Context: IISR developed two gypsum-based bacterial formulations Bactogypsum and Trichogypsum to boost crop yields.
More about news:
IISR developed ‘Bactolime’ which integrates the beneficial bacteria or PGPRs (Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria) with liming material into a single formulation.
Bactogypsum ameliorates high pH soils and ensures simultaneous delivery of plant beneficial bacteria.
Trichogypsum delivers Trichoderma – a fungal biocontrol agent and corrects the high pH levels of soil.
Bacteria like Bacillus and Pseudomonas are commonly used in agriculture as nutrient solubilisers/mobilisers as well as plant growth stimulants.
Gypsum is traditionally used to counteract soil salinity/ sodicity.
Context: The Spices Board held consultations with the industry on recall by Hong Kong and Singapore of certain spice mixes sold by Everest and MDH due to concerns of potential Ethylene Oxide (ETO) contamination and examine possible corrective measures.
About Spice Board of India:
It is a regulatory and export promotion agency for Indian spices and was constituted in 1987 under Spices Board Act 1986.
It is the flagship organization for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices.
It is functioning under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
It is headed by a chairman, a rank equivalent to Joint Secretary to the Government of India.
The board is headquartered in Kochi.
Functions: Promotion of exports of spices and spice products
Maintenance and monitoring of quality of exports
Development and implementation of better production methods, through scientific, technological and economic research.
Guidance to farmers on getting higher and better quality yields through scientific agricultural practices.
Provision of financial and material support to growers.
Registration and licensing of all spice exporters.
Processes and forwards foreign trade enquiries to reliable exporters.
Organises a common platform for interaction between Indian exporters and international buyers through the World Spice Congress.
Examines each complaint from importers for corrective and preventive action.
Spearheads the quality improvement programme for Indian spices.
About Ethylene Oxide (ETO):
It is a colourless gas or liquid with a faintly sweet odour. It is a flammable and reactive chemical used in a variety of industrial processes .
It is primarily used as a chemical intermediate in the production of ethylene glycol, which is used to make antifreeze and polyester, to sterilize medical equipment and supplies and also used as a fumigant to control insects and pests in stored products such as grains, spices, and tobacco.
It is also a potent human carcinogen and can pose significant health risks with prolonged or excessive exposure.
Short-term exposure can cause respiratory irritation, lung injury, and various neurological effects such as headaches and nausea.
Long-term or chronic exposure is more concerning, as it has been linked to an increased risk of cancers, particularly lymphoma and leukaemia, and may also cause reproductive harm, such as mutations and miscarriages.
Context: India has been facing a problem of persistent shortage in pulses production which is about to worsen with the significant fall in output during the 2023-24 crop year.
As a result, inflation in pulses has gained momentum. The persistent deficit in domestic production and the consequent rise in prices are making pulses unaffordable for the poor.
About Pulses in India
India is the world’s largest producer of pulses with 23 million tonnes from an acreage of 30 million hectares.
The country accounts for 35% of global area and 27% of global production.
Pulses are commonly grown under rainfed condition all over India (77% rainfed) during two principal seasons of the year, namely, kharif rainy season.
Production of Pulses
Top Pulses: Top six pulses grown in India are chickpeas (chana), pigeon pea (Arhar/tur dal), urad beans (urad dal), mung beans (moong), lentils (masoor) and peas.
Top States: Production of pulses has largely shifted from northern India to central and southern parts. More than 90% of total pulses production is realised in 10 states namely, MP, Rajasthan, UP, Karnataka, AP, Gujarat, Jharkhand, CG and Telangana.
Challenges With Respect to Pulses
Shifting Cropping Pattern: There has been a significant shift in cropping pattern from cereal-pulse to cereal-cereal, particularly in irrigated areas across the country. This sluggish growth in production since the 1960s has reduced the per-capita availability of pulses from about 25 kg (1961) to 16 kg (2021).
