Shed inhibition; rear bees for money
A FEW extra bucks and not an inch of surplus land can spell self-sufficiency for many farmers, if only they shed the age-old inhibition and take to rearing bees for money.

Why farm sector income low in Punjab
By Harjit Singh
The continuous decline in the income of the agricultural sector refers to the farming in crisis in Punjab. It is certain that the farmer has invested on the fixed resources of agriculture beyond the necessity which is mainly responsible for the financial crisis of the Punjab farmer. If we look at the Five-Year Plans, we come to know that the agro-sector income has not declined only in Punjab but in other states also.

Need for proper farm management
By V.S. Mahajan
WHEN Green Revolution was ushered in Punjab in the sixties it brought tremendous praise for the state from various countries and became envy of other states in the country who were anxious to follow the example of Punjab. Soon it was realised that Punjab could extend the frontiers of Green Revolution which was initially confined to wheat, by extending it to paddy cultivation when in summer most of the fields lay idle.

Horticultural operations
The deciduous fruit plants like pear, grapes and phalsa should be planted before they start new growth. Citrus, mango, guava, loquat and ber being evergreen fruit plants should either be planted in late February if the weather warms up or in the next month. However, August-September is preferable season of planting.

Steps to get better apple crop
By Balkrishan Prashar

APPLE is the most important fruit crop of the temperate region. Himachal Pradesh has been bestowed by nature with varied type of agro-climatic conditions suitable for the cultivation of various fruits. Chamba is the only district of Himachal Pradesh having all the four agro-climatic zones ranging from sub-tropical to dry temperate identified on the basis of elevation and the topography, It gives an added advantage to this district where different kinds of fruits and crops can be grown.

Unfortunately, the people of this district are not in a position to harness the vast potential. In Chamba the area under apple cultivation in 1995-96 was 6,480 hectares which has increased to 8,307 hectares in 1998-99. In Himachal Pradesh the yield per hectare is 6.8 tonnes, while in Chamba it is less than one tonne.

The low productivity in apple is due to a wide variety of factors, including selection of improper cultivation, inadequate fertiliser application, improper spacing, lack of proper proportion of pollinisers, cultural and disease and pest management practices. The erratic nature and uncertainty of climatic factors are further aggravating the problem. The inadequate snowfall in winters and drought-like conditions during the summer of the previous year had resulted in meagre fruit production. It had also resulted in the behavioural change of the fruit plants. Plants were observed blooming during November-December in many apple growing belts of Chamba.

“Golden Delicious” is the main pollinating variety in most of the orchards. With the change in the climatic factors, absence of synchronisation of flowering of pollinisers and the main variety was quite conspicuous. The Golden variety was observed flowering quite early, while there was only a flower bud formation at that time in the main varieties which resulted in a poor fruit set.

Spelling out remedial measures, Dr Kishore Khosla, Assistant Extension Specialist of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Chamba, has emphasised that the orchard should be managed on scientific lines and the guidelines given by the scientists from time to time be followed. It is recommended that at least two-three types of pollinising varieties such as Tydeman’s Early Worcester, Golden Delicious, Lord Lambourne or Granny Smith should be planted. Crab apples are also good pollinisers having prolonged flowering period and can be fitted in the orchard between the rows. Top working with pollinisers on the grown up trees can be another option.

During flowering, the orchardist should keep at least two beehives per hectare land in the orchard, it will increase the pollination. They should put fertilisers as per recommendations in proper doses in time, and not use mixture fertilisers. They should also train the trees by using proper training and pruning methodology, always apply either Chaubattia paste or Mashobra paste on the cut ends to avoid canker disease development. During drought conditions, there is a need to apply grass mulch 3 to 4 inches thick in tree basins to conserve moisture. For emerging disease like per-mature leaf fall and cankers, special attention may be given to use recommended fungicides and be applied on time as well as to make judicious use of pesticides.

During this winter, two-three spells of snowfall have already been experienced so far in this region along with satisfactory number of rainfall. This may help in meeting the chilling requirement of the apple plants resulting in proper bud break and increase in the flowering and hence fruit setting. If one or two more spells of snowfall occurs it will definitely enhance apple production in Chamba’s mountainous region this year.

Shed inhibition; rear bees for money

A FEW extra bucks and not an inch of surplus land can spell self-sufficiency for many farmers, if only they shed the age-old inhibition and take to rearing bees for money.

Although extremely popular with farmers in the West, the benefits of bee-keeping have still to catch the fancy of Indian farmers who think that bees suck vital nutrients from the crops they visit.

On the contrary, bees, which are generally reared alongside oilseed and citrus crops feed on surplus pollen grains of the flowers and help increase the crop yield by cross pollination.

According to a study commissioned by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), India can literally enhance its honey production 10 times from the current 11,000 tonnes if apiculture is taken up as a serious occupation.

Based on a study of existing major crops from where honey can be harvested like mustard, sunflower, niger, rubber and citrus, the study says India has the potential to produce 2,50,000 tonnes of honey and can give China, which produces 2,00,000 tonnes, a run for its money.

But the impetus has to be given by farmers by either keeping bee boxes on their land or giving honey manufactures permission to use their plots for bee harvesting.

“Bee farming is a low investment business for farmers which also does not disturb the normal crop pattern. Thus, with a few thousand rupees in hand farmers can keep boxes along with their flowering crops and sell the honey either to local dealers or to big manufacturers, says Praveen Kaur, Member of the National Bee Keeping Board.

And although farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been convinced about the usefulness of bee-keeping, in general there is a conception in the farming community that bees extract the nutrients of a crop and hence are detrimental, says Praveen Kaur, who runs her own private company involved in bee farming in the northern belt.

In order to educate farmers and to provide a source of income to them, state agricultural institutes have launched training camps in bee-keeping and are also providing subsidy for bee-keeping equipment.

“Training camps ranging from one month to one-year duration have had a great impact on the local farming community which has come to understand profitability in the business”, says Pankaj Sharma of the Youth Association For Rural Development, Bulandshahr, which is conducting camps in Uttar Pradesh with the help of the state Agro Industrial Corporation Ltd.

“Four years ago when we started farmers were reluctant to rent out their land to us, but now they not only allow us to use their land, but have also started the business on their own,” says Sharma.

Moreover, as bees reproduce at a fast pace, a farmer who starts the business with 10 beehives purchased for Rs 20,000 can hope to have 30 beehives at the end of the season.

But big manufacturers also have an edge in areas where boxes have to be migrated keeping in mind the flowering pattern and season.

“Migrating bees requires more investment as boxes have to be loaded and taken to different flowering fields which sometimes have to move outside the state too if honey production has to be increased, says Praveen Kaur.

But small farmers are trying to cut into the monopoly of big names by forming rural cooperatives to market their produce.

“Earlier we were selling honey to a leading brand but were not getting a good price. But now as our production is increasing each year, we have decided to sell directly in big cities where there is demand,” says Madan Lal Saini of Rampur who was in New Delhi recently for the Krishi Expo.

Although the Punjab Agro Corporation and the UP Agro Cooperation have loan subsidies and other equipment needed for farming, much needs to be done to increase production of honey.

Presently the local consumption of honey is only 6,000 tonnes, whereas in China it is 1,000,000 tonnes.

Experts also state that consumers in India need to be educated about the quality of honey.

People have the perception that only translucent honey is the best nectar but it is the granulated one which is good. Moreover, there are various types of honey for which Indians need to develop a taste like sunflower honey, wild honey and litchi honey, she states. — PTI

Why farm sector income low in Punjab
By Harjit Singh

The continuous decline in the income of the agricultural sector refers to the farming in crisis in Punjab. It is certain that the farmer has invested on the fixed resources of agriculture beyond the necessity which is mainly responsible for the financial crisis of the Punjab farmer. If we look at the Five-Year Plans, we come to know that the agro-sector income has not declined only in Punjab but in other states also.

According to the Five-Year Plans, the growth rate of the industrial sector has been between 8 and 10 per cent. But in the agricultural sector, the growth rate was 5.44 per cent in the sixth plan. Similarly, in the seventh, eighth and ninth plans, it was 5.29, 3 and 2.38 per cent, respectively. This directly resulted in the decline of farm sector's income.

We can also determine the factors behind the decline in income. The first and biggest factor is decline in the cultivated area per farmer.

The number of farmers in 1980-81 was 10.27 lakh in Punjab, which rose to 11.89 lakh in 1998-99. So the increase in 18 years is about 1.62 lakh farmers. This means that the cultivated land is facing an additional burden of 9,000 farmers every year which is mainly responsible for the fragmentation of land holdings.

Although the Punjab farmer possesses less land for cultivation, yet he attempts to invest on heavy machinery. Due to less land, he cannot have its full utilisation. This leads to fall in returns.

Agricultural institutions advise the farmers that they should purchase tractors only if they possess at least 12 to 15 acres of land for farming. In Punjab, the farmer possesses only 5 acres of land on an average. On the other hand, the state possesses 20 per cent of the total number of tractors in the country, while its geographical area is only 1.5 per cent. This indicates that the Punjab farmer has invested on the fixed assets of agriculture beyond the necessity.

Similarly, farmers also spend the maximum on social obligations, ignoring their financial status. But there is no problem which has no solution.

To solve this problem, the government, agricultural experts and farmers themselves can play important roles. The wheat-paddy rotation is not a much paying proposition these days and the soil structure as well as soil texture are badly affected. Micro nutrient deficiencies have taken place in the soil. So the diversification of agriculture is essential.

Agro-allied activities also yield a good income for the farmer. The Punjab farmer gets about one-third of its gross farm income from dairy only. The demand and price of milk are increasing due to an increase in population. Keeping this in view, five to seven lakh hectares can be brought under green fodder for milch cattle.

Punjab gets double the income from its one-third area under fish farming as compared to other states. Low-land areas and village ponds can help increase the area under fish farming.

More and more farmers are opting for vegetable and fruit cultivation. The area has increased by nearly three times under kinnow during the past few years.

The government should also concentrate on land reforms. There should be price stability. The production of fruits, vegetables, mushroom and egg can be enhanced. Keeping in view the natural hazards, crop insurance schemes should be implemented.

The agricultural experts should develop the techniques to increase the yield of alternative crops to wheat and paddy.

Those farmers who have less land for cultivation should involve themselves in other professions also by lending land. This will not only increase their income but will also help reduce per farm investment.

Need for proper farm management
By V.S. Mahajan

WHEN Green Revolution was ushered in Punjab in the sixties it brought tremendous praise for the state from various countries and became envy of other states in the country who were anxious to follow the example of Punjab. Soon it was realised that Punjab could extend the frontiers of Green Revolution which was initially confined to wheat, by extending it to paddy cultivation when in summer most of the fields lay idle.

Though farmers were generally reluctant to grow paddy earlier mainly because of the water problem during summer, yet with rise in tubewell irrigation the problem no longer existed as tubewells would be able to pump underground water for meeting the need.

Farm research about high-yielding varieties of paddy and access to other factors like credit and highly subsidised electricity and other inputs as well the government’s encouragement for further revolutionising the farm sector greatly helped a quick rise in paddy cultivation. In fact it was soon found that it provided equally sustainable income like wheat. There was ready market for this.

Thus paddy became the second most favourite crop for the farmers. In face they have today become the major suppliers of rice.

But then as it is well known there is always limit to growth. There comes a point beyond which one can only move causing considerable harm to domestic ecology and social system. And unfortunately that point has already reached in this state.

