Article Tags

You searched “Cropping Patterns”. Your tag search matches the following results:

Certified Jute Seeds

Why in News The Ministry of Textiles has launched a Certified Jute Seed Distribution Plan under Jute ICARE Program. Jute Corporation of India...

18 Feb 2021 Cropping Patterns
Problems of Punjab’s Monoculture

Why in News Amidst the ongoing farmer’s protests, questions are being raised on the sustainability of paddy-wheat cultivation, especially in...

17 Dec 2020 Cropping Patterns
Alternative to MSP Crops

This article is based on “Punjab, Haryana need to look beyond MSP crops” which was published in The Hindu on 16/12/2020. It talks about...

16 Dec 2020 Cropping Patterns
PM-KUSUM

This article is based on “PM-KUSUM will shine when implemented fully” which was published in The Hindu Business line on 12/12/2020. It...

15 Dec 2020 Cropping Patterns
Artificial Intelligence & Agriculture

This article is based on “AI for the farmer” which was published in The Indian Express on 26/11/2020. It talks about the application of...

27 Nov 2020 Cropping Patterns
Stubble Waste Management

This article is based on “Wealth from stubble” which was published in The Indian Express on 27/10/2020. It talks about the issue of...

27 Oct 2020 Cropping Patterns
Xoo Infection: Rice

Why in News Recently, scientists from the Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (CPMB) have uncovered the mechanism by which a bacterium called Xoo...

05 Oct 2020 Cropping Patterns
EPCA on Early Burning of Crop Residue

Why in News The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) raised concerns about early burning of crop...

23 Sep 2020 Cropping Patterns
International Tea Day

Why in News Recently, the first International Tea Day was observed on 21st May after it was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in...

22 May 2020 Cropping Patterns
National Conference on Kharif Crops 2020

Why in News Recently, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare addressed the National Conference on Kharif Crops 2020 through a...

17 Apr 2020 Cropping Patterns
India’s Cotton Story

This article is based on “The flawed spin to India’s cotton story” which was published in The Hindu on 23/01/2020. It highlights...

24 Jan 2020 Cropping Patterns
Cropping Patterns and Major Crops of India: Part Two

Major Cash Crops Sugarcane Temperature: Between 21-27°C with hot and humid climate. Rainfall: Around 75-100 cm. Soil Type: Deep rich...

04 Nov 2019 Cropping Patterns
Cropping Patterns and Major Crops of India: Part One

Two-thirds of India’s population is engaged in agricultural activities. It is a primary activity, which produces food grains and raw materials...

02 Nov 2019 Cropping Patterns
Zero-Budget Natural Farming

This article is based on “Is zero budget natural farming working?” that appeared in The Hindu Business Line on 14/09/2019. It talks...

14 Sep 2019 Cropping Patterns
Solution to India’s Water Crisis

“The article is based on “India’s water problem has a simple solution” that published in The Indian Express on 15th August....

16 Aug 2019 Cropping Patterns
Sustainable Plantations

This article is based on “How plantation sector can turn ‘near organic’” that appeared in The Hindu BusinessLine on 3...

03 Aug 2019 Cropping Patterns
Multi-cropping

A recent study conducted by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) has highlighted the importance of multi-cropping system. In multi...

02 Aug 2019 Cropping Patterns
White Tea

The Golokpur tea estate in Unakoti district of Tripura set a record for selling maximum quantity of white tea. White tea (minimally processed) is...

29 Jul 2019 Cropping Patterns
Miyawaki Method

Telangana government has introduced the Japanese “Miyawaki” method of afforestation to grow urban forests and expand the green cover as...

05 Jul 2019 Cropping Patterns
Concerns over Genetically Modified Brinjal

This article is based on the editorial “Serious concerns over Bt brinjal” which appeared in The Hindu on 18th June 2019. It talks about...

18 Jun 2019 Cropping Patterns

Warning (2): count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable [ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/rightsection.ctp, line 100]

Code Context


<?php if(count($updates)>0){?>
  <div class="updates">

$viewFile = '/var/www/drishtiias.com/public_html/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/rightsection.ctp'
$dataForView = [
	'progress' => [],
	'bookmarks' => [],
	'notes' => [],
	'mynote' => [],
	'topdata' => [
		(int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	'searchdata' => [],
	'amonth' => 'March',
	'ayear' => '2021',
	'articles' => [
		(int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 4 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 5 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 6 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 8 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 15 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 16 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 18 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 19 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	'tags' => [
		(int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	'title' => 'Article Tags'
]
$progress = []
$bookmarks = []
$notes = []
$mynote = []
$topdata = [
	(int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/estore/test-series-en/upsc-mains-english/sociology-optional-mains-online-en',
		'title' => 'Sociology Mains Test Series 2020 - Join Now',
		'type' => (int) 1,
		'date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'news'
	
	},
	(int) 1 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/estore/test-series-en/upsc-prelims-english/prelims-test-series-2021-online',
		'title' => 'Prelims Test Series 2021 (Online) - Join Now',
		'type' => (int) 1,
		'date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'news'
	
	},
	(int) 2 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'url' => 'https://bit.ly/drishtibooks',
		'title' => 'Get Drishti Publications books & magazines on Amazon - click here!',
		'type' => (int) 1,
		'date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'news'
	
	},
	(int) 3 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'url' => 'https://bit.ly/joindrishti',
		'title' => 'Click here for Online Inquiry form to join Drishti IAS programmes',
		'type' => (int) 1,
		'date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'news'
	
