Wheat sowing in katcha areas

PREPARATIONS for wheat sowing in katcha areas including parts of Thatta district, from where floodwater has receded, have started. Land is being levelled and cleared of weeds and bushes. This marks the beginning of Rabi sowing season.

The government has not yet announced wheat’s acreage and production targets. Same is the case with the procurement price. Growers seem poised to go for an aggressive wheat sowing campaign and expect the procurement price to be fixed at Rs1,000 per 40kg.

Wheat is grown on the left bank of the Indus in Sindh which is not affected by floods. Sowing in command area is yet to begin. Farmers want to go for massive wheat sowing to get close to 4.5 million tons target by increasing acreage to 3.2- 3.3 million from normal 2.5 million acres. It will provide fodder for livestock also.

Growers argue that wheat sowing campaign should be launched in non- perennial areas also where floodwater is receding. Abadgars had suffered huge losss in Kharif crop due to water scarcity or floods. Left bank growers don’t need subsidy for that. What is needed is the provision of water in tail-end areas like Khairpur Gambho, fed by Rohri Canal and in command of Jamrao and Mitharo water channels in Mirpurkhas district, fed by Nara canal. Timely availability of seed and fertiliser is essential besides credit facility.

“Where there is need of water mobile sprinklers should be provided by the Sindh government instead of machines for dewatering,” said Sindh Abadgar Board president Abdul Majeed Nizamani. He said four cycles of water were needed for wheat cultivation and one mobile sprinkler would provide 1,000 litres per acre.

The Sindh Agriculture Extension Research Department is specially focusing on cultivation of wheat, sunflower, fodder and maize by sharing knowledge with growers. According to DG Agriculture Research Department Hidayatullah Chajro, the department is working with local growers to get benefit of residual moisture in land.

According to wheat expert Mohammad Khan of Agriculture Research Department, wheat sowing on zero tillage is recommended in rice belt of the right bank. And if the growers get one or two cycle of water they would have an average wheat yield, he said. “Growers can get 80 maunds of yield per acre through TD-1 variety while they are currently having an average 35 maunds. It is time for transfer of technology and inputs to increase per acre yield,” he added.

Sindh is in deficit in wheat production and has to turn to Punjab to meet its requirement every year. Farmers believe that it is time that small and big land owners should be encouraged to cultivate wheat to overcome the deficit.

As reported earlier, the left bank area was hit by water shortage during Kharif season. Kharif season begins in March and April and availability of water was delayed as late as July. Cotton, vegetable and chilli crops were lost due to water scarcity.

Ghotki district on the left bank of Indus and Guddu downstream were the worst affected where cotton crop was destroyed following heavy rains. Damage to sugarcane was also reported besides colossal losses to paddy. “Rain water is still standing in fields. We have lost 90 per cent of cotton, 80 per cent of paddy and 30 per cent sugarcane. Rest of the crops are hit by water shortage”, said Mujeeb Kalwar, a rice grower from Ghotki.

He said that during the Rabi season, growers opt for wheat but 40 per cent of land is still under water where wheat sowing seems impossible. Subsoil water table has also increased and locals said it would take another month for the water table to drop.

As far as seed requirement is concerned, around four million maunds of seed are required for wheat cultivation in Sindh. Farmers keep seed with them for Rabi. In addition, the Sindh Seed Certification in collaboration with the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCRD) is certifying wheat seed available with the food department.

According to Sindh Seed Corporation chief Shafiq Mahesar so far 1.8 million maunds of seed have been certified whereas 132,000 maunds are said to be with the food department which is to be certified. He expressed the hope that seed’s availability wouldn’t be an issue for growers.

Mr Nizamani is confident that not only wheat but paddy seed would be made available as farmers have their own seed and other private organisations could provide it to them. He said the real issue was of the provision of water and the irrigation officials must ensure its availability.

Indian Farmers Fight Billionaire Mittal, Posco for Water Rights

ArcelorMittal and Posco are leading $80 billion in planned spending in India that would vault the country ahead of Japan as the second-biggest steelmaker. Standing in the way are farmers and their water supply. 

The farmers refuse to move from irrigated land in three states that hold more than half of India’s reserves of iron ore, a key material to make steel. That’s stymied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ambitions to more than triple India’s steel capacity to 232 million metric tons.

“We’re not going to allow the government to take the land and water and give them to Posco,” said Prasanth Paikare, a spokesman for opposition group Posco Prathirodh Sangram Samiti that says it represents 25,000 farmers. “The government has promised us land at a new location but there is no good land available in the state now and there won’t be enough water for agriculture,” he said in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa state.

