Agriculture and Attitude

Agricultural practices depends on Tradition, Availability of land for farming,budget/capital, availability of labor, water and attitude of the farmer. 

In a rich family, we often see one child policy and devotion of full time and resources to him/her. While a poor family often have many children with parents negligence towards there education, insurance, investments, etc. 

While being in a corporate farm, I found the Chief to be very selective in crop selection, spacing, fertigation, weed removal, etc. They had enough land, labor, capital and other resources. I had the opinion that dependence on one crop is risky and focus should be on land resource utilization. In this the inter-crops should be allowed or else the weed removed should be sold as a feed or composted or used in some other farming activity. But when a crop has good market demand, the farmer's focused attention is on that crop and he/she will not like to divert the resource and attention to other crops. 

Market driven farming is one thing while farming for personal need, seed, nursery, research, hobby, environmental concerns, etc. is another thing. In a given agro-climatic location a plants survival and production status can be very well, but if the market demand is not favoring the crop, than it becomes a weed. A farmer's attitude and "whims and fancy" has also huge impact on considering a plant to be a crop or a weed. 

Food processing and mixed farming can make a weed or a crop with a high production but poor market demand, to get converted into a product with high market demand. In this the conversion into alcohol is often tried, but some Governments ban on alcohol, hampers such processing. Conversion of a crop into energy rich fuel, medicine or other items with high shelf life is often followed. 

Communication and marketing evaluates and creates demands. Packing,Transport and financial liquidity in transaction, helps to meet the customers requirement. Mixed farming with crops, cattle, Apiculture, Mushroom, other economically important animals like, poultry, fish, dog, etc. helps the farmer to realize in capturing different markets and meet his/her nutritional and security requirements. 

Visit to Coorg (Kodagu) and Bengaluru, Karnataka

Visit to Coorg

 Saturday, 22 November, 2008

• The learning Opportunity in Bamboo sector was provided by Shri RK Mehta, Chairman, M2 Technology,  (Plot no. 1367/1, Jubilee Hills Cooperative Housing Society, Road no. 67, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad-500033, Phone: 040-64521002, 64531165, Email: m2technologies1@yahoo.com. Contact for Bamboo Floorings, Mats and Curtains). Shri Vijay Yalamanchili, accompanied me in the Visit. 
  
  
  
• Ponnampet Forestry College: Meeting with Dr. C G Kushalappa: Burma Bamboo (Bambusa brandisii) was introduced 65 years back in Coorg by Britishers. Now they are doing project on Dendrocalamus asper, an edible bamboo species. Burma bamboo has flowered this year. So there is danger in raising nursery by cutting materials as they may flower and die. They have raised seed nursery. In Coorg there is restriction on harvest and transport of Bamboo. They have given 12000 seedlings of Dendrocalamus asper to 110 farmers. Diameter of Burma bamboo is 15-18 cm, Internode size is 35-40 cm. Its Biomass is very high. And it is very fast growing. Bamboo composite contains 50% bamboo and 50% plastic. Contract farming is possible in upland area, which has not been infested by elephants.
• Meeting with Dr. Ponaccha: There is danger of Elephant attack in Bamboo fields. We can find lots of Bamboos in Baagmandala, Talkaveri, near to Medicare and in Karikeri in Kerla road.
  
  
  
• Shri Satish (9880125962), Research scholar, Forestry college  and Shri Vasanth (9845499620) helped us in getting the samples of Bamboo poles.
• Meeting with B.B. Mallesha, IFS, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Medicare, Kodagu: In Kushalnagar, Virbhumi and at Kavery Nissargdham, Dharmappa (9448478603) is having Bamboo handicraft show room.
• Meeting with Surya, a member of Medaralu Community (9448874586): Medarlu community makes bamboo slivers and mats. Bamboo mats will be prepared on giving order. It costs around Rs. 12/sq.feet.  Outside Coorg, 60 feet bamboo costs around Rs.200 to Rs.300.  It will have diameter of 5-6 inch and wall thickness of 1-1.5 inch. The poles are harvested in 3-4 years.  Bamboo Shoots are available from June to August.
  
  
  
• Visit to District Industries Centre, Kodagu district, Medikeri: Mr. Shivanna told us that there is 20% subsidy for investment in machinery and 20% subsidy for Construction of Buildings. Phone number of the office is 080 228746.
• Cost of taking land on lease is Rs.10,000 to Rs.15,000 per acre per year in Kodagu district.
• Price of 4-5 year old culms is Rs.200-300 (outside coorg), Rs. 60 in Coorg.
• Species of Bamboo: Dendrocalamus asper, Dendrocalamus brandisii, Bambusa bambos (thorny bamboo), Ochlandra travancorica, Bambusa vulgaris (Yellow Bamboo). Dendrocalamus brandisii and Bambusa bambos are timber grade bamboo.
• Bamboo shoots and Bamboo shoot pickles is available from June to August. In off season we purchased small quantity (say 100gm) @ Rs. 75.
  