	}
]
$searchdata = []
$amonth = 'March'
$ayear = '2021'
$articles = [
	(int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7715,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Certified Jute Seeds',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Ministry of Textiles</strong> has launched a <strong>Certified Jute Seed Distribution Plan</strong> under <strong>Jute ICARE Program.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Jute Corporation of</strong> <strong>India (JCI)</strong> had in 2019, <strong>signed an MoU</strong> (Memorandum of Understanding) with <strong>National Seeds Corporation</strong> for <strong>commercial distribution of 1,000 Metric Tonne certified jute seeds</strong> for the year 2021-22.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Certified Jute Seed Distribution Plan:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will <strong>expand usage of certified seeds to over 55% area</strong> under Jute Cultivation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Certified seed</strong> shall be the progeny of foundation seed and its production shall be so handled as to maintain specific genetic identity and purity according to the standards prescribed for the crop being certified.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It will extend the benefit of certified seeds to nearly <strong>5 lakh farmers.</strong></li>
<li>Usage of certified jute seeds has <strong>resulted in improved quality of jute by 1 grade</strong> and <strong>enhanced productivity by 15%</strong> thereby <strong>increasing income of jute farmers by about Rs. 10,000/hectare.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Jute ICARE Program:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Launch: Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise for Jute (Jute ICARE)</strong> was launched in <strong>2015.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The programme was <strong>initiated by the National Jute Board (NJB)</strong> in association with <strong>Central Research Institute for Research in Jute and Allied Fibres (CRIJAF)</strong> &amp; J<strong>ute Corporation of India (JCI).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Aims:</strong> At <strong>mechanization</strong> in jute farming in a farmer-friendly way and <strong>accelerated retting using microbial consortium</strong> for improved income for jute farmers.</li>
<li><strong>Following Inputs are Provided:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>100% <strong>Certified Seeds</strong> at subsidized rate.</li>
<li>Demonstration of <strong>scientific jute cultivation practices</strong> for adoption at farmers' fields with mechanical intervention distribution of seed drill / Nail Weeder/Cycle Weeder.</li>
<li>Demonstration of <strong>Microbial retting using CRIJAF SONA</strong>, a microbial consortium and also distribution to the farmers.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Retting</strong> is the process of extracting fiber from the stem of the plants.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>So far, Government has <strong>supported 2.60 lakhs farmers</strong> under ICARE Program.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Steps Taken to Promote Jute Industry:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Increased in MSP:</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/msp-raised-for-rabi-crops" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Minimum Support Price</strong></a> (MSP) for Jute has been increased from Rs. 2400 in 2014-15 to Rs. 4225 in 2020-21.</li>
<li><strong>Retting Tanks:</strong> Construction of 46000 Retting Tanks has been approved for increasing productivity, quality and income of Jute Farmers, which will be done by the convergence of Central Government Schemes like <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/mgnrega-and-migrant-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MNREGA</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/scheme-for-creation-of-infrastructure-for-agro-processing-cluster-pmksy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>PMKSY</strong></a>, <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/food-security-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>RKVY</strong></a> and ICARE. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This will <strong>reduce retting time by 7 days</strong> and <strong>generate 46 lakh man-days of employment</strong> for the rural mass of Jute Growing States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>J<strong>ute Packaging Materials Act, 1987:</strong> Through the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mandatory-jute-bag-packaging" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jute Packaging Materials</strong></a> (JPM) Act, the Government is protecting the interests of about 4 lakh workers and 40 lakh farm families.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Act provides for the compulsory use of jute packaging material in the supply and distribution of certain commodities in the interests of production of raw jute and jute packaging material, and of persons engaged in the production thereof, and for matters connected therewith.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Jute Geo-Textiles (JGT):</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cabinet-approves-nutrient-based-subsidy-rates" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs</strong></a> (CCEA) has approved a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-technical-textiles-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Technical Textiles Mission</strong></a> which includes Jute <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coir-geo-textile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Geo-Textiles.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>JGT is one of the most important diversified jute products. It can be applied in many fields like <strong>civil engineering, soil erosion control, road pavement construction and protection of river banks.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Jute SMART:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is an <strong>e-government initiative</strong> which was launched in December 2016 to promote transparency in the jute sector.</li>
<li>It provides an integrated platform for <strong>procurement of sacking by Government agencies.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Collaboration between the National Jute Board and the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A <strong>Jute Design Cell</strong> for development of Jute Shopping Bags and Lifestyle Accessories has been set up at the Innovative Centre for Natural Fibres (ICNF) of National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Jute<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613629665_Image%201.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613629665_Image 1.jpg" style="float: right;" width="450" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 25-35&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 150-250 cm</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Well drained alluvial soil.</li>
<li><strong>Production:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is the <strong>largest producer of jute.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>mainly concentrated in eastern India</strong> because of the <strong>rich alluvial soil of Ganga-Brahmaputra delta.</strong></li>
<li>Major jute producing states include <strong>West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Uses:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is known as the <strong>golden fibre.</strong> It is used in making <strong>gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Government Initiatives:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Golden Fibre Revolution and Technology Mission on Jute and Mesta</strong> are two of the government initiatives to boost jute production in India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Due to its <strong>high cost</strong>, it is <strong>losing market to synthetic fibres and packing materials, particularly nylon.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1698178#:~:text=Program%20To%20Benefit%20Over%205%20Lakh%20Farmers&amp;text=Union%20Minister%20for%20Textiles%20and,diversified%20and%20Technical%20textile%20products." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'posturl' => 'certified-jute-seeds',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 1 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7230,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Problems of Punjab’s Monoculture',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Amidst the ongoing <strong>farmer&rsquo;s protests,</strong> questions are being raised on the sustainability of <strong>paddy-wheat cultivation,</strong> especially in Punjab.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Monoculture in Punjab:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Monoculture is the agricultural practice of growing<strong> a single crop, plant, or livestock species, variety, or breed in a field or farming system</strong> at a time.</li>
<li>Wheat and paddy constitute about<strong> 84.6% of the total area</strong> planted to all crops compromising on pulses, maize, bajra and oilseeds cotton.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Problem of Monoculture:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Growing the same crops year after year on the<strong> same land increases vulnerability to pest and disease attacks.</strong> The more the crop and genetic diversity, the more difficult it is for insects and pathogens to devise a way to pierce through plant resistance.</li>
<li>Wheat and paddy cannot also, unlike pulses and legumes, <strong>fix nitrogen from the atmosphere.</strong> Their continuous cultivation without any crop rotation, then, leads to depletion of soil nutrients and growing dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Wheat vs Paddy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Wheat:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is<strong> naturally adapted</strong> to Punjab&rsquo;s <strong>soil and agro climatic conditions.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is a<strong> cool season crop</strong> that can be grown only in regions particularly north of the Vindhyas where day temperatures are within the early-thirty degrees Celsius range right through March.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Its cultivation is desirable for<strong> national food security.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The state&rsquo;s wheat yields at<strong> 5 tonnes-plus per hectare,</strong> as against the national average of <strong>3.4-3.5 tonnes.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Paddy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It requires <strong>a huge amount of water.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Farmers usually irrigate wheat five times. In paddy, 30 irrigations or more are given.</li>
<li><strong>Punjab&rsquo;s groundwater table</strong> has been <strong>declining by 0.5 meters per annum</strong> on an average due to paddy and the state&rsquo;s policy of supplying<strong> free power for irrigation.</strong> It has encouraged farmers to grow long-duration water-guzzling varieties like <strong>Pusa-44.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pusa-44</strong> has high yield but a <strong>long duration growth period.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Long duration means transplanting by<strong> mid-May (Peak Summer),</strong> to enable harvesting from October and timely planting of the next wheat crop. But being peak summer time, it also translated into <strong>very high water requirements.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Paddy, being <strong>a warm season crop</strong> is not very sensitive to high temperature stress thus can be grown in much of <strong>eastern, central and southern India,</strong> where<strong> water is sufficiently available.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Government Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009</strong> barred any nursery-sowing and transplanting of paddy before<strong> May 15 and June 15, respectively.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Act was passed for the <strong>conservation of the groundwater.</strong></li>
<li>Problem with the Act:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>If transplanting of paddy was permitted only after the monsoon rains arrived in mid-June, it also <strong>pushed harvesting to October-end,</strong> leaving a narrow time window for <strong>sowing wheat before the November 15 deadline.</strong></li>
<li>Farmers, then, had no option other than <strong>burning the paddy stubble left behind.</strong> Simply put, groundwater conservation in Punjab ended up causing <strong>air pollution</strong> in Delhi.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Reducing <strong>acreage area</strong> for wheat and promoting cultivation of <strong>alternate crops</strong> like coarse grains in Punjab will lead to crop diversification in the region bringing in better soil resilience and added nutritional benefits to the locals.</li>
<li><strong>Shifting Paddy cultivation</strong> to eastern and southern states, planting of <strong>only shorter-duration</strong> varieties of paddy crop which mature early without any effect on production, <strong>metering of electricity</strong> and <strong>direct seeding of paddy</strong> further address the issue of monoculture and depleting groundwater.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/punjab-farmer-protests-paddy-wheat-farm-laws-7106605/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
		'posturl' => 'problems-of-punjab-s-monoculture',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 2 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7226,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Alternative to MSP Crops',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/punjab-haryana-need-to-look-beyond-msp-crops/article33339838.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Punjab, Haryana need to look beyond MSP crops&rdquo;</a> which was published in The Hindu on 16/12/2020. It talks about the issues related to the proliferation of wheat and rice farming in the green revolution belt states.</p>
</div>
<p><a href="/mains-practice-question/question-97#:~:text=A%20large%20increase%20in%20crop,land%20using%20new%20farming%20techniques." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Green Revolution in India</a>, provides the package of technology and policies that produced quick results in increasing food grain production (mainly Wheat &amp; Rice). This enabled India to move from a country facing a severe shortage of staple food to becoming self-sufficient.</p>
<p>The region comprising Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, was an early adopter of Green Revolution technology. It was also a major beneficiary of various policies adopted to spread modern agriculture technology in the country.</p>
<p>The progress and specialisation towards these two crops served the great national goal of securing the food security of the country.</p>
<p>However, during the mid-1980s, some inimical trends related to the rice-wheat crop system in general and paddy cultivation surfaced followed by serious second-generation problems of the Green Revolution.</p>
<p>Therefore, in tackling agri-crises, these core Green Revolution States must shift to high-value crops and promote non-farm activities.</p>
<h3>Factors for Promotion of Wheat &amp; Rice Production</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>State Guarantee For Production:</strong> Procurement of marketed surplus of paddy (rice) and wheat at <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/minimum-support-price" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minimum Support Price (MSP)</a> completely insulated farmers against any price or market risks.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>At the same time, it ensured a reasonably stable flow of income from these two crops.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Technological Advancement:</strong> Over time, the technological advantage of rice and wheat over other competing crops further increased as public sector agriculture research and development allocated their best resources and scientific manpower to these two crops.</li>
<li><strong>Role of Input Subsidies:</strong> Public and private investments in water and land and input subsidies were the other favourable factors.</li>
</ul>
<p>Thus, wheat in rabi and paddy in Kharif turned out to be the best in terms of productivity, income, price and yield risk and ease of cultivation among all the field crops (cereals, pulses, oilseeds).</p>
<h3>Issues Related to the First Green Revolution</h3>
<p>A large number of reports and policy documents highlighted the adverse effect of green revolution crops (especially paddy cultivation) on natural resources, the ecology, the environment, and fiscal resources.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Environmental Effects:</strong> The biggest casualty of paddy cultivation and the policy of free power for pumping out groundwater for irrigation is the depletion of groundwater resources.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the last decade, the water table has shown a decline in 84% observation wells in Punjab and 75% in Haryana.</li>
<li>It is feared that Punjab and Haryana will run out of groundwater after some years if the current rate of overexploitation of water is not reversed.</li>
<li>Further, in the last couple of years, the burning of paddy stubble and straw has become another serious environmental and health hazard in the whole region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Plateauing of Income &amp; Productivity:</strong> There are serious concerns about plateauing productivity and stagnant income from rice-wheat cultivation.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>With the productivity of rice and wheat reaching a plateau, there is pressure to seek an increase in MSP to increase income. However, demand and supply do not favour an increase in MSP in real terms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fiscal Challenge:</strong> In India, the per capita intake of rice and wheat is declining and consumers&rsquo; preference is shifting towards other foods. However, rice and wheat procurement in the country has more than doubled after 2006-07.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Due to this demand-supply mismatch, the country does not find an easy way to dispose of such large stocks and they are creating stress on the fiscal resources of the government.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Entrepreneurial Skills of Farmers:</strong> Procurement of almost the entire market arrivals of rice and wheat at MSP for more than 50 years has affected the entrepreneurial skills of farmers to sell their produce in a competitive market where prices are determined by demand and supply and competition.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Alternative To Wheat &amp; Rice:</strong> The implication of all these changes is that farmers in the region will find it difficult to increase their income from rice-wheat cultivation and they must be provided alternative choices to keep their income growing.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Enabling the farmers of the green revolution belt to move toward high-paying horticulture crops requires institutional arrangements on price assurance such as <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/agricultural-reforms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contract farming</a>.</li>
<li>The solution to the ecological, environmental and economic challenges facing agriculture in the traditional Green Revolution states is not in legalising MSP but to shift from MSP crops to high-value crops and in the promotion of non-farm activities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Strong Forward &amp; Backward Linkages:</strong> Green revolution belt states need to promote economic activities with strong links with agriculture tailored to State specificities. Some options for this are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Promotion of food processing in formal and informal sectors;</li>
<li>A big push to post-harvest value addition and modern value chains;</li>
<li>A network of agro- and agri-input industries; high-tech agriculture</li>
<li>Direct link of production and producers to consumers and consumers without involving intermediaries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The traditional Green Revolution States would need to shed &ldquo;business as usual&rdquo; approach and embrace an innovative development strategy in agriculture and non-agriculture to secure and improve the future of farming and rural youth.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #defbfc; border-color: #02b2b8;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question<br /><br /></strong></em>Green revolution served the great national goal of securing the food security of the country. Critically examine.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aYwWeEcbZpE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on<a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/fight-child-malnutrition-phase-1-of-nfhs-2019-20-shows-worrying-reversals-in-stunting/2150039/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> &ldquo;Fight child malnutrition&rdquo;</a> which was published in The Financial Express on December 15<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'posturl' => 'alternative-to-msp-crops',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 3 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7216,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'PM-KUSUM',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/pm-kusum-will-shine-when-implemented-fully/article33309349.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;PM-KUSUM will shine when implemented fully&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu Business line on 12/12/2020. It talks about the prospects of the Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme.</p>
</div>
