NEWS Bulletin from Indian Society For Sustainable Agriculture And Rural Development
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1. Global warming set to reverse growth : Report
2. FARMERS' SUICIDES IN INDIA - Vidharbha farmers not victims of debt-trap alone
3. New tech delivers results against pests
4. Devolution of powers to tribals slow: government
5. Panel suggests Rs 8k cr sops to rejig sick COOPERATIVES
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Global warming set to reverse growth: Report
http://www.financialexpress
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , November 19, 2007 at 2029 hrs IST
A new report – Up in Smoke? Asia and the Pacific – with a foreword by RK Pachauri, Chairman of the Nobel prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – says that without immediate action, global warming is set to reverse decades of social and economic progress across Asia, home to over 60 per cent of the world's population.
The report released in New Delhi on Monday jointly by The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), ActionAid, Greenpeace India and WWF said that India is large country with close to 700 million people living in rural areas who depend on climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, forests, and fisheries for their livelihoods. Its ecosystems such as riversheds , mangroves, coastal zones, forests and grasslands are already overburdened by environmental pressures from commercialisation , excessive resource use and indiscriminate dumping of industrial and agricultural waste.
The report is the fifth in the series from the Working Group on Climate Change and Development which consists of ActionAid International, Bird Life International, Care, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Columban Faith and Justice, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Institute for Development Studies, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), MedAct, The New Economics Foundation (NEF), onecliamte.net, Operation Noah, Oxfam International, Panos, People and Planet, Practical Action, RSPB, Tearfund, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), World Vision and WWF.
The study also said that India has already 250 million people that live in absolute poverty with little capacity to cope with climate change. About 400 million people living in the Ganga Basin will be further affected by water shortages in the near future. Many more will be affected by floods and droughts due to erratic monsoons and the fast depletion of Himalayan glaciers.
Around 600 million Indians depend on agriculture, which, unlike the rest of the Economy, has been crawling along at a growth rate of less than 2 per cent per annum. Production has been stagnant, per capita availability of food is declining, farmer suicides and hunger deaths are on the rise, and agrarian distress is acute and widespread. These trends will be further accentuated due to climate change.
Some vulnerable sections of society like women, tribal communities, scheduled castes will bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change. Women, for example, will spend a greater and greater amount of their time in arranging for food, fuel and water for their families, the report said.
Regarding recent cyclonic storm in Bangladesh, the Working Group on Climate Change and Development said that in the Sundarbans, already four islands have been completely submerged, displacing about 6,000 families. These families have the misfortune of being India's foremost Climate Refugees
The report is released in the wake of evidence that a majority of Industrialised countries are reneging on targets for emissions reductions set to tackle climate change and to facilitate world leaders to deliberate on the issue in the up coming UN Framework on Climate Change meeting in Bali in Indonesia in early December.
"While going through the foreword that I wrote for the 2004 volume of Up in smoke, I find that the concerns and priorities that I had touched on as part of that write-up, if anything, have become stronger, and the uncertainties associated with what I had stated then have been reduced significantly. The IPCC findings provide the evidence for the same." RK Pachauri, Director General, TERI and Chairman, IPCC said .
Alongside new evidence of the devastating impact that climate change is already having on communities across Asia, Up in Smoke Asia and the Pacific, shows positive measures that are already being taken – by governments, by civil society and by local people – to reduce the causes of climate change and to overcome its effects. It shows examples of emissions reduction; alternative water and energy supply systems; preservation of strategic ecosystems and protected areas; increasing capacity, awareness and skills for risk and disaster management; and the employment of effective regulatory and policy instruments.
The South Asian NGOs grouping themselves under the umbrella – Climate Action Network South Asia – demanded appropriate policy and fiscal measures for dealing with the immediate future impacts of climate change, suggested moving towards sustainable, low carbon intensity energy pathways, while not compromising on development goals. planned adaptation measures in climate sensitive sectors, especially water and agriculture and disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness in vulnerable areas.
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FARMERS' SUICIDES IN INDIA
Vidharbha farmers not victims of debt-trap alone
http://www.financialexpress
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Sunday , November 18, 2007 at 2255 hrs IST
Nagpur : Multiple factors seem to be responsible for farmer suicides in Vidharbha region of Maharashtra. True, most of the farmers who committed suicide were facing a debt-trap, but this was the result of cumulative factors, like high input costs, comparatively lower returns on produce, crop failures, inclement weather, lack of irrigation.
Out of 1.5 lakh (150,000) farmer suicides in the country in 1997-2000, Maharashtra alone accounted for 29,000. If the state government's data for 1995 and 1996 is taken into account, the figure jumps to 32,000.