Rainfed Agricultural Practices: The extent of area irrigated for sugarcane, wheat and rice stood at 96%, 95% and 65%, respectively, while that of pulses is only about 23%. As a result, the yields and output of pulses have remained low.
Post-Harvest Losses: Pulses are vulnerable to post harvest loss which has beenestimated tobe about 20%-30% of traditional dal mills resulting in low dal recovery etc.
Demand-Supply Mismatch: As highlighted in Household Consumer Expenditure Survey (HCES) data for 2022-23, rising incomes and fall in poverty combined with greater health consciousness, the demand for pulses has run ahead of production.
Net Importer: The domestic production of pulses, despite a significant increase during the past decade (from 171 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 234 lakh tonnes in 2023-24) continues to lag demand. As a result, India has remained dependent on pulses imports (averaging 25 lakh tonnes per annum during the last five years) to meet domestic consumption demand. Therefore, India accounts for 25% import of pulses across the world.
Limited Import Sources: The scope for augmenting supplies of pulses through imports in the short-term is limited as India is the largest producer as well as consumer of pulses in the world. Prices in pulses exporting countries are influenced by the shortages in India and hence imports may become much costlier than the domestically produced pulses.
Low Value Addition: Despite India being the largest pulse producer globally, value addition is low. Currently, only 20% of pulses undergo processing, compared to the global average of 80%.
Government Initiatives
National Food Security Mission (NFSM)- Pulses: Aims to Increase Pulses production by 3 Million tonnes
Increase in MSP
Price Support Scheme (PSS) under PM-AASHA
Creation of Buffer Stock of Pulses by NAFED.
Price Stabilisation Fund Scheme to check volatility in the prices.
Way Forward
Pulses are an indispensable part of the Indian food basket both among the rich and the poor alike. While a number of steps have been taken by the government to augment open market supplies in the short-term with imports and limitations on stock-holding, it is imperative to raise production in the long-run.
Changing Cropping Pattern:
Bridge the yield gap between Pulses and other cereal crops to incentivise farmers to take up pulses production.
Diversification: Replacement of less remunerative crops with pulses.
Promotion of inter-cropping.
Utilisation of potential areas of rice-fallow lands: About 30-40% of the area currently left fallow after paddy harvest can be converted into productive farmlands; Additional 3 Mha of pulses and 1 Mha of oilseeds can be brought under cultivation through "Targeting Rice Fallow areas" sub-scheme under RKVY.
Increasing Productivity:
Bringing down duration of pulse crops through technological interventions: There is an urgent need to expand pulses production through development and cultivation of high-yielding varieties disease-resistant varieties through genomic technologies is pivotal.
Redesign of NFSM-Pulses: Two categories of districts for coverage under NFSM for pulses - NFSM Pulses for general districts and NFSM Pulses+ for districts where yield levels are lower than state/national averages.
Investing in bio-fortification programmes, like HarvestPlus’ iron-enriched lentil varieties, will address nutritional deficiencies, notably of iron which affects 53% of Indian women (NFHS-5, 2019-21).
Increasing Farmers’ Income:
In addition, it is essential to enhance post-harvest management and direct market linkages to ensure remunerative prices for farmers.
Promoting Value Addition: The sector needs to invest in modern processing facilities and foster new product innovation. From pulse flours and protein concentrates to ready-to-eat meals and snacks, catering to diverse consumer segments creates exciting avenues for growth. Strategic branding can elevate pulses from staple commodities to premium health foods, both domestically and internationally.
Additionally, climate-resilient agronomic practices such as drip irrigation, which reduces water use by 40-50% and increases yields by 20-30% (World Bank, 2022), are essential for mitigating risks and optimising resource utilisation.
Promoting Awareness:
Cultivation of pulses can promote sustainable agriculture by enriching soil fertility and conserving water, with minimal irrigation and short crop duration. Towards this, the agricultural extension system needs to create awareness among the farmers regarding the positive externalities of pulses cultivation.