<p>The farmer focus of Budget 2018 has given a fillip to the farmer-oriented scheme involving decentralised solar power production up to 28,250 MW, known as <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/13-02-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme.</strong></a></p>
<p>The KUSUM scheme would provide additional income to farmers, by giving them the option to sell additional power to the grid, through solar power projects set up on their barren lands.</p>
<p>If implemented well, the PM-KUSUM scheme can be the ultimate game-changer for energy security and the rural economy in India.</p>
<h3>Component of the PM-KUSUM</h3>
<p>PM-KUSUM consists of three components and aims to add a solar capacity of 30.8 GW by 2022:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Component-A: 10,000 MW of decentralised ground-mounted grid-connected renewable power plants.</li>
<li>Component-B: Installation of two million standalone solar-powered agriculture pumps.</li>
<li>Component-C: Solarisation of 1.5 million grid-connected solar-powered agriculture pumps.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Intended Benefits of the Scheme</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Helping Discoms:</strong> Electricity for agriculture is highly subsidised and is often termed as the main cause for rapid groundwater depletion and poor financial position of Discoms.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This scheme will support the financial health of Discoms by reducing the burden of subsidy to the agriculture sector.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Helping States:</strong> The scheme will promote decentralised solar power production, and reduce transmission losses.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For state governments, this is a potential way to reduce their subsidy outlay towards irrigation.</li>
<li>Apart from it, the scheme will help States meet the <a href="/pdf/1586771380-renewable-energy-certificates.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>RPOs (renewable purchase obligation)</strong> </a>targets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Helping Farmers:</strong> If farmers are able to sell surplus powers, they will be incentivised to save power and, in turn, it will mean the reasonable and efficient use of groundwater.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This may also provide water security to farmers through the provision of assured water sources through solar water pumps &mdash; both off-grid and grid-connected.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Helping Environment:</strong> Another intended benefit of this scheme will result in the expansion of the irrigation cover by providing decentralized solar-based irrigation and moving away from polluting diesel.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This should also fill the void in solar power production in the intermediate range between rooftops and large parks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Associated Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Logistics Issue:</strong> There is a matter of domestic availability of equipment itself. While pumps are not a challenge for domestic suppliers, the availability of solar pumps is still an issue.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Further, due to the strict <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-and-usa-at-wto" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>DCR (Domestic Content Requirements)</strong></a>, the suppliers of solar equipment have to raise the domestic cell sourcing. However, there isn&rsquo;t enough domestic cell manufacturing capacity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Omission of Small and Marginal Farmers:</strong> There has been the relative omission of small and marginal farmers, as the scheme focuses on pumps of 3 HP and higher capacities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is due to this, solar pumps are not reaching the majority of farmers, as nearly 85% of them are small &amp; marginal.</li>
<li>Also, the reality of low water tables, especially in North India and parts of South India, which make small-sized pumps limiting for the farmer.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Depleting Water Tables:</strong> Due to power subsidies, the recurring cost of electricity is so low that farmers keep on pumping water and the water table is going down. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In a solar installation, it becomes a more difficult job to upgrade to higher capacity pumps in case the water table falls because you will have to add new solar panels which are expensive.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Bring States Together:</strong> Consensus between the Centre and States is the key to the success of this decentralised solar power scheme.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Any reform in India&rsquo;s power space cannot take place unless there is consensus between the Centre, States and stakeholders. Till then, it will be like a half-baked cake.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sustainable Farming:</strong> Apart from switching to solar power, farmers should also switch over to drip irrigation mode which saves water and power with increased crop output.</li>
<li><strong>Lucrative Solar Energy Pricing:</strong> For effective implementation and serious participation by stakeholders, the scheme should be more attractive in terms of benchmark prices in view of the challenges on account of higher costs of implementation and comprehensive maintenance.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The PM-KUSUM scheme, like many government schemes, is certainly well-intentioned, but policy interventions like manufacturing in India for solar cells, or even phasing out power subsidies, might give it the legs to deliver on its promise.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1608035499_image0.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1608035499_image0.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f7f8ff;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>PM KUSUM scheme is capable of changing the energy dynamics of Indian agriculture. Critically Analyse.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VS98EhiDkfs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/et-editorials/time-for-indias-net-zero-target/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Time for India&rsquo;s net zero target&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Economic Times on December 13<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'posturl' => 'pm-kusum',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 4 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7087,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Artificial Intelligence & Agriculture',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/artificial-intelligence-farmer-agriculture-7069520/lite/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;AI for the farmer&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 26/11/2020. It talks about the application of artificial intelligence in Indian agriculture.</p>
</div>
<p>As the world population continues to grow and land becomes more scarce, people need to get creative and become more efficient about how agriculture is done. This would require the use of less land to produce more crops and increasing productivity and yield.</p>
<p>Moreover, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/agriculture-reforms" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian agriculture faces multiple challenges</strong></a> like high dependence on monsoon, resource intensiveness &ndash; heavy use of resources (water, inorganic fertilisers and pesticides), degradation of land and loss of soil fertility, and low per hectare yield, among others.</p>
<p>In this context, <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Artificial Intelligence</strong></a> (AI) can play a catalytic role in improving crop yield from various factors like the climate changes, population growth, employment issues and food security problems.</p>
<h3>Scope of AI in the Agriculture</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Augmenting Entire Supply Chain:</strong> Worldwide, agriculture is a $5 trillion industry, and AI technologies can help to yield healthier crops, control pests, monitor soil and growing conditions, organize data for farmers, help with the workload, and improve a wide range of agriculture-related tasks in the entire food supply chain.</li>
<li><strong>Opportunity for High Growth:</strong> Globally, AI applications in agriculture reached a valuation of nearly $ 1 billion in 2019 and this is estimated to grow to almost $8 billion by 2030, a nearly 25% growth.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, in this scenario, the Indian agri-tech market, presently valued at $204 million, has reached just 1% of its estimated potential of $ 24 billion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Huge Agricultural Data Resource:</strong> Due to the diversity of its soil types, climate and topography, India provides a great opportunity for the data scientists and AI experts to develop state of the art AI tools and solutions for agriculture.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Indian farms and farmers provide vast and rich data to help create AI solutions for not just the country but the world at large. And this is one of the factors that makes the opportunity for AI in Indian agriculture unparalleled.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Use of AI in Agriculture</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>AI Helping Analyze Farm Data:</strong> Farms produce hundreds of thousands of data points on the ground daily. With the help of AI, farmers can now analyze a variety of things in real-time such as weather conditions, temperature, water usage or soil conditions collected from their farm to better inform their decisions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Farmers are also using AI to create seasonal forecasting models to improve agricultural accuracy and increase productivity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Precision Agriculture:</strong> Precision agriculture uses AI technology to aid in detecting diseases in plants, pests, and poor plant nutrition on farms.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>AI sensors can detect and target weeds and then decide which herbicides to apply within the right buffer zone.</li>
<li>This helps to prevent over-application of herbicides and excessive toxins that find their way in our food.</li>
<li>It would increase productivity by introducing precision agriculture.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tackling the Labour Challenge:</strong> With fewer people entering the farming profession, most farms are facing the challenge of a workforce shortage.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>One solution to help with this shortage of workers is AI agriculture bots. These bots augment the human labour workforce and are used in various forms. For example:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These bots can harvest crops at a higher volume and faster pace than human labourers, more accurately identify and eliminate weeds, and reduce costs for farms by having around the clock labour force.</li>
<li>Additionally, farmers are beginning to turn to chatbots for assistance. Chatbots help answer a variety of questions and provide advice and recommendations on specific farm problems.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>With the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/farmer-s-protest#:~:text=Three%20Farm%20Bills%20that%20are,(Amendment)%20Bill%2C%202020." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> recent reforms in the Agriculture sector</strong></a>, there is a likelihood of increased investments in contract farming and infusion of technology for better yields and productivity. This will further push the adoption of AI in agriculture. Further, In order to help these AI solutions scale increased investments needed, both from the public and private sector.</p>
<p>In this context, the recently concluded <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mega-virtual-summit-on-artificial-intelligence#:~:text=The%20Ministry%20of%20Electronics%20and,October%205%2D9%2C%202020." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Responsible AI for Social Empowerment Summit &ndash; RAISE</strong></a> &ndash; 2020 Summit has helped provide a platform for global stakeholders to come together to finalize the roadmap for using AI for the public good.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1606478360_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1606478360_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="750" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffef5;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Artificial Intelligence can play a catalytic role in improving food security in India. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NLNSwPa1PuQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on<a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/need-new-laws-for-real-time-tax-dispute-resolution/2136758/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Need new laws for real-time tax dispute resolution&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Financial Express on November 26<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'posturl' => 'artificial-intelligence-agriculture',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 5 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6859,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Stubble Waste Management',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/wealth-from-stubble-burning-farmers-farmers-air-pollution-delhi-punjab-haryana-6884982/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Wealth from stubble&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 27/10/2020. It talks about the issue of stubble burning and suggests actionable programmes to address the same.</p>
</div>
<p>Every winter in northern India starts with the precarious news of dangerous levels of air pollution resulting from the Paddy <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/stubble-burning-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>stubble burning</strong></a>. This is because the quantity of the farm waste is humongous and the window for disposing of it is too small.</p>
<p>The regularity of air pollution from stubble burning led the state and central government to develop business models to discourage stubble burning and promote farm <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/waste-to-energy-plants" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>waste to energy</strong> </a>projects.</p>
<p>However, despite these interventions the farmers have less incentive to collect the stubble and subsequently the stubble burning issue largely remains unsolved. Therefore, stubble management should be broadly focussed on-field management, alternate cropping, processing to biofuels and proper implementation of existing schemes.</p>
<h3>Reason For Stubble Burning</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Stubble burning is the act of setting fire to crop residue to remove them from the field to sow the next crop.</li>
<li>In order to plant next winter crop (Rabi crop), farmers in Northern India have to move in a very short interval and if they are late, due to short winters these days, they might face considerable losses.</li>
<li>Therefore, burning is the cheapest and fastest way to get rid of the stubble.</li>
<li>Further, if stubble is left in the field, pests like termites may attack the upcoming crop.</li>
<li>Also, the precarious economic condition of farmers doesn&rsquo;t allow them to use expensive mechanised methods to remove stubble.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues in Stubble Waste to Energy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lax Implementation:</strong> In 2019, the governments of Punjab and Haryana announced Rs 2,500/acre as a bonus to small farmers who avoid burning stubble but there has been the negligible implementation of this scheme.</li>
<li><strong>Adverse Impact of Laws:</strong> Implementation of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/punjab-water-law-responsible-for-air-pollution-in-delhi" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act (2009)</strong> </a>made the time period of stubble burning coincident with the onset of winter in Northern India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Late transplanting of paddy during Kharif season to prevent water loss as directed by PPSW Act (2009) had left farmers with little time between harvesting and preparing the field for the next crop and hence farmers are resorting to the burning of stubble.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inadequate Supply as Raw Material:</strong> The costs of establishing a year-round &ldquo;bankable&rdquo; supply chain for paddy straw bales is another deterrent.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Albeit with limitations related to offtake agreements, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/biofuel-day-2#:~:text=The%20Policy%20allows%20use%20of,of%20National%20Biofuel%20Coordination%20Committee.&amp;text=5000%20crore%20in%206%20years,as%20compared%20to%201G%20biofuels." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Policy on Biofuels</strong></a> was not able to achieve intended targets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increasing Competition With Solar &amp; Wind Energy:</strong> The government has actively supported the biomass power sector by provisioning for a high feed-in tariff.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, tariff orders for biomass gasifier/biogas power became inconsequential with solar and wind power tariffs declining to 33% of that of biomass power.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>On-field Management:</strong> It involves mulching the stubble into fields by customised machinery. In order to promote mulching there is a need for:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Providing subsidy for purchasing equipment.</li>
<li>Establishing Farm Machinery Banks for custom hiring of in-situ crop residue management machinery.</li>
<li>Furthermore, Co-operative societies of farmers, <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/self-help-groups-shgs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>self-help groups</strong></a>, registered farmers societies/farmers groups, private entrepreneurs for establishment of farm machinery banks or custom hiring centres.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Alternate Cropping:</strong> There is a need to promote alternatives to wheat and rice, which could be the cultivation of silage crops (hybrid sorghum, hybrid napier grass, maize).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These alternatives have a high yield, enabling farmers to meet the feedstock needs of cattle, can also be used to produce biofuels plants and the cultivated area can be interspersed with horticulture.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ensuring Adequate Supply with Biomass Depots:</strong> It is essential to undertake on-field baling of stubble, aggregate bales in a depot and enter into &ldquo;bankable&rdquo; agreements for supplies to Bio-Energy Plants.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In order to establish a biomass depot, there should be fiscal incentives for enabling green entrepreneurship.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Turning Stubble to Advanced Biofuels:</strong> Stubble should be used for production of gaseous <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/biofuels-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>biofuels</strong></a> like producer gas, biogas and green hydrogen.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/satat-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SATAT scheme</strong></a> is a step in the right direction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Stubble burning poses a challenge to public health. However, by processing agriculture residues to biofuels and compost will benefit many more farmer households, with manifold collateral benefits that accrue from assured availability of sustainable energy.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603801502_image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603801502_image3.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="550" height="515" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fefff2;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Effective stubble management can convert the crisis of public health into an opportunity of sustainable energy. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_mO76JsnMB0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/an-indian-spacex-policy-to-tap-private-sector-talent-for-space-taking-shape/2113451/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;An Indian SpaceX&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Financial Express on October 23<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'posturl' => 'stubble-waste-management',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 6 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6650,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Xoo Infection: Rice',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, scientists from the <strong>Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (CPMB)</strong> have uncovered the mechanism by which a bacterium called Xoo interacts with rice plants and causes disease.</p>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1601885203_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1601885203_image2.jpg" width="169" height="225" style="float: right;" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo)</strong> causes a <strong>serious bacterial leaf blight disease in rice</strong>. It is also known as <strong>Bacterial blight</strong>.</li>
<li>Xoo is a <strong>gram-negative bacteria</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Transmission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Xoo infection <strong>causes huge yield losses</strong> to rice cultivation throughout the world.</li>
