops in real terms. For example, for rabi crops a 10 per cent increase in yield resulted in a 2.1 per centto 8.1 per cent decline in the average cost of production of various crops in real terms. This clearly pointstowards the fact that productivity increases, especially in low productivity states/regions, can significantlycontribute towards reducing cost-push food inflation.

Cropping Seasons in India

There are three distinct crop seasons in the northern and interior parts of country, namely kharif, rabi and zaid.The kharif season largely coincides with Southwest Monsoon under which the cultivation of tropical crops suchas rice, cotton, jute, jowar, bajra and tur is possible.

AGRICULTURE

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The rabi season begins with the onset of winter in October-November and ends in March-April. The lowtemperature conditions during this season facilitate the cultivation of temperate and subtropical crops such aswheat, gram and mustard.

Zaid is a short duration summer cropping season beginning after harvesting of rabi crops. The cultivation ofwatermelons, cucumbers, vegetables and fodder crops during this season is done on irrigated lands. However,this type of distinction in the cropping season does not exist in southern parts of the country. Here, thetemperature is high enough to grow tropical crops during any period in the year provided the soil moisture isavailable. Therefore, in this region same crops can be grown thrice in an agricultural year provided there issufficient soil moisture.

Government Policies in Agriculture Sector

1. National Agricultural Policy

The challenges facing Indian agriculture can be grouped in four categories relating to (1) growth (2) sustainability(3) efficiency and (4) equity. There are also other important concerns like food security, livelihood, employment,improvement in standard of living of agricultural population. Addressing these challenges requires efforts onseveral fronts like incentive structure, infrastructure, technology, market development, extension, regulations,input supply, tenancy etc. New agriculture policy address the above challenges through efforts in above mentionedareas and also provide direction to the future of agriculture in the country.

The main features of the National Agricultural Policy are:

a) Privatisation of agriculture and price protection of farmers in the post QR (Quantitative Restrictions)regime would be part of the government's strategy to synergise agricultural growth.

b) Private sector participation would be promoted through contract farming and land leasing arrangements toallow accelerated technology transfer, capital inflow, assured markets for crop production especially ofoilseeds, cotton and horticultural crops.

c) The policy envisages evolving a 'National Livestock Breeding Strategy' to meet the requirement of milk,meat, egg and livestock products and to enhance the role of draught animals as a source of energy forfarming operations.

d) High priority would be accorded to evolve new location-specific and economically viable improved varietiesof farm and horticulture crops, livestock species and aquaculture.

e) The restrictions on the movement of agricultural commodities throughout the country would be progressivelydismantled. The structure of taxes on food grains and other commercial crops would be reviewed.

f) The excise duty on materials such as farm machinery and implements and fertilizers used as inputs inagricultural production, post-harvest stage and processing would be reviewed.

g) Rural electrification would be given high priority as a prime mover for agricultural development.

h) The use of new and renewable sources of energy for irrigation and other agricultural purposes would beencouraged.

i) Progressive institutionalisation of rural and farm credit would be continued for providing timely andadequate credit to farmers.

j) Endeavour would be made to provide a package insurance policy for the farmers, right from sowing ofcrops to post-harvest operations including market fluctuations in the prices of agricultural produce.

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2. National Policy for Farmers, 2007

The National Policy for Farmers, 2007, on recommendations of National Commission on Farmers, has providedfor a holistic approach to development of the farm sector. Policy provisions in NPF-2007 include, inter-alia,asset reforms in respect of land, water, livestock, fisheries and bio-resources; supply of good quality seeds and

disease-free planting material, issue of soil health passbooks to the farmers and integrated pest managementsystem; region and crop specific implements and machinery; support services for women; timely, adequate andeasy reach of institutional credit at reasonable interest rates and farmer-friendly insurance instruments; supportservices and inputs like application of frontier technologies; agricultural bio-security system; use of Informationand Communication Technology (ICT) and setting up of farm schools to revitalize agricultural extension;

coverage of farmers under a comprehensive national social security scheme; effective implementation ofMinimum Support Price (MSP) across the country and establishing community foodgrain banks; developmentof agricultural market infrastructure and terminal markets for agriculture; curriculum reforms in agriculturaluniversities; special categories of farming like organic farming and contract farming; rural non-farm employmentinitiative for farm households; and integrated approach for rural energy, etc.

3. National Seed Policy 2002

The Indian government has approved a new National Seeds Policy to provide intellectual property protection

to new varieties and set up institutes for the planned development of the sector. The policy has nine majorthrust areas including the production of quality seeds by the private sector, establishing state seed testinglaboratories, access to breeder seed, etc

The main features of the National Seeds Policy, 2002 include development of new and improved varieties of

plants, timely availability of quality seeds, compulsory registration of seeds, creation of infrastructure facilities,quality assurance, promotion of seed industry, abolition of licensing for seed dealers, facility for import of best

quality seeds, encouragement for export of seeds and creation of Seed Banks and National Seed Grid.

These initiatives will encourage investment in research and development, thereby ensuring availability of highyielding varieties of seeds which will lead to higher production and improving the economic condition of thefarmers in the country.

Strategies proposed by the government are:

1. A Plant Varieties & Farmers' Rights Protection (PVP) Authority has been established to undertake registrationof extant and new plant varieties through the Plant Varieties. Registry on the basis of varietal characteristics.

2. A National Gene Fund has been established for implementation of the benefit sharing arrangement, andpayment of compensation to village communities for their contribution to the development and conservation

of plant genetic resources and also to promote conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources.Suitable systems will be worked out to identify the contributions from traditional knowledge and heritage.

3. Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Crops has been permitted to be accessed by Research

Organisations and Seed Companies from public collections as per the provisions of the 'Material TransferAgreement' of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources and the Biological Diversity Bill.

4. The National Seeds Board (NSB) has been established in place of existing Central Seed Committee andCentral Seed Certification Board. The NSB will have permanent existence with the responsibility of

executing and implementing the provisions of the Seeds Act and advising the Government on all mattersrelating to seed planning and development. The NSB will function as the apex body in the seed sector.

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Government Schemes for Productivity Enhancement

Agriculture being a state subject, the primary responsibility for increasing agriculture production, enhancing

productivity, and exploring the vast untapped potential of the sector rests with the state governments. However,

in order to supplement the efforts of the state governments, a number of centrally sponsored and central-sectorschemes are being implemented for enhancing agricultural production and productivity in the country and

increasing the income of the farming community. Some of them are discussed below:

1. National Food Security Mission (NFSM)

The National Food Security Mission (NFSM) is being implemented with the new target of additional production

of 25 million tonnes of foodgrains comprising 10 million tonnes rice, 8 million tonnes wheat, 4 million tonnes

pulses, and 3 million tonnes coarse cereals by the end of the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2016-17). The revamped

NFSM is being implemented from 2014-15 in 619 districts of 28 states. In addition to rice, wheat and pulses,

crops like coarse cereals and commercial crops (sugarcane, cotton, and jute) have been included since 2014-15.Promotion of farmer producer organizations (FPOs), value addition, dal mill, and assistance for custom hiring

charges have also been undertaken under the Mission. The pulses component has been allocated fifty per cent

of total funds under the NFSM in order to increase their production. To promote the use of bio-fertilizers,

subsidy on bio-fertilizer has also been enhanced from Rs. 100 per ha to Rs.300 per ha.

2. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)

The RKVY was launched in 2007-08 with an outlay of Rs. 25,000 crore in the Eleventh Plan for Incentivizing

states to enhance public investment to achieve 4 per cent growth rate in agriculture and allied sectors during

the Eleventh Five Year Plan period. The sub-schemes include Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern Region;

Integrated Development of 60,000 Pulses Villages in Rainfed Areas; Promotion of Oil Palm; Initiative on

Vegetable Clusters; Nutri-cereals; National Mission for Protein Supplements; Accelerated Fodder Development

Programme; Rainfed Area Development Programme; and Saffron Mission. The RKVY links 50 per cent of

central assistance to those states that have stepped up percentage of State Plan expenditure on agriculture and

allied sectors.

The government has approved continuation of the RKVY scheme during the Twelfth Plan whereby RKVY

funding will be routed into three components, viz. production growth, infrastructure & assets, & sub-schemes

and flexi-fund. The proposed allocation for implementation of this scheme during 2015-16 is Rs. 18,000 crore.

In view of the need to increase capital formation and get higher returns on investments, states are at liberty

to spend up to 100 per cent of total outlay in the infrastructure and asset creation component.

3. Integrated Scheme of Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil Palm, and Maize (ISOPOM)

Oilseeds are raised mostly under rainfed conditions and are important for the livelihood of small and marginal

farmers in the arid and semi-arid areas of the country. The centrally sponsored ISOPOM have been underimplementation during the Eleventh Plan in 14 states for oilseeds and pulses, 15 for maize, and 9 for oil palm.

The pulses component has been merged with the NFSM with effect from 1 April 2010.

4. National Horticulture Mission (NHM)

The horticulture sector includes a wide range of crops, such as fruits, vegetables, roots and tuber crops, flowers,

aromatic and medicinal plants, spices, and plantation crops, which facilitate diversification in agriculture. It has

been recognized that growing horticulture crops is now an ideal option to improve

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5. National Bamboo Mission (NBM)

The NBM, a centrally sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture for harnessing the potential of the

bamboo crop in the country, is under implementation in 27 states with a total outlay of Rs. 568.23 crore. The

Mission envisages promoting holistic growth of the bamboo sector by adopting an area-based, regionally

differentiated strategy to increase the area under bamboo cultivation and marketing. Under the Mission, steps

have been taken to increase the availability of quality planting material by supporting the setting up of new

nurseries/tissue culture units and strengthening existing ones. To address forward integration, the Mission istaking steps to strengthen marketing of bamboo products, especially those of handicraft items. During 2011-

12, 9,349 ha of forest and 5,526 ha of non-forest area has so far been covered under bamboo plantation and

1,074 ha of existing bamboo plantation has been improved for higher productivity. Since the inception of the

Mission, 1,89,466 ha has been covered with bamboo plantation. Besides, the Mission has provided financial

assistance to different institutions/ universities for twenty-three R&D projects aimed at higher productivity of

bamboo. Agro-forestry trials comprising bamboo grown along with agricultural/ horticultural crops and medicinalplants under different agro-climatic conditions in various states have been initiated.

6. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)

With effect from 2014-15, the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) has been

operationalized by bringing all ongoing schemes on horticulture under a single umbrella. Production and distribution

of quality planting material, productivity improvement measures through protected cultivation, use of micro

irrigation, adoption of integrated pest management and integrated nutrient management along with creation of

infrastructure for post-harvest management and marketing are focus areas of the MIDH.

Government Policies and Strategies for Crop Diversification

Diversification of agriculture refers to the shift from the regional dominance of one crop to regional productionof a number of crops, to meet ever increasing demand for cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, oilseeds, fibres,

fodder and grasses, fuel, etc. It aims to improve soil health and a dynamic equilibrium of the agro-ecosystem.

Crop diversification takes into account the economic returns from different value-added crops. It is different

from the concept of multiple cropping or succession planting in which multiple crops are planted in succession

over the course of a growing season.

Considering the importance of crop diversification in the overall developmental strategy in Indian agriculture,

the government of India has taken several initiatives for agricultural development in general and crop

diversification in particular. These initiatives are as follows:

1. Launching a Technology Mission for the Integrated Development of Horticulture in the Northeastern

Region: The programme will establish effective linkages between research, production, extension, post-

harvest management, processing, marketing and exports and bring about a rapid development of agriculture

in the region.

2. Implementing National Agriculture Insurance Scheme: The scheme will cover food crops and oilseedsand annual commercial and horticulture crops. Small and marginal farmers are eligible for 50 per centsubsidy under the Scheme.

3. Operationalizing Technology Mission on Cotton: The Technology Mission will have separate Mini-Missions on technology generation, product support and extension, market infrastructure and modernizationof ginning and pressing units.

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4. Provision of Capital Subsidy of 25 percent for construction/modernization/expansion of cold storagesand storages for horticultural produce.

5. Creation of Watershed Development Fund at the National level for the development of Rainfed lands.

6. Infrastructure Support for Horticultural Development with emphasis on Post-harvest Management.

7. Strengthening Agricultural Marketing: Greater attention to be paid for development of a comprehensive,efficient and responsive marketing system for domestic marketing as well as exports by ensuring properquality control and standardization.

8. Seed Crop Insurance: A pilot scheme on Seed Crop Insurance has been launched which will cover therisk factor involved in production of seeds.

9. Seed Bank Scheme: About 7-8 per cent of certified seeds produced in the country will be kept in bufferstock to meet any eventualities arising out of drought, floods or any other form of natural calamities.

10. Cooperative Sector Reforms: Amendment to the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)Act, 1952, and Replacement of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 1984.

All these measures will lead to crop diversification and increase the production and productivity of crops.

Government Policies and Strategies for Agriculture Research and Education

Agricultural research has played a vital role in agricultural transformation and in reducing hunger and poverty.

For the Twelfth Five Year Plan, the ICAR has proposed a number of new initiatives in its manner of functioning,such as extramural funding for research, creation of funds for agri-innovations and agri-incubation and settingup of an Agriculture Technology Forecast Centre (ATFC). To improve staff strength and quality it hasproposed an Adjunct Professor Scheme, Agriculture Sciences Pursuit for Inspired Research Excellence (ASPIRE),e-courses and more post-doctoral fellowships. Modernisation of SAU farms is also contemplated. In particular,it has proposed the following new thrusts:

1. Conceived Research Platforms: Research consortia platforms are proposed for focused, time bound multi-disciplinary research in areas of 'Agro Biodiversity Management; Genomics; Seed; Hybrids; GM Foods;Biofortification; Plant Borers; High Value Compounds/Phytochemicals; Nanotechnology; Diagnostics andVaccines; Conservation Agriculture; Waste Management; Water Management; Natural Fibre; Health Foods;Precision Farming, Farm Mechanisation and Energy; Secondary Agriculture and Agriincubators.' Thesewill involve partnership of ICAR with R&D organisations inside and outside NARS. Inter-departmentalplatforms for research in these priority areas and also capacity building in basic sciences, remote sensingand medium range agri-advisory services will be fostered involving CSIR, DBT, ICMR, DRDO, DSTresearch institutes as well as general universities and Ministries of Environment, Space and Earth Sciences.

2. National Agricultural Education Project: A National Agricultural Education Project for SystemicImprovement in Higher Agricultural Education and Institution Development is proposed to be undertakenas an externally-funded project to improve education quality in State Agricultural Universities.

3. National Agriculture Entrepreneurship Project: Another externally-funded project is proposed in order tobuild an ecosystem for nurturing entrepreneurship development through translational research for technologycommercialisation, management of technologies for commercialisation, research for breakthroughtechnologies for accelerated growth and higher-economic impact.

4. Farmer FIRST: In order to make technology delivery process more effective through the existing 630

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Krishi Vigyan Kendras, this new initiative will enhance farmers-scientist contact through multi-stakeholders'participation to move beyond production and productivity to privilege the complex, diverse and risk pronereality faced by most farmers.

