ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
chain efficiency; while Rallis and ICICI benefit through assured clientele for their products and services.
Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation is a form of irrigation that saves water and fertilisers by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of many different plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. The systems are generally more efficient than conventional sprinklers because they deliver low volumes of water directly to plants’ roots, minimising losses due to the wind, runoff, evaporation, or overspray Drip irrigations systems use 20 – 50 percent less water than a conventional pop-up sprinkler. Some of the other key benefits of drip irrigation are- increase in production and productivity, improved quality and early maturity of the crops, controls weed growth, saves fertiliser( 30 %) and labour cost( 10 %), and fertigation / chemigation can be made efficiently while controlling diseases. According to the National Committee on Plasticulture Applications in Horticulture( NCPAH), India, drip irrigation contributed to water saving to the extent of 45 percent in banana cultivation, 68 percent in cauliflower and chilly cultivation, 40 percent in groundnut cultivation, 42 percent in tomato cultivation, and 66 percent in watermelon cultivation. Such lower-cost, more water-efficient irrigation technologies have the potential to greatly expand small-scale irrigation in Africa and significantly improve food security and family incomes. In Africa, there have been a few successful cases of the use of drip irrigation.
Agricultural Markets
A good agricultural harvest is of little use if the produce does not fetch enough returns to warrant a sustainable agricultural venture. Thus, marketing agriculture produce efficiently becomes important not only for expansion of the size of the market but also for transfer of appropriate price signals. An agricultural market backed by strong and adequate infrastructure goes a long way in efficiently selling agricultural produce without the interference of middlemen.
Taking cognisance of this, the Indian Government launched the National Agriculture Market( e-NAM) in 2016, with the objective of integrating agri-markets across the country through an e-platform and creating a unified national market for agricultural commodities. These e-mandis( markets) integrate various vegetable markets across the country, bringing them all to one platform, and registered farmers are able to sell their produce online in any of the markets where they can get the best price. Involvement of private sector ensures investment and entrepreneurial skills required for creation and management of modern markets. Thus, the e-marketing platform promotes free flow of agricultural commodities across the country and is gradually providing better prospects for marketing of agriculture produce. Improved access to market related information and better price discovery through a more efficient, transparent and competitive marketing platform has provided agriculture producers access to a greater number of buyers within the State and from outside, through transparent auction processes. It has also increased access to markets through warehouse based sales and, thus, obviated the need for transporting agri products to the nearby markets.
Precision Farming Traditional agriculture techniques follow tasks such as planting, irrigating or harvesting
30 • Africa Day Special • 2018