<li>Xoo infection initiates from the leaf sheath and eventually spreads to mature leaves through the water flow under optimum temperature and high humidity conditions <strong>(Vascular disease)</strong>.</li>
<li>Since <strong>rice paddies are flooded</strong> throughout most of the growing season, Xoo may easily spread among crops; bacteria travel through the water from infected plants to the roots and leaves of neighbouring rice plants.</li>
<li><strong>Wind</strong> may also help spread the Xoo bacteria to other crops and rice paddies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact on Other Crops:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In addition to rice, Xoo <strong>may infect other plants</strong>, such as rice cut-grass (<em>Leersia oryzoides</em>), Chinese sprangletop (<em>Leptochloa chinensis</em>), and common grasses and weeds.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Prevention:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>most-common method of defending against rice bacterial blight</strong> is the <strong>cultivation of rice varieties with genes that confer resistance to Xoo infection</strong>. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Over 30 resistance genes, termed <strong>Xa1 to Xa33</strong>, have been identified in rice plants, and some, such as Xa21, have been integrated into the genomes of commercial rice strains.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, this method <strong>involves breeding or gene manipulation techniques</strong> that are laborious and time-consuming.</li>
<li>Also, the introduced resistance genes <strong>provide only race-specific resistance</strong> that will prevent infections by only specific strains of Xoo.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>New Approach:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Scientists from <strong>Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (CPMB)</strong>, Osmania University, <strong>Hyderabad</strong> are working to identify and develop few molecules which are derived either from the Xoo bacterium or from the infected rice cell walls.</li>
<li>Treatment of rice with <strong>cellulase, a cell wall degrading enzyme secreted by Xoo</strong> induces rice immune responses and protects rice from subsequent infections by Xoo.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The cellulase protein has the <strong>features of a typical vaccine</strong> as it is a potent elicitor of rice immune responses.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Rice</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/cropping-patterns-and-major-crops-of-india-part-one" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kharif Crop</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 22-32&deg;C with high humidity.</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 150-300 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Deep clayey and loamy soil.</li>
<li>Some of the <strong>most important rice-growing regions</strong> are Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra, particularly the (Konkan coast) along with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Development of a dense network of <strong>canal irrigation and tubewells</strong> have made it possible to grow rice in areas of less rainfall such as <strong>Punjab, Haryana</strong> and <strong>western Uttar Pradesh</strong> and parts of <strong>Rajasthan</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In states like Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, <strong>three crops of paddy</strong> are grown in a year. These are <strong>Aus, Aman</strong> and <strong>Boro</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>National Food Security Mission, Hybrid Rice Seed Production</strong> and <strong>Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana</strong> are few government initiatives to support rice cultivation.</li>
<li>Diseases in rice are mainly caused by <strong>bacteria, viruses, or fungi</strong>. Few major diseases are: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Sheath blight:</strong> Caused by fungus <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sheath-blight-disease" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rhizoctonia solani</strong></a>.</li>
<li><strong>Brown Spot:</strong> One of the most common and most damaging <strong>fungal diseases</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Tungro:</strong> Caused by the combination of two viruses, which are transmitted by leafhoppers.</li>
<li><strong>Bakanae:</strong> Seedborne <strong>fungal disease</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Blast (node and neck):</strong> Caused by the <strong>fungus Magnaporthe oryzae</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gram-negative Bacteria</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Bacteria</strong> can be classified into <strong>two groups</strong> on the basis of the <strong>differences in the cell envelopes</strong> and the manner in which they <strong>respond to the staining procedure</strong> developed by the Danish bacteriologist Gram viz., <strong>those that take up the gram stain are Gram positive</strong> and the <strong>others that do not are called Gram negative bacteria</strong>.</li>
<li>Gram-negative bacteria <strong>cause infections</strong> including <strong>pneumonia</strong>, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections, and meningitis in healthcare settings.</li>
<li>Gram-negative bacteria are <strong>resistant to multiple drugs</strong> and are increasingly resistant to most available antibiotics. These bacteria have <strong>built-in abilities</strong> to find new ways to be resistant and can pass along genetic materials that allow other bacteria to become drug-resistant as well.</li>
<li>Gram-negative infections include those caused by <strong>Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa</strong>, and <strong>E. coli.,</strong> as well as many other less common bacteria.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Centre for Plant Molecular Biology</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>CPMB is <strong>one of the 7 Centers of Excellence</strong> created in the country with initial financial assistance from the <strong>Department of Biotechnology</strong>, Government of India.</li>
<li>Currently it is one of the leading Centers of the country in <strong>Plant Molecular Biology</strong> (study of molecular basis of plant life).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1661596" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'posturl' => 'xoo-infection-rice',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6565,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'EPCA on Early Burning of Crop Residue',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Supreme Court</strong></a>-appointed<strong> Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA)</strong> raised concerns about early <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/stubble-burning-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>burning of crop residue</strong></a> in Punjab and Haryana.</p>
<h3>Key Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/safar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research)</strong> </a>under the Central government estimate which uses the<strong> INSAT-3, 3D</strong> and <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</strong></a> satellite, the fire counts have increased from zero to 42 in a few days.</li>
<li>In 2019, about 9.8 million tonnes of the total estimated crop residue of 20 million tonnes were burnt in Punjab. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Similarly, in Haryana, of the total 7 million tonnes, 1.24 million tonnes of stubble were burnt.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>EPCA was constituted under<strong> section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986</strong> for the <strong>National Capital Region</strong> in compliance with the <strong>Supreme Court order dated January 1998.</strong></li>
<li>It has the power to take action<strong> suo-moto,</strong> or on the <strong>basis of complaints</strong> made by any individual, representative body or organization functioning in the field of environment.</li>
<li>It takes all necessary steps for controlling vehicular pollution, ensuring compliance of fuel quality standards, monitoring and coordinating action for traffic planning and management.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>INSAT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> Indian National Satellite (INSAT)</strong> system is a constellation of operational communication satellites placed in <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/types-of-orbit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Geo-stationary orbit.</strong></a></li>
<li>Established in <strong>1983</strong> with commissioning of INSAT-1B.</li>
<li>The constellation of INSAT System consists of operational satellites, namely &ndash; INSAT-3A, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4CR, 3DR.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>SAFAR</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)</strong> is a national initiative introduced by the <strong>Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)</strong> to measure the air quality of a metropolitan city, by measuring the overall pollution level and the <strong>location-specific air quality</strong> of the city.</li>
<li>The system is<strong> indigenously</strong> developed by the <strong>Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM),</strong> Pune and is operationalized by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cyclone-fani" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India Meteorological Department (IMD).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Stubble Burning</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>traditional practice</strong> in <strong>Punjab and Haryana</strong> to clean off the rice chaff to prepare the fields for winter sowing.</li>
<li>It begins<strong> around October and peaks in November,</strong> coinciding with the withdrawal of <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/monsoon-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>southwest monsoon.</strong></a></li>
<li>The<strong> pollutants and the Particulate Matter (PM)</strong> from the chaff, along with other sources of pollution in Delhi, makes winter air quality worse in Delhi and proximity.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Reasons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Increase in Rice Acreage: Subsidies and assured procurement</strong> of rice have led to a rise in the rice acreage.</li>
<li><strong>Delayed sowing</strong> of paddy to late June to discourage groundwater extraction as per the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/punjab-water-law-responsible-for-air-pollution-in-delhi" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act 2009.</strong></a></li>
<li>This led to a delayed harvesting, stubble burning coincides perfectly with the withdrawal of southwest monsoon.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This time the<strong> southward shift of subtropical jet stream</strong> happens causing a <strong>westward wind pattern in the northern part of India</strong> and thus spread of pollutants.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Technology:</strong> Increased and modernised <strong>farm mechanisation</strong> extract the rice grains only and leave large quantities of rice stubble behind. Earlier, this excess crop was used by farmers for cooking, as hay to keep their animals warm or even as extra insulation for homes.</li>
<li><strong>High Silica Content:</strong> Rice straw is considered useless as fodder in the case of non-basmati rice, because of its <strong>high silica content. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Effects:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The stubble burning emits large amounts of toxic pollutants in the atmosphere which contain harmful gases like <strong>methane (CH<sup>4</sup>), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Volatile organic compound (VOC) and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.</strong></li>
<li>The burning of wheat straw<strong> reduces the soil fertility,</strong> besides polluting the environment.</li>
<li>Additionally, the heat generated by stubble burning penetrates into the soil, leading to the loss of moisture and useful microbes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <strong>centralized control room</strong> must be set up to issue directions both for ensuring that appropriate technology to tackle this issue is within the reach of farmers and also ensure enforcement of non-compliance.</li>
<li>The establishment of the <strong>Farm Machinery Banks (FMB)</strong> for custom hiring of in-situ crop residue management machinery.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The most efficient technology is the <strong>Turbo Happy Seeder (THS)</strong> machine. It not only cuts and uproots the stubble but can also drill wheat seeds in the soil that have just been cleared up. The straw is simultaneously thrown over the sown seeds to form a <strong>mulch cover.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Stopping crop residue burning will aid the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cpcb-lists-cities-with-no-clean-up-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Clean Air Programme</strong> </a>(NCAP), which aims to reduce pollution by 20-30% in annual PM concentration by 2024.</li>
<li>An expansion of schemes like the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fund-crunch-in-mgnrega" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)</strong></a> for harvesting and composting of stubble will help to resolve the dual problem of unemployment and stubble burning.</li>
<li>In the long-term,<strong> shifting the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/cropping-patterns-and-major-crops-of-india-part-one" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cropping pattern</a></strong> away from paddy to maize, cotton, fruits or vegetables in Punjab, Haryana and UP is required.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/epca-chief-asks-punjab-haryana-to-act-against-stubble-burning/article32672708.ece#:~:text=The%20Supreme%20Court%2Dappointed%20Environment,address%20the%20issue%20%E2%80%9Curgently%E2%80%9D." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source TH</strong></a></p>',
		'posturl' => 'epca-on-early-burning-of-crop-residue',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 8 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 5419,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'International Tea Day',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>first International Tea Day</strong> was observed on 21<sup>st</sup> May after it was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The UN General Assembly called on the <strong>Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO is an agency of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a>)</strong> to lead the observance of the day.</li>
<li>May 21 was chosen because the <strong>season of tea production begins in May</strong> in most of the tea producing countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tea is a beverage made from the<strong> Camellia sinesis plant.</strong> It is the world&rsquo;s most consumed drink, after water.</li>
<li><strong>Origin:</strong> It is believed that tea originated in <strong>northeast India, north Myanmar and southwest China,</strong> but the exact place where the plant first grew is not known. There is evidence that tea was consumed in China 5,000 years ago.</li>
<li><strong>Economy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Tea production and processing</strong> constitutes a main source of livelihoods and subsistence for millions in developing and least developed countries.</li>
<li>It is a labour-intensive sector, providing jobs, especially in remote and economically disadvantaged areas.</li>
<li>Tea can play a <strong>significant role in rural development, poverty reduction and food security</strong> in developing countries, being one of the most important <strong>cash crops.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sustainable Development:</strong> Tea production and processing contributes towards various <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>sustainable development goals</strong></a>:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Reduction of extreme poverty (Goal 1).</li>
<li>Fight against hunger (Goal 2).</li>
<li>Empowerment of women (Goal 5).</li>
<li>Sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems (Goal 15).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Plantation condition:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tea is a<strong> tropical</strong> and <strong>sub-tropical plant</strong> and grows well in moderately hot and humid climates.</li>
<li>The ideal temperature for its growth is 20&deg;-30&deg;C and temperatures above 35&deg;C and below 10&deg;C are harmful for the bush.</li>
<li>It requires 150-300 cm annual rainfall which should be well distributed throughout the year.</li>
<li>The most suitable soil for tea cultivation is<strong> slightly acidic soil (without calcium)</strong> with porous sub-soil which permits a free percolation of water.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Climate Change:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, with more floods and droughts, are already affecting yields, tea product quality and prices, lowering incomes and threatening rural livelihoods.</li>
<li>In parallel, there is a growing recognition of the need to contribute to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-land-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>climate change</strong></a> mitigation, by reducing carbon emissions from tea production and processing.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>FAO has designated 4 tea cultivation sites in <strong>China, Korea</strong> and <strong>Japan</strong> as <strong>Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pu&rsquo;er Traditional Tea Agrosystem (China)</li>
<li>Fuzhou Jasmine and Tea Culture System (China)</li>
<li>Traditional Tea-grass Integrated System (Japan)</li>
<li>Traditional Hadong Tea Agrosystem, Hwagae-myeon (Republic of Korea)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M8tSwibr5_w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) was started by the FAO to safeguard and support the <strong>world's agricultural heritage systems.</strong></li>
<li>GIAHS are outstanding landscapes of aesthetic beauty that combine agricultural biodiversity, resilient ecosystems and a valuable cultural heritage.</li>
<li><strong>Three recognised GIAHS sites in India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Kuttanad Below Sea Level Farming System of <strong>Kerala.</strong></li>
<li>Koraput Traditional Agriculture of <strong>Odisha.</strong></li>
<li>Pampore Saffron Heritage of<strong> Kashmir.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'posturl' => 'international-tea-day',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 5056,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'National Conference on Kharif Crops 2020',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers&rsquo; Welfare addressed the <strong>National Conference on Kharif Crops 2020</strong> through a video conference.</p>
<h3>Key Highlights of the Conference</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Aims:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To <strong>discuss various issues and list out steps</strong> in consultation with the States about preparedness for <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/cropping-patterns-and-major-crops-of-india-part-one" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kharif</strong></a> cultivation in view of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/21-days-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>lockdown</strong></a> situation.</li>
<li>To take up <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/technology-and-doubling-farmers-income" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>doubling of farmers&rsquo; income</strong></a> <strong>in mission mode.</strong></li>
<li>To urge states to explain the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-fasal-bima-yojana-pmfby" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana</strong></a> and <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/to-the-point-paper-3-soil-health-card-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Soil Health Card Scheme</strong></a> to each farmer.</li>
<li>To <strong>implement the Home Ministry exemptions and relaxations</strong> for the Agricultural sector while ensuring <strong>social distancing</strong> and <strong>social responsibility norms.</strong></li>
<li>To <strong>start using the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ease-of-doing-agri-business-index" target="_blank" rel="noopener">e-NAM</a> (National Agriculture Market) extensively.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Target of foodgrains production for the Financial Year 2020-21 has been fixed at 298.0 million tonnes.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>During the FY 2019-20, against the foodgrain production target of 291.10 million tonnes, higher production of about 292 million tonnes is anticipated due to <strong>enhancement of area coverage </strong>and<strong> productivity of various crops.</strong></li>
<li>This was possible due to the <strong>various technological advancements</strong> including <strong>varietal improvement</strong> as well as <strong>dedicated and coordinated efforts</strong> of Central and State Governments in spite of the present situation of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/special-report-on-climate-change-ipcc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>climate change</strong></a> along with <strong>change in rainfall patterns.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>cultivable/agriculture land has reduced by about 2.74 million hectare</strong> during the last two decades.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, during the same period the <strong>Gross Cropped Area (GCA) has increased from 182.28 million hectare to 196.50 million hectare,</strong> with net area sown remaining largely unchanged at 140 million hectare.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Gross Cropped Area:</strong> It represents the total area sown once as well as more than once in a particular year. When the crop is sown on a piece of land for twice, the area is counted twice in GCA.</li>