  
  
• Hotels available: Ponampettai: Golden gate lodge @ Rs.400/day; Gonikoppal: Nandanvana; Kushalnagar: Virbhumi tourist village; etc.

Re-Visit to Mysore-Coorg-Bangalore

Visit from 23^rd to 26^th March, 2009

• Learning opportunity was provided by Shri RK Mehta. I was accompanying Shri Suresh Suri in this visit.
• We reached Mysore on 23^rd and in the evening, went to meet Mr. G. Dharmappa at BGR Apollo Hospital in Mysore.  Mr. Dharmappa has undergone a spinal operation on 20^th March 2009 and has been advised to take bed rest for about 45 days. We had a lengthy discussion with him regarding various facets of Bamboo business.
• He has conveyed good news that the forest department in Karnataka is going to permit felling of bamboo in Coorg district mainly in the private plantations and the bamboo poles so harvested should be used to make primary products of bamboo and then they can be transported to any place in India. He also said that the government is contemplating to cut old bamboo culms in the forest region also. This will give a incentive for development of primary processing unit and also livelihood for a number of rural artisans.
  
  
  
• Mr. Dharmappa said this permission might be given in about two month’s time from now, i.e. around end of May or June. He also expressed interest in setting up of a bamboo treatment plant.
• He asked whether treated bamboo curtains can resist fungal attack in a place like Coorg where the relative humidity is very high. He said that the bamboo in Coorg district is available at very cheap rate like Rs.50/bamboo pole of 40 feet length whereas the same bamboo pole is available in Mysore at Rs. 250 to Rs. 300. He said that he could get Morialla bamboo (Dendrocalamus stocksii) from Maharashtra, which is good for manufacturing bamboo furniture.
• He said that bamboo cut during Amavasya time does not need any treatment whereas the bamboo cut during full moon time will be attacked by pest immediately.  This could be probably due to high sugar content during full moon time.
  
  
  
• Based on this local belief the local people are harvesting bamboo during Amavasya time.
• On 24^th March, from Mysore we went to Kushalnagar and hired an auto and went to the following three places:

1.      Dubare

2.      Kaveri Nisargdham

3.      Veerabhoomi Tourist Village and handicrafts.

·        Dubare is a tourist resort which is at the banks of river Kaveri. There are some cottages to stay on the site for the tourists.

·        We visited Kaveri Nisargdham, where there is different species of bamboo in about 30 acres of land. There we could find healthy and well grown bamboo clumps.

·        The different species of bamboo available there are:

1.      Bambusa bambos

2.      Bambusa vulgaris (yellow and green)

3.      Dendrocalamus brandisii (few)

4.      Dendrocalamus strictus (few)

5.      Ochlandra species (very few)

·        There they have built a bamboo hut on bamboo clumps.

·        The average girth of the well grown bamboo was from 25 cm to 35 cm, some of them were even at 40 cm. The length of the bamboos was 40-50 feet. Dharmappa’s handicraft show room is located there.

·        We visited Veerabhoomi tourist village and the Veerabhoomi handicraft emporium and we found bamboo lampshades, Jug, Pen stand and table mats made out of bamboo.

·        The people in the handicraft emporium have informed that they can make curtains and other handicrafts on order basis.

·        From there we took a bus and came to Gonikoppal.

·        On 25^th we went along with Mr. Surya, who introduced us to his friend Mr Abhin Mane (09341360022) who gave samples of Dendrocalamus brandisi poles to us. We could get two poles cut by paying Rs.160 and labor charge of Rs.50 for cutting the pole.

·        They told us about “Soans Farms”, near Moodbidri, near Mangalore, Karakkal road. The farm has wide range of bamboo varieties.

·        Transport companies: Gonikoppal has the office of VRL (Vijayanand Road Lines) and CPC.  

·        Ponnampet Forestry College: Dr. N.M. Poonacha, associate professor (9448504085) said that there is good possibility of small scale bamboo industries in Coorg, but the present forest laws are great hurdle. They are trying their best to get those laws amended. There is scope of bamboo crops in fallow lands of rice. Farmers are planning to discontinue rice cultivation due to labor problem. The college is having good nursery of Bamboo with species like D.asper, D.brandisii, D.strictus, Guadua angostifolia, Bambusa bambus etc.