5. Student READY: A one-year composite programme, the Rural Entrepreneurship and AwarenessDevelopment Yojana (READY) is proposed with the objective to develop professional skills forentrepreneurship: knowledge through meaningful hands-on experience in project mode; confidence throughend to end approach in product development; and enterprise management capabilities including skills forproject development and execution, accountancy and national/ international marketing.

6. Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture (ARYA): This initiative will be implemented with a youth-centric approach, targeting areas of agriculture research which can be converted into viable economicenterprises and build capacities to attract rural youth to agriculture

New Programmes Launched by Government

1. Mera Gaon, Mera Gaurav - This scheme is being launched involving agricultural experts of agriculturaluniversities and ICAR institutes for effective and deeper reach of scientific farming to the villages. Agroup of experts will be associated with one particular village to create awareness and adoption of newtechnologies including farm investment, loans, availability of inputs and marketing. All the scientists fromICAR and agricultural universities will participate in this initiative.

2. Krishi Dak - IARI initiated this novel scheme in 20 districts in which postmen supplied seeds ofimproved varieties of crops to the farmers in far-flung areas. Owing to its success and popularity, thisscheme is being extended in 100 districts of 14 states with the association of Krishi Vigyan Kendras. Thiswill provide improved seed to farmers at their doorstep.

3. Soil Health Card - Soil Health cards are necessary to ensure that only requisite nutrients are applied inthe soil in a balanced manner to enhance productivity of specific crops in a sustainable manner. Soil HealthCards (SHCs) shall be issued to all 14 crore holdings in the country. About 248 lakh samples are to beanalyzed in 3 years' cycle. This comes to about 83 lakh samples per year. Since 2007-08 to April 2014,an amount of Rs. 112 crore was released to soil testing laboratories whereas after May 2014 onwards anamount of Rs. 86 crore has been released. An amount of Rs. 568.54 crore has been approved to makesoil health cards available to 14.50 crore of farmers during next three years. Following uniform norms areprescribed for sampling: In the irrigated areas, samples will be drawn in a grid of 2.5 ha; In rainfed areas,sampling will be done in a 10 ha. grid.

Details in a Soil Health Card include:

• Values on soil parameters such as pH, EC, N, P, K, S, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu & B.

• Recommendation on appropriate dosage of fertilizer application based on test values and requirementof crop, use of organic manures and soil amendments to acidic/alkaline/sodic soils.

4. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) - The GOI has proposed an organic farming scheme -

"Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana". Aim of the project is to maximize the utilization of natural resourcesthrough eco-friendly cultivation. Organic farming is a method of farming system which primarily aimedat cultivating the land and raising crops in such a way, as to keep the soil alive and in good health by useof organic wastes (crop, animal and farm wastes, aquatic wastes) and other biological materials along withbeneficial microbes (bio-fertilizers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable production in an

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eco friendly pollution free environment.

Groups of farmers would be motivated to take up organic farming under Paramparagat Krishi VikasYojna(PKVY). Fifty or more farmers will form a cluster having 50 acre land to take up the organic farmingunder the scheme. In this way during three years 10,000 clusters will be formed covering 5.0 lakh acre areaunder organic farming. There will be no liability on the farmers for expenditure on certification. Everyfarmer will be provided Rs. 20,000 per acre in three years for seed to harvesting of crops and to transport

produce to the market. During the 12th Five Year Plan, Rs. 1,495 crore will be required for this scheme.Rs 300 crore has been allocated for the scheme during the year 2015-16. The Government has enhancedsubsidy amount from Rs. 100 to Rs. 300 per hectare to promote the use of organic fertilizers. A specialscheme with allocation of Rs. 100 crore has been launched in North-Eastern Region for promotion oforganic farming and export of organic produce.

5. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) - In order to counter the adverse effects of climatechange and the vagaries of nature, India has undertaken a National Action Plan on Climate Change.Another initiative in the direction is National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture which seeks to transformIndian Agriculture into a climate resilient production system through suitable adaptation and mitigation

measures such as promoting location specific integrated/ composite farming systems, soil and moistureconservation measures, comprehensive soil health management, efficient water management practices and

mainstreaming of rainfed technologies. Last budget GOI had announced 'Pradhan Mantri Krishi SinchayeeYojana' with the motto of water to every farm 'Har Khet Ko Paani'. The scheme is aimed at irrigating thefield of every farmer and improving water use efficiency to provide ''Per Drop More Crop'' .

PMKSY is for those regions which are not covered by earlier irrigation programmes like the AcceleratedIrrigation Programme Benefit (AIPB), which is meant to provide irrigation to the north-eastern states, otherhilly states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, integrated action plan (IAP)

districts or districts affected by Left extremism and drought-prone areas. The scheme is fully centrallyfunded, and would converge with rural development schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural

Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and other schemes of agriculture ministry and land resourcesdepartment.

The Government has proposed allocation of Rs. 5,300 crore to support micro-irrigation, watersheddevelopment and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

Program Components include:

• Creation/Repair/restoration / Renovation of water resources (Ministry of Water Resources).

• Development, Strengthening and creation of Distribution Network from source to farm (Departmentof Land Resources).

• Promotion of efficient water conveyance and field application devices like Drip and Sprinklers

(Department of Agriculture & Cooperation).

• DAC will be the Nodal Agency.

6. Promotion of National Market through Agri Tech Infrastructure Fund (ATIF) - Central Sector Scheme

for Promotion of National Agricultural Market through Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund (ATIF) for Rs.200

crores to be implemented during 2014-15 to 2016-17.

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The Scheme envisages initiation of e-marketing platform at the national level and will support creation ofinfrastructure to enable e-marketing in 642 regulated markets across the country.

For creation of a National Market, a common platform across all States is necessary. It is, therefore,proposed that a Service Provider be engaged centrally who would build, operate and maintain the e-platform on PPP (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer - BOOT) model. This platform would be customized/configured to address the variations in different states.

As an initiative of deregulation, States have been advised by the Government of India to bring fruits andvegetables out of the ambit of APMC Act. In pursuance of this advisory, 12 States have, so far, eitherde-regulated the marketing of fruits and vegetables or have exempted from levying of market fee.

7. Price Stabilisation Fund - Department of Agriculture & Cooperation has approved the Price StabilisationFund (PSF) as a Central Sector Scheme, with a corpus of Rs.500 crores, to support market interventionsfor price control of perishable agri-horticultural commodities. The intervention is expected to regulate pricevolatility through procurement by State Government and Central agencies of selected produce, maintenanceof buffer stocks and regulated release into the market.

For this purpose, the States will also set up a revolving fund to which the States will provide matchingfunds as released from the central corpus fund ie in the ratio of 50:50. The ratio of Centre-State contributionto the State level corpus in respect of North East States will however be 75:25. The revolving fund is beingmooted so that requirements for all future interventions can be decided and met with at the State levelitself. Central Agencies will however set up their revolving fund entirely with the advance from the Centre.Releases from the Central Corpus will be subject to prior setting up of the State level Corpus.

Rs 5 cr has been sanctioned to SFAC (Small Farmers'Agri-Business Consortium) to create a buffer stockof 1800 mt of onions and 4000 mt of potatoes.

Also Rs 5 cr has been sanctioned to NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Fedration ofIndia Limited) to create buffer stock of 5000 mt of onions.

