Category Archives: Agriculture

Sorlagondi women become agents of change

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Women mangrove plant seed collectors engaged in work at Sorlagondi Reserve Forest in Krishna district.— Photo: T. Appala Naidu
Women mangrove plant seed collectors engaged in work at Sorlagondi Reserve Forest in Krishna district.— Photo: T. Appala Naidu

They have played a pivotal role in conservation of seven mangrove species

Venturing into one of the rarest eco-regions of the world — the Sorlagondi mangrove forest— has become a regular chore for a group of ten women for two months every year.

A visit to the dense forest in the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary between October and November will offer a peep into their activity of collecting seed of mangrove plant species. The lesser known is fact that they became unsung heroes in conserving the seven mangrove plant species, including Avicennia marina and Avicennia officinalis. Like every other woman member of her group, Kokkiligadda Muriamma, 38, reaches the sanctuary before sunrise and begins her six-hour daily task of collecting seeds.

The women belonging to Sorlagondi venture into the forest on barefoot. Holding a bamboo basket in their hands or a gunny bag on their shoulders, these women collect at least a few thousands of seeds and nuts of the mangrove plant species.

Nursery-mode treatment

“The survival rate of a seed that falls from the tree is very low. Hence, we peel the nut and raise it in the local soil for a week. The nursery-mode treatment to the seed is a success,” Ms. Muriamma told The Hindu. Usually, half of the seed germinates, much to the delight of the seed collectors.

“We have been hired by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation to supply seeds and raise them in the reserve forest. We are being paid Rs. 170 each per day,” said another seed collector K. Seeta Kumari. “We are happy to be part of raising the forest. The two-month activity is all about how we spend our leisure time,” said Naga Laxmi Naidu, a seed collector. Recently, the women shared their experiences during a field study by experts who are working on the United Nation’s Green Climate Fund.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by T. Appala Naidu / Sorlagondi (Krishna) – October 14th, 2016

Fish popcorn, frozen masala mackerel big draw at seafood fest

Agriculture, Business & Economy, World Opinion

fishpopcornandhra27sept2016

Visakhapatnam :

Innovative seafood products like fish popcorn, frozen masala mackerel, imitation crab stick, fish pakoda and Crab Claw Amritsari fetched top prizes for their manufacturers while a company from Maharashtra walked away with a string of awards at the products and stall awards of the three-day 20th edition of India International Seafood Show (IISS), which concluded here on Sunday.

Maharashtra-based Gadra Marine Exports Private Limited got six awards, including both best retail product (frozen masala mackerel) and runner up for best retail product (imitation crab stick). The four other awards for the company were in the categories of best retail packaging (Crab Claw Amritsari), best innovative product (fish popcorn), best convenience product (frozen masala mackerel) and also the runner up for the best convenience product (frozen masala prawn).

The AP Food Processing Society was awarded for the best Indian stall while the second best award went to Nilkamal Limited.

In the category of Best Stall (Overseas), Ishida India Private Limited, based in Japan, got the first prize while Glory Company Limited, a Vietnamese company, was adjudged the runner up.

In all, there were 14 prizes that were up for grabs at the IISS 2016, an international showpiece event in seafood sector, organised by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).

Of these prizes, eight were in the category of product awards and six for stalls.

Awards were presented by MPEDA chairman A Jayathilak in the presence of Seafood Exporters Association of India president V Padmanabham (SEAI).

Overall, there were 300 stalls, including 71 from abroad, spread over 7,000 square metre. The total number of exhibitors was 144 drawn from 117 Indian and 27 foreign companies.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / September 26th, 2016

Wild plants are no more worthless!

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Scientist suggests agave and cactus plantation in barren lands.

If you think the wildly grown plants have no role to play, think again. Plants like agave, cactus (opuntia) and sitaphal, having high drought resistance and rich in nutrients, have a purpose that is yet to be fully uncovered and unleashed.

Agave is one such plant that is ‘wildly’ abused in India, in spite of its multiple benefits to nature as well as society. Its tough fibre is used to make ropes in Central America, while its cellulose is a key ingredient in Brazil’s paper industry. These apart, hecogenin, a steroid is extracted from its juice.

Similar is the case of cactus, a regenerative plant known for its ‘carefree’ growth, which is confined to field fences. Categorised as a ‘Crassulacean Acid Metabolism’ (CAM) plant, the stomata open in nights to absorb carbon dioxide and closes in the day to facilitate photosynthesis.

“It has been proved beyond doubt that natural calamities happen due to CO2 concentration and atmospheric vapour. CAM plants grown on a massive scale are the simplest solution to act as a carbon sink,” says Anumakonda Jagadeesh, Director, Nayudamma Centre for Development Alternatives, Nellore.

In an informal chat with The Hindu , he explained how the Government can saturate barren lands with these plants to maintain equilibrium and as well kick-start the rural economy. According to him, the CAM family members yield fruits having nutritional values similar to apples and pomegranates.

A cup of prickly pears contains 1.09 gm of protein, compared to a medium-sized apple’s 0.47 gm. “Israel is a major exporter of juice that fetches Rs.1,000 per litre”, he added.

While the State is grappling with the menace of water hyacinth,

Dr. Jagadeesh suggests a cheap and easy remedy. “The combination of water hyacinth and animal dung is the best source of biogas”, he pointed out.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / A.D. Rangarajan / Tirupati – August 08th, 2016

AP to organise largescale training programme for rearing ducks

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment

Hyderabad :

Realising the commercial value of duck farming and its impact on improving the socio-economic condition and economic empowerment of the rural poor, the state government has decided to promote it on a large scale and train duck farmers scientifically to improve egg and meat production in the state.

Since duck farming in Andhra Pradesh is in a primitive stage, which is mainly in the hands of nomadic, illiterate and Scheduled Tribe communities, the government has decided to train duck farmers in scientific rearing and healthcare system.

Ducks occupy an important position next to chicken farming in the state. They form about 10 per cent of the total poultry population and contribute about 6-7 per cent of the total number of eggs produced in the state.

However, though AP is one of the leading states in the production of duck eggs and meat in the country, there is very little demand in the domestic market and most of them are exported to West Bengal and other states where there is demand for duck eggs and meat. As the rearing practices being followed by AP duck farmers are unscientific and traditional, the production is not reaching the desired level. Hence the decision to provide scientific training to them, a top official of the animal husbandry department.

“They will be given proper training so that they could improve the production of duck eggs and meat. We will train them in best practices available in the country. We are even planning to invite leading duck farmers of the country to share their experiences with our farmers,” the official added. Duck rearing is prevalent among weaker sections of rural population which provides them supplementary and steady income on daily basis besides providing them nutrition duck eggs for family consumption and generates rural employment.

Therefore, the government is trying to involve many people belonging to these sections in duck farming by offering them incentives, the official said. “Duck farming can also be a stable employment source. Young unemployed educated people can enter into this business,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / July 09th, 2016

AP ties up with US varsity to increase Ongole Bull population

Agriculture, Education, Nature, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

Efforts are being made by the state government to increase the population of ‘Ongole bull,’ the pride of Prakasam district, which is on the verge of extinction. The state government tied up with University of Pennsylvania to achieve this objective.

As part of the Milk Mission project of the University of Pennsylvania, the university will make efforts to increase the population of ‘Ongole bull’ and ‘Punganuru cow’ through artificial insemination (IVF) procedures, special chief secretary (Animal Husbandry department) Manmohan Singh has said.

“The breed of Ongole bull is on the verge of extinction, hence the government had joined hands with Pennsylvania University,” he added.

The Punganuru cattle, a popular dwarf cow breed, which are being reared mainly in government livestock farms, are also on the verge of extinction, with some 60 odd animals remaining. The University of Pennsylvania team will also work towards increasing the population of this rare breed of cow.

The government, which had recently entered into an agreement with the Milk Mission project of the University of Pennsylvania, on Tuesday formed a six-member experts’ panel headed by Andhra Pradesh Livestock Development Agency (APLDA) CEO Dr PD Kondala Rao.

The panel will work in coordination with the Pennsylvania University for implementing the project in the state.

According to officials of the animal husbandry department, the university will help the state in enhancing milk production and cattle population in the state. As per the agreement, the university experts will impart training to farmers to enhance milk production, livestock population and transfer technology to increase cattle population.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / July 06th, 2016

Singapore consortium to have 58 p.c. stake

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, World Opinion

The Singapore-based consortium, which submitted its Swiss challenge proposal for the construction of Amaravati Seed Capital in an extent of over 1,600 acres, will be given an equity share of 58 per cent in the project.

Earlier, it was proposed to share the revenue equally between the consortium and the Amaravati Development Corporation, which was called Capital City Development and Management Corporation, a special purpose vehicle floated by the government. According to the latest discussions, the share of the ADC now will be 42 per cent, mostly in the form of land.

The revenue from the project will be shared in the ratio of 58:42 between the consortium, comprising Asendas, Singbridge, and Sembcorp Development Ltd., and the Singapore government with 74.5 per cent share in the consortium and the ADC respectively.

Final decision today?

“Chief Secretary, who is the Chairman of Infrastructure Authority, called for a meeting with Secretaries of five to six departments to consider all aspects on Wednesday. A final decision on accepting the Swiss challenge proposal is possible tomorrow,” sources said.

