KrishiGurukul Club

                              SERICULTURE Sericulture, the production of raw silk by means of raising caterpillars (larvae), particularly those of the domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori). The production of silk generally involves two processes:   Care of the silkworm from the egg stage through completion of the cocoon. Production of mulberry trees that provide leaves upon which the worms feed. The silkworm caterpillar builds its cocoon by producing and surrounding itself with a long, continuous fibre, or filament. Liquid secretions from two large glands within the insect emerge from the spinneret, a single exit tube in the head, hardening upon exposure to air and forming twin filaments composed of fibroin, a protein material. A second pair of glands secretes sericin, a gummy substance that cements the two filaments together. Because an emerging moth would break the cocoon filament, the larva is kil...

 Floriculture Floriculture, branch of ornamental horticulture concerned with growing and marketing flowers and ornamental plants as well as with flower arrangement. Because flowers and potted plants are largely produced in plant-growing structures in temperate climates, floriculture is largely thought of as a greenhouse industry, though many flowers are cultivated outdoors in nurseries or crop fields.   Both the production of bedding plants and the production of cuttings to be grown in greenhouses or for indoor use as houseplants are usually considered part of floriculture. Floriculture includes cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for direct sale or for use as raw materials in cosmetic and perfume industry and in the pharmaceutical sector. It also includes production of planting materials through seeds, cuttings, budding and grafting. In simpler terms floriculture can be defined as the art and knowledge of growing flowers to perfection. The persons associated ...

  Contract farming is yet to make a mark in Punjab; here is why By - Prince Suitable policies need to be in place in order to enhance the prospects for contract farming in the state. A 52-year-old, better-off farmer from Sehjo Majra in Ludhiana district of Punjab has been practising contract farming for more than 20 years. This farmer contracts with four companies — Pepsico Pvt Ltd, Pagro Foods Ltd, Fieldfresh Foods Pvt Ltd and Sungro Seeds Pvt Ltd.   However, his longest association has been with Pepsico, as he finds it most trustworthy and gets his payments on time. This long association with the system, seen by many as a promising avenue for increasing the incomes of small farmers and which has received a mixed reaction from academia and research, is worth probing into Companies provide technical support under the buy back arrangement feature of contract farming and field officers visit the field every 15-20 days. Seeds are provided at market prices. Companies al...

  Water Crisis and Future Strategies   Importance of water : It is estimated that nearly one million peoples die due to unavailability of drinking water. By 2050, more than half of the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas. Water is driving source of life. World Economic Form has categories water scarcity on top of global issues. No metabolism activity is possible without water in living organisms. One of the leading crises a human is going to face is freshwater scarcity. A person who holds things in abundance forgets their importance. Freshwater is one of the blessings which is diminishing, and no one is caring.   Management Strategies : Filtration plants would be at doorstep. Municipal Water supply must be efficient and functional. To save water in flood irrigation drip, sprinkler, central pivot, and hose reel irrigation would be encouraged. The lining of canals, and water courses to stop seepage loss of water be subsidized. Tree plantation campa...

  TOP FIVE WEBSITE TO  BUY PESTICIDES ONLINE   👨 ‍ 🏭 Finding safe and high-quality pesticides has become a job for farmers as they get scammed into buying diluted and unsafe pesticides at the promise of cheaper rates. Here, we have curated a list of 5 websites where farmers can find good quality and safe pesticides of trusted brands at an affordable rate.   👨 ‍ 🏭 IFFCO BAZAR: IFFCO Bazar is a site where you can buy pesticides online in a hassle-free manner and offers the most effective insecticides for fighting pests. They guarantee a user-friendly interface, so you can effectively and easily navigate through their extensive selection of pesticides. To make your search easier, you can also use filters like category (herbicide, fungicide, insecticide), price, and availability. Website : https://www.iffcobazar.in/   👨 ‍ 🏭 KISHAN SHOP : KishanShop has a range of good pesticides sold at a discounted price. They sell a variety of differen...

  How a farmer from Nashik grew a 195 quintal onion?   Onion Farming Modern farming methods have often proven effective and have delivered outstanding results. A farmer from Nashik, stands testimony to the wonders modern farming techniques can do. Here’s how Mr. Balu Darade grew a whopping 195 quintal onion – NABARD’s golden initiative The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) initiated a noble program where it trained the farmers for modern farming techniques. Mr. Balu Darade participated in this program as he wished to yield more than 100 quintal, his average produce. So he has used some techniques which has helped him a lot like - Goodbye to traditional techniques The traditional method of sowing on flat beds was replaced by raised beds. Following are the advantages of raised bed sowing –        Water can be supplied through drip irrigation         The temperature can be maintained in raised bed sow...