8. Agriculture credit to RIDF - The RIDF was set up by the Government in 1995-96 for financing ongoingrural Infrastructure projects. The Fund is maintained by the National Bank for Agriculture and RuralDevelopment (NABARD). Domestic commercial banks contribute to the Fund to the extent of theirshortfall in stipulated priority sector lending to agriculture. The main objective of the Fund is to provideloans to State Governments and State-owned corporations to enable them to complete ongoing ruralinfrastructure projects. The shortfall in disbursements of RIDF funds as compared to sanctions continuesto remain a matter of concern in the implementation of RIDF. The Government has taken a number ofsteps to address this problem. The scope of RIDF has been widened to include activities such as ruraldrinking water schemes, soil conservation, rural market yards, rural health centres and primary schools,mini hydel plants, shishu shiksha kendras, anganwadis, and system improvement in the power sector. FromRIDF V onwards, the ambit was extended to projects undertaken by Panchayat Raj institutions andprojects in the social sector covering primary education, health and drinking water.

In order to support the agriculture sector with the help of effective agriculture credit and focus on smalland marginal farmers, the Finance Minister proposed to allocate Rs. 25,000 crore to the corpus of RuralInfrastructure Development fund (RIDF) set up in NABARD, Rs. 15,000 crore for Long Term RuralCredit Fund; Rs. 45,000 crore for Short Term Cooperative Rural Credit Refinance Fund; and Rs. 15,000crore for Short Term RRB Refinance Fund. The Government has set up an ambitious target of Rs. 8.5lakh crore of agricultural credit.

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The activities to be financed under RIDF include minor irrigation projects/micro irrigation, flood protection,watershed development/reclamation of waterlogged areas, drainage, forest development, market yard/godown, apna mandi, rural haats and other marketing infrastructure, cold storage, seed/agriculture/horticulture farms, plantation and horticulture, grading and certifying mechanisms such as testing andcertifying laboratories, etc., community irrigation wells for irrigation purposes for the village as a whole,fishing harbour/jetties, riverine fisheries, animal husbandry and modern abattoir.

9. MUDRA Bank - The Finance Minister has proposed to create a Micro Units Development RefinanceAgency (MUDRA) Bank, with a corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore, and credit guarantee corpus of 3,000 crore,which will refinance Micro-Finance Institutions through a Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana,. Priority will begiven to SC/ST enterprises in lending. MUDRA Bank will operate through regional level financing institutionswho in turn will connect with last mile lenders such as MFIs, Small Banks, Primary Credit CooperativeSocieties, Self Help Groups (SHGs), NBFC (other than MFI) and other lending institutions.

MUDRA Bank will refinance Micro-Finance Institutions through a Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).In lending, priority will be given to SC/ST enterprises. These measures will greatly increase the confidenceof young, educated or skilled workers who would not be able to aspire to become first generationentrepreneurs; existing small businesses, too will be able to expand their activities. Since the MUDRABank will be set up through an enactment of law and it will take some time.

10. Rashtriya Gokul Mission - India ranks first among the world's milk producing Nations are such 1998 andmilk production peaked at 137.97 million tonnes in 2013-14. India has the largest bovine population inthe world. The bovine genetic resource of India is represented by 37 well recognized indigenous Breedsof cattle and 13 breeds of buffaloes. Indigenous bovines are robust and resilient and are particularly suitedto the climate and environment of their respective breeding tracts. Rashtriya Gokul Mission a projectunder the National Program for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development is being launched with theobjective of conserving and developing indigenous Breeds in a focused and scientific manner. The potentialto enhance the productivity of the indigenous breeds through professional farm management and superiornutrition, as well as gradation of indigenous bovine germplasm will be done with an outlay of Rs. 550crores.

11. Rail Milk Network - In order to promote Agri Rail Network for transportation of milk, overs have beenplaced by AMUL and NDDB on behalf of Dairy Cooperative Federations for procurement of 36 new RailMilk Tankers and will be made available by Railways. This will help in movement of milk from milksurplus areas to areas of demand providing dairy farmers with greater market areas.

12. Participatory Guarantee System: Participatory Guarantee System is a process of certifying organic products,which ensures agriculture production process in accordance with the standards laid down for organicproducts and that desired quality has been maintained. This is exhibited in the form of documented logoor a statement. In order to promote domestic organic market growth and also to enable small and marginalfarmer to have easy access to organic certification, a decentralised organic farming certification systemcalled Participatory Guarantee System -India (PGS-India) is implemented by the Department of Agricultureand Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. It is cost-effective, farmer-friendly andhassle-free. It is outside the framework of third party system of certification, which is a pre-requisite toenter export market of organic produce.

It is a quality assurance initiative that is locally relevant with active participation of stakeholders, includingproducers/farmers, traders and consumers in certification system. This group certification system is supportedby Paramaparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) scheme. It, in a way, supports domestic demand for organicproduce and trains farmers in document management and adherence to other requirements of certificationprocess and prepares him to opt for third party certification if he wishes to go for export.

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Government Initiatives in Agriculture Sector for Combating Climate Change

Agriculture is sensitive to short-term changes in weather and to seasonal, annual and long term variations inclimate. Crop yield is the culmination of a diversified range of factors. Parameters like soil, seed, pest anddiseases, fertilizers and agronomic practices exert significant influence on crop yield. The burgeoning population,along with human-induced climate change and environmental problems is increasingly proving to be a limitingfactor for enhancing farm productivity and ensuring food security for the rural poor.

Agricultural productivity can be affected by climate change in two ways: first, directly, due to changes in

temperature, precipitation and/or CO2 levels and second, indirectly, through changes in soil, distribution and

frequency of infestation by pests, insects, diseases or weeds. Acute water shortage conditions, combined withthermal stress, could adversely affect wheat and, more severely, rice productivity in India even under thepositive effects of elevated CO

2 in the future.

The impacts of climate change on agriculture will therefore be severely felt in India. It has been projected thatunder the scenario of a 2.5 °C to 4.9 °C temperature rise in India, rice yields will drop by 32% - 40% and wheatyields by 41% - 52%. This would cause GDP to fall by 1.8% - 3.4%

Government initiatives are:

1. National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change

The government allocated Rs 100 crore for the establishment of a "National Adaptation Fund" for climate

change. Adaptation in the agriculture sector means addressing the negative impacts of climate change andmaking use of the opportunities that often come with a changing climate. The overall aim of adaptation inagriculture is to reduce farmers' vulnerability and improve their adaptive capacity.

2. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture

The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture is one of the eight missions in India's National Action Planon Climate Change (NAPCC). It stresses how crucial agriculture is to India's economy and the livelihood ofits people, since the agriculture sector supports more than half the country's population of over 1 billion people.The mission focuses on four areas that are relevant for the endeavours of India's agricultural sector to adaptto climate change: dryland agriculture; risk management; access to information and use of biotechnology.

Priority actions for dryland agriculture with particular relevance to adaptation will be:

• Developing drought and pest-resistant crop varieties;

• Improving methods to conserve soil and water;

• Conducting stakeholder consultations, training workshops and demonstration exercises to help farmingcommunities share and disseminate agro-climatic information;

• Providing financial support to enable farmers to invest in and adopt relevant technologies to overcome

climate-related stresses.

Some of the priority actions in the field of agricultural risk management are:

• Strengthening current agricultural and weather insurance mechanisms;

• Development and validation of weather derivative models (by insurance providers, ensuring access to

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archived and current weather data);

• Creating web-enabled, regional language based services to facilitate weather-based insurance;

• Developing geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing based methodologies for detailedsoil resource mapping and land use planning at the level of a watershed or river basin;

• Mapping vulnerable eco-regions and pest and disease hotspots;

• Developing and implementing region-specific contingency plans based on vulnerability and risk scenarios.

