Organic farming — a hope for Punjab
By Ranjit Singh
Agriculture in Punjab needs new directions in order to improve financial conditions of peasantry. This can be done to a great extent by diversifying agriculture. New opportunities have been made available due to globalisation of the trade. In fact, globalisation has brought forth opportunities as well as threats.

Post-harvest measures to check rural indebtedness
By G.S. Dhillon
POST-HARVEST measures or “value addition” to crops (e.g. cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, flowers, mushroom, milk eggs and honey) so as to increase the share of profits of the farming community, if undertaken, can help in the reduction of rural indebtedness.

Sewage treatment through aquaculture
By Sonu Satija and Bibhu Mishra

INDIA generates around 15000 million litres per day (mld) of domestic waste in about 204 class I and 240 class II cities. This domestic waste includes household waste, human excreta, detergents and soaps, livestock waste et al. According to official view of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in India this waste water contains nutrients of an estimated value to the tune of Rs 375 million. So we let over Rs 37 crore daily go down the drain — literally.

Most of this domestic sewage goes waste and also pollutes the natural resources disturbing the ecosystem. This sewage waste pollutes sea, rivers, ponds and lakes. A CPCB survey says that 75 per cent of the total pollution caused to the Ganga is due to the domestic waste. This discharge of sewage and sullage of Uttar Pradesh,Bihar and West Bengal, according to the CPCB is estimated to generate organic waste of a volume of 4.33 lakh tonnes. Besides the Ganga, the other water bodies affected by sewage pollution are the Yamuna ( Haryana, Delhi), the Sutlej and the Beas (Punjab), the Hugli (Calcutta), the Brahmaputra (north-east states), the Sabarmati (Ahmedabad), the Narmada (Madhya Pradesh), the Mahanadi and the Brahmani (MP and Orissa), the Godavari (Maharashtra), the Bay of Bengal (Chennai and the Arabian Sea (Mumbai).

This sewage when mixed with natural water generates pollutants like BOD5 (biological oxygen demand), COD (chemical oxygen demand), solids, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, noxious gases like hydrogen sulphide, chloride, methane, nitrogen, carbondioxide, carbon monoxide with sludge gases. All these consume oxygen from the water. The shortage of oxygen, thus caused in a natural waterbody, restricts the self-purification process. The reason being this process needs oxygen as a basic prerequisite. The negative value of oxygen in waterbody and bacterial loads in discharge of untreated sewage causes physical, chemical and biological damages with multidimensional problems to the natural environment. The introduction of number of non-biodegradable and toxic substances to the aquatic system makes it lethal to the aquatic population and unfit for further use. Thus, the stoppage of discharge sewage waste is formidable, treatment is indispensable to check pollution and maintain ecobalance in natural aquatic system.

Treatment measures:

In India, mostly the treatment processes available are categorised as natural and mechanical systems. The conventional treatment processes include activated sludge, trickling filters, oxidation/waste stabilisation ponds and aerated lagoons. The modern treatment methods include wetlands, agro-forestry, vermicomposting and the latest in use is duckweed — aquaculture land treatment system.

The methods falling under the mechanical system category involve the use of energy in terms of power, technical skill in terms of labour, high establishment costs and a huge infrastructure. In contrast the natural land treatment methods score far better. The reasons being, firstly, power is not required and secondly, only better management practices and indigenous modus operandi gives similar or better results in terms of treatment efficiency.

In India many leading institutes like the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), the Regional Research Laboratories (RRLs), and the Central Public Health Engineering Research Institute (CPHERI) are involved in developing different treatment measures of domestic sewage. In states, the orgamisations like the Public Health Department, the Water Supply and Sewerage Board (WSSB) and the Municipal Corporations carry out these technologies.

Though mechanical treatment methods are also employed in the country, the constraints involved are paucity of financial resources, high-energy inputs required and low returns on capital investment to build treatment plants. To overcome these limitations researches have carried out alternative technologies. The latest emerging technique is duckweed-based aquaculture sewage treatment plant (ASTP). This technology is a natural system of waste management and possesses the distinct advantage of minimum use of mechanical equipment, eco-friendly technology and capable of generating revenue from the system.

