BioVoice News September 2016 Issue 5 Volume 1 | Page 36

news bytes GOVT TO ENSURE TIMELY LOANS TO NEEDY FARMERS, SAYS AGRICULTURE MINISTER As per the union minister, Mr Radha Mohan Singh, the government is working expeditiously to provide agriculture loans to farmers as per their needs and in a timely manner. Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Mr Radha Mohan Singh on August 29, 2016 addressed the 96th Annual Conference of Kota Co-operative Societies at Kota, Rajasthan. Speaking on the occasion, union minister said that the Central Government is working expeditiously to provide agriculture loans to farmers according to their needs and in a timely manner. Mr Singh mentioned that NABARD is making groups of farmers and agriculture producers to provide them cheap agricultural loans from banks. Till January 2016 across the country 14.43 lakh joint liability groups were formed and by March 2016, NABARD has set up approximately 2424 producer groups. The Minister said that from April 2005 to March 2014, Rs. 6775 crore were spent. Whereas, the new Government has, from April 2014 until December 2015, extended Rs.7084 crore as financial assistance to joint liability groups. Mr Singh talked about the imbalance in the availability of credit to the agriculture sector and amongst small and big farmers. He acknowledged that credit availability per capita in the region is much lower than in other regions. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) survey, 46 percent of farming households are burdened by debt and the loans are from different institutions. INI FARMS LAUNCHES INDIA’S LARGEST INTEGRATED PACK-HOUSE FACILITY NEAR PUNE The Mumbai-based horticulture company, INI Farms focused on Pomegranates and Bananas, launched India’s largest and one of its kind post-harvest Integrated Pack-house facility near Pune on August 31, 2016. The facility shall lead to improvement in quality and wastage reduction of Banana and Pomegranate. The integrated facility includes complete handling and primary processes such as cleaning sorting, grading and packaging of the produce which shall be exported across the globe. Constructed over a record period of five months, this is India’s largest post-harvest Integrated Pack-house facility designed as per international standards and spread over 5 ½ acres and 70,000 sq. feet constructed space at Vasunde village, 80-km from Pune city. The facility will also have additional capability to manage value added fresh consumer products like pomegranate seeds (Arils) and Coconut Chunks. The packhouse is expected to employ over five hundred labour for its daily functioning, of which 70 percent shall be women. The facility is going to be active from 15th September, 2016. Talking about the new facility, Pankaj Khandelwal, Chairman and Managing Director, INI Farms said, “The launch of the largest facility in the country dedicated to banana and pomegranate will enable us to work with farmers to meet international standards of quality products and position India as a leading player in 36 BioVoiceNews | September 2016 international trade. This will allow us to capitalise the growing segment of branded fruits across the globe. Through this initiative, we have cemented our presence and reach nationally as well as globally to cater to the needs of the consumers as well as improving and enhancing farmers lives.” HORTICULTURE CROP PRODUCTION ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 283.36 MILLION TONNES DURING 2015-16 The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released the Third Advance Estimates for 2015-16 of area and production of horticulture crops. These estimates are based on the information received from different State/UTs in the country. The total horticulture production of the country is estimated to be around 283 million tonnes during 2015-16 which is 0.8 percent higher than the previous year. As per the All-India Final Estimates for 2014-15, total horticulture area under cultivation is 23410 and for 2015-16, it is 23787 hectare. The Third Advance Estimates put the total horticulture production at 280986 MT for 2014-15 while the same for 2015-16 has been estimated as 283360 MT. Production of fruits is estimated to be 91 million tonnes which is 2% higher than previous year. Vegetable production is estimated to be around 167 million tonnes which is almost same as the previous year. Total production of Spices is estimated to be around 6 million tonnes which is 4% higher than the previous year. Onion production is estimated to be around 210 lakh tonnes which is 11% higher than the previous year. Potato production is estimated to be around 437 lakh tonnes which is 9% lower than the previous year. INCOME OF FARMERS CULTIVATING MEDICINAL PLANTS COULD BE DOUBLED VIA IMPROVED TECHNOLOGIES: ICAR DG As per Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General, Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), the farmers cultivating medicinal plants need to be supported through technological interventions to improve their livelihood. Dr Mohapatra laid foundation stone for the Residential Quarters at the ICAR-Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research (DMAPR), Anand, Gujarat. Addressing the scientists and staff, Dr Mohapatra emphasized the need to develop technologies for doubling the income of the medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) cultiv