Incidentally, farmers in Vidharbha predominantly grow cotton. Lately, some are switching over to soyabean cultivation, but no permanent solution to the crisis seems in sight yet. Suicides continue in the region, even after announcement of the PM's Rs 3,750-crore (Rs 37500 million) relief package in July 2006.
In Heveri, a village in Yavatmal district, this correspondent found that groundwater was accessible below but farmers were unable to use it for irrigation purposes due to power cuts. ''There is a 12-hour power cut in this region. A few months back, there were 16-hour cuts a day," said a farmer.
Subas Chand Vikram Chand Lohia in Heveri has been growing Bt cotton since 2006. This year, he planted Bt cotton with two-stacked genes on his four-acre plot. ''Last year, with single gene Bt cotton (NCH 145), I got a yield of 25 quintal at the end of the season. This year, in the first picking, I got a yield of 10 quintal,'' he said.
Some farmers said the number of pesticide sprays had declined on account of cultivation of Bt cotton with double-stacked genes. Rajju Shroff, CMD, United Phosphorous, said due to good rainfall this year the incidence of pests, like bollworm, is low, but weeds have increased. There is short supply of monoprotophos this season, he says.
Farmers in villages like Hevari, Chikili, Bhamraja also complained about delayed arrival of fertilisers, like urea and DAP. ''Despite these odds, farmers in the region have benefited due to cultivation of Bt cotton. In Maharashtra, the Bt cotton area rose by 81%,'' said Monsanto India senior manager, Christopher Samuel.
Availability of cheap credit is another problem. ''The Central District Cooperative Bank charges an interest rate of 8% p.a and the primary cooperatives levy an interest rate of 10% pa'', said Dutta Baburao Mandalvar of Heveri
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New tech delivers results against pests
http://www.financialexpress
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Sunday , November 18, 2007 at 2308 hrs IST
New Delhi, Nov 18 A new bio-control method for pests, particularly tissue borers on sugarcane and coconut has benefited farmers in the country. The technology developed by the Bangalore-based Pest Control (India) Pvt Ltd uses indigenously synthesized sex-pheromone and potable water trap.
NS Rao of PCI told The Financial Express that the company has already secured patent rights over its potable water trap technology in February, this year. "We have recently received an award from the department of science and technology for our innovative technology and its promotion," he said.
The tissue borers of sugarcane which causes up to 55.4% reduction in yield cannot easily be tackled by chemical or simple biological means due to the long duration of the crop, nature of its canopy, concealed habits of various pests and occurrence of its number of generations. Although the efficacy of sex pheromones in managing major sugarcane borers was validated in 1980s, the technology could not be adopted due to the absence of indigenous commercial pheromone synthesis facilities and cheap and easy to use potable water trap, he said.
Rao further said that his company thereafter established for the first time the commercial facility for pheromone synthesis and also developed protocols for pheromones synthesis for four sugarcane borers and designed and developed insect trapping device and made them commercially available.
"We succeeded in scaling up production capacity from about 1 kg of technical pheromone concentrate in 2000 to the current level of 60 kg per annum." he said.
The portable water trap developed under the project was also found to be effective in trapping other insect pests including brinjal shoot and fruit borer, diamond back moth of cabbage. PCI has also started exporting some of the pheromone lures and the patented portable water trap. It working to control white stem borer in coffee, he said
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Devolution of powers to tribals slow: government
http://www.financialexpress
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , November 19, 2007 at 0208 hrs IST
The government has noted that though the state governments have made necessary changes in their Panchayati Raj Acts to extend the provisions of village democracy to tribal areas, more needs to be done as serious gaps exists in the legislations.
The central legislation, Panchayati Raj (extension to scheduled areas) Act, 1996 came into force from December 24, 1996 with a view to extend village democracy provision to tribal areas in identified nine states of the country, namely Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Rajasthan.
While, the real intention of the Act is to enable the tribals to assume control over their own destiny to preserve and conserve their traditional rights over natural resources, it has not yet been realised in many states.
"Most states are yet to amend the subject laws, like those relating to money lending, forests and excise. Vital issues like the ownership of minor forest produce, planning and management of minor water bodies, prevention of alienation of tribal lands which have been duly recognised in the central Act as the traditional right of tribals living in scheduled areas have still not received the warranted attention and necessary correctives remain unapplied," said a report available with the ministry for panchayati raj institutions.
The government also noted that there were also other issues relating to powers statutorily devolved upon primary village units (gram sabhas) and panchayats (local government of village clusters) without concomitant transfer of funds and functionaries. This situation has resulted in the village local bodies not being able to exercise their powers.
The central government, in this context, had earlier entrusted the Indian Law Institute to guide the state government in formulating necessary amendments to their laws.