Once the proposal submitted by the consortium, which had been fine tuned after several rounds of discussions to meet the norms, is cleared, it will enter into an agreement with the ADC. The proposal will be submitted to the Cabinet for its approval. Once the proposal is approved, it will be put in the public domain and invite better proposal from any competitor. If a competitor submits a better proposal, the consortium will have to match it to bag the project.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by M.L.Melly Maitreyi / Hyderaba – June 22nd, 2016

Brazil keen on saving the Ongole bull

Agriculture, World Opinion
Ongole bull, the pride of Prakasam district.
Ongole bull, the pride of Prakasam district.

The species is a favourite of farmers in the South American country

Better days are ahead for the indigenous breed of the Ongole bull, which is on the verge of extinction in the land of its origin with Brazil evincing keen interest in transferring technology for improving the productivity of the majestic cattle.

The pure breed of Ongole cattle ( Bos indicus ) is fast becoming extinct in the land of its origin, even as some of the finest Ongole cattle are reared in Brazil for dairy products.

Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, who himself led an Indian delegation to a cattle expo at Uberaba in Brazil, revealed this to The Hindu here on Sunday.

‘Sister city’

The Mayor of Uberaba city in Brazil, Paulo Piau, had offered to develop Ongole as a “sister city,” Dr. Rao said, adding: “the Mayor had promised to come with a Memorandum of Understanding to further cooperation in cattle breeding between the two prominent members of the BRICS.”

The number of the Ongole breed of cattle had dwindled to fewer than 2 lakh over a period as against 16 crore heads of Ongole cattle in that South American nation now, he said. Brazilians have a great affinity for the Ongole cattle and wanted to do their part in rearing the docile animal in the original tract between the Gundlakamma and Musi rivers, he explained, adding “one will be astonished to note that the milk yield of the Ongole cow is between 20 and 30 litres in Brazil where the farmers milk the animals thrice a day.”

“Though we are sentimentally attached to the Ongole bull, not enough has been done to exploit it economically,” he observed and exhorted the farmers to go for scientific farming for better results.

Collaborative project with U.S. varsity

Meanwhile, YSR Congress Whip in Parliament Y.V. Subba Reddy, who was also part of the delegation which visited Uberaba for the ExpoZebu recently, told The Hindu that Brazil had also nurtured the Gir cow of Gujarat and some of its features could be cross-bred for better results. The government had also embarked on the collaborative “Milk Mission Project” with the University of Pennsylvania to make dairy farming sustainable and realise the goal of stepping up growth in the agriculture sector.

The species is a favourite of farmers in the South American country, says Kodela

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Ongole – June 20th, 2016

India’s first mangrove centre to be set up in Vizag

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All

Visakhapatnam:

Around 100 acres of land has been identified by the district administration at Yerrakonda near Simhachalam for setting up India’s first exclusive Centre for Mangroves and Coastal Ecology under the Institute of Forest Biodiversity which is under the aegis of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education  (ICFRE).

Vizag district collector N Yuvaraj said the foundation stone would soon be laid at the site. It would be a centre dedicated to study and research on mangroves ecosystem. “Considering that mangroves have been fast depleting due to shore-based development, the Vishakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) would take up professional regeneration and replantation of mangroves in 50-acres of area within the port at its own expenditure,” said VPT chairman M T Krishna Babu.

Both the district collector and VPT chairman were speaking at the inaugural of the second national seminar on conservation, restoration and sustainable management of mangrove forests in India, hosted by the Institute of Forest Biodiversity (IFB), Hyderabad, being held in the Port City from June 15-16.Mangroves are trees that grow in coastal saline or brackish water in estuarine environment, where marshy soil conditions prevail.

The district collector further said, “The Kerala model of identifying, notifying and conserving mangroves should be replicated in the rest of India. As a case study, AP forest department should also study it and begin the conservation work from Vizag. The district administration would provide all support.”
VPT chairman Krishna Babu said there’s a need for a systematic action plan to improve the biodiversity index of various places, especially with respect to the native species. “Awareness generation should be through introduction about biodiversity in school curriculum, organising field trips and quiz and so on. When it comes to mangroves, around 100 years ago, Vizag was full of it. But now, most of it has been lost.

Mangroves ecosystem support many species to thrive, absorb carbon dioxide and help tackle beach erosion. As a first step towards conservation, we need to identify and notify the mangrove patches on government lands (irrespective of their being patta lands) as reserve forests and conserve them. Also, since VPT has been held responsible for disappearance of mangroves due to our shore-based development works, we will therefore regenerate 50 acres of mangroves in our land with our own expenditure and take technical support from the scientists of the forest institutes concerned.”

At his welcome address, GRS Reddy, director, Institute of Forest Biodiversity, thanked the district administration for allotment of 100-acre land to set up the mangroves research institute and said, “Considering the ecological importance of mangroves and the need for their conservation, an institute exclusively for research on mangroves is needed in Vizag. Work would begin this year and the foundation stone laying may happen by this month-end.”

