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Assam's
Technology Mission Achieves Amazing
Results;
Boosts Farmers' Incomes
Horticulture
Poised for
Spectacular Growth By
Md. Sabir Nishat
Assam,
a lush green land of rolling hills
and fertile valleys, is also endowed
with ideal agro-climatic conditions
conducive to the growth of horticultural
crops such as fruits and vegetables,
besides a variety of spices.
Realizing the immense potential for
horticulture, the State Government
has created a strong production base
of around 31,000 hectares of land
for high-value commercial crops such
as pineapple, banana, orange and coconut,
besides spices such as turmeric, ginger,
pepper and chilly.
More importantly, the Government of
India has set up a “Technology
Mission for Integrated Development
of Horticulture,” under which
an area expansion programme has been
drawn up to further boost the cultivation
of horticultural crops in order to
develop the food processing industry
in the State.
As a result of the mission intervention,
production of horticultural crops
has increased, and especially in the
case of black pepper and ginger, a
substantial marketable surplus has
been created.
A spectacular growth rate achieved
in case of vegetables, with the area
under their cultivation rising by
13.86 percent and production and productivity
shooting up by 58.48 percent and 30.19
percent respectively.
Cashew nut is also gradually emerging
as major crop to augment farmers'
income. The area under its cultivation
has zoomed to 2,200 hectares from
just 50 hectares before the mission's
intervention.
Realizing that provision of seed and
nursery facilities is of utmost important
feature of horticultural growth, the
Assam Government has facilitated the
setting up of 87 public and private
sector nurseries across the State.
Development of infrastructure for
training is the next priority. Hence,
centres for training supervisors,
gardeners have been set up. A Leaf
Analysis Laboratory and Plant Health
Clinics are being developed.
Preservation of produce is as important
as the production itself. During the
Mission period, 11 cold storages have
either been set up or their capacity
expanded resulting in a total cold
storage capacity of 61,420 tonnes
across the State.
Then comes the crucial issue of marketing.
Infrastructure in 25 rural markets
dotting the State has been developed
and strengthened along with two large
wholesale markets.
Most modern commercial concepts of
Public-Private-Partnerships, Contractual
Farming, Buyer-Seller meets etc.,
are fast catching up among the parties
concerned. These have led to success
stories in case of potato, vegetables
and commercial floriculture.
The drive to boost horticulture in
Assam has led to thousands of farmers
getting trained either in or outside
the State in premier horticultural
institutes on the latest frontier
technologies.
Already five processing units have
been set up with the support from
the Ministry of Food Processing Industry
and more units are in the pipeline.
Overall, the Technology Mission on
Horticulture has covered more than
53,000 farmers across the state, boosting
their incomes substantially. And more
farmers' families are expected to
be benefited in the future.
Alongside horticulture, floriculture
is also emerging as a fast growing
sector in Assam. |
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Assam
Goes Organic, Plans Exports in Big
Way
After the export of organic Joha rice
produced in Assam to European markets,
the Assam State Agricultural Department
is going in for organic farming in
a big way.
The first consignment of 17.5 metric
tonnes of organic Joha rice was shipped
through the Amingaon inland container
depot on the outskirts of Guwahati
on May 3 last year.
The Karbi Anglong district, known
for its fertility, has already been
identified as an organic zone. “The
process is on to declare Karbi Anglong
district as an organic zone,”
says Minister for Agriculture Pramila
Rani Brahma, who is on a mission to
promote organic agriculture in a big
way at a time when researchers have
found out that organic food is more
nutritious than ordinary produce and
helps to lengthen our lives by cutting
the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Organic agriculture is knowledge rather
than resource-intensive, says Brahma,
adding, “Much of the required
knowledge and techniques are already
available with traditional farmers.
ITKS or indigenous traditional knowledge
systems are at the very core of organic
farming. The Indian Council of Agricultural
Research has conducted trials and
validated many of these ITKS. Traditional
knowledge has thus entered the realms
of agricultural science.”
Organic farming promotes indigenous
varieties of seeds rather than hybrids,
so that the farmer is not dependent
on seed marketing companies a major
savings. Women play a crucial role
in the selection and preservation
of seeds. The popular myth that organic
farming leads to lower yields has
been exploded by trials conducted
worldwide, including India.