<li><strong>Net Area Sown:</strong> It represents the total area sown with crops. The area sown more than once in the same year is counted only once.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>production of foodgrains has increased from 169.92 million tonnes to 284.96 million tonnes</strong> in the corresponding period due to various technological and policy interventions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It was highlighted that the <strong>agriculture and <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/horticulture-sector-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">horticulture</a> sector in the country have become a key driving element for economic development</strong> in many States.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>India is the second largest producer of vegetables, after China.</strong></li>
<li>Although India has become food surplus, it still needs to accelerate the production and productivity of agriculture and horticulture sectors for ensuring food and nutritional security in the rural areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> major new initiatives</strong> for increasing production of crops and income of the farmers were<strong> appreciated.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>&ldquo;Per Drop More Crop&rdquo;</strong> under flagship <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-krishi-sinchayee-yojana" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana</strong> </a>(PMKSY).</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/pesticide-management-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana</strong></a> (PKVY).</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-fasal-bima-yojanas-failure-in-north-east" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana</strong> </a>(PMFBY).</li>
<li>e-NAM initiative.</li>
<li><a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/08-02-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi</strong></a> (PM-KISAN) Yojana.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-kisan-maan-dhan-yojana" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana</strong></a> (PM-KPY).</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-annadata-aay-anrakshan-abhiyan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan</strong></a> (PM-AASHA).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It was informed that <strong>All India Agri Transport Call Centre</strong> has been started to ensure that agriculture is not affected.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The call centre will <strong>facilitate inter-state movement of perishables</strong> in the current situation of lockdown due to the Covid-19 threat.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>For<strong> Rabi crops,</strong> all States will <strong>ensure procurement at Village/Block levels</strong> as farmers are not allowed to move out.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In addition, <strong>steps are taken for Direct Marketing/purchasing of crop produce</strong> from farmers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Relaxation has been given for movement of trucks/ vehicles loaded with seeds and fertilizers</strong> to ensure timely availability of such inputs at Village/Block levels across the country.</li>
<li>The format of <strong>State Action Plan</strong> (SAP) for <strong>advance planning and implementation</strong> of the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/food-security-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Food &amp; Nutritional Security Mission</strong></a> (NF&amp;NSM) has been simplified.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NF&amp;NSM is mainly a <strong>mandate for production of foodgrains</strong> and is<strong> implemented on projectised mode through State Agriculture Departments</strong> across the country.</li>
<li><strong>Project Monitoring Teams</strong> at Central and State levels are guiding in formulation of SAPs and also monitoring through field visit and farmers&rsquo; interaction.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-news-analysis/government-plans-to-geo-tag-firms-to-check-frauds" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Geo-tagging</strong> </a><strong>of various interventions</strong> are also undertaken to <strong>ensure transparency</strong> in the programme implementation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1587119050_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1587119050_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="650" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1614994" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'posturl' => 'national-conference-on-kharif-crops-2020',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 4255,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'India’s Cotton Story',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-flawed-spin-to-indias-cotton-story/article30627778.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;The flawed spin to India&rsquo;s cotton story&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on 23/01/2020. It highlights the problems faced by the Indian farmers due to the use of hybrid seed model for cotton production.</p>
</div>
<p>The<strong> pest-resistant Genetically Modified (GM) Bt cotton hybrids</strong> have captured the Indian market (covering over <strong>95%</strong> of the area under cotton) since their <strong>introduction in 2002.</strong> Their role in increasing India&rsquo;s cotton production has been instrumental, however, at the same time, it is argued that Bt cotton hybrids have negatively impacted the livelihoods of the farmers (especially the resource-poor farmers) and has contributed to the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/agricultural-distress-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>agrarian distress.</strong></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Cotton-</strong> fibre, oil and protein yielding crop of global significance.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 21-30&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 50-100cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Well-drained black cotton soil of Deccan Plateau.</li>
<li><strong>Top Cotton Producing States:</strong> Gujarat &gt; Maharashtra &gt; Telangana &gt; Andhra Pradesh &gt; Rajasthan.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Hybrid Cotton:</strong> Cotton made by crossing <strong>two parent strains</strong> that have different genetic characters. Hybrids are often spontaneously and randomly created in nature when open-pollinated plants naturally cross-pollinate with other related varieties.</p>
<p><strong>Varieties Cotton:</strong> Cotton produced by <strong>process of self-fertilization/autogamy</strong> (fusion of two gametes that come from one individual).</p>
<p><strong>Bt Cotton:</strong> It is a<strong> genetically modified organism</strong> or genetically modified pest-resistant variety of cotton.</p>
</div>
<h3>Hybrid Cotton: Experience &amp; Performance so far</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is expected to be the<strong> world&rsquo;s largest <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-cotton-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cotton</a> producer</strong> in terms of the produced output surpassing China (in 2019). <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s cotton production in 2019 is projected at <strong>354 lakh bales</strong> (the highest ever) because of which it has been argued for extending <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/geac-seeks-information-from-bangladesh-on-bt-brinjal" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>GM technology</strong></a> to other areas so as to increase food crop yield.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India is the<strong> only country</strong> that <strong>grows cotton in the form of hybrids.</strong> Also, India was the <strong>first to develop hybrid cotton</strong> back in 1970. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, India&rsquo;s <strong>productivity (yield per unit area)</strong> is <strong>much lower</strong> (around <strong>one-third</strong>) than other major cotton-producing countries. This implies that in order to be the largest producer, a much<strong> larger area is used for cotton production</strong> in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Hybrid Cotton Versus Varieties Cotton</h3>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #5d00ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Sr. No.</strong></span></td>
<td style="height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #5d00ff; width: 13.2856%; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Parameter</strong></span></td>
<td style="height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #5d00ff; width: 38.8226%; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Hybrid Cotton</strong></span></td>
<td style="height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #5d00ff; width: 42.2434%; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Varieties Cotton</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 67px;">
<td style="height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">1.</td>
<td style="height: 67px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">
<p>Formation Technology</p>
</td>
<td style="height: 67px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Made by crossing<strong> two parent</strong> strains having different genetic characters.</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="height: 67px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Seeds for this type of cotton are produced by <strong>self-fertilization.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 83px;">
<td style="height: 83px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">2.</td>
<td style="height: 83px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">Sowing Area</td>
<td style="height: 83px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Hybrids in India are planted at ten-fold <strong>lower plantation density</strong> (0.5 kg seeds/acre).</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="height: 83px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>High-Density Planting (HDP):</strong> These plants are planted at high density (5 kg seeds/acre).</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 131px;">
<td style="height: 131px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">3.</td>
<td style="height: 131px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">Reusability</td>
<td style="height: 131px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Hybrid seeds have to be <strong>remade for each planting season</strong> by crossing the parents. Hence, farmers must <strong>purchase seeds for each planting.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="height: 131px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Varieties can be <strong>propagated over successive generations</strong> by collecting seeds from one <strong>planting and using them for the next planting</strong> season.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 99px;">
<td style="height: 99px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">4.</td>
<td style="height: 99px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">
<p>Productivity</p>
</td>
<td style="height: 99px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These plants have <strong>more biomass</strong> than both parents and hence have the capacity <strong>for greater yields.&nbsp;</strong>But their plantation in per acre area is less (due to its size) as compared to the Varieties Cotton.</li>
<li>The lower <strong>boll production</strong> by compact varieties (5-10 bolls per plant) as compared to hybrids (20-100 bolls/plant) is compensated by their ten-fold greater planting density.</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="height: 99px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Using <strong>HDP technique,</strong> compact varieties have been found to outperform hybrids at the field level.</li>
<li>Their productivity is <strong>more than twice</strong> the productivity of hybrid cotton.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">5.</td>
<td style="height: 19px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">
<p>Production Duration</p>
</td>
<td style="height: 19px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bushy and<strong> long duration</strong> (i.e. take more time to grow).</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="height: 19px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Compact</strong> and <strong>short duration.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">6.</td>
<td style="height: 19px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">Manufacturing Unit &amp; Price Control</td>
<td style="height: 19px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Hybrids give pricing control to the <strong>seed company</strong> thereby ensuring a continuous market. These seeds are <strong>produced entirely</strong> by the <strong>private sector.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="height: 19px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There lies <strong>no concept of pricing control</strong> by any seed company.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">7.</td>
<td style="height: 19px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">Irrigation/Water requirement</td>
<td style="height: 19px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>They require <strong>more water.</strong> As <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/cropping-patterns-and-major-crops-of-india-part-two" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>cotton</strong></a> is a dryland crop, around 65% of the area under cotton in India is <strong>rain-fed.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="height: 19px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Less water</strong> requirement.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 51px;">
<td style="height: 51px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">8.</td>
<td style="height: 51px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">Fertilizer requirement</td>
<td style="height: 51px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>They require <strong>more fertilizers.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="height: 51px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>They require <strong>half the fertilizer as compared to hybrids.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 300px;">
<td style="height: 130px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">9.</td>
<td style="height: 130px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">Risks Involved</td>
<td style="height: 130px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">Farmers with&nbsp;<strong>insufficient access to groundwater&nbsp;</strong>in the growing areas are entirely dependent on the rain. Also, its&nbsp;<strong>longer duration</strong> makes it <strong>more prone to pest attacks</strong> and thus involves <strong>high risks.</strong></td>
<td style="height: 130px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Their <strong>shorter duration</strong> reduces dependence on irrigation (particularly late in the growing season when soil moisture drops following the <strong>monsoon&rsquo;s withdrawal,</strong> as this is the period when bolls develop and water requirement is the highest).</li>
<li>Also, it faces less vulnerability to damage from insect pests due to a shorter field duration. Hence,<strong> low risks are there.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="height: 10px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 5.56881%; text-align: center;">10.</td>
<td style="height: 10px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 13.2856%;">
<p>Economic Cost</p>
</td>
<td style="height: 10px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 38.8226%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Expensive,</strong> requiring manual crossing. In India, low cost of manual labour makes it economically sustainable.</li>
<li>Also, <strong>increased yield from a hybrid</strong> is supposed to justify the high cost of hybrid seeds in India.</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="height: 10px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; background-color: #cfd2ff; width: 42.2434%;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Low-cost</strong> solution.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Policy for Hybrid Cotton</h3>
<p>There have been two phases of policy:</p>
<p><strong>Phase-1: Pre-GM cotton:</strong> This phase of the policy ranges from <strong>1980-2002</strong> when India persisted with hybrids while other countries shifted to HDP (High-density Planting).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cotton research centres &amp; Public sector institutions ignored such a significant innovation (in the form of HDP) in cotton breeding in India.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Phase-2: Post-GM:</strong> This phase began post-2002 when Bt cotton was being considered for <strong>introduction</strong> into India. In this phase, the deliberation of hybrids versus compact varieties could have been undertaken which could have led to the introduction of the HDP technology in India.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>However, the <strong>scope of evaluation</strong> by the GM regulatory process in India was<strong> narrow</strong> and did not take the <strong>agro-economic conditions</strong> prevalent in India into account.</li>
<li>Therefore, the hybrid seed model for cotton in India persisted for many years even after benefits of compact varieties became clear from global experience.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, there was a steep increase in<strong> productivity for Brazil,</strong> from 400 to 1,000 kg/hectare <strong>lint</strong> (yield of cotton fibre after <strong>ginning,</strong> i.e, after separating cotton fibres from their seeds) between 1994 and 2000- the period which coincides with large-scale shift of the world to a <strong>non-GM compact variety.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Policy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Market Capture:</strong> Commercial Bt hybrids have<strong> overshadowed the market,</strong> accompanied by the <strong>rollback of public sector cottonseed production.</strong> Hence, the Indian cotton farmers are left with little choice but to use Bt hybrid seed produced by <strong>private seed</strong> companies.</li>
<li><strong>Farmers Distress:</strong> Due to the combination of high input and high risk, agricultural distress is <strong>extremely high</strong> among hybrid cotton cultivating farmers. Compact varieties would have significantly reduced this distress as well as increased yield.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Impact Assessment:</strong> Before extending GM technology to increase food crop yield it is mandatory to <strong>assess its impact</strong> on livelihood, agrarian distress, etc. Hence, the outcome of deploying a technology must be evaluated in a particular context. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If the technology does not <strong>prioritize the needs</strong> of the principal stakeholders (farmers), it can have significant negative fallouts, especially in India which has a high proportion of marginal and subsistence farmers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Integrated Policy-framing:</strong> There is a <strong>need for better consultation</strong> in policy, be it agriculture as a whole or crop-wise. For e.g., the policy-framers in India could have deliberated upon the <strong>inclusion of socio-economic considerations</strong> being a signatory to international treaties on GMO regulation (the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sixth-national-report-to-the-convention-of-biological-diversity" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Convention on Biological Diversity</strong></a>, and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety). These treaties specifically provide for such considerations in GMO risk assessment.</li>
<li>It is important to recognise that the adoption of any new technology (such as Bt Cotton) is a <strong>choice and not an imperative.</strong> Lessons could be learnt from <strong>Brazil and Turkey</strong> which achieved high productivity without using GM cotton but by using alternative pest-management approaches.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffbdb;">
<p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>How can compact varieties of seed model help sustain cotton production in India.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
		'posturl' => 'india-s-cotton-story',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 3528,
		'category_id' => (int) 28,
		'title' => 'Cropping Patterns and Major Crops of India: Part Two',
		'description' => '<h3>Major Cash Crops</h3>
<h3><em>Sugarcane</em></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872746_image7.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872746_image7.jpg" width="600" height="657" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></em></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 21-27&deg;C with hot and humid climate.</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 75-100 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Deep rich loamy soil.</li>
<li><strong>Top Sugarcane Producing States: Uttar Pradesh &gt; Maharashtra &gt; Karnataka &gt; Tamil Nadu &gt; Bihar.</strong></li>
<li>India is the <strong>second largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil.</strong></li>