  AQUAPONICS Aquaponics is putting fish to work. It just so happens that the work those fish do (eating and producing waste), is the perfect fertilizer for growing plants. And man,  fish can grow a lot of plants when they get to work! One of the coolest things about Aquaponics is that it mimics a natural ecosystem. Aquaponics represents the relationship between water, aquatic life, bacteria, nutrient dynamics, and plants which grow together in waterways all over the world.   AQUAPONICS BENEFITS   Aquaponics doesn’t require soil and therefore it’s not susceptible to soil-borne diseases.  Aquaponics doesn’t require using fertilizers or chemical pesticides; Aquaponics is a synonym of  higher yields and qualitative production. One of the benefits of aquaponics is that it makes it possible to have an intensive food production system that’s still sustainable. Aquaponics means a higher level of biosecurity and lower risks from outer contaminants. Aquap...

 AQUACULTURE Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lotus). Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater, brackish water and saltwater populations under controlled or semi-natural conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Mariculture, commonly known as marine farming, refers specifically to aquaculture practiced in seawater habitats and lagoons, opposed to in freshwater aquaculture. Pisciculture is a type of aquaculture that consists of fish farming to obtain fish products as food. Aquaculture can be conducted in completely artificial facilities built on land (onshore aquaculture), as in the case of fish tank, ponds, aquaponics or raceways, where the living conditions rely on human control such as water quality (oxygen), fe...

        India looks towards Canada, Jordan for fertilizers                              as Russia-Ukraine conflict derails imports  source - https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/india-looks-towards-canada-jordan-for-fertilizers-as-russia-ukraine-conflict-derails-imports-8185011.html#:~:text=India%20imported%2010.61%20lakh%20tonnes,nitrogen%2C%20phosphorous%20and%20potassium). India depends heavily on imports for meeting its fertiliser needs; industry experts say more than half the urea the country consumes comes from other nations. With low self-sufficiency, volatility in global fertiliser supplies is bound to have a significant impact on India. In any case, due to pandemic-related disruptions, fertiliser imports had been rising even before the Russia-Ukraine conflict emerged. Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, there was an almost 8 percent increase in total fertiliser imports t...

  source - https://www.cropin.com/blogs/union-budget-2022-23-for-the-agriculture-sector-key-takeaways#:~:text=The%20total%20budget%20allocated%20to,projected%20expenditure%20for%202022%2D23. The total budget allocated to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare stands at ₹1.24 lakh crores, a considerable 3.1% of the total projected expenditure for 2022-23. Direct payment of MSP to farmers The Budget has earmarked ₹2.37 lakh crores as direct payments as MSP (minimum support price) to 163 lakh wheat and paddy farmers. Wheat procurement in Rabi 2021-22 and the estimated paddy procurement in Kharif 2021-22 will cover 1208 lakh metric tons of the two crops. International Year of Millets In line with The United Nations (UN) General Assembly declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the Finance Minister has announced support for post-harvest value addition of millets to enhance domestic consumption, along with support for branding millet products nationally and i...

 source - https://icar.org.in/content/about-us#:~:text=The%20Indian%20Council%20of%20Agricultural,Farmers%20Welfare%20%2C%20Government%20of%20India. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare , Government of India.  Formerly known as Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, it was  established on 16 July 1929  as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in pursuance of the report of the Royal Commission on Agriculture.  The ICAR has its headquarters at New Delhi.   The Council is the apex body for co-ordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country.  With  111 ICAR institutes  and  71 agricultural universities  spread across the country this is one of the...

   Mumbai Woman’s Startup Sells 300+  Organic Foods From 10,000+ Farmers Source - https://www.thebetterindia.com/224507/mumbai-woman-startup-organic-food-brand-empower-farmer-small-biz-ang136/ M umbai-based entrepreneur Ruchi Jain grew up in a household that revered fresh harvest. She saw how her mother put immense thought into what ended up on her family’s plates. This knowledge and reverence for nature, and the sensibilities of the effort of India’s farmers translated into a startup that would go on to impact over 10,000 farmers in 14+ states. Founded in 2016, Taru Naturals is the manifestation of Ruchi’s learnings.The startup sells organic produce like turmeric, jaggery, rice, pulses sourced from farmers across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam, Kerala, and Uttarakhand among others. It helps farmers establish market linkages and ensure a steady stream of income. In fact, on Women’s Day, i.e. March 8 this year, this young female entrepreneur’s hard work found mention i...

  Madhya Pradesh govt to waive off mandi tax to boost export of wheat T he Madhya Pradesh  government has decided not to levy tax on the export of wheat produced in the state, and traders will be allowed to purchase wheat anywhere in the state on a single license, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh . Chouhan, who was in Delhi  on Thursday to meet union commerce  Minister Piyush goyal  to discuss the wheat export issue, said:  He further stated that the exporters were allowed to buy wheat from mandis and also directly from the farmers.  If the exporters need space to set up export houses in major mandis, they will be provided space at concession rates," he added. The chief minister informed that the production of wheat in Madhya Pradesh has reached up to 1.29 crore MT. He said the wheat of Madhya Pradesh has credibility. The online auction process is available in the market and exporters will be able to buy wheat by registering with a local person. For v...