3. NABARD: Progressing Adaptation Actions

India's National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has been accredited as a NationalImplementing Entity (NIE) for India for the Adaptation Fund created under the United Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At present, NABARD is the only NIE in the Asia-Pacific Region.In its capacity as NIE, NABARD has generated several feasible projects on climate change adaptation indiverse agro-climatic regions and livelihood sectors, five of which have been submitted as proposals to theAdaptation Fund amounting to USD 7.3 million.

The Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) has sanctioned the first set of two projects submitted by NABARD withan outlay of USD 3.2 million for promoting climate resilient agriculture systems in West Bengal and enablingthe fisheries sector in Andhra Pradesh to respond to the challenge posed by sea level rise. Additionally,NABARD is implementing several developmental projects to promote sustainable livelihoods through NaturalResource Management (NRM) such as watershed development and sustainable livelihood for tribal communities,which are helping build climate change resilience and adaptive capacities of rural communities.

NABARD has sanctioned a pilot project of INR 21 Crore (USD 3.5 million) on climate change adaptation inAhmednagar (Maharashtra) to develop knowledge, strategies and approaches that will enable vulnerablecommunities to adapt to the impending impacts of climate change such as delays in onset and withdrawal ofthe monsoon, changes in temperature and unseasonal rainfall. Pilot projects on climate proofing of watershedsin Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan are also underway. NABARD has also financed projects that improve energyefficiency. In the state of Karnataka, energy inefficient pumps were replaced by more efficient ones througha loan assistance programme.

Under the NABARD Infrastructure Development Assistance (NIDA), NABARD is financing green investmentson solar power generation and improvement of electricity distribution networks, which includes India's first oneMW canal-top solar power project in the state of Gujarat. NABARD is collaborating with non-governmentalorganisations, research institutions and government departments to conduct training programmes and workshops.These are building the capacities of NABARD's partners and stakeholders to understand the adverse impactsof climate change on natural and human systems and to design appropriate adaptation measures.

The experience gained by NABARD as NIE has enabled the institution to adopt processes and procedures thatare followed internationally in the development, review and sanctioning of projects. NABARD continues todevelop quality projects to create a pipeline of feasible projects that will help communities in India takemeasures to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Technology Based Initiatives in Agriculture Sector

The Government is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme “National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture

(NeGP-A)” in the entire country. In the agriculture sector the  Programme aims to achieve rapid development

of agriculture in India through ICT enabled multiple delivery  channels such as Internet, Government Offices,

Touch Screen Kiosks, Krishi Vigyan  Kendras, Kisan Call Centres,  Agri-Clinics, Common Service Centers,

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Mobile Phones (Broadcast, IVRS, interactive messaging using unstructured Supplementary Service Data and

Voice Recognition for ensuring timely access to agriculture related information for the farmers of the country. 

A number of applications in agriculture and allied sector have been developed under the project for providing

integrated ICT based services to farmers. Some are discussed below:

1. Knowledge based information is being provided to farmers through a number of web and mobile based

applications. Officers, Scientists and Experts from all over the country are using this Portal for disseminating

information on various agricultural activities, giving topical & seasonal advisories and providing services

through SMSs to farmers in their local languages. SMSs classified into three categories, viz. information,

services and advisories. The content may include information about the Schemes, Advisories from Experts,

Market Prices, Weather Reports, Soil Test Reports, etc. The farmers registered for receiving SMS messages

have been grouped based on the State, District, Block and the Crops/Activities selected by respective

farmers. The SMS Portal provides a platform for integration of service delivery under different sectors viz.

Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.

Mobile based services for farmers and other stakeholders being delivered through organisations, Departments

and offices of Central & State Governments. down to the Block level (including State Agriculture Universities,

Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Agro-Meteorological Field Units) have been brought together under a single umbrella

viz. mKisan portal of the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. Kisan Portal subsumes all mobile

based initiatives in the field of Agriculture & allied sectors.

This also includes Interactive Voice Response System, Unstructured Supplementary Services of Data or

USSD (which is essentially Interactive SMS and can facilitate data entry and query on Web Portals without

internet), Mobile Apps and Services.

2. Kisan Call Centres have been functioning since 21 January, 2004 and working in 14 different locations

covering almost all the states. All KCC locations are accessible by dialing single toll free number 1800-

180-1551 from 6.00 AM to 10.00 PM on all 7 days a week nationwide. With the improvement in the

quality of KCC services due to state of the art infrastructure and new technological features such as Voice

Media Gateway, Dedicated Internet Bandwidth, Provision of Voice Mail during call waiting period and

SMS to farmers (conveying gist of advisories given), number of calls flowing in to the Kisan Call Centres

has increased.

3. AGRISNET: Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India

is implementing a Central Sector Plan Scheme "Strengthening/ Promoting Agricultural Informatics &

Communications" of which one of the component is AGRISNET. The objective of AGRISNET is to

provide improved services to the farming community through use of Information & Communication

Technology(ICT).

4. Weather based Information regarding natural calamities disseminated to farmers under different

programmes: Weather based information on natural calamities like drought etc. is one of the identified

services under NeGP-A pertains to "Providing information on Forecasted Weather" and aims at providing

disaggregated District level information in each agro-ecological sub-region on forecasted weather and agro-

met advisories through multiple service delivery channels to the farmers (including SMS). Other services

are:

a) Weather related advisory service to farmers under Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) is being

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implemented by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra and India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD), Ministry of Earth Services (MoES), Govt. of India.

b) Development of need based content on weather information and advisories to farmers has beeninitiated by IMD, Department of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra and GIZ, New Delhiunder the project on "Climate Change Knowledge Network - Indian Agriculture (CCKN-IA)".

c) Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) regularly (on monthly basis) carries out droughtassessment at District/sub-district level using satellite based remote sensing data, rainfall data andground information with respect to sowing progression, irrigation percentage, under the NationalAgricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS) programme etc. Theseassessments are communicated to concerned Departments in States including Maharashtra and arealso available online on MNCFC website.

d) IMD in consultation with SAUs, State Department of Agriculture (including Maharashtra) carries outmonitoring of drought and other calamities at district level based on the observed rainfall and otherparameters like Aridity Index, Standardised Precipitation Index, NDVI etc

5. E-Governance initiatives in agriculture sector:

• E-Choupal: Agriculture is the backbone of India. Indian farmers have to depend on many agents, rightfrom the process of procuring raw materials to selling their produce. Each agent will add his/her profitmargin, thereby increasing the cost of product. Some agents even try to block the market information. Toprotect farmers from such practices, the International Business Division of Indian Tobacco Company(ITC-IBD) came out with an e-government initiative called e-Choupal (which means a village meetingplace). E-Choupal is useful not only to the agricultural products but also for selling home appliances andconsumer goods. Each e-Choupal is equipped with a PC, internet connection, printer and UninterruptedPower Supplies (UPS). In case the power supply is erratic, a solar panel is provided and if internetconnectivity is not up to the mark, then a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) connection is providedalong with another solar panel to support that.

• Akashganga: Akashganga uses ICT to facilitate rural milk producers by integrating all the operations ofrural co-operative society right from milk procurement to accounting. First pilot model of Dairy InformationSystem Kiosk (DISK) is currently under implementation at Uttarsanda Dairy Cooperative Society inGujarat. Each farmer is given a plastic identification card. When farmers arrive at the Raw Milk ReceivingDock (RMRD) counter, his/her identification is updated in the PC. The milk is emptied out in a steeltrough kept over a weighbridge and the weight of the milk is displayed as well as entered into the PC.One operator is required for filling of cans and another for measuring fat content and updating the PC.The infrastructure used to carry out these operations includes weighing balance, microprocessor, printer,milk analyzers and a display.