The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University's
study on organic cultivation of green
chilli found it produced better yields
and quality. Likewise, the University
of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwar,
Karnataka found more viability in
organic cultivation of groundnut.
Ditto French beans. Punjab Agricultural
University studies found use of organic
inputs produced better rice yields.
As Agriculture Officer attached to
Brahma, Mowsam Hazarika, points out,
“It is in rainfed agricultural
systems that organic farming produces
consistently better yields. In Green
Revolution areas, too, there is no
diminishing of yields.”
Even the World Bank admits: “Farmers
in developing countries who switch
to organic agriculture achieve higher
earnings and a better standard of
living, according to a series of studies
conducted in China, India and six
Latin American countries by the International
Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD).”
Tankeswar Rahang, a small orange farmer
of Sonapur in Kamrup (rural) says,
“We do not use chemical fertilizers
nor chemical pesticides as they harm
the quality of our produce. It is
through organic methods that we have
been able to make our harvest better,
with no pests or diseases.”
All over the country, groups of small
and marginal farmers are coming together
to form organic farming collectives.
Through NGOs or government agencies,
they are getting their farms certified
as organic, thus opening up markets
in India and abroad.
Cultivation of mango in Assam, with
its warm, humid climate during summer
and cold, dry winter is not considered
suitable for growing the fruit. Besides,
rampant attacks by pests and insects
often decimate the ripened fruit.
But that has become passé now,
with the farmers eyeing it as a commercial
proposition against the backdrop of
a slew of initiatives that have brought
in food processing units to the state.
Says Hazarika, “With the coming
up of the pickle industry, that requires
huge quantities of raw mangoes, farmers
can now reap in additional income
by taking up mango cultivation commercially.
Even its production in the traditional
household gardens can bring extra
income if the raw mangoes are supplied
to the new units.”
Nearly 5.95 lakh hectares of land
is under horticulture cultivation,
comprising about 15 per cent of the
gross cropped area. Assam produces
an estimated 34,000 tonnes of mangoes
every year. However, most of it is
sold raw and the bulk finds its way
to the unorganized pickle sector.
But now, with the coming up of two
pickle units, including Nilon's, which
has already commissioned a plant at
Dalgaon in Darrang, 120 km from Guwahati,
there is ample scope for the fruit
and the farmers.
“This plant needs a huge quantity
of mangoes, besides other fruits and
vegetables. This year, we have procured
only 5,000 tonnes of raw mangoes,
but the word is spreading and inquiries
are pouring in from farmers,”
says Deepak Sanghavi, Managing Director
of Sanghavi Foods Pvt Ltd, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Rs100-crore Nilon's
Enterprises. Nilon's has a 25 per
cent stake, which is the highest in
the country's organized pickle sector.
Sanghavi has also entered into an
agreement with an NGO, Assam Unnati
Sabha, to go for contract farming,
to ensure that his unit gets a continuous
flow of raw materials, including mangoes,
papayas, turmeric, ginger and lemon.
Nilon's has supplied seeds and technical
knowhow to the Assam Unnati Sabha
to grow over 30,000 papayas in Tinsukia
district, which will benefit 25 educated
unemployed youth. The company will
procure the entire crop from the NGO
for producing tutty-frutty that the
cake industry requires.
On top of it, two other food processing
units have also come up in the State
with the Government's Horticulture
Technology Mission giving them incentives
to the tune of Rs 4 crore. One of
these has already started functioning,
producing potato chips under the brandname
Kishlay by procuring potatoes from
the local farmers. It is learnt that
three more units are in the pipeline.
An organic food supermarket, the first
of its kind in the North East region,
will come up at Panjabari in Guwahati
in a sprawling three bighas of land
at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore.
The three-storied swanky supermarket
will also house a laboratory, cold
storage, a greenhouse, a conference
room and stalls selling everything
organic, from tea to fruits to vegetables.
“All the products will be tested
for quality at the in-house laboratory
before they are up for sale,”
says Brahma.
Besides storing organic products from
local farmers, the market will have
organic produce from outside the State.