The existing laws in the states concerned were examined and subsequently necessary amendments were proposed and yet many states have lagged behind in effecting necessary changes.
Gujarat has amended a local statute relating to agriculture, while other state governments are carrying out the exercise in consultation with their law department.
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have informed the central government that some of their state laws have been amended on the lines of the central legislation prior to the report of the Indian Law Institute.
The government have asked the concerned states to submit a status report on action taken by them to bring their laws in conformity with the central legislation.
The central government has constituted several sub-groups to study the issues relating to minor forest produces, land alienation, displacement, rehabilitation and relief.
It has also constituted involving social activists to draft model guidelines for vesting powers on tribals. Reports of these sub-groups have been circulated to nine states for comments, to which only Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh have responded.
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Panel suggests Rs 8k cr sops to rejig 533 sick cooperatives
http://www.financialexpress
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , November 19, 2007 at 0207 hrs IST
The expert panel headed by Shivajirao Giridhar Patil has suggested Rs 8,016 crore (Rs 80160 million) rehabilitation and operation package for 100 sugar co-operatives, 60 co-operative spinning mills and 373 other co-operative units in the plantation sector, oilseeds, foodgrains, coir, fruits and vegetables.
It also recommended the need for a separate Act of the Parliament solely for facilitating rehabilitation of sick co-operatives on the lines of the existing sick industrial Companies Act. A National co-operative rehabilitation agency should be set up under the proposed Act and should consist of representatives from co-operatives, administration, banking and NCDC should be the nodal agency.
The 5-member expert panel was set up the sole funding agency for the co-operatives, namely National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
The panel surveyed 125 sick co-operative sugar factories and suggested a Rs 4,510 crore (Rs 45100 million) rehabilitation and operation package for 100 identified ones. It said that while Rs 2,270 crore (Rs 22700 million) would be needed solely for rehabilitation, Rs 2,240 crore (Rs 22400 million) would be for providing cheaper working capital for its operation.
For rehabilitation while the co-operative society would contribute Rs 200 crore (Rs 2000 million), the NCDC would give financial support of Rs 600 crore (Rs 6000 million) and Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12000 million) would be extended from the sugar development fund (SDF). The government would render a interest subsidy of Rs 270 crore (Rs 2700 million). The NCDC would also provide Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20000 million) as cheaper working capital, for which the central government would render a subsidy of Rs 240 crore (Rs 2400 million).
Similarly the Patil panel has suggested a corpus of Rs 3,051 crore (Rs 30510 million) as rehabilitation and operation package for 60 identified co-operative spinning mills, out of which Rs 2,043 crore (Rs 20430 million) would be for rehabilitation and Rs 1,008 crore (Rs 10080 million) for providing cheaper working capital for its subsequent operation.
For rehabilitation while the co-operative society would put in Rs 90 crore (Rs 900 million), the NCDC would extend Rs 810 crore (Rs 8100 million) as term loan and Rs 540 crore (Rs 5400 million) as investment loan.
The government would provide Rs 360 crore (Rs 3600 million) as capital subsidy and Rs 243 crore (Rs 2430 million) as interest subsidy. The NCDC would also provide Rs 900 crore (Rs 9000 million) as a term-loan for meeting the needs of working capital and the government would render Rs 108 crore (Rs 1080 million) as interest subsidy.
The panel said rehabilitation of co-operative spinning mills should be spread over two years and the cotton growers' mills should be declared as marketing yards for facilitating market linkage.
Weavers' mills should tie up with growers' mills and ginning units for procurement of cotton from market yard. Six to eight months requirement of cotton should be procured for the benefit of farmers. Wind mills should be installed, wherever feasible, to reduce the cost of power.
The panel identified 373 co-operative units out of a total 457 sick units in other sectors like plantation, oilseeds, foodgrains, coir, fruits and vegetable for rehabilitation. It estimated a total rehabilitation and operation package of Rs 457 crore (Rs 4570 million), out of which Rs 163.30 crore (Rs 1633 million) would be for modernization and Rs 294.50 crore (Rs 2945 million) would be for working capital.
The rehabilitation scheme would include 45% term-loan, 30% investment loan, 20% capital subsidy and 5% co-operatives' share for modernisation, balancing equipment, expansion in capacity to a viable size and need based working capital.
With a view to encourage state governments to participate in the equity of processing units, NCDC should provide interest free investment loans. The Union government should provide Rs 32.66 crore (Rs 326.6 million) capital subsidy at the rate of 20% on cost of modernization and Rs 50.04 crore (Rs 500.4 million) interest subsidy on investment loan at the rate of 10% per annum for five years. It should also sub-vent by way of interest subsidy on working capital at the rate of 4% per annum for 3 years
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