• Tata Kisan Kendra (TKK): Tata Chemicals Ltd. came out with TKK to help farmers in states of UttarPradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The TKK tracks key parameters relevant to farmers, such as soil, groundwater and weather on a real-time basis with the help of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The GISsoftware provides spatial information regarding roads, rivers or buildings. It works by imposing layers ofdata in digitized maps with information about administrative, socio-economic and physical set-up. Satelliteimage processing can help detect unproductive farming practices, track the progress of insect attacks acrossstates, get crop estimates or update maps. Currently there are 11 main kiosks and around 300 franchiseesTKKs and is looking to set up 40 more kiosks and 800 franchisees to serve 48,000 villages.

• Jagriti E - Sewa: JAGRITI E - SEWA was inaugurated in March 2003. It touches the rural life with

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activities from agriculture, financial, travel, and e-government to communication services. The wholesystem can be adapted to any language in the least possible time. JAGRITI is a platform for applicationof Information technology for the masses, with special focus on the needs of rural areas. Its activities,named as d - commerce (desi commerce), include both physical and electronic mode involvement.

• Warana: The primary objective of the Wired Village project is to demonstrate the effective use of ITinfrastructure in the accelerated socio-economic development of 70 villages around Warana Nagar in theKolhapur and Sangli districts of the state of Maharashtra. The existing cooperative structure has been usedin concert with high speed VSATs to allow Internet access to existing cooperative societies. The projectaims to provide agricultural, medical, and education information to villagers by establishing networkedfacilitation booths' in the villages.

• Gyandoot Project: Gyandoot operates in Dhar District, a remote, tribal dominated, drought-prone area ofMadhya Pradesh. The district has a population of 1.7 million, 54% of whom are tribal and 40% livingbelow the poverty line. It is essentially an e-governance project whose main focus is to harness IT effectivelyin order to improve governance at village, block and district levels. The focus is overall rural developmentrather than exclusively agricultural development.

About a quarter of the services provided by the project are related directly to agricultural development(such as agricultural best practices, market prices, online land registration certificates, the village auctionsite, Ask the Expert). The prevailing prices of prominent crops (wheat, gram, soybean, etc., giving varieties)at local and other auction centres of the country are available online. Other services include land registration(Khasra) certificates to the farmers.

• iKisan Project: iKisan is the ICT initiative of the Nagarjuna group of companies. iKisan was set up withtwo components, the iKisan.com website, to provide agricultural information online, and technical centresat village level.

The project operates in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The operators of the iKisan technical centresare agricultural graduates who act as the interface between the computer networks and the farmers. Theyare there to provide both on- and off-line information services. They collect online information from theiKisan.com website, and pass it on to the farmers. In addition, they assist farmers to access informationfrom the CDROM, comprising a vast database, with which each centre is provided.

The operators, being agricultural graduates, are able to diagnose, analyse and advise about diseases andpests. With their knowledge of both agriculture and ICT, they probably constitute the best part of thisproject. The major objective of iKisan is to provide need based wholly agricultural expertise at villagelevel, to increase the productivity of selected crops in selected regions.

Government Initiatives in Agricultural Marketing

Agricultural marketing is the critical link between agricultural production and farm sector revenue percolating

to the farmers. Apart from performing transferring agricultural goods to consumers it transmits the price signalsin the marketing chain.

In India, there are several central government organisations, who are involved in agricultural marketing like,Commission of Agricultural Costs and Prices, Food Corporation of India, Cotton Corporation of India, JuteCorporation of India, etc. There are also specialised marketing bodies for rubber, tea, coffee, tobacco, spicesand vegetables.

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Although the regulation of commodity markets is a function of state government, the directorate of marketingand inspection provides marketing and inspection services and financial aid down to the village level to helpset up commodity grading centers in selected markets.

Recent initiatives:

• The Department of Agriculture (DAC) has issued a comprehensive advisory to states to go beyond theprovisions of the Model Act and declare the entire state a single market with one licence valid across theentire state and removing all restrictions on movement of agricultural produce within the state.

• In order to promote development of a common national market for agricultural commodities through e-platforms, the department has approved Rs. 200 crore for a central-sector scheme for Promotion ofNational Agricultural Market through Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund (ATIF) to be implemented during2014-15 to 2016-17. Under the scheme, it is proposed to utilize the ATIF for migrating towards a nationalmarket through implementation of a common e- platform for agrimarketing across all states.

• On the request of the central government, a number of state governments have exempted the marketingof fruits and vegetables from the purview of the APMC Act. The NCT of Delhi has taken the initiativein this direction by issuing a notification ending the regulation of fruits and vegetables outside redefinedmarket yard/ sub-yard area of the APMC, MNI, Azadpur, APMC, Keshopur, and APMC Shahdara. TheSmall Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) has taken the initiative for developing a kisan mandi inDelhi with a view to providing a platform to FPOs for direct sale of their produce to prospective buyerstotally obviating or reducing unnecessary layers of intermediation in the process .They plan to scale theiractivities in other states based on the outcome of the experience of the Delhi kisan mandi.

New Terminologies Associated with Agriculture Sector

1. Hydroponics

Hydroponics is when a person grow plants using nutrient solutions in water without soil. The roots may be ina nutrient solution only or with gravel, perlite, mineral wool, or coconut husk.

2. Aeroponics

Aeroponics is growing plants in an air/mist environment without soil. The roots of the plants are in an enclosedarea and are misted with a nutrient rich water solution. The stem and leaves are not enclosed. Growing plantsin this kind of controlled environment also helps reduce the threat of pests and disease and likehydroponic,conserves water and energy and allows for rapid food production.

Air cultures optimize access to air for successful plant growth. Materials and devices which hold and supportthe aeroponic grown plants must be devoid of disease or pathogens. A distinction of a true aeroponic cultureand apparatus is that it provides plant support features that are minimal. Minimal contact between a plant andsupport structure allows for 100% of the plant to be entirely in air. Long-term aeroponic cultivation requiresthe root systems to be free of constraints surrounding the stem and root systems. Physical contact is minimizedso that it does not hinder natural growth and root expansion or access to pure water, air exchange and disease-free conditions.

3. Integrated Nutrient Management (Fertilizers)

The main objective of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) Division is to ensure adequate availability ofquality fertilizers to farmers through periodical demand assessment and timely supply, promoting integratednutrient management, which is soil test-based judicious and balanced use of chemical fertilizers in conjunction

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with organic manures and bio-fertilizers, promotion of organic farming and ensuring quality control of fertilizersthrough implementation of Fertilizer (Control) Order, 1985.

Objectives

1. Regulated nutrient supply for optimum crop growth and higher productivity.

2. Improvement and maintenance of soil fertility.

3. Zero adverse impact on agro - ecosystem quality by balanced fertilization of organic manures, inorganicfertilizers and bio- inoculant

Advantages

1. Enhances the availability of applied as well as native soil nutrients

2. Synchronizes the nutrient demand of the crop with nutrient supply from native and applied sources.

3. Provides balanced nutrition to crops and minimizes the antagonistic effects resulting from hidden deficienciesand nutrient imbalance.

4. Improves and sustains the physical, chemical and biological functioning of soil.

5. Minimizes the deterioration of soil, water and ecosystem by promoting carbon sequestration, reducingnutrient losses to ground and surface water bodies and to atmosphere

4. Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an ecologically based strategy that focuses on long-term solution of thepests through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification ofagronomic practices, and use of resistant varieties. The aim of IPM is not to eradicate the pest populationcompletely but to keep the crop damage to economically tolerable level.

a) Biological control includes Natural predators, parasites and pathogens of the pests. Examples are:

• Pest on cucumber plant called red spider mite is controlled by using a predatory mite that feed on redspider mite.