<li>It can be grown on all variety of soils ranging from sandy loam to clay loam given these soils should be well drained.</li>
<li>It needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting.</li>
<li>It is the main source of <strong><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sugar-industry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sugar</a>, gur (jaggery), khandsari and molasses.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Scheme for Extending Financial Assistance to Sugar Undertakings (SEFASU)</strong> and <strong>National Policy on Biofuels</strong> are two of the government initiatives to support sugarcane production and sugar industry.</li>
</ul>
<h3><em>Oil Seeds</em></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872812_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872812_image2.jpg" width="600" height="657" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></em></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 15-30&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 30-75 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Loam to clayey loam and well drained sandy loams.</li>
<li><strong>Top Oilseeds Producing States: Madhya Pradesh &gt; Rajasthan &gt; Gujarat &gt; Maharashtra &gt; Uttar Pradesh.</strong></li>
<li>Main oil-seeds produced in India are <strong>groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower.</strong></li>
<li>Most of these are edible and used as cooking mediums. However, some of these are also used as a <strong>raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Yellow Revolution and Integrated Scheme on Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil Palm and Maize (ISOPOM)</strong> are examples of government initiatives for oilseeds.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Groundnut is a kharif crop</strong> and accounts for about<strong> half of the major oilseeds produced</strong> in the country.</li>
<li><strong>Linseed and mustard are rabi</strong> crops.</li>
<li><strong>Sesamum is a kharif crop in north and rabi crop in south India.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Castor seed is grown both as rabi and kharif crop.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/horticulture-sector-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Horticulture Crops</strong></a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Horticulture is the <strong>branch of agriculture</strong> concerned with <strong>cultivation, production and sale of fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, ornamental or exotic plants.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #7d85bd;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Fruits</strong></span></td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #7d85bd;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>States</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 35px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 35px; background-color: #e6fffd;">Mangoes</td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 35px; background-color: #e6fffd;">Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #e6fffd;">
<p>Oranges</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #e6fffd;">Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #e6fffd;">Bananas</td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #e6fffd;">Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #e6fffd;">Litchi and Guava</td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #e6fffd;">Uttar Pradesh and Bihar</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #e6fffd;">
<p>Pineapples</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 50%; height: 19px; background-color: #e6fffd;">Meghalaya</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%; background-color: #e6fffd;">
<p>Grapes</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 50%; background-color: #e6fffd;">Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%; background-color: #e6fffd;">
<p>Apples, Pears, Apricots and Walnuts</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 50%; background-color: #e6fffd;">Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is the <strong>second largest producer</strong> of fruits and vegetables and it produces both <strong>tropical and temperate fruits.</strong></li>
<li>India produces about <strong>13 percent of the world&rsquo;s vegetables.</strong> It is an important producer of <strong>peas, cauliflower, onions, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Golden Revolution, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and Coordinated Horticulture Assessment and Management using geo-informatics (Project CHAMAN)</strong> are government initiatives to help horticulture sector.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Plantation Crops</h3>
<h3><em>Tea</em></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872927_image5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872927_image5.jpg" width="600" height="657" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></em></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 20-30&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 150-300 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Deep and fertile well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter.</li>
<li><strong>Top Tea Producing States: Assam &gt; West Bengal &gt; Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
<li>India is the <strong>second largest producer</strong> of tea.</li>
<li>It was <strong>introduced in the eastern hill slopes of India by the British.</strong></li>
<li>Slopes of eastern hills have <strong>humid climate and evenly distributed rainfall without water logging</strong> which are optimal conditions for <strong>terrace farming</strong> of tea.</li>
<li>Tea is a <strong>labour intensive industry.</strong> It requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour. Tea is processed within the tea garden to retain its freshness.</li>
<li><strong>Tea Development and Promotion Scheme, Wage Compensation Scheme and Tea Boutiques</strong> are few of the government schemes for tea.</li>
</ul>
<h3><em>Coffee</em></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872955_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872955_image3.jpg" width="600" height="657" caption="false" /></em></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 15-28&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 150-250 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Well drained, deep friable loamy soil.</li>
<li><strong>Top Coffee Producing States: Karnataka &gt; Kerala &gt; Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
<li>India is the <strong>seventh largest producer.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Coffee was initially brought from Yemen and introduced on the Baba Budan Hills.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Hills with well-defined shade canopy, comprising evergreen leguminous trees</strong> provide the optimal condition for coffee cultivation that is why it is mainly concentrated in the hilly regions.</li>
<li><strong>Indian variety of coffee &lsquo;Arabica&rsquo; is famous worldwide.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Various Integrated Coffee Development Projects and schemes</strong> have been launched by the government to support coffee production.</li>
</ul>
<h3><em>Rubber</em></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872983_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572872983_image1.jpg" width="600" height="657" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></em></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Above 25&deg;C with moist and humid climate.</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> More than 200 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Rich well drained alluvial soil.</li>
<li><strong>Top Rubber Producing States: Kerala &gt; Tamil Nadu &gt; Karnataka.</strong></li>
<li>It is an <strong>equatorial crop,</strong> but under special conditions, it is <strong>also grown in tropical and sub-tropical</strong> areas.</li>
<li>Rubber is an important <strong>industrial raw material.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Rubber Plantation Development Scheme and Rubber Group Planting Scheme</strong> are examples of government led initiatives for rubber.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Fibre Crops</h3>
<h3><em>Cotton</em></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572873014_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572873014_image4.jpg" width="600" height="657" caption="false" /></em></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 21-30&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 50-100cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Well drained black cotton soil of Deccan Plateau.</li>
<li><strong>Top Cotton Producing States: Gujarat &gt; Maharashtra &gt; Telangana &gt; Andhra Pradesh &gt; Rajasthan.</strong></li>
<li>India is <strong>believed to be the original home of the cotton plant.</strong> Cotton is one of the main raw materials for cotton textile industry.</li>
<li>Cotton needs <strong>210 frost-free days and bright sun-shine for its growth.</strong></li>
<li>It is a<strong> kharif crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Silver Fibre Revolution and Technology Mission on Cotton</strong> are the government initiatives for increasing cotton production in India.</li>
<li>Cotton has been <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/supermarkets-flooded-with-foreign-gm-foods-despite-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>genetically modified</strong> </a>into <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/bt-cotton-in-india-problems-and-solutions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>BT Cotton</strong></a> to <strong>fight environmental stress and pest attacks.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><em>Jute</em></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572873051_image6.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572873051_image6.jpg" width="600" height="657" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></em></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 25-35&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 150-250 cm</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Well drained alluvial soil</li>
<li><strong>Top Jute Producing States: West Bengal &gt; Bihar &gt; Assam &gt; Andhra Pradesh &gt; Odisha.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>mainly concentrated in eastern India</strong> because of the <strong>rich alluvial soil of Ganga-Brahmaputra delta.</strong></li>
<li>India is the <strong>largest producer of jute.</strong></li>
<li>It is known as the <strong>golden fibre.</strong></li>
<li>It is used in making<strong> gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts.</strong></li>
<li>Due to its <strong>high cost, it is losing market to synthetic fibres and packing materials, particularly nylon.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Golden Fibre Revolution and Technology Mission on Jute and Mesta</strong> are two of the government initiatives to boost jute production in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Changing Cropping Patterns of India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cropping pattern is a<strong> dynamic concept</strong> because it changes over space and time. It can be defined as the proportion of area under various crops at a point of time. Sometimes a number of <strong>crops are cultivated in combinations and rotations over a period.</strong></li>
<li>In India, the cropping pattern is <strong>determined by rainfall, climate, temperature, soil type, technology and socio-economic conditions of the farmers.</strong></li>
<li>These changes in the cropping pattern mainly occurred due to<strong> increase in the prices of crops.</strong> After independence a lot of changes had been recorded in the cropping pattern in India.</li>
<li><strong>Green Revolution</strong> also led to changes in the cropping patterns. Rice was introduced to <strong>Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.</strong></li>
<li>Cultivation of food crops has become very <strong>remunerative and productive due to the introduction of new technologies in Indian agriculture.</strong></li>
<li>Farmers are more <strong>intensively moving towards cultivation of cash/commercial crops</strong> such as oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, spices, etc. <strong>from the traditional non-cash/non-commercial crops</strong> such as cereals and pulses.</li>
<li>Farmers have changed their crop patterns in order to <strong>reap the benefits of economic expansion</strong> as well.</li>
<li><strong>Climate change</strong> has affected the Indian monsoon due to which cropping patterns are also changing.</li>
<li><strong>Population explosion and urbanisation</strong> has led to <strong>land conversion, boosting intensive farming</strong> and has brought changes in cropping patterns.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At the beginning of the present century, nearly <strong>83 percent</strong> of the total cultivable land of India was put under<strong> food crops</strong> and the <strong>remaining 17 percent</strong> was put under <strong>non-food crops.</strong> But in <strong>1944-45,</strong> there was a <strong>change in the cropping pattern</strong> in India and area under <strong>food crops came down to 80 percent</strong> and the area under <strong>non-&shy;food</strong> crops slightly <strong>increased to 20 percent.</strong></li>
<li>Among all the food crops, the <strong>largest increase</strong> in area <strong>since 1950- 51</strong> has already been recorded by <strong>wheat cultivation</strong> which shows an <strong>increase of 132 percent by 1987-88.</strong> But in the case of both <strong>rice and pulses,</strong> the <strong>increase</strong> in area has been restricted to <strong>only 23 percent; Coarse cereals</strong> have recorded only <strong>marginal increase of 11 percent by 1987-88.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'posturl' => 'cropping-patterns-and-major-crops-of-india-part-two',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 3518,
		'category_id' => (int) 28,
		'title' => 'Cropping Patterns and Major Crops of India: Part One',
		'description' => '<p><strong>Two-thirds of India&rsquo;s population</strong> is engaged in agricultural activities. It is a primary activity, which produces food grains and raw materials for industries. India is geographically a vast country so it has various food and non-food crops which are cultivated in three main cropping seasons which are rabi, kharif and zaid.</p>
<p>Major crops can be classified into-</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Food crops-</strong> Rice, Wheat, Millets, Maize and Pulses.</li>
<li><strong>Cash crops-</strong> Sugarcane, Oilseeds, Horticulture crops, Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Cotton and Jute.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cropping Seasons</h3>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 7.15991%; background-color: #5a8025; height: 19px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>S. No</strong></span></td>
<td style="width: 19.1181%; background-color: #5a8025; height: 19px;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Cropping Season</strong></span></td>
<td style="width: 19.8723%; background-color: #5a8025; height: 19px;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Time Period</strong></span></td>
<td style="width: 23.6935%; background-color: #5a8025; height: 19px;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Crops</strong></span></td>
<td style="width: 30.0768%; background-color: #5a8025; height: 19px;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>States</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 7.15991%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">1.</td>
<td style="width: 19.1181%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Rabi</td>
<td style="width: 19.8723%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Sown: October-December<br />Harvested: April-June</td>
<td style="width: 23.6935%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Wheat, barley, peas, gram, mustard etc.</td>
<td style="width: 30.0768%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 7.15991%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2.</td>
<td style="width: 19.1181%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Kharif</td>
<td style="width: 19.8723%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Sown: June-July<br />Harvested: September-October</td>
<td style="width: 23.6935%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean etc.</td>
<td style="width: 30.0768%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 7.15991%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">3.</td>
<td style="width: 19.1181%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Zaid</td>
<td style="width: 19.8723%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Sown and harvested: March-July<br />(between Rabi and Kharif)</td>
<td style="width: 23.6935%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Seasonal fruits, vegetables, fodder crops etc.</td>
<td style="width: 30.0768%; background-color: #deebcc; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">Most of the northern and northwestern states</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>Major Food Crops</h3>
<h3><em>Rice</em></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572859346_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572859346_image2.jpg" width="606" height="674" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></em></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 22-32&deg;C with high humidity.</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 150-300 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Deep clayey and loamy soil.</li>
<li><strong>Top Rice Producing States: West Bengal &gt; Punjab &gt; Uttar Pradesh &gt; Andhra Pradesh &gt; Bihar.</strong></li>
<li>It is the <strong>staple food crop of majority</strong> of Indian people.</li>
<li>India is the <strong>second largest producer of rice in the world after China.</strong></li>
<li>In states like <strong>Assam, West Bengal and Odisha,</strong> three crops of paddy are grown in a year. These are <strong>Aus, Aman and Boro.</strong></li>
<li><strong>National Food Security Mission, Hybrid Rice Seed Production and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana</strong> are few government initiatives to support rice cultivation.</li>
</ul>
<h3><em>Wheat</em></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572700255_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572700255_image4.jpg" width="606" height="674" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 10-15&deg;C (Sowing time) and 21-26&deg;C (Ripening &amp; Harvesting) with bright sunlight.</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 75-100 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Well-drained fertile loamy and clayey loamy (Ganga-Satluj plains and black soil region of the Deccan)</li>
<li><strong>Top Wheat Producing States: Uttar Pradesh &gt; Punjab &gt; Madhya Pradesh &gt; Haryana &gt; Rajasthan.</strong></li>
<li>India is the <strong>second largest producer</strong> after China.</li>
<li>This is the <strong>second most important cereal crop and the main food crop, in north and north-western</strong> India.</li>
<li>Success of <strong>Green Revolution</strong> contributed to the growth of Rabi crops especially wheat.</li>
<li><strong>Macro Management Mode of Agriculture, National Food Security Mission and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana</strong> are few government initiatives to support wheat cultivation.</li>
</ul>
<h3><em>Millets (Nutri-Cereals)</em></h3>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572699621_image5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572699621_image5.jpg" width="652" height="674" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 27-32&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 50-100 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Can be grown in inferior alluvial or loamy soil because they are less sensitive to soil deficiencies.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Jowar-</strong> Rain-fed crop grown in the moist areas with less or no irrigation.</li>
<li><strong>Bajra-</strong> Sandy soils and shallow black soil.</li>
<li><strong>Ragi-</strong> Red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. (dry regions)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Top Millets Producing States: Rajasthan &gt; Karnataka &gt; Maharashtra &gt; Madhya Pradesh &gt; Uttar Pradesh</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Jowar:</strong> Maharashtra &gt; Karnataka &gt; Madhya Pradesh &gt; Tamil Nadu &gt; Andhra Pradesh.</li>
<li><strong>Bajra:</strong> Rajasthan &gt; Uttar Pradesh &gt; Gujarat &gt; Madhya Pradesh &gt; Haryana.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These are also known as <strong>coarse grains,</strong> which have <strong>high nutritional value. Ragi</strong> is very <strong>rich in iron, calcium, other micro nutrients</strong> and <strong>roughage.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Jowar</strong> is the <strong>third most important food crop with respect to area and production.</strong></li>
<li><strong>National Agricultural Insurance Scheme, Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion</strong> are examples of government&rsquo;s efforts to support millet production.</li>
</ul>
<h3><em>Maize</em></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572699562_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572699562_image3.jpg" width="607" height="674" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 21-27&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> High rainfall.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Old alluvial soil.</li>
<li><strong>Top Maize Producing States: Karnataka &gt; Maharashtra &gt; Madhya Pradesh &gt; Tamil Nadu &gt; Telangana</strong></li>
<li>India is the <strong>seventh largest producer</strong> worldwide.</li>
<li>It is used both as <strong>food and fodder.</strong></li>
<li>Use of modern inputs such as <strong>High-Yielding Variety seeds, fertilisers and irrigation</strong> have contributed to the <strong>increasing production</strong> of maize.</li>