A Pulses Board can play a crucial role in promoting the crop through consumer awareness campaigns and market linkages, working along with NAFED and NCCF.
Conclusion
By embracing a holistic demand-driven strategy that addresses both production and market-side challenges, India’s pulses sector can overcome its hurdles and grow. Doing this will help India augment domestic production to reduce dependence on imports and achieve atmanirbhar or self-sufficiency in pulses by 2027.
Context: The Union government has launched the CDP-SURAKSHA portal to streamline the subsidy disbursal system to horticulture farmers so as to give a major boost to horticulture farming in India under the cluster development program of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
About CDP-SURAKSHA Portal
SURAKSHA Stands for ‘System for Unified Resource Allocation, Knowledge, and Secure Horticulture Assistance’
It is a digital platform to disburse subsidies to horticulture farmers under the Cluster Development program which seeks to promote horticulture crops.
Instant disbursal of subsidies to farmers through e-RUPI vouchers.
It has features like database integration with the PM-Kisan scheme, cloud-based server space from National Informatics Centre (NIC), content management system, geotagging, etc.
Farmers, vendors, implementing agencies, cluster development agencies and officials of National Horticulture Board can access the portal.
Allow the farmer to log in using her mobile number and place order for planting materials such as seeds, seedlings, and plants, etc.
On placing the order, farmer would have to pay her share and the government's subsidy contribution will also be generated automatically then.
The government's subsidy payment will be made via e-RUPI to the vendor once the farmer has paid her contribution.
The farmer would have to verify the delivery of order through geo-tagged photos and videos of her field.
With the completion of this verification process, the implementing agency will release the money to the vendor who has to upload the payment invoice on the portal.
The amount to implement the agency will be released by the cluster development agencies. But, in this process of payment, the subsidy benefit has been availed by the farmer immediately at the first stage.
In the earlier system, a farmer had to give the full amount to buy planting materials and then seek the release of the subsidy amount.
Both public & private banks are part of this initiative- SBI, HDFC, ICICI and Bank of Baroda.
About Cluster Development Program under National Horticulture Board
Launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Programme for Horticulture Cluster Development to enhance the global competitiveness of the Indian horticulture sector.
National Horticulture Board has been designated as the Nodal Agency for implementation of the Cluster Development Programme as a component of the Central Sector Scheme of NHB.
Designed to leverage the geographical specialization of horticulture clusters and promote integrated and market-led development of pre production, production, post-harvest, logistics, branding, and marketing activities.
MoA&FW has identified 55 horticulture clusters.
For the implementation of the CDP, cluster-wise Cluster Development Agencies (CDAs) have been appointed based on the recommendations of the State/Central Government.
Context: After successfully checking urea imports by increasing its domestic production, the government is now said to be mulling a similar strategy for DAP which witnessed a 6 per cent rise in imports.
About Nano DAP
Nano DAP (Liquid) is indigenous and non-subsidised fertiliser with formulation containing Nitrogen (8.0% N w/v) and Phosphorus (16.0 % P2O5 w/v).
IFFCO Nano DAP is an efficient source of available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus for all the crops and helps in correcting the Nitrogen & Phosphorus deficiencies in standing crops.
Benefits
Nutrient use efficiency is more than 90 percent under optimum field conditions
It is cheaper than conventional DAP and is economical for the farmers.
Beneficial as Seed Primer for Early Germination and Vigour, Enhances Crop Growth and Quality, Boosts Crop Yield.
Reduces pollution of soil, air and water due to excessive use of phosphatic fertilisers
Bio-safe and Eco-friendly, fit for residue free agriculture.
Nano DAP (Liquid) has an advantage in terms of surface area to volume as its particle size is less than 100 Nanometre (nm). This unique property enables it to enter easily inside the seed surface or through stomata and other plant openings.
Better spread ability and assimilation of Nano DAP inside the plant system leads to higher seed vigour, more chlorophyll, photosynthetic efficiency, better quality and increase in crop yields.