• Citrus fruits in California heavily damaged by scale insects which were controlled by Australian ladybirdwhich ate away the insects.

• Mealy bug pest of Cassava plant were controlled by a parasitoid wasp which was its natural enemy.

• Hormones are used that disrupt the insects normal life cycle, thereby preventing it from reaching maturityand reproducing and multiplying.

b) Cultivation practices like crop rotation, polyculture and inter cropping etc. can be used to get rid of thepests.

c) Some amounts of insecticides, mostly of plant origin (e.g. Pyrethrum and Rotenone neem product) areapplied as a last resort.

d) Pest and disease resistant crop plants can be produced by genetic engineering. Example is Bt cotton,insecticidal for bacterial gene (Bacilus thuringinesis) introduced into cotton plant making cotton plantresistant to pest.

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5. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a process which promotes the coordinated development

and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximise economic and social welfare in an

equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.

IWRM helps to protect the world's environment, foster economic growth and sustainable agricultural development,

promote democratic participation in governance, and improve human health. Worldwide, water policy and

management are beginning to reflect the fundamentally interconnected nature of hydrological resources, and

IWRM is emerging as an accepted alternative to the sector-by-sector, top-down management style that has

dominated in the past.

The basis of IWRM is that the many different uses of finite water resources are interdependent. High irrigation

demands and polluted drainage flows from agriculture mean less freshwater for drinking or industrial use;

contaminated municipal and industrial wastewater pollutes rivers and threatens ecosystems; if water has to be

left in a river to protect fisheries and ecosystems, less can be diverted to grow crops. There are plenty more

examples of the basic theme that unregulated use of scarce water resources is wasteful and inherently

unsustainable.

6. System of Rice Intensification

The System of Rice Intensification involves cultivating rice with as much organic manure as possible, starting

with young seedlings planted singly at wider spacing in a square pattern; and with intermittent irrigation that

keeps the soil moist but not inundated, and frequent inter cultivation with weeder that actively aerates the soil.

SRI is not a standardised, fixed technological method. It is rather a set of ideas, a methodology for

comprehensively managing and conserving resources by changing the way that land, seeds, water, nutrients, and

human labour are used to increase productivity from a small but well-tended number of seeds. As Father de

Laulanié observed, SRI is an amalgamation of multiple beneficial practices.

Benefits of SRI

• Higher yields - Both grain and straw;

• Reduced duration (by 10 days);

• Lesser chemical inputs;

• Less water requirement;

• Less chaffy grain percentage;

• Grain weight increased without change in grain size;

• Higher head rice recovery;

• Withstand cyclonic gales;

• Cold tolerance;

• Soil health improves through biological activity.

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Disadvantages

• Higher labour costs in the initial years;

• Difficulties in acquiring the necessary skills;

• Not suitable when no irrigation source available.

7. Polyhouse Method of Cultivation

The polyhouses are constructed with the help of ultraviolet plastic sheets, so that they may last for more than5 years. The structure is covered with 1501 m thick plastic sheet. The structure is prepared with the bamboos

or iron pipes.

The crops grown under the polyhouse are safe from unfavourable environment and hailstorm, heavy rains orscorching sunshine, etc. Crops of the polyhouse can be saved from birds and other wild animals. The humidityof polyhouse is not adversely affected by evaporation resulting in less requirement of water. In limited area

of polyhouse, insects and pests control is also easy and less expensive.

By adopting the modern technology of polyhouse, the difference in the demand and supply of off-season

vegetables and fruits etc. can be minimised. This facilitates in maintaining the quality of the product also.

8. Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and World Wide Fund for

Nature (WWF) have partnered together to explore options for 'Improving the water productivity in agriculture'.The Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) aims to: provide practical options to farmers for improving the

productivity of land, water, and labour reduce crop duration, providing factories a longer crushing season andincreased employment opportunities for workers reduce the overall pressure on water resources and ecosystems.It stresses a practical approach that originates from farmers and civil society to improve productivity while

reducing pressures on natural resources. It's estimated that by adopting SSI, a farmer will be able to produce

at least 20% more sugarcane while reducing water inputs by 30% and chemical inputs by 25%.

9. Mega Food Parks

The Mega Food Park is an inclusive concept which is aimed at establishing direct linkages from the farm to

processing and on to the consumer markets, through a network of collection centres and Primary Processing

Centres. Efficient logistics facilities will connect the collection centres to the primary processing centres, which

in turn will be connected to a central processing centre.

The Mega Food Park will have a Central Processing Centre as the nuclei of all value addition activities

facilitated by Primary Processing Centres, which will act as point of aggregation and primary handling to

provide ready to use raw materials to be processed further in the units to be set up in the CPC. The PPCs will

be fed by field Collection Centres which will be the first point of contact with growers. The collection centres

which will be managed by local entrepreneurs will serve as farm level aggregation points for adjoining areas

within a radius of about 10 Kms. The collection centres, while serving as the primary nodes for the Mega Food

Park network will also enhance farm level value realization by providing direct market access to the farmers.

The primary processing centres which will be located near natural aggregation points will serve a number of

collection centres lying in close proximity. The primary processing centres will provide facilities for storage,

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sorting grading cleaning etc. Some of the PPCs may also house facilities for carrying out primary processing

like pulping and juicing. Each primary processing centre will also have transportation facilities like refrigerated

vans, trucks etc for transportation of goods from the collection centres and to the central processing centre.

Storage facilities will include all weather warehouses and cold storage / modified temperature storages wherever

required.

The Central Processing facility will be an industrial park spread over an area of about 50 acres and will house

a number of processing units owned by different business houses. Developed plots of land will be provided

to the large and midsized units while Common Design Factory Sheds will be provided to small scale units. The

park will provide common facilities such as water, electricity and effluent treatment apart from specialized

facilities like cold storage, ware housing, logistics and backward integration through the network of primary

processing centres and collection centres.

10. Family Farming

Food and Agriculture Organisation has marked 2014 as International Year of Family Farming (IYFF). Family

farming includes all family-based agricultural activities, and it is linked to several areas of rural development.

Family farming is a means of organizing agricultural, forestry, fisheries, pastoral and aquaculture production

which is managed and operated by a family and predominantly reliant on family labour, including both women's

and men's.

Both in developing and developed countries, family farming is the predominant form of agriculture in the food

production sector.

At national level, there are a number of factors that are key for a successful development of family farming,

such as: agro-ecological conditions and territorial characteristics; policy environment; access to markets; access

to land and natural resources; access to technology and extension services; access to finance; demographic,

economic and socio-cultural conditions; availability of specialized education among others.

Family farming has an important socio-economic, environmental and cultural role.

11. Ecological engineering for pest management

Ecological engineering for pest management has been introduced by National Institute of Plant Health

Management (NIPHM) to aid farmers maintain the biodiversity and keep pests under control while at the same

time maintaining the paddy eco-system.

Under this natural enemies which prey on the pests are allowed to flourish in the fields. This will not only

suppress the pest population but also enhances the soil health through organic bio-fertilizer utility.

12. Plant Health Clinic

Plant Health Clinics has been established for providing adequate diagnostic and advisory facilities to farmers

on time and also to facilitate eco friendly and scientific pest management strategies to increase production and

productivity. The Clinic also provides advisories and various field activities for the benefit of farming community.

The Clinic promotes various sustainable technologies such as Ecological Engineering, Agro Ecosystem Analysis,

On farm production of biocontrol agents etc along with regular pest and diseases diagnosis and surveillance

based advisories. The activities and outreach activities of the Plant Health Clinic are acting as a total solution

which strengthens the whole plant health system.