The ASTP in field scale at Matgajpur in Cuttack and Orissa for treating domestic sewage combined with duckweed culture and fishculture was established by the CIFA, Bhubaneshwar, in collaboration with the Public Health Department, Government of Orissa, under a project funded by the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD), Ministry of Environmental and Forest, during the year 1994.

In the ASTP the raw domestic sewage effluent is let into a series of duckweed culture ponds. Duckweed is basically floating plants. They act as a pollutant stripper by removing the BOD, the COD, nitrogen, phosphorous and potash to a considerable amount. Further the treated sewage from duckweed ponds is passed to fish ponds where India’s major carp species like rohu, catla, mrigal, exotic carps, silver carp and common carp are cultured.

It has been estimated that for the treatment of one mld of domestic sewage the total area requirement for duckweed culture is 0.36 hectare and for fish culture 0.2 hectare. So in 0.56 hectare of land one mld sewage can be treated. With five days of retention periods about 90 per cent of pollutant loads can be removed. In fish ponds around three to four tonnes of fish can be harvested with a monetary value of Rs 18,000 within 10-12 months of the culture period.

The duckweed species grows three to four times in a week’s time in the culture complex. The harvested duckweed could be used for feeding of one type of fish called grass carp. With a total capital cost of Rs 15 lakh and an operational cost of Rs 85,000, the system gives a return of Rs 33,000 per year from sale of fish, apart from pollution control.

The Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB) at Phillaur, the Fisheries Department, Haryana, at Jind, the Karnataka Water Supply and Sewerage Board at KR Nagar, Bangalore, the Municipal Corporation at Vijaywada, and the UP Jal Nigam at Varanasi have show keen interest in the similar models with varying capacities.

The plant at Phillaur with a capacity of four mld is at advanced stages. Scientists of the CIFA are providing the technical assistance. The current waste water generation of Phillaur is 2.72 mld, which is directly let into the Sutlej without treatment disturbing the aquatic flora and fauna. It is estimated that the town will be producing four mld by 2015. Keeping in mind the future needs, the plant has been planned. With the proven technology by the CIFA and the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board under the Sutlej action plan proposed a low-cost energy saving resource recovery ASTP model for the first time in North India.

According to a report by the Ministry of Water Resources, India’s population will exceed 1189 millions by the year 2010. Per capita water availability will be 913 m3. In the same study it has been pointed out that India is likely to experience water stress from 2007 onwards. So to counter the problem in the right earnest and to pre-empt this stress the sewage water treatment is formidable. The treated water can further be reused for productive purposes to avert water shortage in the foreseeable future.

Organic farming — a hope for Punjab
By Ranjit Singh

Agriculture in Punjab needs new directions in order to improve financial conditions of peasantry. This can be done to a great extent by diversifying agriculture. New opportunities have been made available due to globalisation of the trade. In fact, globalisation has brought forth opportunities as well as threats.

Punjab can create an internationalmarket for vegetables, fruits, flowers and milk products. But we can only compete in world market by producing quality product. In order to produce for the world market, a dynamic agricultural production system is required. This will require a suitable technology, effective communication and delivery system and supportive goverment policies.

It is the best time for those farmers who can produce for processing and international market and it is the worst time for those farmers who will not be able to compete. Our products are of poor quality and have traces of chemicals used to control weeds and pests. Residues of chemical fertilisers have been detected. The contamination of food material with pesticides is becoming a very serious problem.

Punjab uses the maximum amount of chemicals in agriculture as compared to any other state of the country. In the world market, people are very much conscious of the purity of the products. Special emphasis is being laid on organic farming i.e. farming without the use of chemicals. Such products are known as organic products and are sold at a premium.

The European Union has passed strict regulations on organic products and farmers have to observe the same to be label his produce as organic product. The regulations apply to milk and meat products also.