As of now, the market will cater to
the demands of local consumers. “Depending
upon production, we will explore the
possibility of looking beyond the
borders by turning the market into
a major export centre for organic
produce, says Brahma.
Another organic market at Beltola
in Guwahati is on the anvil. Meanwhile,
the Assam Government has prepared
a district-wise list of thrust crops
under the horticulture mission, which
includes banana, pineapple, ginger,
potato, lemon, litchi and cashew nut.
Reviving the traditional belt of orange
around Sonapur of Kamrup, eastern
part of Tinsukia, Nagajanka area of
Jorhat, Jatinga of North Cachar Hills
has also been already initiated under
the Horticulture Technology Mission.
“For the benefit of ginger growers
of Karbi Anglong, Tinsukia and other
districts, we have already set up
an Agri-Export Zone for ginger,”
says Brahma, who has set her eyes
on achieving 2 per cent annual growth
in the agricultural sector involving
27 lakh farm families during the 11th
Plan by stepping up farm mechanization
and other scientific agricultural
practices. “As the task for
achieving 2 per cent annual growth
is a challenging one, I earnestly
appeal to the youth to come forward
and contribute their mite towards
ushering in a Green Revolution in
Assam,” she rounds off. |
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Assam's
Horticulture:
Investors'
Hot Favourite By Dr. Harshajyoti
Barooah
A look at horticultural scenario in
Assam gives a picture of tradition,
diversity and immense potential. Assam's
horticulture sector is endowed with
almost the vastness of tropical world
horticulture. This contributes to
its uniqueness of accommodating a
de range of fruits, vegetables, flowers,
spices, tuber crops, nut crops, medicinal
& aromatic crops besides the hidden
world of mushroom and honey bees.
It is a breeders' paradise, it is
a doctors' nutritional prescription,
it is traders' basket, it is florists'
dreamland, it is architects' landscape
and the list goes on and perhaps finally
ends at a point where the prospective
investors may like to describe this
sector as Assam's sleeping giant.
Popular Major Fruits
What investors in horticulture need
primarily are products of quality
from farmers; they need new areas
or crops to explore; they need consistency
in supply at subsequent phases. Now,
before going in to other aspects,
it has become necessary to assess
whether this primary requirement can
be fulfilled by Assam. As regards
fruits, perhaps no other State can
claim as having so many varieties
in its basket or match what Assam
can offer as choice. The list contains
banana, pineapple, orange and so many
citrus fruits like Assam lemon, round
lemon, Satkora (citrus macroptera),
guava, litchi, mango, papaya, jackfruit,
plum etc. Another important asset
of Assam's fruits world is that any
crop like banana or citrus is not
confined to a single variety. The
banana in Assam is a unique variety
having at least 10 plus variations,
each having its own appearance, flavour,
taste and unique organolaptic qualities.
The orange sector in Assam is now
regaining its past glory after years
of setback due to citrus decline phenomenon.
Assam exported oanges valued at Rs.
3.60 crores during 2007. The citrus
world of Assam is fascinating with
many commercial species. It may be
mentioned that parts of Assam and
Meghalaya re under the world citrus
belt.
Exotic Minor Fruits
When the list of common fruits ends,
another appears which contains more
than 15 fruits which are termed as
minor. These fruits are unique in
taste, appearance, food value and
medicinal properties. They are the
crops like carambola, olive, amla,
fig, amora, leteku, ponial, thereju,
bael, etc. and the list contains many
other unfamiliar names but can be
familiarized commercially due to their
nutritional, medicinal and value addition
qualities.
Grandma's Prescriptions
Indigenous nutritious minor fruits
of Assam are an indication of strength
of horticultural biodiversity. A large
number of them were part of grandma's
prescription when some one was ill
in our old days. Carambola juice,
preserved round lemon, amla pickles
etc. are still an integral part of
common Assamese kitchen. But they
are the products now being targeted
by Multi National Companies (MNC)
to develop further with commercial
blending. Let us see what some of
these products have to project.
Carombola or Kordoi:
The fruits are rich sources of reducing
sugar, ascorbic acid, minerals such
as potassium, calcium, magnesium,
phosphate with rich Vitamin A content.