Apart from this, Nano DAP through precision and targeted application fulfils the nutritional requirement of crops without harming the environment.
Context: Central Government plans to raise the area under Mustard cultivation from the current 4 lakh hectares and yield from 8 quintals per hectare to help achieve the larger objective of self-sufficiency in edible oils.
About Mustard and Rapeseed
Rapeseed and mustard comprise several oilseeds such as rai, sarson, toria and taramira. These are subtropical crops cultivated during rabi season in north-western and central parts of India.
These are frost sensitive crops and their yields fluctuate from year to year. But with the expansion of irrigation and improvement in seed technology, their yields have improved and stabilised to some extent.
About two-third of the cultivated area under these crops is irrigated.
These oilseeds together occupy only about 2.5% of total cropped area in the country.
Major Cultivating States
Rajasthan contributes about one-third production while other leading producers are Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
Yields of these crops are comparatively high in Haryana and Rajasthan
Cropping Conditions
Climatic Requirements:Require cool and dry weather and a fair supply of soil moisture during the growing period and dry clear weather at the time of maturity. In India they are grown in Rabi season from September-October to February-March.
Soil: Sandy loam to clay loam soils but thrive best on light loam soils. Do not tolerate water logging conditions or heavy soils. Soil having neutral pH is ideal for their proper growth and development.
Rotations and mixed cropping: Rape and mustard are grown in rotation with other crops like maize, cotton, bajra, pulses, etc. and should never be grown in fields which were sown with the same crops in previous two years.
Field preparation: A clean and well pulverised seedbed of good tilth is needed for better germination. The land should be well prepared first by ploughing deep, followed by two cross harrowings. Care should be taken to see that weeds and stubbles are well removed from the field and the soil contains adequate moisture.
Time of sowing: Toria should be sown from the mid to the last week of September. Sowing of sarson and rai must be completed in the first fortnight of October.
Manures and fertilisers:Split application of nitrogen has been found useful for rape and mustard crop.
Water Management: Good yields can be achieved if the fields are bunded and levelled before the monsoon and ploughed 2-3 times during the monsoon season. Inter-cultivation or mulching on the soil surface reduces moisture evaporation. Two irrigations at pre-bloom and pod filling stages are beneficial.
Weed Control: Weeds cause approximately 20-30 percent reduction in yield. The most common weeds are Chenopodium album (bathua), Lathyrus spp.(chatrimatri), Melilotus indica (senji), Cirsium arvense (kateli), Fumaria parviflora (gajri) and Cyperus rotundus (motha).
Context: The existing challenges in the agriculture sector and the resultant farmer protests have given calls for promoting cooperatives in agriculture sector to rejuvenate agriculture as a sustainable economic model.
Cooperatives:
Constitutional Provisions for Cooperatives
The Constitution (97th Amendment) Act of 2011 created a new Part IXB (Cooperatives) following Part IXA (Municipalities) regarding cooperatives in India.
In Part III of the Constitution, Article 19(1)(c), the word “cooperatives” was added after “unions and associations” which enabled citizens the right to form cooperative societies as their Fundamental Right.
Article 243ZH to 243ZT in part IXB deals with cooperatives.
Supreme Court in Rajendra N Shah case pronounced that only the new Part IXB dealing with cooperatives sector only applies to multi state cooperative societies. The Part IXB of the Constitution does not apply to Cooperatives registered with States.
Benefits of Cooperative society:
Challenges of Cooperative Society: (Shivaji Rao Patil Committee)
Lack of Participatory character
free rider problem as few members join only to get benefits.
Legal loophole which enables even non-active members to vote and get elected.
Dominated by few rich members and politicians.
Restricted coverage and role
Cooperatives are successful in only few states.
Most of the PACS are single purpose societies leading to poor viability.
Equity infusion by the government enables the government to appoint Board of Directors leading to poor autonomy.
Restrictive State Cooperatives Act
Government can issue directions.