  Importance of Agriculture         in Indian Economy During Independence, there was extremely low productivity per hectare and per worker. However, the previous trend of stagnant agriculture was completely changed due to the introduction of economic planning from 1950-51, and with special emphasis on agricultural development, particularly after 1962.  (i) A steady increase in the area under cultivation is noticed.  (ii) A substantial growth in the food crops is marked.  (iii) During the plan period, there had been a constant increase in the yield per hectare. Though the industry has been playing an important role in the Indian economy, still the contribution of agriculture in the development of the Indian economy cannot be denied. This can be measured and gauged by the following facts and figures:  1. Agricultural influence on national income: The contribution of agriculture during the first two decades towards the gross domestic produc...

World Bank offers ₹869 crore loan for watershed management for Indian farmers •In a major boost to Indian farmers, India will receive a ₹869 crore loan for watershed management from World Bank •The loan has a maturity of 15 years, including a grace period of 4.5 years, the Finance Ministry said The Union Finance Ministry said on Friday announced that the World Bank will provide a $115 million ( ₹869 crores) loan to fund a programme in India that will help national and state institutions adopt improved watershed management practices to increase farmers' resilience to climate change, promote higher productivity and better incomes. As India has one of the largest watershed management programmes in the world, the new programme will further boost the watershed management system in the country. The Finance Ministry said in a statement, "in this context, the new programme will help the participating state governments in their efforts to transform watershed planning and execution and ...

  Maharashtra launches its own Agriculture Export Policy: S eeks consistency in center's export policy to promote state's Agri exports The Government of Maharashtra launched the state's Agriculture Export Policy (AEP) on Friday, which will focus on the export promotion of 21 agricultural commodities. The Government of India had unveiled its Agriculture Export Policy in December 2018, directing the state governments to draft their own policy. Accordingly, the state government had constituted a committee in May 2019 to draft the policy. Addressing stakeholders of the agriculture export chain, Anoop Kumar, chief secretary (Co-operation and Marketing), Maharashtra, said "We have to focus on exports as it can help increase the net income of farmers by about 40% to 45%. The domestic market has limited capacity to give remunerative returns to farmers." Kumar said that the major complaint of the foreign buyers of produce from the state is about the sudden changes in expo...

                                        The Spice Rice Farmer Of Karnataka    Mr. D.M. Ramesh (59), is from Daradahalli village, Mudigere taluk, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, India. He has studied up to the pre-university level. He currently owns 15 acres of land and grows plantation crops such as coffee, pepper and areca nut. According to Mr. Ramesh, the manner in which we grow in a society depends on the environmental condition of a particular area. He has a deep interest in farming because his ancestors used to practise cultivation. He wanted to cultivate plantation crops but he did not possess his own land due to absolute poverty and hence could not achieve his dream. He shifted from Coorg to Mudigere in search of a job. He started Seetha Bangles Store in the year 1987 in Mudigere to earn his livelihood. After a couple of years, he got married and entered t...

                          Millet Man of Telangana-The Success Story Mr. Veer Shetty Biradar (44) is from Gangapur village, Jharasangam Mandal, in Sangareddy district of Telangana State, India. He is a graduate and owns 13 acres of dryland and 5 acres of irrigated land. He grows sugarcane, chickpea, red gram, jowar, bajra, foxtail millet and finger millet. Once, while travelling to Maharashtra, Mr. Biradar could not get any food to eat and suffered from starvation as a result. He started thinking of producing food for the future generations after coming back from Maharashtra. He started growing millets and entered the field of value-added millet products under the technical guidance of Dr. C.L. Gowda, Deputy Director General, ICRISAT, and Dr. C.H. Ravindra Reddy, Director, MSSRF (M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation), Jeypore, Odisha. One of the reasons for focusing on value added millet products is the emergence ...

                                        How to improve soil fertility Soil fertility is a ability of soil to sustain plant growth and optimize crop yield. This can be enhanced through organic and inorganic fertilizers to the soil.  Advancing food security and environmental sustainability in farming system requires an integrated soil fertility management approach that maximize crop production while minimizing the mining soil nutrient reserves and the degradation of the physical and chemical properties of soil that can lead to land degradation, including soil erosion. Different approaches to efficiently manage soil fertility An integrated soil fertility management aims at maximizing the efficiency of the agronomic use of nutrients and improving crop productivity. This can be achieved through the use of grain legumes, which enhance soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation, an...