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13. New Irrigation Technologies

A. Drip Irrigation

It is defined as the precise, slow application of water in the form of discrete or continuous or tiny streams ofminiature sprays through mechanical devices called emitters or applicators located at selected points alongwater delivery lines.

It is also called trickle irrigation. Drip irrigation is adopted extensively in areas of acute water scarcity andespecially for crops such as Coconut, Grape, Banana, Ber, Citrus, Sugarcane, Cotton, Maize, Tomato, Brinjaland plantation crops. The advantages of drip irrigation are:

a) Controlled application of water as per the needs of plants at low pressure to limited soil areas (root zones).

b) Water saving to the tune of 50 to 70 per cent by reducing the total evaporative surface, reduction in runoffand controlling deep percolation losses.

c) Soil erosion is minimal, due to no runoff water on surface.

d) Weed growth is minimum.

e) Water loss through transpiration is low.

f) Development of surface crust and determination of surface soil structure is avoided.

g) Soil compaction is less.

h) Limited soil wetting permits undisturbed cultural practices.

i) It is possible to obtain better yield and quality of crops by controlling soil moisture-air -nutrients level.

j) The fertilisers can be saved by monitoring the supply of nutrients as per the need of the crop.

k) Improvements in biological fertility can be achieved by avoiding pollution.

B. Sprinkler Irrigation

Sprinkler irrigation system conveys water from the source through pipes under pressure to the field anddistributes over the field in the form of spray of 'rain like' droplets. It is also known as overhead irrigation.

Center-pivot system is largest sprinkler system with a single machine can irrigate upto 100 ha. A center - pivotsprinkler consists of a series of sprinklers mounted on a lateral pipe, 50 - 800 m long, mounted or carried bya row of five or more mobile towers.

One end of the lateral is fixed on a pivot pad. The unit rotates around a center pivot where water is pumpedinto the pipe, and water is distributed through sprinkler fitted on lateral. The limitations of this system are- 10- 20 % of area is not irrigated at the corners of square or rectangular plot; High energy requirement and hugecost of the equipment.

Now lateral - move systems are developed to overcome the drawbacks in pivot-pivot system for irrigatingsquare or rectangular plots. This irrigation system consists of lateral - move systems, which move up and downthe field.

Sprinkler irrigation can be advantageously chosen in the following situations:

a) When the soil is too shallow eliminating the possibility of leveling of lands.

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b) When the land is too steep (> 1% slope).

c) When light (< 5 cm) and frequent irrigations are to be given.

d) When soils are very sandy (rapidly permeable coarse textured soils) and

e) When supplemental irrigation is to be given to dry land crops during prolonged dry spells, without any landpreparation.

C. Pitcher Irrigation

Pitcher irrigation uses unglazed clay pots to distribute water by diffusion and capillary action through the wallof the clay pot. Pitchers are less expensive per acre and much more effective than traditional means. Per cubicmeter of water, the buried clay pot method can produce 2.5 to 6 kilograms of total plant yield, compared to1.4 kg with drip irrigation, 0.9 kg with sprinklers, and 0.7 kg in closed furrow irrigation systems (Bainbridge).Pitcher irrigation has been shown to save 98.7 per cent of water used in sandy loam soils and with a seepagerate of 88 percent in just over 24 hours. This water storage and slow, continuous irrigation technique allowsfarmers to irrigate 5-acre fields with only a hand pump or other single source of water. The need for plowingand weeding are also minimized as the water source is below the surface and does not allow for weeds to getout of control.

Advantages

• Save over 90% of water over traditional irrigation methods;

• It is less expensive in comparison to other methods;

• It is easy to install, operate and maintain;

• It has low to no environmental impacts;

• It controls weeds growth;

• It can be used in colder climates with lower air temperatures;

• It minimize erosion by keeping the water underground.

14. Biofertilizers

Bio-fertilizers are living or biologically active products or microbial inoculants of bacteria, algae and fungi(separately or in combination) which are able to enrich the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus, organic matter, etc.

Following are some of the important types of bio fertilizers which can be considered for agro based industries.

• Rhizobium Biofertilizer: Rhizobium is a symbiotic bacteria forming root nodules in legume plants. Thesenodules act as miniature nitrogen production factories in the fields. The nodule bacteria fix more nitrogen(N

2) than needed by legume plant and the bacteria. The surplus fixed nitrogen is then secreted and fertilizes

the soil. Rhizobium is more efficient than-free living nitrogen-fixing bacteria and can fix upto 200 kg N/ha/yr.

• Azotobacter Biofertilizer: Azobacter are aerobic free living nitrogen fixers. They grow in the rhizosphere(around the roots) and fix atmospheric nitrogen non-symbiotically and make it available to the particularcereals. These bacteria produce growth promoting hormones which helps in enhancing growth and yieldof the plant.

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• Azospirillium Biofertilizer: These are aerobic free living nitrogen fixers which live in associative symbiosis.In this type of association bacteria live on the root surface of the host plant and do not form any nodulewith roots of grasses. It increases crop yield and its inoculation benefits crop. They also benefit the hostplants by supplying growth hormones and vitamins. These bacteria are commonly used for the preparationof commercial inoculants.

• Blue Green Algae: Blue green algae (BGA or cyanobacteria) like Nostoc and Anabaena are free livingphostosynthetic organisms also capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen. In the flooded rice fields blue greenalgae serves as a nitrogen biofertilizer.

• Azolla Biofertilizers: Azolla is a water fern inside which grows the nitrogen fixing blue green algaeAnabaena. It contains 2-3% nitrogen when wet and also produces organic matter in the soil. The Azolla-Anabaena combination type biofertilizer is used all over the world. This can be grown in a cooler regions.But there is a need to develop a strain that can tolerant to high temperature, salinity and resistant to pestsand diseases. Production technology is very easy and can be adopted by rice farmers. The only constraintin Azolla is that it is an aquatic plant and water becomes limiting factor in growing it particularly insummer.

• Phosphorus Solubilising Biofertilizer: Phosphorus is an important element required for plant growth. Thiselement is also needed for nodulation by rhizobium. Some microorganisms are capable of solubilizingimmobilized phosphorus making it available to plants for absorption.

• Mycorrhizal Fungi acts as Biofertilizer are known to occur naturally on roots of forest trees and cropplants. In soils low in available nutrients there is an increased absorption of nutrients by plants infectedwith Mycorrhiza. The fungus has the ability to dissolve and absorb phosphorus that plant roots can notreadily absorb.

15. Virtual Markets:

One of the recent phenomena in agriculture marketing in India has been the advent of Virtual Markets. Thevirtual market in the context of Agriculture Marketing may be defined as "an electronic market which enablesproducers and buyers in the supply chain to access each other spread across the country, with a view of transactat the most efficient and transparent prices, thereby reducing the cost of intermediation, improving marketingefficiency and producers realisation coupled with reduction in consumer paid price". Example of such virtualmarkets is Future exchange, Spot Exchange, Warehouse Receipt System and Web Marketing. The functionsof these markets are enabled by ICT based market information.

Out of the above forms of virtual markets, spot exchanges and negotiable warehouse receipt system effectphysical delivery of the goods and may therefore be recognised as more effective marketing instruments forthe primary producers.

Producers can hedge their goods or take pledge loans against the warehouse receipts so that they are not forcedto resort to distress sales. However today, the spot exchanges seem to be operating in a legal vacuum as thereis no specific law regulating them.

Some States have issued licenses to Spot Exchanges as a buyer under the existing APMC acts. There is a needfor Government of India to enact a legislation to enable spot exchanges to function on pan-India basis withoutany conflict with State APMC laws.