They have high medicinal value and
can be used for preparing squash and
pickles.
Wood apple or Bael:
Its pulp contains protein, fats, minerals,
carbohydrates, carotene, thiamine,
riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin C.
Pulp can be used for preparing squash.
Passion fruit or Kothbael: The
fruit juice derived from pulp is good
source of Vitamin A, ascorbic acid,
riboflavin, niacin and has high mineral
content. Juices are becoming very
popular in the country and abroad.
Amla or Amlokhi: The
highly nutritive fruit contains Vitamin
E and can be used for preparing sauce,
candy, dried chips, tablets, jellies,
pickles. The fruit has many medicinal
properties.
Hogplum or Amora: These
fruits are rich source of Vitamins
and ideal for delicious pickles.
Sapida or Leteku: It
is a highly juicy fruit with acidity
and sugar.
Jack fruit or Kothal: Assam is the
highest producer of jackfruit in India.
The fruit contains protein, ascorbic
acid and besides Vitamin A, thiamine,
riboflavin, Vitamin C and minerals
like Ca, P, Fe and K. It has high
demand as vegetable on fruits and
for uses like ice-cream and pectin
extraction.
Garcinia or Thekera: Its
Vitamin C content is high. Slices
used for preparation of dishes.
Dillenin indica or latenga: Excellent
jam can be prepared and it is a rich
source of protein and Vitamin C.
Olive or Jolphai: Ideal for
preparing pickles and olive oil. A
very good source of calcium, phosphorus,
iron, A-carotene, Vitamin B, &
niacin.
Fig or Dimoru: Fresh
Fig contains protein, calcium, iron,
Vitamin A and Thiamine. It grows wildly
in Assam.
Flacourtia or Ponial:
It is a rich source of protein Vitamin
C, phosphorus, calcium, protien, and
iron. It is also a source of several
essential amino acids.
Myrobalan or Silikha: The
fruit is historically known for very
high medicinal value and as major
ingredient for Ayurvedic medicine.
Jamu: The fruit has
calorific value and contains carbohydrate,
protein), Fat, fibre, minerals, Iron,
calcium and phosphorus. Fruit syrup
is very useful for curing diarrhea.
Dry seed powder has therapeutic value
against diabetes.
Pammelo Rabab Tenga:
The pulp contains protein, minerals,
fibre, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus,
iron, and caloric value, Vitamins
A, B & C, and nocotinic acid,
The juice is used to get relief from
stomach problem, constipation and
anemia. The antioxidant present in
juice is said to have reduced the
risk of having disease like cancer.
Spices
The world of spices of Assam is equally
rich in diversity and quality. Keeping
aside the commercial plantation of
Chilli, Coriander, Ginger, Turmeric
and other field spices, Assam posses
the chilli which contains highest
scoville heat unit in the world. Birds
Eye Chilli is another local chilli
variety awaiting commercial exploration.
Assam has got number of Ginger varieties
like Moran, Mizolarge which are equally
fit for value addition and also for
fresh market. Ginger is exported from
Assam and an Agri Export Zone (AEZ)
on ginger is being set up in the State.
Assam is heading for huge marketable
surplus of Black Pepper in next 2-3
years because of intervention of Horticulture
Technology Mission in last couple
of years particularly in districts
like Jorhat and Lakhimpur.
Cashew Nut
Cashew nut is another thrust areas
for Assam and efforts are on to build
a strong production base of this crop
in specific identified districts.
There is substantial improvement in
acreage under this crop in last six
years which has increased to 2200
hectares from a negligible area of
50 hectare during 2001-02. As regards
quality attributes, Assam is producing
as many as five qualities of cashew
nuts including the export grade. There
are 11 processing units in Mancachar
area of Dhubri district adjoining
Meghalaya. The Cashew & Cocoa
Development Board has already recognized
one cashew nursery as a Regional Nursery
for production of cashew nut grafts
of elite varieties.
Floriculture
Floriculture is the fastest growing
sector in Assam and besides crops
like Gerbera, Gladiolus, Marigold,
Tuberose, two new commercial flowers
are successfully introduced viz. Anthurium
and Orchids.