Government can postpone elections.
Government can supersede Board of Directors.
Governance related issues
Poor regulation by Registrar of Cooperatives.
Financial fraud, corruption, etc.
Lack of adequate capital as cooperatives cannot raise money from the capital market.
Lack of dedicated cadre of government officials for management of cooperatives.
Model bye-laws to enable PACS to undertake more than 25 business activities.
National Cooperative database.
Banking regulation Amendment act to strengthen regulation of urban cooperative banks.
Cooperatives as buyers on GeM portal.
Way Forward
Encourage States to adopt model cooperatives act proposed by Choudhary Brahm Perkash committee, which had provisions like- i) prohibiting cooperatives to accept funds in the form of equity from government; ii) prohibiting government officers from working in cooperatives; iii) limiting the role of government in issuing directions; iv) clear roles and responsibilities for Registrar of Cooperative societies, etc.
Enhance participatory character of cooperatives by inserting provisions related to active members in the state cooperative societies act.
Promote higher economies of scale through- i) doing away with restrictions on area of operations; ii) merger of cooperatives; iii) Encourage cooperatives to diversify their business.
Strengthen access to the capital market by setting up an umbrella organization for cooperatives.
Set up a dedicated fund for revival of sick cooperatives.
Ministry of Cooperation to announce a “policy of assured procurement” at MSP of, say, 10 crops including pulses, oilseeds and TOP through Nafed/NCCF. Make this “assured procurement” applicable for all farmers who register on a procurement portal at the time of sowing itself along with land details. (Verification through digitised land records can be used to eliminate aggregators/traders from this process)
Nafed/NCCF to plan and “capture” the entire value chain of the commodities under the guaranteed MSP items from procurement to primary processing to packaging to retail sales.
Nafed/NCCF to set up retail outlets all over the country for “Bharat” brand agri commodities. These outlets will be a conduit for regular supply to consumers. Franchisee models can be worked out and bank funding may be available to entrepreneurs for setting up “Bharat” brand outlets.
Plan, procure and hold appropriate buffer stocks of pulses, oilseeds and TOP utilising shared and decentralised infrastructure which can be built by member cooperatives of Nafed/NCCF
Agriculture, which is a state subject, to be moved to the Concurrent List so that Central Government initiatives through Nafed/NCCF do not run into legal hurdles.
Context: To empower the farmers of the country by equipping them with information, services, and facilities using digital technology, the Union minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has inaugurated the Agriculture Integrated Command and Control Center at the Krishi Bhawan in Delhi.
Integrated Command & Control Centre (ICCC)
It is a technological solution having integrated form of various IT applications and platforms under one umbrella platform.
It will be based on the usage of technologies like artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS) to collect and process large amounts of data such as related to temperature, rainfall, wind speed, crop yields, etc. and then present it in graphical format.
Around eight large LED screens will be installed at ICCC to display information related to crop yields, production, drought situation, cropping patterns, etc.
The platform will also enable farmer beneficiaries to interact directly with the officials or the Minister through video conferencing facilities at the contact Centre and the helpdesk facility.
It is operating under the Ministry of agriculture and farmer's welfare.
Context: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has made Aadhaar mandatory for oil palm farmers to claim government subsidy, which will be directly transferred into their bank accounts under the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP).
National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP): Overview
Launched in: 2021
Type of scheme: Centrally Sponsored Scheme
Nodal ministry: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Financial outlay: Rs. 11,040 crores
Aim: For substantial increase in oil palm cultivation and crude palm oil production.
Targets: To increase the area of oil palm to 10 lakh hectares from 3.5 lakh by 2025-26 .
To increase the Crude Palm Oil production from 0.27 lakh tonnes to 11.20 lakh tonnes by 2025-26.
Key features: There are two major focus areas of the Scheme.
Price assurance: The assurance to the farmers will be in the form of the viability gap funding and the industry will be mandated to pay 14.3% of the Crude Palm Oil (CPO) price.