According to these regulations, farmers are not allowed to use any chemicals on the crop, including fodder. The use of a chemical will only be allowed if it is essential for the control of a harmful organism or a particular disease for which other biological, cultural, physical or plant breeding alternative are not available and the conditions for its use preclude any direct contact with the seed, crop or crop products. However, in the case of perennial crops, direct contact may take place, but only outside the growing season of the edible parts (fruits), provided that such application does not indirectly result in the presence of residue of the chemical in the edible parts, and its use not result in or contribute to unacceptable effects or contamination of the environment. Similarly, for the purpose of fertilisation or soil conditioning an unauthorised product can be used if it is essential for specific nutrition requirements of crops or specific soil conditioning purposes. Anyhow, prior approval of the competent authority is required before its use.

The concept of organic production system is not new. It came into existence about a quarter century ago through the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM). Principles for organic production have been developed as concrete and constructive response to the criticism of the negative impact of the conventional production regime.

In Denmark the state regulation of organic production came into force in December, 1987. While in Denmark last month, I visited organic farm and factories processing organic products, and talked to persons concerned.

Opponents of organic farming plead that it will not be possible to raise crops successfully without the application of chemical fertilisers, weedicides and pesticides.The experiences of Denmark, the USA and other European countries confirm that it is possible to raise crops, vegetables and fruits without the application of chemicals.

Danish farmers told me that they faced some setback at the initial stages but now they are getting similar yields of higher quality. Presently 20 per cent of the milk supplied from dairies there to retail stores is organic and sells at a 25 per cent higher price.

Organic farming will not only be able to capture foreign market but will also help in preserving the eco-system and sustainability of farming.

Since a majority of farms in Punjab are small, organic farming cannot be taken up by individual farmers. There has to be a “cluster farm approach” to maintain sustainabilitiy.

Strategy:

In Punjab there are areas having specialisation to produce cash crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, basmati, etc. There is a need to identify such areas. To begin with, new projects pertaining to high-tech agriculture can be started in selected areas. One block can be selected from each district according to the major crop of that area. Even from each block 10 to 15 villages can be identified. Punjab Agricultural University should be entrusted with the responsibility of developing suitable technology for each selected crop. There is also a need to establish one processing plant for each block. A marketing network should be developed with the help of local cooperative societies for each block and for each crop. Selected farmers must be given proper training in the cultivation of these crops. Punjab has nine krishi vigyan kendras and a centre at Ludhiana. These kendras can be made responsible for providing training. A state-level committee should plan and execute the new programmes.

Post-harvest measures to check rural indebtedness
By G.S. Dhillon

POST-HARVEST measures or “value addition” to crops (e.g. cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, flowers, mushroom, milk eggs and honey) so as to increase the share of profits of the farming community, if undertaken, can help in the reduction of rural indebtedness.

Whereas farming has made spectacular progress during the past three decades, the condition of the farming community has deteriorated steadily. More than 80 per cent of the Punjabi farmers are at present not enjoying average economic status. The total indebtedness of the Punjab’s farmers is put at Rs 5,700 crore, for which an average farmer’s share of annual payment of interest is around Rs 11,000.

Because of an increase of input prices relating to the farming operations and fragmentation of land holdings, the profit margin of farmers had declined. The impact of farm mechanisation on economy of farmers has resulted in setting in of a decay process in the rural socio-economic scenario.

An appraisal of the socio-economic status of rural community reveals that while farming has made satisfactory progress in terms of the productivity levels of crops and livestock, but the economic conditions of farmers is far from satisfactory. The yields of the most of crops as well as milk and egg productivity in Punjab are the highest in the country and even compare favourably with some of the developed countries, but due to lack of any value addition or post-harvesting effort on the part of farmers, their economic condition has not improved.

So the future strategies need focusing not only on how to achieve higher yields or how to reduce input cost of the various farming operations but also as how to induce the farmers to undertake measures for value addition at the post-harvested stage of their produce. So in addition to undertaking measures for the diversification of farm produce, the government should generate more opportunities in the agro-industrial units set up in rural areas.

Our efforts need to be directed towards popularising high-value crops like vegetables and fruits and also setting up farming, dairying, poultry and fishery operations. Priority needs to be given to strengthening the infrastructure relating to marketing of high-value agricultural produce, particularly perishable commodities. Facilities are needed to be created for “pre-cooling” and “refrigerated transport”.