The excessive discharge of underground water has seriously disturbed the underground water level. The reckless burning of paddy left-over in post-harvest period has resulted in high pollution in the countryside, seriously disturbing the health and welfare of rural population. Also as a consequence or premature burning of these field left-over when land is yet wet, to prepare them for wheat cultivation, it has become the major cause for breeding mosquitoes and little surprise that Punjab today has a high incidence of malaria affecting a vast section of the rural population.

The poor farm management has led to waterlogging problem which is now posing a big danger to lands in rural areas as well leading to several harmful social consequences, including suicides among farmers because of heavy debts.

It is in this context that there is urgent need to call halt to reckless paddy cultivation and gradually drive the attention of farmers to alternative summer crops. Soyabean cultivation has been thought to provide an ideal solution to the problem. Farm scientists at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) are exploring ways how this changeover could be brought about by gradually phasing out more acreage under paddy to soyabean cultivation and other equally environment friendly crops.

At the same time one should not ignore the fact that the farmer is going to be hesitant about soyabean cultivation unless he has assured income from such crop like the one he is currently having from paddy cultivation.

Farmer is not so much concerned with the eco-system of Punjab; he is far more worried about income he can earn. It has been because of steady rise of income from rice cultivation that has encouraged him to take up rice cultivation on such a large scale.

Before we are able to shift to an alternative crop, we must thus put our attention to this problem, whether government can assure him steady income in the alternative crop. Thus, the issue of introduction of an alternative crop is closely linked with the economic problem.

We should also give attention to better farm management where we have lagged far behind compared to even some developing economies. If a country like Japan, with only 15 per cent of land available for cultivation, could for most of the time become self-sufficient in food, it was basically because of its scientific temper and better farm management.

Its farm scientists have maintained close link with farmers and instead of farmers visiting, it is they who had been regularly visiting farmers and holding meetings at their villages (even on their farms) listening to their problems and helping them with appropriate remedies.

How many of our farm scientists would be prepared to do this? We are certainly very fond of giving demonstrations and lectures from the university premises but hardly bother to maintain personal contact with farmers.

Horticultural operations

The deciduous fruit plants like pear, grapes and phalsa should be planted before they start new growth. Citrus, mango, guava, loquat and ber being evergreen fruit plants should either be planted in late February if the weather warms up or in the next month. However, August-September is preferable season of planting.

— The recommended dose of nitrogen and muriate of potash to the mango, grapes, pear, litchi, loquat, papaya and plum may be applied now to maintain the growth and fertility.

— In citrus, utmost care needs to be given to irrigation before sprouting in February. Loquat trees which have already set their fruits, will need one or two waterings. Ber trees should also be watered so that fruits can develop in good size.

— Grape pruning should be completed by mid-February. If the late pruned vines show bleeding there is nothing to worry about as the liquid does not contain any nutrient matter.

— Remove dead wood in citrus and mango before the new growth starts. Apply 2:2:250 Bordeaux mixture immediately and apply Bordeaux paste to the cut surface and the trunk of the trees. Apply Bordeaux paint to the trunk after a week.

— The frost covers, which were erected to protect the plants against possible frost injury should preferably be kept intact during this month.

— To check citrus psylla, citrus leaf miner and whitefly spray 625 ml Nuvacron 40 EC or 670 ml of Rogor 30 EC in 500 litres of water on spring flush before flowers open. Give third spray of 100 ppm Streptocycline for the control of citrus canker. Bordeaux mixture (2:2:250) or copper oxychloride can also be sprayed.

— Mango hopper is usually very active during February-March. To check this pest spray first at the end of February and second at the end of March with 500 g Sevin or Hexavin 50 WP or 400 ml of Malathion 50 EC or 350 ml of Thiodan 35 EC in 250 litres of water. To check powdery mildew, give one spray with 0.1 per cent Karathane of 0.75 per cent wettable sulphur before flowering.

— To control pear scab, pre-blossom and post-blossom sprays of 0.2 per cent Captan beginning from the dormat stage and containing till petal fall at 10 days’ intervals should be given.

— Progressive Farming, PAU