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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Indigenous crops gain ground in Adilabad -S Harpal Singh

Indigenous crops gain ground in Adilabad -S Harpal Singh

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published Published on Jun 17, 2014   modified Modified on Jun 17, 2014
-The Hindu
 

There is a need for promotion of local varieties on a commercial scale, says expert

Adilabad (Andhra Pradesh): Telangana government's commitment towards making the State a seed hub in the country has come at a juncture when commercial crops such as cotton have failed the farmers' expectations, but is witnessing a sharp increase in demand for organic and indigenous variety of food grains in the country.

"The time seems to be ripe for initiating promotion of indigenous crop varieties, whichever have not vanished still, on a commercial scale," opines Kursenga Somu, a tribal teacher-farmer from Ghumnoor in Sirpur (U) mandal of Adilabad district, who is involved in saving ‘desi' varieties of food grain.

Commercial cultivation of cotton and other crops such as soyabean got a fillip over two decades ago when the local varieties of food grains had practically no commercial value. The hybrid and Bt varieties of cotton and other crops however, have left only tears in the eyes of farmers during the period.

In the changed scenario, the economics of the commercial and indigenous varieties of crops has also changed and is sufficient reason for the government to think in terms of promoting the latter which will also go a long way in protecting environment. While the commercial crops require heavy investment, the local varieties are almost zero investment crops as farmers own the seeds, which are weather and disease-resistant.

"Cotton requires a minimum expenditure of Rs.25,000 per acre and the returns for an average yield of 8 quintals would be around Rs.36,000 given the current rate of Rs.4,500 per quintal. The desi varieties of paddy, millets, pulses, etc. require only about Rs.5,000 per acre only for weeding operations to achieve an average yield of 10 quintals per acre and the market price of the food grains is around Rs.5,000 per quintal," Mr. Somu calculates. If all goes well during the season, the cotton farmers get an income of about Rs.10,000 per acre. On the contrary, the weather and disease resistant varieties can earn about Rs.45,000 for the farmer without much trouble from a single acre of cultivation.

"There is enough of seed of many local varieties for us for foundation seed. Within one season we will have sufficient quantity of seed to go in for commercial cultivation and sale of such seeds," points out the teacher-farmer, who is among the tribal farmers from his village experimenting with commercial cultivation of indigenous crops this season.


The Hindu, 16 June, 2014, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/indigenous-crops-gain-ground-in-adilabad/article6118351.ece


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