The farmers’ concern about water for crops has delayed plans by ArcelorMittal, Posco and at least five rivals to benefit from a steel market that has expanded more than 55 percent since 2005 as Indian imports of the metal tripled in the same period. Posco’s proposal to build a $12 billion steel plant in Orissa has stalled for five years as the South Korean company failed to persuade farmers to move.

“Repeated delays have left investors concerned about whether Posco can make it,” said Im Jeong Jae, who helps manage $26.3 billion of assets, including shares of the world’s third-biggest steelmaker, at Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management Co. “India is very important because it has the best growth potential after China for steel demand and Posco can also source iron ore and raw materials there.”

Lagging Behind

The latest hurdle is an environment ministry report due this month on the impact of the Posco project. Chief Executive Officer Chung Joon Yang has since announced investment plans in Indonesia and Vietnam, as it lagged behind Chinese steelmaker Baosteel Group Corp.

The 160 million tons of steel capacity planned in India would consume 640 billion gallons of water a year, based on average consumption of U.S. steel mills in a U.S. Department of Energy paper. That’s enough to provide enough water for drinking and cooking for 133 million people in India for a year, according to figures from the government.

That level of water consumption would yield 1 million tons of rice a year, which at today’s price of $299 a ton would fetch 0.3 percent of the value of the steel produced and be enough to feed 9 million people in India for a year, based on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization consumption estimates.

Land and Water

“Posco wants our land, it wants our water,” said Makar Kandi, 75, who sustains a family of eight from a one-acre plot on which he grows betel leaves in Orissa’s Dhinkia village. “Agriculture is our only means. We’ll have no livelihood.”

India increased annual steel output by 34 million tons since 2005, compared with 219 million tons by China, the biggest-producing nation.

A ton of hot-rolled coil, a benchmark steel product, sells for about $685, compared with $299 a ton for a common variety of rice in India.

ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker, faces delays for a $10 billion mill in Orissa and in Jharkhand state. Projects by Tata Steel Ltd., India’s biggest maker of the metal, are faring no better in the two states and in Chhattisgarh.

Iron Ore Attraction

According to an agreement with Jharkhand, Luxembourg- based ArcelorMittal would have access to 20 million tons of iron ore annually for 30 years. That’s enough to raise its self- sufficiency in the raw material by 33 percent. Iron ore prices have gained in two out of three quarters this year.

“Securing iron ore assets has become very important for the steel companies as prices both in the contractual as well as spot markets have been very volatile,” Elora Sahoo, an analyst at Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd., said in Mumbai. “Having their own iron ore assets will help companies hedge against market price movements and control the cost of production.”

ArcelorMittal is now seeking to secure land at a new location in Jharkhand, said spokeswoman Mandakini Sud. There has been “good” progress in convincing locals, mostly people engaged in non-agricultural activities, to give up land, she said.

“With over 60 percent of India’s population dependent on the monsoons for livelihood, there’s population concentration and serious competition in areas with water,” Rahul Jain, an analyst at RBS Equities India Ltd. said in Mumbai.

Less Rainfall

What’s making the case worse for Posco is the declining rainfall in the Jagatsinghpur district where it’s planning its mill. Rain during the June-September monsoon period, needed for agriculture, has fallen 26 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to data from the country’s weather department.

That forced farmers to compete with manufacturers including Vedanta Resources Plc and Hindalco Industries Ltd. for water from the Mahanadi river. Posco plans to secure water through pipes from the Jobra dam on the river.

“Opposition to the project is unfounded,” Posco India Ltd. General Manager Simanta Mohanty said. “We will not use local water. There’s enough water available from Jobra.”

The steelmakers in June begun exploring sites in the southern state of Karnataka, which has the country’s second- biggest iron ore deposit. The catch? Lack of water.

“The state has decided to acquire dry and barren land, which gives little or no returns to the farmers,” said V.P. Baligar, industry secretary of Karnataka state. “On such land, water is an issue and we are trying to address it.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Abhishek Shanker in Mumbai at ashanker1@bloomberg.net.

Study: Agriculture is a $3.5B business

In spite of being the fourth most densely populated state in the country, Connecticut's agriculture industry is still going strong.