Considering agro climatic feasibility
and market access, initially two districts
viz. Kamrup and Kokrajhar are targeted
to boost up in this sector . About
70 SHG's mostly women are on the job.
Assam's products are already marketed
in cities such as Kolkata, Delhi,
Bangalore. About 30,000 cut flowers
of Anthurium reached Japan through
export efforts. This is being a new
area, services of export houses are
being utilized for input support,
technology, planting material of varieties
having export demand and crops are
being grown under buy back arrangement.
Excellent results are pouring in on
floriculture as a gainful activity
amidst enthusiasm amongst growers.
Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
A look at the world of MAP will again
establish the fact that Assam is nothing
but a hot spot medicinal and aromatic
flora. There are more than 300 species
of medicinal herbs. Considering agro-climatic
feasibility and scope of commercialization,
the State has already prioritized
15 crops in case of Aromatic and Medicinal
plants as detailed hereunder. Aromatic
plants:
1. Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin Benth),
2. Citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus
Jowitt) 3. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon
flexusus Wats) 4. Vetiver (Vetiveria
zizanioides Linn) 5. Sugandhamantri
(Homalomena aromatica Schott) 6. Agar
(Aquilaria agallocha Roxb) Medicinal
Plants: 7. Sarpagandha (Rauvolfia
serpentine Benth) 8. Pipli (Piper
longum Linn) 9. Amlakhi (Emblica officinalis
Gaertn) 10.Silikha (Terminalia chebula
Retz) 11.Bhomora (Terminalia belerica)
12.Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna Wight
& Arn). Other crops of economic
importance: 13.Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana
Hemsl) 14.Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia
Andrews) and 5.Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri
Wetts).
Field management committees, self-help
groups, joint forest management committees
can be associated for contractual
farming with these crops under buy
back arrangement and in fact the process
has already started in some pockets.
The processing sector is gaining ground
in Assam and already five horticulture-based
processing units are producing various
products. They are utilizing local
mostly organically grown products
such as pineapple, orange, potato,
various vegetables, papaya and spices.
The Rity Food Products Ltd. Set up
two years back, the company has recently
pineapple cubes to Germany, South
Africa and Kuwait. The concept of
contractual farming under Public-Private-Partnership
module is gradually catching up and
it is a grand success in the case
of potato and it is spreading at least
in two districts of Nagaon and Darrang.
The State has 12 cold storages with
a storage capacity of more than 61,000
tonnes. Modern horticulture must be
technology based and market driven,
with buyers and investors at one end
and producers at the other. The horticultural
play ground must be accordingly well
diversified with full of options between
them. And, this is what Assam can
offer.
Diversification towards horticultural
components is extremely promising.
There are examples in Morigaon district
where typical paddy land is being
converted to banana plantations owing
to profitability. The option may be
lying in uncommon sectors also like
mushroom, honey, bamboo, horti-tourism.
Blending horticultural production
system with organic base may open
up new avenues for the horticulture
sector. Efforts are on to develop
organic production belts in two hilly
districts and foothill areas of Assam
adjoining Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh
and Meghalaya.
Locational Advantage
Besides agro-climatic and bio diversified
advantage, there is locational and
geographical advantage. It is the
gateway of North East and proximity
to South East Asian emerging market
is another contributing factor. It
has the advantage of organic production
system. North East India accommodates
18 percent of India's population.
6.5 percent of world population lives
in the hinterland of Eastern India,
Nepal, Mynmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Govt. of Assam is offering attractive
incentive packages like subsidy on
sales tax, capital investment, working
capital loan, captive power generation,
feasibility study, technical know-how,
marketing assistance, drawl of power
line etc. The Export Promotion Industrial
Park (EPIP) is operating and a food
processing park is under construction.
The State is committed to act as facilitator
to whoever comes for investment in
agri-horticultural sector and allied
industries. On the question of sustainability,
one can see how more than 700 large
and old tea garden and 3000 small
tea gardens in Assam are operating
with a most well organized labour
force.
Summing up, time has come for all
the stakeholders in horticultural
sector to convert this land of missed
opportunities into one of opportunity
with horticulture providing a great
investment avenue. |
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