·        Mr Surya said that the freshly cut bamboo poles of 20 feet length (none treated)  is available in the local market for Rs. 20 each.  

·        The transportation cost from Coorg to Hyderabad might be Rs. 15000 to 20000/lorry load.

·        Best quality rosewood (beet root red color) is available in the forests of Coorg. Forest department is permitting the sale of Rose wood value added products from Coorg.

·        On 26^th we visited Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bangalore and met Dr. Shyam Viswanath and Dr. Pankaj Agarwal: They talked to us about the preservation of bamboo with Copper chromium arsenate and Copper chromium borate. He told that the institute has prescribed modified Boucherie process in which external pressure is applied for sap displacement. In this process they tried treating the poles with disodium octoborate tetrahydrate which has an active boron content of 66.1%.  The rough cost of treatment/pole will be around Rs. 75. The institute has also worked on bamboo composites, in which 50% bamboo culm powder and 50% plastic is used. The institute has good bamboo nursery with species like D.asper, D.brandisii, G.angostifolia, D.stocksii, etc.

·        Then we visited “Purbashree”, a Govt of India undertaking, North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation at Brigade road, Bangalore. There we met the General Manager, Mr. D.C. Borkotoky. The Managing Director of the Corporation is at Guwahati, Assam.

Bamboo Value Chain

For clear view, Click the image

Bamboo-Vizag-Andhra Pradesh

Manufacture of Agarbathi Sticks in Vizag
Visit on 16th and 17th March, 2009

I am grateful to the IFS officer of Vizag and Mr. R.K. Mehta, chairman, M2 Technology, for providing this opportunity. I had visited with Mr. Suresh Suri. Most of the Bamboos are Dendrocalmus strictus (For Agarbatti sticks.), and Bambusa Bambos (hard, spiny, used for poles).

We have visited two clusters in the Ananthagiri range of forests in Vizag district, namely the cluster village Danamtota and Thegalamada, wherein the forest department has developed two clusters of 50 families each under Vana Sankshayam Samiti (VSS). We are informed that the forest department allots a particular area of forest to the local villagers who have to safeguard the forest. In lieu of this the forest department permits the local villagers to cut forest bamboo free of cost subject to they making value added products of that bamboo.
Forest department normally pays Rs 2.50 for cutting the bamboo pole and Rs. 3 for bringing it from the forest to the village. This is the rate at which they get bamboo at their yard.
At the village, the forest department has financed for purchases of electrically operated cross cutting machine to cut the bamboo poles which do not have nodes in between and specially designed knifes for making strips and agarbathi sticks. Remaining portions are generally sold to paper mills. We are informed that the forest department has made arrangement for sale of agarbathi sticks with Ambika, Darbar agarbathis and ITC’s.
The economics of Agarbathi making by the clusters is as follows:

• Cost of cutting 2 poles in the forest : Rs.5
• Cost of bringing 2 poles from forest to village : Rs.6
• Cuts of two poles suitable of agarbathi making : 4 Kg
• Agarbathi sticks made out of 4 Kg of cuts : 2 Kg
• Price paid to the artisans for making 2 kg of Agarbathi sticks @ Rs.12/Kg : Rs.24
• Total cost incurred in making 2 kg Agarbathi sticks : Rs.35
• Sale price of 2 Kg agarbathi sticks @ Rs 20/kg : Rs. 40
(We have not taken the cost of electricity and other miscellaneous costs. We have also not taken into account the income out of the unutilized cuts of the pole which are sold to the paper industry. )
Video Bamboo Cutting-1
Video Bamboo Cutting-2
Video Bamboo Machine Slivering -1
Video Bamboo Machine Slivering -2
Video Bamboo Manual Slivering - 1
Video Bamboo manual Slivering - 2
Video Bamboo Agarbatti Making -1
Video Bamboo Agarbatti Making - 2
Video Bamboo Agarbatti Making - 3
Video Bamboo Agarbatti Making - 4

Bamboo of Mithila

The pictures were taken on April-May 2009. It is from Purnahia (Maibi) and Bathnaha village of Sitamarhi, Mithila.

Jatropha curcas

In sandy loam soil, Subterranean Termites are frequently occurring pests of the Jatropha. The termites prefers to make hole and then tunnel, in the soft stem tissues of the Jatropha at the root region, particularly in the crop propagated by cuttings/bare rooted translplanting. It is easy for the termite to make hole in the young stems of the Jatropha. Mealy bug attacks are common in the damaged plant.