Agriculture

Grain storage

Will write in more detail if needed / questions come in mocks

Schemes to strengthen storage of foodgrains

• Agri Infra Fund 2020
  • for warehouses, cold storage, sorting, grading unit, logistics
• Agri Marketing Infra financial assisstance for construction & renovation of warehouses, godowns
• PM Kisan SAMPADA Yojna: modern infra for FPI

Why storage upgradation needed?

• WB Report: foodgrain perish / loses due to improper storage are large enough to feed 1/3 of indian poor
• price stability (release stocks during shortage)
• supporting PDS
• reduce farmer distress

Challenges in food grain storage

• regional imbalance (PB, HR lead; E/NE states lack)
• schemes like Private Entrepreneur Guarantee Schemes for storage projects faced major delays (2-7 years)
• climate change accelerating fungal spoilage
• storage at farmer level are poor
  • eg. made using mud, bamboo, stones etc are prone to rodent infestation, insects etc

Way forward

• CAG Performance Audit Report 2023 recos
  • Augment scientific storage capacity
  • Phase out CAP (open) Storage
• Shanta Kumar Committee 2014
  • computerization of storage management for real time digital tracking
  • Private sector participation
  • Promotion of Negotiable Warehouse Receipt system

Integrated Farming System

Approach integrating multiple components - crops, livestock, horticulture, fishery, poultry, apiary on single farm unit.

• improve productivity of land
• more stable income for small farmers
• Allows recycling on farm nutrients
• nutrition security by diverse types of food

Challenges

• capital intensive
• knowledge gap
• labour requirement
• small landholdings

Govt Initiatives

• ICAR-AICRP for IFS to develop location specific models
• Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan : bridge lab to land gap
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna - promote organic nutrient cycling b/w livestock & crop
• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture - Rainfed Area Developmnte for promoting location specific IFS clusters

Tech in Agri

• Input optimization: drone, GPS, resource use efficiency, land resource mgmt, crop sown registry, smart irrigation system
• delivery of govt services:
  • eg. DBT
• crop diversification: eg. HORTNET to connect horticulturist to agri extension service
• Krishi - Decision Support System
• Hyperlocal weather forecasting: Kisan Suvidha App, WINDS Portal, Alerts by Meghdoot App
• smart livestock management
• Kisan Sarathi: info on new agri tech, products, services
• insurance: CROPic Scheme under PM Fasal Bima
• customized advisory on nutrition, pest management (Plantix App)
  • lower fert/ pesticide use to resolve env contamination (biomagnification, eutrophication)
• facilitate reduced energy usage, minimize reliance on fossil fuels

Millets (Shree Ann)

Definition

FAO: collective term for number of small seeded annual grasses, cultivated as grain crops.

imp: pearl millet, finger pillet, proso millet, foxtail millet.

Role of millets in promoting health/ nutrition

• high in micronutrient eg. iron (needed by indian women)
• low glycemic index helps diabetes management
• antioxidant, healthy fat helps prevent lifestyle disorder
• fiber rich $=$ promote satiety, prevent overeating
• high in calcium (ragi)
• high protein
• gluten free
• stable yields (drought, heat resillient), low water requirement == farmer income $\uparrow ⟹$ he purchase better meals for family
• long shelf life, versatile for processed food
• allows nutrition fortification, to help combat wide variety of deficiencies

Narendra Modi

Millet is good for the consumer, cultivator and climate.

ICAR

• estd. 1929
• Lab to Land programme 1979, and recently also
• apps:
  • Pusa Krishi: connect farmer w/ new farm tech, crop variieties
  • Backyard Poultry Farming App: guides rural farmers on running small poultry business
  • Meghdoot
• New challenges:
  • climate change
  • declining groundwater, soil degradation
  • pest & disease evolution
  • small/fragmented landholding
  • diversification needs
• Food Security = Nutrition security $+$ Income security (thru high value activities)
• cluster approach
• develop farming from business pespective
  • risk factors
  • cost effectiveness
  • market development for new crops
    • eg. Millet, Makhana
• demand driven research
• location, situation driven research
  • eg. dedicated agri research teams for north eastern communities
• Agri should move from state to concurrent list, as agri is a broad economic matter now

Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)

• covers all states + UT
• area based regionally differentiated strategy
• centrally sponsored scheme
• cluster approach
• nutritional security
• productivity $\uparrow$ by:
  • quality germplasm
  • water use efficiency
  • micro irrigation
  • cold storage
• Covers:
  • fruits, veggies, spices
  • flowers
  • coconut
  • bamboo
  • mushroom
• Also focus on Human Resource Development
  • capacity building (farmers, technician)
  • State agriculture universities
  • krishi vigyan kendra
  • training imparted for floriculture, beekeeping, post harvest processing etc
• financial assistance for
  • area expansion eg. establish new orchard
  • rejunevation of old orchard
  • protected cultivation
  • organic farming, certification
  • beekeeping
  • creating water resources structure, watershed management
  • creation of post harvest management / marketing infra

Makhana

Makhana market projected to reach Rs.11,000 Cr by 2029-30.

India accounts for 90% of global Makhana production. Bihar gives 90% of India’s production.

GI protection to Mithila Makhana in 2022.

Habitat

• aquatic ecosystem
  • shallow, stagnant freshwater wetland
  • perennial pond, oxbow lakes (called beel in bihar)
• climate:
  • warm, humid tropical / subtropical
  • abundant water depth (1-1.5m)
  • clayey / alluvial organic rich pond bed

Significance of Makhana

• nutrition: magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, fibre
• antioxidant
• low GI, gluten free
• high yield cultivars