There is need to provide client-based education relating to the post-harvesting efforts by devising programmes of training and demonstration for farmers to enable them to adopt sophisticated technologies of value addition. The aspects on which emphasis needs to be given are:

— Developing value-addition measures for agricultural and animal produce, including cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, flowers, mushroom, honey, milk, eggs, etc.

— Diversification of agricultural operations and in place of the paddy-wheat rotation, taking up of high-value crops like vegetables, fruits etc.

— Developing of technologies and processes for preparation of “palatable, nutritious, ready-to-serve products like tomato, watermelon, carrot, “pathar nakh” and juice of sugarcane and kinnow.

— Processing, packaging and transport of livestock and agricultural produce for home and foreign markets by preservation of perishable commodities.

— Developing “agricultural complexes” in a cluster of villages to generate employment for rural population so as to reduce pressure on land and curb migration to cities.

— Development of cost-effective and efficient technologies for harnessing solar energy and biomass energy for domestic and for farm machinery operation.

— Development of biomass pre-conversion and identification and refinement technologies for thermal and biological conversion of biomass to fuels.

Status of post-harvesting technologies in Punjab:

The main work in the field is done by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and some of the developed technologies and processes are:

— Storing of kinnow fruit. By packing and sealing individual fruit in high density polythene packs, the shelf life is increased to eight weeks.

— Blended fruit juice drinks have been evolved by blending fruit juices of kinnow, grape, pear, guava, mango, etc.

— Ready-to-serve food. Technologies and processes have been evolved for preparation of ready-to-serve dishes of tomato, watermelon, carrot, juice of sugarcane and “pathar nakh”.

— Chicken salami and meat pickle. Processes have been standardised for the preparation of these two products as home-made products. In addition, honey based beverage has been developed.

Bakery products developed are flat bread having long shelf life; high protein formulations, which also supply needed dietary fibre, have been developed using sunflower kernels and linseed; protein enriched cookies have been developed from composite flour of wheat, green gram and black gram; and baked products from sprouted (damaged) wheat have been evolved.

Dairying:

— Keep your animals in dry place and change the bedding material when it gets wet. Newly born calves need special care in cold weather since they are susceptible to pneumonia and a large number die of this disease. Keep them warm by providing clean dry bedding.

— Keep the animals in the shade at night time and in the sun during the day. Allow the entry of sun rays inside the shed during the day.

— The concentrate mixture should have high energy. The protein in the concentrate can be reduced 2 to 3 per cent.

— Do not apply milk on teats. Application of desi ghee of vaseline or butter after milking can save teats from cracking. Teat dipping should be done with a mixture of glycerine and betadine (Povidone Iodine) solution (1:6).

— If any animal is sick, symptoms like discharge from eyes and nostrils are there, immediately get the animal examined.

— Get the animals vaccinated against foot and mouth disease (FMD).

— Always handle the healthy animals first and sick ones the last.

— Get your animals examined for pregnancy after two to three months of mating or artificial insemination.

— Deworm the calves first at 10 days of age, then 15 days and then three monthly up to 12 months of age with piperazine.

Poultry:

— Correct the curtains of windows. Do not allow the fall of temperature inside the shed below 60°F. If the temperature falls, there is need for doubling the curtains.

— Keep the chicks warm by giving them heat according to age. For the first week keep 90 to 95°F and go on decreasing 5°F per week, according to the season.

— Rear the newly purchased chicks away from layers. Avoid the entry of cold wind inside the shed.

— Poultry ration should have more energy. Increase cereals 5 to 8 per cent in the ration, thereby reducing the rice bran.

Fish farming:

— Maintain water level of the pond to 4.5ft to 5ft to provide warm deeper layers of water during late night/early morning.

— Do not apply any organic manure or inorganic fertiliser if the colour of the pond water is grass-green.

— Apply quick lime @ 50 kg per acre to prevent the incidence of diseases during unfavorable winter temperature.

— Reduce feeding to a maintenance level of 500g of feed per day per 1000 fish.

—Progressive Farming, PAU