<li><strong>Technology Mission on Maize</strong> is one of the government&rsquo;s initiatives for mazie.</li>
</ul>
<h3><em>Pulses</em><strong></strong></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572699518_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1572699518_image1.jpg" width="608" height="674" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> Between 20-27&deg;C</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> Around 25-60 cm.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Type:</strong> Sandy-loamy soil.</li>
<li><strong>Top Pulses Producing States: Madhya Pradesh &gt; Rajasthan &gt; Maharashtra &gt; Uttar Pradesh &gt; Karnataka.</strong></li>
<li>India is the <strong>largest producer</strong> as well as the<strong> consumer</strong> of pulses in the world.</li>
<li>These are the <strong>major source of protein</strong> in a vegetarian diet.</li>
<li>Major pulses grown in India are<strong> tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and gram.</strong></li>
<li>Being <strong>leguminous crops,</strong> all these crops except arhar help in restoring soil fertility by <strong>fixing nitrogen from the air.</strong> Therefore, these are mostly grown in rotation with other crops.</li>
<li><strong>National Food Security Mission for Pulses, Pulses Development Scheme and Technological Mission on Pulses</strong> are few of the government&rsquo;s plans to support pulses production.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>NOTE:</strong> Cash Crops will be covered in the Cropping Patterns and Major Crops of India: Part Two.</em></p>',
		'posturl' => 'cropping-patterns-and-major-crops-of-india-part-one',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 3139,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Zero-Budget Natural Farming',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/is-zero-budget-natural-farming-working/article29410335.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Is zero budget natural farming working?&rdquo;</strong></a> that appeared in The Hindu Business Line on 14/09/2019. It talks about the benefits and issues related to Zero-Budget Natural Farming.</p>
</div>
<p>Addressing the <strong>United Nations conference on desertification (COP-14)</strong>, Indian PM told the global community that India is <strong>focusing on Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF).</strong> ZBNF was also highlighted in<strong> budget 2019</strong> in the bid to double farmer's income by 2022.</p>
<p>However, scientists from the <strong>National Academy of Agricultural Sciences</strong> suggested that there is no need for the government to promote ZBNF unless there is proper scientific validation.</p>
<h3>Zero Budget Natural Farming</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Zero budget natural farming is a method of <strong>chemical-free agriculture</strong> drawing from traditional Indian practices.</li>
<li>It was originally promoted by <strong>agriculturist Subhash Palekar,</strong> who developed it in the mid-1990s as an <strong>alternative to the Green Revolution&rsquo;s methods</strong> that are driven by chemical fertilizers and pesticides and intensive irrigation.</li>
<li>It is a unique model that relies on <strong>Agro-ecology.</strong></li>
<li>It aims to bring down the <strong>cost of production to nearly zero</strong> and return to a <strong>pre-green revolution style of farming.</strong></li>
<li>It claims that there is <strong>no need</strong> for expensive inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides and intensive irrigation.</li>
<li>ZBNF is based on 4 pillars:
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Jeevamrutha:</strong> It is a mixture of fresh cow dung and aged cow urine (both from India's indigenous cow breed), jaggery, pulse flour, water and soil; to be applied on farmland.</li>
<li><strong>Bijamrita:</strong> It is a concoction of neem leaves &amp; pulp, tobacco and green chilies prepared for insect and pest management, that can be used to treat seeds.</li>
<li><strong>Acchadana (Mulching)</strong>: It protects topsoil during cultivation and does not destroy it by tilling.</li>
<li><strong>Whapasa</strong>: It is the condition where there are both air molecules and water molecules present in the soil. Thereby helping in reducing irrigation requirement.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits of ZBNF</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With the rising cost of external inputs (fertilizers and pesticides), which is the leading <strong>cause of indebtedness and suicide among farmers.</strong> According to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/restructuring-of-indian-statistical-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)</a> data, <strong>almost 70% of agricultural households</strong> spend more than they earn and more than half of all farmers are in debt.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since in ZBNF there is the need to spend money or take loans for external inputs, the cost of production could be reduced and <strong>farming made into a &ldquo;zero budget&rdquo; exercise.</strong></li>
<li>This would <strong>break the debt cycle</strong> for many small farmers and help to envisage the doubling of farmer's income by 2022.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>At a time when chemical-intensive farming is resulting in soil and environmental degradation, a zero-cost environmentally-friendly farming method is definitely a timely initiative.</li>
<li>The ZBNF method promotes <strong>soil aeration,</strong> minimal watering, intercropping, bunds and topsoil mulching and discourages intensive irrigation and deep ploughing.</li>
<li>It suits all crops in all agro-climatic zones.</li>
<li>Citing the benefits of ZBNF, in June 2018, <strong>Andhra Pradesh</strong> rolled out an ambitious plan to become <strong>India&rsquo;s first State to practise 100% natural farming by 2024.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Related to ZBNF</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sikkim (India's first organic state), has seen some <strong>decline in yields</strong> following conversion to organic farming.</li>
<li>Many farmers have <strong>reverted to conventional farming</strong> after seeing their ZBNF returns drop after a few years.</li>
<li>While ZBNF has definitely helped preserve soil fertility, its role in boosting productivity and farmers&rsquo; income <strong>isn&rsquo;t conclusive</strong> yet.</li>
<li>ZBNF advocates the <strong>need of an Indian breed cow,</strong> whose numbers are <strong>declining at a fast pace.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to Livestock Census, the country&rsquo;s total population of indigenous and nondescript cattle has dropped by 8.1%.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Low expenditure by the government:</strong> Last year, the government launched Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, a flagship Green Revolution scheme with an allocation of Rs 3,745 crore for the financial year 2019-20.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Whereas the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, which was meant to promote organic farming and soil health has been allocated Rs 325 crore only.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is a host of structural marketing issues which needs to be addressed first before aiming to achieve the ambitious goal of ZBNF. For example:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Strengthening of agricultural market infrastructure.</li>
<li>Extending the procurement mechanism to all foodgrain and non-foodgrain crops to all States.</li>
<li>Implementation of price deficiency payment system for selected crops.</li>
<li>Fixing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/msp-agrarian-crisis-and-reform" target="_blank" rel="noopener">minimum support prices</a> (MSP) in consonance with the cost of cultivation.</li>
<li>Abolishing minimum export price for agricultural commodities.</li>
<li>Enacting legislation on &lsquo;right to sell at MSP&rsquo; needs immediate attention.</li>
<li>MGNREGS must also be linked with farm work in order to reduce the cost of cultivation which has escalated at a faster pace over the past few years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Unless these issues are resolved, the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/doubling-farmers-income-a-promise-to-be-fulfilled-by-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">doubling of farmers' income</a> will remain a distant reality. In this context, farmers&rsquo; ease of doing business and ease of living should also be taken into consideration.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #faffe8;">
<p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Critically analyse the role Zero Budget Natural Farming can play in achieving the goal of doubling farmer&rsquo;s income by 2022.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><strong>Sources:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/what-is-zero-budget-natural-farming/article28733122.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/what-is-zero-budget-natural-farming/article28733122.ece</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://thewire.in/agriculture/budget-2019-zero-budget-natural-farming" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>https://thewire.in/agriculture/budget-2019-zero-budget-natural-farming</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-should-stop-promoting-zero-budget-natural-farming-pending-proof-scientists/article29386358.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-should-stop-promoting-zero-budget-natural-farming-pending-proof-scientists/article29386358.ece</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-seeds-of-sustainability/article24213217.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-seeds-of-sustainability/article24213217.ece</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.fao.org/agroecology/detail/en/c/443712/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>http://www.fao.org/agroecology/detail/en/c/443712/</strong></a></li>
</ul>',
		'posturl' => 'zero-budget-natural-farming',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 2862,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Solution to India’s Water Crisis',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>&ldquo;The article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/lets-draw-lines-in-water-crisis-farmer-deaths-drought-5905972/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;India&rsquo;s water problem has a simple solution&rdquo;</a> that published in The Indian Express on 15th August. It talks about India&rsquo;s Water Crisis and its possible solution through Crop Diversification.&rdquo;</p>
</div>
<h3>Context</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the <strong>Composite Water Management Index (CWMI)</strong> report released by the <strong>NITI Aayog</strong> in 2018, 21 major cities (Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and others) are racing to reach zero groundwater levels by 2020, affecting access for 100 million people.The CWMI report also states that by 2030, the country's water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual <strong>6% loss in the country's GDP</strong>.</li>
<li>Maharashtra and nearly half the country is facing an acute water shortage. Besides Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, parts of Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana are facing a water shortage of unprecedented level.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Agriculture and Water Crisis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>90% of India&rsquo;s water is consumed in farming and 80% of this irrigation is for water-guzzling crops &mdash;</strong> rice, wheat and sugarcane. Reducing this number is the most effective way of solving India&rsquo;s water problem.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s farmers, even in drought-prone areas, grow these water-intensive crops because <strong>these crops have a steady demand</strong> due to government assured procurement and Minimum Support Price (MSP).</li>
<li><strong>Inefficient and dilapidated canal irrigation systems</strong> have led to a spurt in groundwater development. India is the largest user of groundwater in the world with over 60% of irrigated agriculture and 85% of drinking water supplies dependent on aquifers.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Crop Diversification as a Solution to Reduce Water Usage in Agriculture</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Diversify procurement operations</strong> to include less water-intensive crops like millets, pulses and oilseeds, especially in India&rsquo;s drylands. This would incentivise farmers to grow them.</li>
<li>Introduce these food grains in the mid-day meal scheme <strong>(MDM)</strong> and the integrated child development services <strong>(ICDS)</strong>, which are the largest child nutrition programmes in human history.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This would <strong>create an enormous and steady demand</strong> for these crops. Farmers, in the regions where it is ecologically appropriate to grow them, would be incentivised to shift away from water-intensive crops.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As we diversify the cropping pattern, aligning it more closely with India&rsquo;s agro-bio-geo-ecological diversity, voluminous quantities of water would be released for meeting the drinking water needs in both rural and urban areas, and the demands of industry.</li>
<li><strong>Improvement in soil and water quality, higher and more stable net incomes for farmers, reduced malnutrition and obesity,</strong> etc. are some added benefits of crop diversification besides lowering water demands in Agriculture.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Some other methods to reduce water usage in Agriculture</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>System of Rice Intensification (SRI)</strong> has been adopted by several farmers especially in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh as a water-conserving method of paddy cultivation. The technique needs a bigger push from the Centre to make it a universal concept.</li>
<li>Conservation techniques like <strong>zero-tillage, raised-bed planting, precision farming and drip or sprinkler irrigation</strong> have shown good results in soil and water conservation but needs further improvement in technology for wider acceptance.</li>
<li><strong>Organic and nature based farming:</strong> Studies have shown that organic farming conserves water by requiring less water in irrigation and also helps in improving water-storage capacity of soil by improving its health.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is a need for a paradigm shift. We urgently require a transition from this 'supply-and-supply-more water' provision to measures which lead towards improving water use efficiency, reducing leakages, recharging/restoring local water bodies as well as applying for higher tariffs and ownership by various stakeholders.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The formation of the Jal Shakti ministry is a promising step in the right direction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Aquifer recharge and rainwater conservation through <strong>community ponds and recharge wells</strong> should be promoted with involvement of gram sabhas.Lessons can also be drawn from the work of <strong>Sankalpa Rural Development Society</strong> (SRDS) which has been training farmers of Karnataka on revival of defunct borewells.</li>
<li><strong>Participatory Governance</strong> is needed to govern water resources. India&rsquo;s rivers and groundwater can be protected only if the integral interconnectedness of catchment areas, rivers and rural and urban aquifers is properly recognised.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #faf6e1; border-color: #0636d1; border-style: dotted;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 1256px;"><em><strong>Drishti Input:</strong></em><br /><br />&ldquo;Water Crisis in India is also a result of excessive and rampant use of water in agriculture. Analyse. Also suggest some measures to improve water-use efficiency in Agriculture.&rdquo;</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'posturl' => 'solution-to-indias-water-crisis',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 15 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 2710,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Sustainable Plantations',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p><strong>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/how-plantation-sector-can-turn-near-organic/article28805012.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;How plantation sector can turn &lsquo;near organic&rsquo;&rdquo;</a> that appeared in The Hindu BusinessLine on 3 August 2019. It talks about the sustainability of Plantations.</strong></p>
</div>
<p>The plantation has an interface of agriculture and industry. It is a type of commercial farming where a single crop is grown on a large area. It was introduced by the Europeans in colonies situated in tropical countries.</p>
<p>In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana, etc. are the important plantation crops. However environmental and man-made excesses of the input-intensive Green Revolution has made plantations unsustainable.</p>
<h3>Why the current model of Plantation is unsustainable?</h3>
<p>Plantation agriculture is characterised by features like large estates or plantations, high capital investment, single crop specialisation, labour intensive etc., but it adversely affects the environment. For example:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The biggest negative impact is due to the change in land use.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Over the 150-200 years, the forest was cleared to develop commercial crops, and that too dominated by mono-cropping.</li>
<li>This has lead to the loss of productivity and biodiversity of the region.</li>
<li>Further, the plantations are converted into resorts, health cities or housing complexes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The plantation is India is motivated by the Green Revolution, which heavily relies on the use of inorganic fertilizers.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This leads to problems like deterioration of soil fertility, water pollution due to run-off etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These negative effects further get aggravated due to heavy rains, floods and landslides- fallouts of climate change.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How to make plantations sustainable?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>For environmentally sustainable agriculture in India, a new approach based on the prudent application of inputs and optimal use of <strong>Nitrate Reductase</strong> can be utilized.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Nitrate Reductase&rsquo; Principle</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nitrate Reductase is an <strong>enzyme</strong> that is secreted in the<strong> root zone</strong> to denote that plant is ready to absorb the nutrients derived out of the nitrogenous format.</li>
<li>It furthers absorption of zinc sulphate, boron, magnesium sulphate and manganese, which are essential micronutrients to ward off infections such as blister blight and tea mosquito attack.</li>
<li>This enzyme is synchronised with the<strong> sunshine hours.</strong> It is supposed to remain active for<strong> two hours</strong> a day.</li>
<li><strong>By synchronising the use of nitrogenous fertiliser with the secretion of the enzyme, the use of fertilizers can be minimised and a near-organic form of cultivation can be achieved.</strong></li>
<li>Thereby the abuse of nitrogenous fertilisers can be contained.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Rather than planting community selling land to real estate developers, the plantation sector can take up pisciculture.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For Pisciculture, mini earthen dams can be created. These earthen dams can be a source of additional income to the planters.</li>
<li>Since the regions in India dominated by plantations are located in the seismologically disturbed area.</li>
<li>So for the construction of permission from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has to be taken.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Precision Farming techniques like drip irrigation and fertigation, along with the use of technologies like artificial intelligence should be used in plantation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The plantation sector in India suffers from lack of long-term policies or distorted policies since Independence, climate change, increasing labour and input costs, the need to improve yield, the necessity of growers to focus on value addition and unavailability of both skilled &amp; unskilled labour.</li>
<li>Comprehensive and integrated government policy is needed that focuses on value-addition of existing crops, inter-cropping of high-value crops, the introduction of the concept of integrated farming and ecotourism in plantations.</li>
<li>The policy should also encourage increase in the revenue and employment opportunities from unit area of plantation through different ecologically sustainable vocations and other activities like inter-cropping, integrated farming activities, harnessing of non-renewable energy sources, fruit processing etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>Plantation agriculture is very important for an agrarian country like India, but unsustainable plantations will lead to an environmental disaster. Hence, the government should address the ills of the plantations and while promoting sustainable practices in plantations keeping in mind the menace of global warming.<br /><br /></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" height="83">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; background-color: #d3f5db; border-color: #001aff;">