According to a UConn study, Economic Impacts of Connecticut's Agricultural Industry, agriculture is a $3.5 billion industry in Connecticut, contributing to the state's $212 billion gross domestic product in 2007. It also provides over 20,000 jobs and takes up 13 percent of the land in the state. Two-thirds of the jobs generated are from farming. The study was led by Rigoberto A. Lopez, professor and department head of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

The study used direct sales numbers for the agricultural industry in 2007, the most complete set of information available. It defined agriculture as crops and livestock production, forest production, and the processing of the state's agricultural production. Landscaping, veterinary services, and food processing involving products from outside the state were not included.

Professors and research assistants at the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UConn authored the report with help form the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis. The study was coauthored by a graduate student, Chen Zhu.

"Students play a critical role in research at our department and college," Lopez said. "Our graduate students are integrally engaged in research projects, particularly funded ones."

According to Lopez, without students, especially graduate students, it would be harder to conduct extramurally funded research programs. Also, with more research, doctoral programs are ranked higher. Several doctoral programs at UConn are in the top 25 percent in the nation.

According to Gregory Weidemann, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, UConn is the only college in Connecticut that conducts serious agricultural research. The only other group in the state that conducts agricultural research is the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, which is a separate state agency.

Research at UConn can play an important role in shaping policy in Connecticut. A 2008 University study on the dairy industry in Connecticut, which valued the industry at $1 billion, resulted in legislation in Connecticut to support dairy farms.

One of the important impacts of the Economic Impacts of Connecticut's Agricultural Industry study is that it will raise awareness for the importance of agriculture in the state, thus shaping future state government policy, such as tax breaks or subsidies, toward the agricultural industry.

UConn, which was founded as an agricultural school, devotes 14 percent of its research budget to agricultural research. Much of the research at UConn is focused on high value added agriculture, nurseries, biotechnology, food distribution and manufacturing instead of field crops such as in universities in the Midwest.

Much of the agricultural research in the U.S. is conducted by the public universities so UConn is also part of a bigger picture of agricultural research by universities in the country.

"At some point UConn has either directly conducted research for nearly every entity engaged in agriculture or related enterprises or our research has benefited them in some way," Weidemann said.

So how do you benefit from agricultural research done by students and professors at UConn? Dean Weidemann has an answer: "Every student benefits from our research every time they eat!"

dailycampus.com

Farmers get ready for Cap policy changes

IRISH FARMERS are bracing themselves for the changes in the Common Agricultural Policy (Cap)signalled by the EU's Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos during his recent visit here.
While the commissioner made it clear he would fight for as much money as possible from the EU budget for agriculture, how that money would be distributed would be a matter for negotiation.

Direct payments, which are worth more than €1.5 billion a year to Ireland's farmers, were secure and the principle was not under discussion, he promised.

But he warned the ways payments were distributed would be adjusted, as the current system showed considerable differences in the rates of direct aid farmers get from one country to another

"This is not justifiable for the period after 2013. Direct payments must be more equitably distributed among member states, regions and types of agriculture," he said. The system on which Irish direct payments were based here, farm output in the first three years of this century, would be difficult to justify 12 years on, he said.

But he also ruled out the possibility of bringing in a flat rate payment on the area of land owned by farmers, and said he did not think this was a good instrument because it would not address the diversity of farming in Europe.

He outlined the three priorities of the Cap as: maintaining food production; sustainable management of natural resources; and the maintenance of the social fabric and landscape of rural areas.

The commissioner, who will publish a white paper on the reform package on November 17th, said the strategic importance of agriculture would increase significantly in the future.

In the new Cap, he said, there would have to be new tools to address the extreme volatility of prices and farm incomes, and there was also a need to make progress on the question of distribution of bargaining power within the food chain. He said climate change was a huge challenge and farmers who could bring answers to this challenge needed support.

Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith, who had invited the commissioner here, said he had met the Taoiseach earlier in the day, where the importance of having a properly resourced Cap in the future was discussed.

He called on the commissioner to allow flexibility regarding the distribution of funds in member states because the agro-ecological and social conditions of farming varied hugely with the union.

Mr Ciolos, who addressed the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, and representatives of agri-food industry and farm bodies, also visited a Co Kildare farm.

Irishtimes.com

Remunerative price to farmers need of the hour

The Central government should evolve a policy of announcing remunerative price for agricultural produces in advance to bail out farmers from possible distress said Karnataka minister for rural development and panchayat raj Jagadish Shettar.

Presiding over the function to inaugurate the Krishi Mela-2010 and Jilla Krishi Utsav at University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) here on Sunday he said such a move on the part of the Centre would enable farmers to decide what to produce and how much to produce. "At present there is no efficient system of revising the prices of the agriculture produces. As a result the prices of certain agriculture produces have not been revised for four or five years. There is an ardent need to have a system to revise the prices of the agriculture produces so that the farmers do not fall into a debt trap," Shettar said.

The minister said, Karnataka government’s decision to provide credit to the farmers at 3 per cent interest rate was a revolutionary step and many other state governments have later emulated Karnataka’s example and introduced the same scheme in their respective states. He wanted the Centre to extend the scheme throughout the country and arrange for agriculture credit at 3 per cent interest rates through the nationalised banks, he said.

Shettar informed that steps were being taken to solve the problem of flash flooding at Bennehalla permanently and an expert committee under the chairmanship of Paramashivaiah has been constituted. The committee has recommended construction of check dams at regular distance to contain the flood and enable farmers to irrigate lands.

Minister for primary and secondary education Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri who was the chief guest expressed concern over people migrating from rural areas to urban centres and said it could be contained by improving the living conditions in rural areas.He urged the UAS to focus on conserving traditional varieties of seeds particularly in paddy. Kageri said, Uttara Kannada district had the potential to become a model district in horticulture and asked experts to extend a helping hand to the district.

Earlier, inaugurating the Krishi Mela, minister for agriculture Umesh Katti said the government was committed to safeguarding the interests of farmers. But, much depended on the policies of Centre. He said he would meet the Prime Minister and Union Agriculture minister to discuss the problems faced by the farmers and ask for remedial measures. Hailing the achievements of UAS (Dharwad) he said the government would continue to support the institution.

BS Reporter

3 lakh farmers got solutions from Kisan Call Centre

Maximum calls from Shivpuri and Shajapur, Tribal-dominated districts also took interest, Senior technical specialists help daily for 12 hours

Bhopal, September 11, 2010 (Ataullah Faizan): The state-level Kisan Call Centre set up in Madhya Pradesh is first of its kind in the country and has completed two years of its existence successfully. During the last two years 3 lakh 18 thousand 106 farmers got solutions for their problems through this call centre. Their main questions pertained to agriculture and horticulture. Maximum questions were received from Shivpuri and Shajapur districts. Farmers from tribal-dominated districts – Betul, Anuppur, Singrauli and Shahdol also took great interest in the call centre to get their doubts cleared.

While dividing the questions into categories, it was found that maximum number of calls – 1 lakh 73 thousand 274 was about problems of agriculture crops. Likewise, 93,299 questions were about horticulture and 12802 were about veterinary related. The call centre received 37 thousand 731 questions about other subjects also. Farmers of Shivpuri and Shajapur showed more awareness comparing to other districts. Farmers of Shivpuri asked 25 thousand 168 questions about agriculture, 11 thousand 869 questions about horticulture, 2607 and 5860 questions pertained to other subjects. The farmers of Shajapur asked 17 thousand 162 questions about agriculture, 12 thousand 900 questions about horticulture, 1448 questions about veterinary-related problems, and 3008 questions about other subjects. Even though phone facility is less in tribal-dominated districts, several farmers from far-flung villages are interested in the Call Centre to get their problems solved. From the questions of the farmers it has come to surface that the farmers are interested in other subjects also along with agriculture and horticulture.

The Kisan Call Centre is set up by the Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development Department of the State Government. This Call Centre was set up at the initiative of the Chief Minister Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Due to the efforts of the Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development Minister Dr. Ramkrishna Kusmaria the Centre received wide publicity. This was started two years ago. During these two years the farmers from all 50 districts of the state asked questions about their problems related to agriculture, horticulture etc through toll-free number to the specialists available in the call centre. The specialists cleared their doubts without delay. 15 subject specialists each were available in the call centre in two shifts to provide solutions to the questions of the farmers.

The Kisan Call Centre is being jointly run under National Agriculture Development Project in private-public partnership. Indian Society of Agriculture Professionals (ISAP) is sponsoring this call centre. Young agriculture scientist Dr. Suresh Motwani is the coordinator of the Centre. It is said that the Centre is proving a strong step towards agriculture development through solving problems of the farmers.

Incentives for flood-hit farmers

The government has decided on a number of incentives for farmers to enable them to recover the losses caused by floods and grow essential crops to meet the country’s food requirements.

The incentives were discussed at a high-level meeting presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari at the Presidency on Tuesday.

Fears were expressed at the meeting that the country might experience a food crisis in near future because of widespread damage to crops from the floods.

The meeting was informed that over one million people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan had received no relief goods so far because the authorities concerned had failed to reach the areas, a source said.

These families are stranded on mountains and in far-flung areas where rescue and relief teams have no access.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the meeting had decided to encourage farmers to sow canola in flood-affected areas early next month and help them with seed and other inputs and land preparation to make optimal utilisation of land before the Rabi wheat season in November this year.

The meeting also decided to increase the purchase price of canola from Rs1,600 to Rs1,800 per 40kg.

The Solvent Plant Association has already given an assurance to purchase the crop at Rs1,800 per 40kg. Canola cultivation will not only relieve pressure on foreign exchange needed for import of edible oil but also improve fertility of the soil, the meeting was informed.

The meeting was attended by, among others, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd, Rana M. Farooq Saeed Khan, M. Salman Faruqui and Zaka Ashraf.

The meeting was informed that the canola crop would be followed by cotton. The president advised the government to provide free supply of seed to canola growers and help them to start early next month which is the right time to sow canola.

He asked the Ministry of Food & Agriculture to assess agricultural losses, including the loss of stored seeds and other agricultural items, and suggest measures to compensate the losses during the Kharif crop with the coming Rabi crop.

The meeting agreed that farmers in the affected areas should be provided maximum help in procurement of seed and other required items for their crops.



Mr Zardari asked the president of ZTBL to work out a scheme of providing financial assistance to farmers in affected areas to enable them to grow their crops and compensate their losses.

The Pakistan Agriculture Research Council was asked to carry out a study on the impact of climatic changes in the wake of the unprecedented floods.

Agencies add: Mr Zardari said that Pakistan could take years to recover from the floods. The president expressed concern that militants would try to exploit the chaotic situation in the country.

“I see always such organisations and such people taking advantage of the human crisis,” he said in an interview published in Britain’s Independent newspaper on Tuesday.

“It is again a challenge to not let them take advantage of this human crisis.”
[DAWN]

Floods cause Rs 244.6bn loss to agri sector: MinFA

* Small farmers suffer loss of Rs 98bn, while some face total annihilation of their crops
ISLAMABAD: The devastating floods across the country have caused damage worth Rs 244.6 billion to the agriculture sector with maximum losses suffered by the small farmers of around Rs 98 billion, while some facing total annihilation of their crops.

This was revealed in the initial estimate prepared by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MinFA) on Monday in coordination with the provincial governments and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) government. However, the estimate prepared by the MinFA has also said that the agriculture loss could be higher in Southern Punjab and some parts of Sindh as clear pictures from many areas have yet not been received. The ministry has said that maximum damage by the floods has been made to the minor crops of Kharif season, which includes jawar, maize, moong and mash pulses and some citrus fruit varieties. “The most upsetting thing is that the minor crops are mainly cultivated by small farmers and in areas where growers have small land holdings,” said a senior official of the MinFA. “This loss is the most serious setback for the farming community because most of the small farmers have lost considerable number of livestock too as they had limited facility for their animals.” Among the major cash crops the ministry’s report highlighted that the largest loss of Rs 71.4 billion has been faced by the cotton crop.

Cotton was sown over 3.1 hectares in the current Kharif season out of which the floods have destroyed crops at 0.51 million hectares, as a result the production is expected to decline by almost 15 percent to 11.7 million bales as against the targeted cotton production of 14 million bales in 2010.

The Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar Muhammad Gondal has said that Pakistan will face serious cotton shortage in coming days as more than 15 percent of the crop has already been hit by the floods.

“Two million bales have been destroyed in the floods in Punjab alone and we have yet to receive the complete details,” the minister added. The cotton crop has been seriously damaged in Bakkhar, Layyah and Mianwali districts apart from many other areas in southern districts of Punjab, while the left bank of River Indus in Sindh is the cotton belt and the cotton crops have suffered in Sukkur, Khairpur, Ghotki, Naushero Feroze and Benazirabad districts. The paddy crops in the country have faced a loss of Rs 56.3 billion and the worst hit areas are right bank districts of Sindh.

The countrywide paddy production is expected to decline by around 27 percent to 4.35 million tonnes as against the original estimated production of 5.95 million tonnes. Among the major crops, sugarcane farmers have suffered a loss of Rs 19.3 billion and its production is expected to decline to 47.23 million tonnes as against the estimated production of 54.83 million tonnes.

Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) Chairman Iskander khan said that the initial reports suggest that the sugar cane crops in Charsadda, DI Khan and some parts of Southern Punjab have suffered damages. He said that 4 million tonnes of sugar production was expected in the coming season but now 3.8 million tonnes is likely to be obtained. The MinFA has estimated that the other serious issue faced by the country in the near future would be shortage of vegetables.[DailyTimes]