D Jayaparasad, additional principal chief conservator of forests, IFB and organising secretary of the seminar stated that Vizag has been chosen for setting up the mangroves research institute as it’s situated in the middle of the eastern coast and there’s a vast stretch of mangroves (59 %) on the east coast with 44% being in the Sundarbans. An interesting talk on ‘Mission Mangroves’ was delivered by the guest of honour and district collector of Kannuar  district P Bala Kiran. He deliberated on how 600 acres of land was surveyed and notified as mangroves reserve forest and how the remaining 1225 acres are being acquired from private parties so that the mangrove lands can be conserved.

Another speaker Surendra Kumar, IFS and director of Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bangalore said India has around 4,640 square kilometre of mangrove area and recently 112 sq km were added. “Three districts have registered good growth including Krishna district, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Raigarh district, each adding around 15 sq kilometre mangroves. For better mangroves conservation, all stakeholders should be involved together,” he said.

The inaugural session was followed by technical session, where K Kathiresan, professor of Annamalai University delivered his keynote address on ‘Mangrove Forests in India: Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Management’.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / Sulogna Mehta, TNN / June 16th, 2016

Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Project Wins International Information Prize

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

United Nations :

An Andhra Pradesh project to collect very specific climate data from farms and give farmers personalised information through SMS has won the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2016 prize in the e-Agriculture category.

International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Secretary-General Houlin Zhao announced the prize Tuesday in Geneva.

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) in Hyderabad developed the project, which is having a pilot run in Anantpur district. WSIS said the organisation had an e-strategy for implementing it at the national level.

“The WSIS Prizes recognize all players in the effort to improve global connectivity, from governments and global ICT (information communication technology) companies to grassroots NGOs leading innovative ICT-oriented projects at the local level.” Zhao said.

A total of 18 prizes were awarded in categories ranging from international cooperation to information ethics. The prize in the e-Agriculture category was the only one won by an Indian organisation.

The project, Harmonized Information of Agriculture, Revenue and Irrigation for a Transformation Agenda- Precision Technology for Agriculture or HARITA-PRIYA, uses wireless sensor networks (WSN) to collect micro-climate information from farms, according to WSIS.

This data is used to create advisories and alerts on irrigation schedules and pests and plant disease. Based on them state agriculture officers send out personalised crop advisories in Telugu to farmers by SMS.

The Andhra Pradesh government, the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) station and the Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University in Anantapur partnered in the project.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by IANS / May 04th, 2016

Asian Seabass a ray of hope for aqua farmers

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, World Opinion
A Scientist from the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai, holding an Asian Seabass at Nagayalanka in Krishna district.- Photo: T. Appala Naidu
A Scientist from the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai, holding an Asian Seabass at Nagayalanka in Krishna district.- Photo: T. Appala Naidu

Private enterprises to be allowed to import the rare fish seed

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has issued its final guidelines, allowing private entrepreneurs and enterprises to import Asian Seabass fish (Lates Calcarifer) seed and fingerlings.

The Union government has so far been not entertaining requests from Andhra Pradesh-based aqua enterprises to import the fish variety, fearing diseases and possible loss of native species. Primarily, aqua enterprises are keen on importing Asian Seabass from Australia, a leading country that has developed fifth generation seed of the fish. In Australia, the fish is known as ‘Barramundi’.

The guidelines are expected to bring in rapid changes in terms of fish production and economic activity.

Scarcity of seed

The supply of Asian Seabass seed by the Tamil Nadu-based Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) and the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture was insufficient, given the demand for the fish in Andhra Pradesh.

“The guidelines to import Asian Seabass seed and fingerlings will enable interested aqua farmers and enterprises in Andhra Pradesh. So far, farmers in Krishna district and hatchery operators have been collecting wild Asian Seabass seed from mangrove forests and coastal belts for cultivation,” said T. Raghu Sekhar, an aqua farmer.

“Asian Seabass is arguably an alternative to shrimp cultivation in Andhra Pradesh. Allowing import of the fish seed will improve fish production. Given the high market value of the fish, farmers in the State will immediately shift from shrimp to Asian Seabass cultivation,” an expert in brackishwater aquaculture at CIBA told The Hindu .

The natural seed of Asian Seabass is found in coastal areas and brackishwater sources in Krishna district, where local communities collect it to supply to hatcheries. Asian Seabass is one of the fish species which survives in pond, river and sea.

The guidelines issued recently by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare provide for responsible fisheries with due consideration of necessary biological, technical, economical, social, environmental and commercial aspects.

The guidelines also made it mandatory that hatchery / fish farms intending to breed Asian Seabass should be registered with the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA). Cultivation will be allowed based on the recommendations of the CAA. However, direct sale of imported fingerlings should not be allowed for domestic or international market.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by T. Appala Naidu / Machilipatnam – January 23rd, 2016