<p><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Drishti input</span><br /><br /></strong></em>Plantation agriculture is very important for an agrarian country like India, but unsustainable plantations will lead to an environmental disaster. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'posturl' => 'sustainable-plantations',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 16 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 2692,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Multi-cropping',
		'description' => '<p>A recent study conducted by the <strong>Centre for Economic and Social Studies</strong> (CESS) has highlighted the importance of multi-cropping system.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In multi cropping system, farmers grow <strong>two or more crops</strong> on farmland in one calendar year (unlike mono-cropping, that involves planting only one crop on a field). It includes inter-cropping, mixed-cropping and relay cropping.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Intercropping:</strong> Is growing two or more crops simultaneously in a definite cropping pattern.</li>
<li><strong>Relay cropping:</strong> Relay cropping involves growing of two or more crops on the same field with the planting of the second crop after the first one has reached its reproductive stage.</li>
<li><strong>Mixed intercropping:</strong> It involves growing more than one crop simultaneously <strong>without any distinct row arrangement.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Multi cropping system is common in <strong>tropical regions</strong> having more rainfall, higher temperatures, and a longer growing season.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Economical Benefits</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Higher Productivity:</strong> Multiple cropping system is seen as a way to maximize land productivity in a small area by improving the intensity of land and labor use for better profit and stabilizing farm income.</li>
<li><strong>Fodder Stock:</strong> Growing multicrops or polycrops ensures enough fodder stocks for cattles.</li>
<li><strong>Food Security:</strong> In multi-cropping system, even if one or two crops fail, farmers still be able to harvest other crops to guarantee food throughout the year.</li>
<li><strong>Multiple Uses:</strong> Crops don&rsquo;t just yield grains but also fodder and fuelwood.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Agronomic Benefits</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Pest Management:</strong> Growing a variety of crops together minimizes pest problems and makes efficient use of soil nutrients, water, and land.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Leguminous (crops having roots that are able to make soil nitrogen available to other plants), when intercropped with other crops, particularly those that require plenty of nitrogen (e.g. young maize plants and sorghum), results into efficient use of soil nutrients.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Weed Management:</strong> It helps to suppress weeds, as weeds find it difficult to grow alongside some crops.</li>
<li><strong>Sustainable crop production</strong> <strong>systems:</strong> This reduces the application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Centre for Economic and Social Studies</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) was established as an autonomous research Centre in 1980.</li>
<li>Later in 1986 it was recognized as a national institute by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) (Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India).</li>
<li>The Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) has been registered under Section 6(1) (a) of the <strong>Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 1976.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/multi-cropping-has-economical-and-agronomic-benefits/article28785706.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: BL</strong></a></p>',
		'posturl' => 'multi-cropping',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 2653,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'White Tea',
		'description' => '<p>The <strong>Golokpur tea estate</strong> in <strong>Unakoti</strong> district of <strong>Tripura</strong> set a record for selling maximum quantity of white tea.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>White tea (minimally processed) is harvested even before the plants leaves unfurl fully with the buds still covered by fine white hairs, hence, the name white .</li>
<li>India accounts for 14% of global tea exports and nearly 20% of the tea produced in the country is exported, according to Tea Board India.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India and Tea Production</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>largest consumer</strong> of tea in the world</li>
<li>The <strong>second largest producer</strong> of tea in the world</li>
<li>The <strong>fourth largest exporter</strong> of tea in the world</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Tea Cultivation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tea cultivation and plantation is practiced in Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiri Hills of South India and Tarai along the foothills of the Himalayas .</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conditions of Growth</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Climate:</strong> Tea is a tropical and sub-tropical plant and grows well in <strong>hot</strong> and<strong> humid climate.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> The ideal temperature for its growth is <strong>20&deg;-30&deg;C</strong> and temperatures above 35&deg;C and below 10&deg;C are harmful for the bush.</li>
<li><strong>Rainfall:</strong> It requires <strong>150-300 cm</strong> annual rainfall which should be well distributed throughout the year.</li>
<li><strong>Soil:</strong> The most suitable soil for tea cultivation is slightly acidic soil (without calcium ) with porous sub-soil which permits a free percolation of water.</li>
<li>Tea is a <strong>shade-loving plant</strong> and develops more vigorously when planted along with shady trees.</li>
<li>There is a very close relation between climate, the yield and the quality of tea</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Tea Board</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a<strong> statutory body</strong>&nbsp;under the <strong>Ministry of Commerce.</strong></li>
<li>The Board is constituted of 31 members (including Chairman) drawn from Members of Parliament, tea <strong>producers,</strong> tea <strong>traders, </strong>tea <strong>brokers, consumers, and representatives of Governments</strong> from the principal tea producing states, and trade unions .</li>
<li>The Board is reconstituted<strong> every three years.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Function</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Rendering<strong> financial</strong> and <strong>technical assistance</strong> for cultivation, manufacture and marketing of tea.</li>
<li>Export promotion</li>
<li>Research and Development activities</li>
<li>Extend financial assistance in a limited way to the plantation workers and their wards through labour welfare schemes.</li>
<li>Collection and maintenance of Statistical data and publication.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'posturl' => 'white-tea',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 18 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 2409,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Miyawaki Method',
		'description' => '<p>Telangana government has introduced the <strong>Japanese &ldquo;Miyawaki&rdquo;</strong> method of <strong>afforestation</strong> to grow urban forests and expand the green cover as well as to meet the stipulated plantation target under the Telanganaku Haritha Haaram (TKHH).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Miyawaki is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build <strong>dense,</strong> <strong>native forests</strong> in a <strong>short time.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/657Image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/657Image4.jpg" width="632" height="448" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It has revolutionised the concept of <strong>urban afforestation</strong> by turning backyards into mini-forests.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This method includes planting trees <strong>(only native species)</strong> as close as possible in the same area which not only <strong>saves space,</strong> but the planted saplings also support each other in growth and block sunlight reaching the ground, thereby preventing the <strong>growth of weed.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The saplings</strong> become <strong>maintenance-free</strong> (self sustainable) after the first three years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The approach is supposed to ensure that<strong> plant growth</strong> is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is <strong>30 times denser</strong> than usual.</li>
<li>Miyawaki method helps to create a forest in just 20 to 30 years, while through conventional methods it takes anywhere between 200 to 300 years.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Miyawaki Process</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The native trees of the region are identified and divided into four layers &mdash; shrub, sub-tree, tree, and canopy.</li>
<li>The quality of soil is analysed and biomass which would help enhance the perforation capacity, water retention capacity, and nutrients in it, is mixed with it.</li>
<li>A mound is built with the soil and <strong>the seeds are planted</strong> at a very high density &mdash; three to five sapling per square meter.</li>
<li>The ground is covered with a thick <strong>layer of mulch.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Such forests lack some qualities of natural forests, such as <strong>medicinal</strong> <strong>properties</strong> and the ability to <strong>bring rain.</strong></li>
<li>Such fast-growing plantations are actually <strong>wood lots</strong> (a parcel of a woodland or forest capable of small-scale production of forest products (such as <strong>wood</strong> fuel, sap for maple syrup, sawlogs, and pulpwood) as well as recreational uses like bird watching, bushwalking, and wildflower appreciation) and cannot be termed as forests.</li>
<li>Several environmentalists have questioned the efficacy of the method that accelerates the growth of trees and claims to match a forest&rsquo;s complex ecosystem (as it is not a good idea to force plants to <strong>photosynthesize fast</strong>).</li>
</ul>',
		'posturl' => 'miyawaki-method',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	},
	(int) 19 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 2238,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Concerns over Genetically Modified Brinjal',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p><strong>This article is based on the editorial <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/serious-concerns-over-bt-brinjal/article28022577.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Serious concerns over Bt brinjal&rdquo;</a> which appeared in The Hindu on 18th June 2019. It talks about concerns over Genetically Modified Brinjal and suggests a way forward in this context. </strong></p>
</div>
<p><strong>Genetic modification</strong> of crops has been a controversial issue since the first commercial production of a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/supermarkets-flooded-with-foreign-gm-foods-despite-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">genetically modified crop</a>. India has banned the cultivation of Bt brinjal in 2010, but GM crops still find its way into the fields through the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/illegal-cultivation-of-bt-brinjal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal supply of seeds</a> specifically in the region of <strong>Haryana, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh</strong> where farmers are indulged in <strong>unapproved sowing and cultivation</strong> of Bt brinjal owing to its advantages of being pest resistant, lower cost, and higher yield.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>GM Crops in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bt cotton is India's <strong>first genetically modified crop,</strong> to be approved for commercialization.</li>
<li>India has the world&rsquo;s <strong>5th largest</strong> GM crop acreage after the USA, Brazil, Argentina, and Canada</li>
<li>Presently <strong>majority</strong> of India&rsquo;s cotton cultivation area is under Bt cotton crops.</li>
<li><strong>Bt brinjal</strong> was developed by <strong>Mahyco</strong> (Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company) in collaboration with the Dharwad University of Agricultural Sciences and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Benefits of increased <strong>shelf life</strong> and<strong> high yield</strong> attached with the cultivation of Bt Brinjal cannot outweigh the multiple concerns arising out of the unapproved and half prepared release of Bt brinjal like :</p>
<h3>Major Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Environmental impact:</strong> Sowing of Bt brinjal or GM foods can give rise to serious environmental concerns like:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Cross-pollination</strong> in GM crops paves the way for <strong>herbicide-resistant super weeds</strong> that can further threaten the sustenance of other crops and pests because of its uncontrolled growth.</li>
<li>Pest-resistant Bt crops can lead to the <strong>extinction</strong> of a few <strong>species</strong> that in turn can affect the <strong>food chain</strong> also.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implications for consumers and farmers: National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research&rsquo;s</strong> anticipation that Bt brinjal&rsquo;s high yield and increased shelf life will benefit consumers and farmers owing to cut in retail price of brinjals ignores the scenario that companies might charge premium prices for Bt brinjal seeds, in which case farmers may not benefit at all.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Critics claim that patent laws give developers of the GM crops a dangerous degree of control/ <strong>dominance</strong> over the food supply that results in the over domination of world food production by a few companies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biosafety Issues:</strong> Crops like rice, <strong>brinjal</strong>, and mustard, among others, have their <strong>origin in India</strong> and introducing genetically modified versions of these crops could be a major threat to the vast number of domestic and wild varieties of these crops (GM crops because of their pest resistance characteristics could eliminate important species of pests that are responsible for sustaining domestic varieties and can pose serious threats to biodiversity).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Biodiversity</strong> is critical for nutrition and sustainability, and the government&rsquo;s task force on biotechnology (2004) had recommended that no GM crop be allowed in biodiversity-rich areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Nutrition issues:</strong> Bt brinjal poses risks to human health as their resistance to <strong>antibiotics</strong> can turn medicines ineffective and may result in the formation of <strong>new toxins and allergens.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Toxins produced by GM crops can not only affect <strong>non target organisms</strong> but also pose the danger of unintentionally introducing allergens and other <strong>anti-nutrition</strong> factors in foods.</li>
<li>Indian agricultural scientist <strong>M.S. Swaminathan</strong> (who had described <strong>Bt cotton as a &lsquo;failure&rsquo;</strong>) had asked for <strong>independent&nbsp;</strong>(instead of relying exclusively on Mahyco for data) <strong>long-term (chronic) toxicity studies,</strong> of Bt brinjal before going for commercialization and cultivation of Bt brinjal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inefficient Regulatory system:</strong> Seeing the lapses in the regulatory system and irregularities in the assessment of Bt brinjal (in terms of <strong>labeling</strong> and unapproved and illegal sowing of GM crops) Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Science &amp; Technology, Environment and Forests recommended:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>A thorough probe</strong> by a team of eminent independent scientists and environmentalists for commercialization of GM crops.</li>
<li>Endorsed <strong>labeling GM</strong> foods to protect a consumer&rsquo;s right to know.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Labeling GM crops</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Most GM foods in the study did <strong>not disclose GM on their</strong> labels and 15% made false claims saying they were GM-free.</li>
<li>Retailing being largely an <strong>unorganized sector</strong>, enforcing truthful labeling is not pragmatic.</li>
<li>Two of the eight infant food samples, imported from the US and the Netherlands, were GM positive, but the labels did not disclose this.</li>
<li>Under Section 22 of the <strong>Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,</strong> GM foods are not allowed to be manufactured, imported or sold in India unless approved under the Act.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>No scientific consensus:</strong> Lack of scientific consensus on the safety and efficacy of GM crops.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pests have developed <strong>resistance to Bt cotton</strong>, forcing farmers to spray lethal pesticides. This led to over 50 deaths by pesticide-poisoning in Vidarbha in 2017.</li>
<li>A GM-based strategy of pest control is <strong>unsustainable</strong>, all the more so since farmers, already pressed for land, ignore the government&rsquo;s recommendation to plant refuge crops.</li>
<li>The government&rsquo;s task forces and expert committees on GM crops are of the view that Bt brinjal runs counter to the framework for <strong>agricultural development and farmers&rsquo; welfare.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Environmental Impact Assessment:</strong> must be carried out by independent environmentalist, as farmers do not and cannot assess the long-term impact of GM crops on ecology and health.</li>
<li>The government must detail the steps it has taken since the ban of Bt brinjal (2010) to address the scientific gap for commercialization of Bt brinjal.</li>
<li>The government should bring a clear report on benefits accrued by Bt brinjal to the farming community and demonstrate how Bt brinjal fits in with <strong>sustainable farming and biodiversity conservation.</strong></li>
<li>Ensure efficient infrastructural and institutional set up in order to ensure labeling of GM crops and bring more efficacy into the regulatory system of GM crops.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mandatory labeling of products from GM crops.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unchecked import</strong> of GM products should be stopped.</li>
<li>In order to curb the <strong>illegal cultivation</strong> of Bt brinjal, the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/geac-seeks-information-from-bangladesh-on-bt-brinjal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee</a> (GEAC)</strong> must:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Collaborate with state governments and launch a nation-wide investigation drive.</li>
<li>Take action on threats of deliberate Bt brinjal and Bt cotton cultivation.</li>
<li>Investigate and prosecute those involved in the illegal supply of Bt brinjal seeds.</li>
<li>Organic farming should be encouraged.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The government should go for commercialization of Bt brinjal only after the core and deep research on the long term prospects and benefits of commercialization of Bt crops in India. In that context, India can learn from Bangladesh&rsquo;s example where farmers have been growing the Bt Brinjal since 2013.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 76px;">
<td style="width: 961px; background-color: #f5d3d3; height: 76px;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Input:</strong></em></p>
<p>Discuss the concerns and challenges associated with the GM crops in context of its varied advantages over traditional crops.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
		'posturl' => 'concerns-over-genetically-modified-brinjal',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	}
]
$tags = [
	(int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'id' => (int) 369,
		'tag' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'colorcode' => 'FFFFFF',
		'posturl' => 'cropping-patterns',
		'status' => (int) 1,
		'sort_order' => (int) 5,
		'type' => (int) 0,
		'relivant' => (float) 1,
		'metatitle' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'metakeyword' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'metadescription' => 'Cropping Patterns',
		'addedby' => (int) 9,
		'updatedby' => (int) 9,
		'added' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'modified' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'tags'
	
	}
]
$title = 'Article Tags'
$lastyear = (int) 2018
$year = '2021'
$i = (int) 2017
$selected = ''
$m = (int) 13
$month = 'December'

include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/rightsection.ctp, line 100
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/articlebox.ctp, line 5
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Articles/tags.ctp, line 61
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 765
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 623
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 125
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 93

Achievers Corner

Prelims

Mains & Interview

Current Affairs

Drishti Specials

Free Downloads

Test Series

Videos

Tag Search Results

You searched “Cropping Patterns”. Your tag search matches the following results: