Category Archives: Nature

When 24 mango varieties grow on a single tree

Agriculture, Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All
Mango bite: Kuppala Rama Gopalakrishna showing the mangoes grown in his orchard. | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR
Mango bite: Kuppala Rama Gopalakrishna showing the mangoes grown in his orchard. | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR

School dropout used grafting technique to achieve the sweet success

This school dropout is scripting a success story in the field of horticulture. He has grafted 24 varieties of mangoes on a single tree in his orchard spread over seven acres.

Everyone laughed at Kuppala Rama Gopalakrishna, 25, when he shared his plans to go for grafting technology to tide over the ‘off-season on-season’ problem associated with the mango crop, in 2015. In less than four years, he became a role model in his village and also villages nearby. Unlike other mango growers, he doesn’t harvest the crop and transport the produce to nearby mandi or Nunna market. “Instead, the prospective buyers visit my garden in view of the quality. We harvest the crop in front of them,” he says.

Mr. Gopalakrishna recalls that the mango yield of Chinna rasalu, Banginapalli and Collector (Totapuri) mangoes in his farm was not encouraging in 2015, and his well-wishers advised him to clear the garden and go for fresh plantation.

“But, by then five years of our life and lakhs of rupees were spent on the orchards. I did not want our sweat and toil to go waste. So, I started experimenting with grafting,” he says.

Showing the mangoes grown on the experimented tree, Mr. Gopalakrishna explains each variety: Banginapalli, Pachadara kalasa, Suvarn Rekha, Kobbari mamidi, Alphonso, Chinna rasalu, Pedda rasalu, Nalla rasalu, Nuzvid mamidi, Dasheri, Panduru mamidi, Collector, Himayat, Jalam, Neelisha, Mallika and some local varities. “And, this is Punasa mamidi,” he says, “which will grow throughout the year.”

The farmer managed to grab the attention of the Horticulture Department officials and was felicitated by the then Krishna District Collector B. Lakshmikantham for his experimenting spirit and innovation a year ago.

“This feat and success would not have been a reality had I followed my well-wishers’ advice. Now, I get invitations by farmers from nearby villages to guide them in emulating my techniques. And, I get invitations from my friends who advised me to cut the trees,” he smiles.

Now, Mr. Gopalakrishna has plans to grow more than 50 varieties of locally-available mangoes in his orchard and also go for high-density cultivation. “We also have a share in another three acres. I will go for high-density plantation there,” he adds.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by G.V.R. Subba Rao / Vadlamanu – April 27th, 2019

Passion for pigeons brings a windfall for him

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Nature
Bhupatiraju Visweswara Rama Venkatapathy Raju with a brown pigeon at his house at Revidi village in Padmanabham mandal in Visakhapatnam district.
Bhupatiraju Visweswara Rama Venkatapathy Raju with a brown pigeon at his house at Revidi village in Padmanabham mandal in Visakhapatnam district.

Venkatapathy Raju makes ₹11,000 per exotic breed

His 150-year-old ancestral house at Revidi village of Padmanabham mandal in Visakhapatnam district gives a look of an aviary. On the terrace, piegons, rosters and hens flock together, pecking at grains of maize. A stairway that leads to the terrace is almost taken over by another flock, cooing. Some pairs cosy up in their enclosures while the others are busy taking short flights, flapping their wings.

Meet Bhupatiraju Visweswara Rama Venkatapathy Raju who has taken up his childhood penchant for birds as his profession. Now, he owns around 200 pigeons, many of them are exotic breeds, apart from a good number of exotic fowls.

“My ancestors used to collect taxes for the Vizianagaram royals. After my Intermediate and degree education from Bheemunipatnam Government College and post graduation from Andhra University, I got a job in a private firm, only to relise that my calling was somewhere else. I called it quits, returned to my native village and started rearing the birds,” Mr. Venkatapathy Raju says.

And the passion for birds it seems is paying him well.

Thriving trade

“Some of the exotic birds command a price of ₹10,000 or more. The American Shield in black and brown colours sells at ₹11,000 each,” Mr. Venkatapathy Raju says, while showing around the other breeds including Beauty Homer, Jacobin, Spanish Carora, Chinese Howl, Indian Fantail, Bokaro, King, Rant and Indian Homer.

But, the birds go about their activities, oblivious to the approaching footsteps of his owner.

These pigeons do not need any specialised feed, Mr. Venkatapathy Raju says. “They eat the regular ‘gantelu’ and maize grains like the country fowls. However, I make it a point that the brids are supplied enough feed at least twice a day and the water bowls are not overturned,” he explains.

Summer care

Referring to the birds, he says some of the breed may face problems such as neck twisting in the summer. When they suffer from this problem, they need to be hand-fed. There is no special treatment or medicine for this as it subsides automatically, Mr. Venkatapathy Raju says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by B. Madhu Gopal / Revidi (Visakhapatnam District) , April 16th, 2019

Behind Araku Valley coffee’s GI Tag

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

ArakuCoffeeKF12apr2019

It might have been around for a century, but Araku’s Arabica coffee didn’t get the tag that easily

Araku Valley, the highlands of the Eastern Ghats mountain range overlooking the Bay of Bengal, is brewing one of the best coffees in the world and its aroma just got headier with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag it was recently awarded.

Located 2,985 feet above sea level, coffee plantations here are spread across hilly terrain growing under the shade of towering silver oaks. What makes this coffee unique is that it is organic and cultivated by Adivasi farmers in 10 mandals of the region. The peculiar mix of climate in Araku — hot days and cool nights — coupled with naturally iron-rich soil lends the Araku coffee body, intensity and a rich aroma. No wonder it has fans across France, Sweden, Dubai and Switzerland as well.

Interestingly, the Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC), which has been promoting Araku coffee for three years now, had applied for the GI tag at the Chennai-GI registry in 2016. However, its claims at that time were dismissed by the Coffee Board of India, an organisation managed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

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Coffee Statistics

  • In India, coffee is cultivated on approximately 4.54 lakh hectares
  • There are nearly 3.66 lakh coffee farmers (according to government figures, 98 % are small farmers)
  • In 2018-19 Coffee production in India is estimated to be 3,19,500 tonnes (according to Coffee Board).
  • There has been a rise of 13.26 % in the first two months of this year, totalling to to 48,330 tonnes

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Things changed, however, when the Coffee Board itself applied this year; the Chennai-based GI registry awarded the GI tag to Araku, along with four others (Coorg Arabica coffee from Karnataka, Wayanad Robusta coffee from Kerala, Chikmagalur Arabica from Karnataka and Bababudangiris Arabica coffee also from Karnataka).

“The GI tag will help Indian coffee varieties be specifically identified with their unique flavour and also increase their popularity. The adivasis of Araku will now get a better price for their produce,” says T Baburao Naidu, GCC vice-chairman and managing director. The GCC is expanding its footprint across the State and the country by setting up outlets selling Araku coffee.

Coffee cultivation in the Araku region began around the early 1900s. But it came into the limelight only a few years ago after a couple of players like GCC and Naandi Foundation (an organisation working in the social sector) entered the fray to help the adivasis grow quality beans and market their produce on the global platform.

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What it means

  • A GI is a name or sign used on products which belong to a specific geographical location or origin and is a certification that the product possesses certain qualities that are unique to that locality.

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Manoj Kumar, CEO of Naandi Foundation, says, “When I started working in the area as part of Naandi Foundation 20 years ago, people told us this is was a ‘non-traditional’ coffee region! We have come a long way since then, with a strong cooperative of 10,000 adivasi farmers and a central processing unit. We opened a flagship store in Paris, and won the Gold Medal for the best coffee pod at the Prix Epicures OR 2018 Award. The GI tag is a safety net and a recognition that this region’s coffee has a unique identity.”

A loyal Araku coffee fan, Vidya Raghu, says, “It is different. There is an exhilarating aroma, golden-brown froth and a lingering, slightly sharp after-taste that envelopes your senses. I haven’t experienced this kind of refreshing flavour with any other coffee I’ve had.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style>Food / by Nivedita Ganguly / April 11th, 2019

Teacher on a mission to protect environment

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Teacher Sudhakar addressing the NCC cadets at a camp in Chittoor.
Teacher Sudhakar addressing the NCC cadets at a camp in Chittoor.

Influenced by meet on biodiversity, Sudhakar of Chittoor turns a crusader

One fine morning in October, 2012, G. Sudhakar, a government teacher, was flipping through a newspaper at a tea stall in Chittoor when he came across news pertaining to the Hyderabad Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). One particular story on crows and their services as the best urban scavengers attracted him so much that from that day his outlook towards flora and fauna started undergoing a sea change.

Mr. Sudhakar (50), a native of Chittoor town, is currently working at the Government Upper Primary School, 70 Kothapalli village of Yadamarri mandal. The impact of the conference was such that he extensively collected the literature of the meet, including newspaper clippings, brochures, lectures and souvenirs. For about six months, he was immersed in the theme of biodiversity. He found himself moved by the urge to simplify the message and teach the same to the students and make them practically do something to protect the environment and cherish a love for flora and fauna.

Action plan

From the beginning of the academic year 2013, Mr. Sudhakar chalked out an action plan to spread the message on biodiversity. During the last five years, the teacher visited as many as 170 schools not only in Andhra Pradesh, but also in Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, covering close to one lakh students. He would utilise the Casual Leaves to spread the message at NCC camps, social welfare hostels, exhibitions and environmental meets.

Mr. Sudhakar adopts a unique methodology to deliver his message and to create instant impact on the students. For instance, he extensively refers to the role of crow, the nearest dwelling bird of mankind. “It pained me so much as most people consider crow as a bad omen, going by its colour and voice. I kept repeatedly emphasising its role for mankind, as a scavenger. Now, many of my students have developed a sort of love and respect for crows,” says the teacher.

He would also speak about the role of sparrows, honeybee, butterflies and insects in pollination, which in turn would lead to the greater survival of greenery. “Each flower would serve many honeybees to collect the nectar. I observe with pride that many students and even several of my colleagues have altogether stopped plucking flowers and leaves in their surroundings. Flora and fauna are the best teachers,” says Mr. Sudhakar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Umashanker / Chittoor – March 11th, 2019

Water resource department bags Global Platinum Award-2019 for HR, skill development

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

Water Resources department bagged Global Platinum Award-2019 for human resources and skill development.

Vijayawada :

Water Resources department bagged Global Platinum Award-2019 for human resources and skill development. The Energy and Environment Foundation of India, Delhi, presented the award during the 9th World PetroCoal Congress and Expo held in Delhi on February 17. Delegates from 10 countries, including India, participated in the conference.

The award has been presented for the skill development activity to empower farmers in different programmes taken up by the Water Resources department, awareness and skill development programmes for the farmers taken up by Hydrology project and Andhra Pradesh Integrated Irrigation Agriculture Transformation Project. During Polavaram project virtual review meeting, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu congratulated Water Resources Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, Principal Secretary Sasi Bhushan Kumar, joint director Varaprasad Rao and DD Srinivas Nalluri for the achievement.

They informed Naidu that 66 per cent of Polavaram project works have been completed so far. The Chief Minister said Anantapur district stood first in groundwater resource and Kurnool district in river water conservation. He said, Visakhapatnam stands second in groundwater recharge and Kadapa district for reviving water resources.  Stating that water will be taken to Chittoor by March 15, the Chief Minister said that he will attend the ‘Jalasiriki Harathi’ to be organised at Palamaner, Kuppam, Madanapalli, Thamballapalle and Punganur in the district. Naidu said drinking water will be supplied to Madanapalle on a regular basis.

The officials apprised the Chief Minister that Pulichintala, Gundlakamma, Madakasira branch canal and Adavipalli reservoir were ready for inauguration.  They said second phase of Vamsadhara, Vamsadhara-Nagavali linking, Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi phase I works are under progress. Earlier, Naidu released a ground report of Polavaram project presented by Keller company.

Global Platinum Award-2019 was presented in Delhi

The award has been presented for the skill development activity to empower farmers in different programmes taken up by the Water Resources department, awareness and skill development programmes for the farmers taken up by Hydrology project and Andhra Pradesh Integrated Irrigation Agriculture Transformation Project.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Vijayawada / by Express News Service / February 19th, 2019

A women-owned dairy in Andhra Pradesh eyes the big league

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Nature
Women power: Shareholders going to supply milk to the dairy at Gollapalle village | Photo Credit: K_V_PoornachandraKumar
Women power: Shareholders going to supply milk to the dairy at Gollapalle village | Photo Credit: K_V_PoornachandraKumar

With a strength of over 83,000, it procures 3.5 lakh litres of milk a day

Before Shreeja entered her life, middle-aged Gangamma of Palamaner mandal in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district had to be content with the daily drudgery of maintaining her barn and selling the milk from her cows to a private supplier. And that came with the attendant problems of first realising payments from the buyer, and once the money was received, risk having the cash commandeered by a dominant male member of the family — father, husband, son or father-in-law.

But once Gangamma joined the dairy cooperative, the Tirupati-based Shreeja Mahila Milk Producer Company, life changed unimaginably for the better. Along with an army of more than 83,000 women, she is now a proud co-owner of a dairy that not only procures 3.5 lakh litres of milk every day but has become a ‘game-changer’ in the milk-rich Chittoor district.

Shreeja, arguably the world’s largest dairy that is exclusively owned by women, was established under the emerging concept of a ‘producer company’ in September 2014. Backed by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Shreeja is considered a miniature of Amul — every supplier here becomes a shareholder, or conversely, milk is procured only from shareholders. As a result, the shareholder base has spread across the State’s three southern districts of Chittoor, Anantapuram and Nellore besides the bordering areas in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The cooperative principles of democratic governance and autonomy are also strictly adhered to. Women are not just shareholders, but also handle key positions on the board, as 11 of them are always on the 15-member governing board on a rotation basis, apart from three expert directors and a Chief Executive Officer.

The advantages in this ‘all women’ dairy are many. “First, it is a giant leap towards ensuring women’s empowerment in the countryside,” Shreeja’s CEO Jayatheertha Chary told The Hindu.

A great recognition

“Secondly, it recognises the services of the women who are actually involved in milking and cattle management. Thirdly, when suppliers and owners are the same, there is no scope for adulteration as it adversely impacts the yield, the profit and thus their dividend,” he added.

Prior to the establishment of the cooperative, incomes were largely impacted by arbitrariness in calculation of fat and SNF percentage, besides human errors in weighing. The payments, when released, never reached the women. Shreeja’s entry into the dairy landscape changed everything.

“Payment is made once in fifteen days, which gets deposited straight into my bank account, making our men look to us for petty cash”, Lakshmi Devi, resident of a village in Tirupati rural mandal, said with a wide grin. Transparency in transactions is ensured as data on the procured milk is processed real-time and the amount payable is arrived at right in front of the women.

Initially, there was substantial resistance from the men, who demanded payment to them in cash. But the company, as part of its avowed policy of ensuring women’s empowerment as well as a commitment to ‘Digital India’ initiative, stuck to bank transfers to the women’s accounts. The men were soon left with little choice but to accept the change. And seeing the success of the initiative, they are now happy with the savings generated for their families.

The handling of milk was resolved with the use of technology. Milk gathered from the 2,400 pooling points are shifted to a centrally-located Bulk Milk Cooling Unit (BMCU), which can handle up to 5,000 litres. When the volume and distance increases, the procured milk is sent to a bigger Milk Chilling Centre (MCC) having a capacity of 20,000 litres.

While collection details were earlier sent to the corporate office through pen drives, the data is now received online through GPRS-enabled units.

Frequent power cuts no longer pose a grave threat to the cooling units, after the company decided to solar-power the entire setup.

Going retail

Shreeja processes the milk it procures at Balaji Dairy, an NDDB-operated unit in Tirupati. As much as 80% of the milk is sent to New Delhi-based Mother Dairy through railway containers. With a procurement channel firmly in place, the company is now eyeing ‘real visibility’ through retail market presence. Apart from supplying to external agencies, Shreeja is now mulling production of curd, buttermilk, lassi, sweets, yoghurt and flavoured milk as part of a plan for value addition. There are currently four outlets in Chittoor and plans are afoot to open one in Tirupati.

“Like Amul, we too plan to have a little girl as our brand ambassador, whose icon will feature on our packets”, said Mr. Chary.

Shreeja also regularly trains women in barn hygiene and cattle management, works in tandem with the local veterinary officer to identify diseases and conducts deworming camps thrice a year. The company has also arranged micro insurance and accident insurance to the women and animal insurance for the cattle — the cows are ear-tagged with a unique code. When eight of the 4,000 animals insured in the last five months died, the owners were not burdened as they received fair compensation on their claims.

With Shreeja now aiming to get itself into the list of ‘Top 10’ dairy enterprises in India by the year 2025, the company has invested in capacity building. Given that women get more involved when they perceive ownership and as it takes a lot of effort to ensure transformation of a homemaker into a corporate decision maker, counseling sessions are held to aid this ‘supplier-to-owner’ mental transformation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by A.D. Rangarajan / Tirupati – February 25th, 2018

New software to help assess groundwater data in State

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology
Groundwater Department Deputy Director K.S. Sastry explaining the software-based assessment of groundwater, in Visakhapatnam.
Groundwater Department Deputy Director K.S. Sastry explaining the software-based assessment of groundwater, in Visakhapatnam.

APGRACE will assist in formulating strategies for judicious use of water

Andhra Pradesh has come out with a pioneering software to assess groundwater data and use it to efficiently plan recharge strategies and exploitation of water resources.

The software, developed by the Andhra Pradesh Centre for Financial Systems and Services (APCFS), was used for groundwater-related data collection for 2016-17 (done in 2017-18), and awaits the approval of the State and Central governments. The software is called A.P. Groundwater Resource Assessment, Categorisation and Evaluation (APGRACE).

Using the data, strategies can be worked out on judicious use of water and its conservation.

For instance, non-rechargeable areas and rechargeable areas in the command and non-command areas are readily available, says Deputy Director of Groundwater and Water Audit K.S. Sastry, explaining the efficacy of the data collected using the software.

“Recharge projects coming under the NREGA scheme, like check dams, farm ponds, percolation tanks and contour trenches, may also be planned accordingly, resulting in better utilisation of resources,” Mr. Sastry told The Hindu on Tuesday.

Difficult process

The data collected in 2012-13 was used for computation and calibration in the development of the software.

Estimation of groundwater resources used to be a difficult process with collection of voluminous data from 13 to 14 departments on rainfall, irrigation systems, crops, crop patterns, agricultural wells, recharge structures and utilisation through various means. Doing it manually was a time-taking exercise.

The data is sent to the Union Ministry of Water Resources, with the exercise being carried out every three years after the approval by the State-level Committee. It is used in regulation, development of groundwater and in framing policies and schemes on it.

After the collection of data, it is entered manually on 50 Excel sheets with embedded links, which is a cumbersome process. Another problem was that there was no streamlined process of demarcation. In several states, a block would be taken as a unit while in Andhra Pradesh, an entire village would be considered as a unit. This problem was discussed at the State-level in the department, Mr. Sastry said.

Even Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu felt the need for collecting annual data, he said.

The idea of getting a dedicated software was proposed to then Visakhapatnam Collector Pravin Kumar by Mr. Sastry, who readily approved it and provided the necessary funding. APCFS, which deals with e-governance and IT applications and has a panel of vendors, was approached for the development of the software.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by G.V. Prasada Sarma / Visakhapatnam – February 22nd, 2019

‘Aseel cock rearing can be economically viable’

Agriculture, Nature
An Aseel breeder shows his prized possession.
An Aseel breeder shows his prized possession.

A chicken breed once reared for fighting abilities is now sought for its looks

Eggs that fetch between ₹1,000 to ₹2,500 each and cocks that cost as much as ₹1.5 lakh may sound like a flight of fancy but these are not ordinary hens and roosters that breeders are rearing.

With fans of the Aseel — a chicken breed once reared for its fighting abilities and now sought for its looks — ready to pay for birds sporting well-bred parrot beaks and peacock tails, a breeder from remote Cumbum village, near Markapur town in Andhra’s Prakasam district, is running a roaring business by rearing roosters.

Chilakacherla Krishnamachari took to breeding exotic indigenous chicken varieties in a small way in the 1990s, impressed by their build and warrior-like appearance.

“I got two pairs from the Bobbili royal family in Vizianagaram and slowly developed the farm over the years,” he says, recounting how it all started.

Now well-connected with customers on social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Youtube, he mints money selling Aseel eggs and chicks to bird lovers within the country and abroad at fancy prices, while retaining the breeder cocks and hens.

While a well-bred 40-day-old chick fetches ₹20,000, the cost goes up as the chicks get older. An 18-month Aseel commands as much as ₹1.25 lakh, he says after concluding a business deal with an Aseel admirer from Udumalpet in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Beauty contests

The fascination for Aseels among enthusiasts has pushed up the price of roosters since 2015. Aseel lovers now hold beauty contests at periodic intervals, says the breeder, showing the medals won by his pets in a competition held in Dindigul last year. For centuries, the ferocious Aseels were reared for their fighting abilities during gladiator events and to inspire soldiers from retreating during a war. “But I rear the birds with short beaks and long tails only to showcase them to bird lovers during beauty contests,’’ the 50-year-old breeder says, gearing up for participation in one such event in Chennai in March.

He also says he avoids using an incubator for hatching, even though more eggs can be hatched in a shorter period. To protect his precious birds, he deploys two ferocious guard dogs that maintain a strict round-the-clock vigil on the farm.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by S. Murali / Ongole – February 21st, 2019

Cage culture of Tilapia on pilot basis

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

With an objective to boost the cage culture of Tilapia farming in the State, the Water Resources department has agreed in-principle to accord permission to take up the project in the reservoirs in AP.

Vijayawada :

With an objective to boost the cage culture of Tilapia farming in the State, the Water Resources department has agreed in-principle to accord permission to take up the project in the reservoirs in AP. The officials from the fisheries department said the project will initially be rolled out on a pilot basis at Madduvalasa Reservoir in Srikakulam district and later would be scaled up to other areas.

The project was undertaken as part of a MoU signed with the USA-based Fishin’ Company, which had entered into a pact with the State government in September last year to produce the targeted 1.7 metric tonnes of Tilapia annually, the officials added.

Tilapia, also known as Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT), is a fast-growing, high-yielding and value buy variety of fish across the globe. “We received an in-principle approval from the Water Resources department to take up the project in Madduvalasa Reservoir,” an official said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Vijayawada / by Express News Service / February 09th, 2019

Ryots get access to ‘dry chain’, a cost-effective technology

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

It helps in getting seed moisture at desired level

Dry chain, a sustainable farm production model, offering simple and cost-effective technology to ensure safe, dry and high-quality staple food, is now available to the farmers of Chittoor district. The technology helps reduce aflatoxin levels in groundnut, which is one of the major crops in the district.

Vivia Foundation, a Netherlands-based public benefit organisation, launched the ‘Dry chain for groundnuts’ post-harvest programme during the current kharif season at Renuka Bio Farms unit in Routhusuramala village near Srikalahasti recently, where the solar drying chambers were inaugurated. The technology was co-developed at the University of California, Davis. Grameena Vikas Samithi (GVS), a voluntary organisation accredited with the United Nations Conventions, extended support in establishing the ‘Clean works’ rural pilot project.

Dry chain is a technology aimed at getting seed moisture at the desired level, which is 9% for groundnut. “While solar drying is the optimal option for groundnut, using zeolite beads is suggested for absorbing moisture in high-value seeds”, says Rajendranath Reddy, founder of Renuka Bio Farms.

Field-tested

Kent J. Bradford, Director of Seed Biotechnology Centre at University of California, Davis, who inaugurated the facility, dubs it the first comprehensive field-tested ‘dry chain’ system in India, applied to pre-harvest and post-harvest crop processing. Future demonstrations and training programmes are being planned to showcase dry chain technologies at the farm.

“The research study for groundnuts will continue till the next rabi season ending next spring, in which farmers from across the State will be involved”, explains GVS director L. Suryanarayana Reddy. The pilot project utilised ‘Kalgudi’, a mobile application as the platform for farmer training, data collection, transactions and supply chain traceability. The technology will be passed on to local farmers so as to improve yield quality and increase overall farm revenue.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by A.D. Rangarajan / Tirupati – November 12th, 2018