System of rice(or root) intensification - Darveshpura, a village in Nalanda district of Bihar, has come out with a solution at the time when the rice productivity was on a decline. When the yield in normal years remained 10-15 tonnes per hectare or even lower sometimes, using SRI method yield per hectare was 22.4 tonnes astonishingly.
What happened in Darveshpura has divided scientists and is exciting governments and development experts.Tests on the soil show it is particularly rich in Silicon but the reason for "super yields" is entirely down to a method of growing crops called System of Rice Intensification.It has dramatically increased yields with wheat,potatoes,suger cane,yams,tomatoes,garlic and many other crops and is being hailed as one of the most significant developments of the past 50 years for the world's 500 million small scale farmers and the two billion people who depend on them.
Instead of planting three-week-old rice seedlings in clumps of three or four in waterlogged fields,as rice farmers around the world traditionally do,the Darveshpura farmers carefully nurture only half as many seeds, and then transplant the young plants into the fields,one by one,when much younger.
Additionally,they space them at 25 cm intervals in a grid pattern, keep the soil much drier and carefully weed around the plants to allow air to their roots.
Farmers use less seeds,less water and less chemicals but they get more without having to invest more.This is certainly revolutionary.
To do for government - Till now we have discussed what can be done from farmer's end.Government's intervention is,however,equally required and there is a large scope where government can take suitable measures.
1) The MSP dilemma: Minimum Support Price for rice and wheat is 1470 and 1525 (in Rs per quintal) respectively. In a country where majority of the farmers possess small fields, they are able to get 20000 Rs per year only by this MSP that too when they have to bear the higher input cost. Government says that if MSP for these two crops are increased exorbitantly then there is a possibility of severe food inflation. It is quite true though.
Moreover,Buffer stock of rice and wheat is much above the required norms. This is the reason government sometimes hesitates to take grains in Mandis from farmers. Depressed farmers then bite the bullet seeking no further alternatives.
Required limit for food grains is 41.1 million tonnes while the total stock is 61.8 million tonnes as of now. At this point of time, what is expected from government is to release its stock in open market sale and increase minimum support price slowly and steadily.
Meanwhile, curbing black marketing and speculative hoarding is equally important. If all the measures are taken simultaneously then there is no chance of food inflation.
2) Instead of considering how to increase pulse production domestically, government is importing pulse and In fact encouraging the farmers of Mozambique and Tanzania to grow pulse. How unfortunate it is.
Including all the varieties of pulse in PDS is an urgent need. This will encourage government to maintain buffer stock of pulses. Farmers are also needs to be encouraged to grow pulse. If farmers in another country can be encouraged, why not in India?
3) Not giving cash to farmers at the time of purchase is a crucial issue. Instant cash transfer is a need either physically at the spot or digitally.
4) Sometimes farmers are not even aware of Minimum Support Prices. Awareness programs can be started. What government can do is to place some kind of instruction boards in mandis in which all the relative information is will be given.
5) Promoting organic farming is required from government's end. Government can sign MoU kind of thing with training institutions like Morarka foundation which is the pioneer of organic farming training in country.
6) Regulation in mandis on not only agents but also on private merchants and regulation and monitoring of those officials who are deployed to regulate mandis functioning.
I do not adjudge that doubling farmers income by 2022 is impossible. It is definitely possible but seems difficult seeing the condition and lethargic attitude of state governments. However, government is also having responsibility to keep up the balance,to check food inflation. If people will start using organic farming altogether then fertilizers and pesticide industries will face a hard time which is also not good for country's economic growth.
What happened in Darveshpura has divided scientists and is exciting governments and development experts.Tests on the soil show it is particularly rich in Silicon but the reason for "super yields" is entirely down to a method of growing crops called System of Rice Intensification.It has dramatically increased yields with wheat,potatoes,suger cane,yams,tomatoes,garlic and many other crops and is being hailed as one of the most significant developments of the past 50 years for the world's 500 million small scale farmers and the two billion people who depend on them.
Instead of planting three-week-old rice seedlings in clumps of three or four in waterlogged fields,as rice farmers around the world traditionally do,the Darveshpura farmers carefully nurture only half as many seeds, and then transplant the young plants into the fields,one by one,when much younger.
Additionally,they space them at 25 cm intervals in a grid pattern, keep the soil much drier and carefully weed around the plants to allow air to their roots.
Farmers use less seeds,less water and less chemicals but they get more without having to invest more.This is certainly revolutionary.
To do for government - Till now we have discussed what can be done from farmer's end.Government's intervention is,however,equally required and there is a large scope where government can take suitable measures.
1) The MSP dilemma: Minimum Support Price for rice and wheat is 1470 and 1525 (in Rs per quintal) respectively. In a country where majority of the farmers possess small fields, they are able to get 20000 Rs per year only by this MSP that too when they have to bear the higher input cost. Government says that if MSP for these two crops are increased exorbitantly then there is a possibility of severe food inflation. It is quite true though.
Moreover,Buffer stock of rice and wheat is much above the required norms. This is the reason government sometimes hesitates to take grains in Mandis from farmers. Depressed farmers then bite the bullet seeking no further alternatives.
Required limit for food grains is 41.1 million tonnes while the total stock is 61.8 million tonnes as of now. At this point of time, what is expected from government is to release its stock in open market sale and increase minimum support price slowly and steadily.
Meanwhile, curbing black marketing and speculative hoarding is equally important. If all the measures are taken simultaneously then there is no chance of food inflation.
2) Instead of considering how to increase pulse production domestically, government is importing pulse and In fact encouraging the farmers of Mozambique and Tanzania to grow pulse. How unfortunate it is.
Including all the varieties of pulse in PDS is an urgent need. This will encourage government to maintain buffer stock of pulses. Farmers are also needs to be encouraged to grow pulse. If farmers in another country can be encouraged, why not in India?
3) Not giving cash to farmers at the time of purchase is a crucial issue. Instant cash transfer is a need either physically at the spot or digitally.
4) Sometimes farmers are not even aware of Minimum Support Prices. Awareness programs can be started. What government can do is to place some kind of instruction boards in mandis in which all the relative information is will be given.
5) Promoting organic farming is required from government's end. Government can sign MoU kind of thing with training institutions like Morarka foundation which is the pioneer of organic farming training in country.
6) Regulation in mandis on not only agents but also on private merchants and regulation and monitoring of those officials who are deployed to regulate mandis functioning.
I do not adjudge that doubling farmers income by 2022 is impossible. It is definitely possible but seems difficult seeing the condition and lethargic attitude of state governments. However, government is also having responsibility to keep up the balance,to check food inflation. If people will start using organic farming altogether then fertilizers and pesticide industries will face a hard time which is also not good for country's economic growth.
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