Assistance for inputs/interventions: A substantial increase has been made for planting material for oil palm and this has increased from Rs 12,000 per ha to Rs. 29000 per ha. Further substantial increase has been made for maintenance and inter-cropping interventions, establishment of seed gardens, nurseries, micro irrigation, bore well/pumpset/water harvesting structure, vermicompost units, solar pumps, harvesting tools, custom hiring centre cum harvester Groups, farmers and officers training, and for replanting of old oil palm gardens etc.
Special focus on the North east region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with a focus on increasing the area and productivity of oilseeds and Oil Palm.
About Oil Palm:
It is an edible vegetable oil derived from the fruit of the oil palms.
It is used in food manufacturing, beauty products, biofuel, and cookies.
It is of two types:
Crude palm oil, used for cooking.
Palm kernel oil, used for industrial purposes.
India is the fifth largest oilseed crop producing country in the world, India is also one of the largest importers of vegetable oils.
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala are major oil palm-growing States and contributing to 98% of the total production.
Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil.
Indonesia and Malaysia together account for almost 90% of the global palm oil production.
Context: In Central Karnataka, farmers rampaged through the APMC market yard due to a crash in the prices of the Byadagi chili.
About Byadagi chili
It is a variety of chilli mainly grown in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is named after the town of Byadgi which is located in the Haveri district of Karnataka.
It has the second-largest turnover among all chilli varieties of India.
It is also known for its deep red colour.
The chilli pods are harvested from January to May.
It is less spicy and is used in many food preparations. It is also used in an oil, oleoresin, extracted from these chillies is used in the preparation of nail polish and lipstick.
There are two types of Byadagi chili: dabbi and kaddi.
Byadagi dabbi, which is small and plump, is more popular for its colour, flavour and taste. Though it has more seeds, it is less spicy compared to the kaddi variety. This variety is best suited for masala preparation and oleoresin extraction.
The kaddi type is gnarled, thin, long and has fewer seeds.
Context: India is one of the leading producers of agricultural products and pharmaceuticals. These two sectors account for the major chunk of usage of ammonia and its derivatives. However, the present production process of ammonia based on usage of fossil fuels is highly energy intensive, thereby contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. In this light, the Government of India has brought out the National Green Hydrogen Mission and Green Ammonia Policy to increase the production of Green Ammonia and reduce the carbon footprint of the ammonia's production process.
Grey Ammonia: Manufactured from synthesis of hydrogen and nitrogen gases. Hydrogen in turn is manufactured from fossil fuels viz natural gas, petroleum products and coal, natural gas remaining the dominant feed.
Green Ammonia: Ammonia produced from renewable energy through the process of electrolysis is called green ammonia. The production process of green ammonia uses green hydrogen as a feedstock for producing ammonia. This is also called renewable ammonia.
Convention Production process of ammonia:
Initially, processes like the Frank-Caro process, Birkeland-Eyde process were used.
But these two processes were highly inefficient and a major breakthrough in ammonia production of industrial scale came through the Haber-Bosch process.
India is the world's third-largest producer and second-largest importer of ammonia.
Schematic for Green Ammonia production process
World's first Green Ammonia plant has been set up in Bikaner, Rajasthan by a private entity.
Benefits of Green Ammonia:
Emission reductions: Green ammonia, being produced using renewable energy sources, does not emit carbon dioxide (CO₂) during its production and therefore its use will be key to reducing emissions in the so-called "hard to abate" sectors that currently use conventional ammonia produced from carbon-intensive natural gas. Thus, by replacing it with green ammonia, dependence on fossil fuels is reduced and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, thus contributing to climate change mitigation.
Increased energy supply security: Green ammonia reduces dependence on fossil fuels in general. By using renewable energy sources, green ammonia is produced from local resources and reduces current exposure to fossil fuel price volatility (required in conventional ammonia production).
Energy vector or hydrogen carrier: While hydrogen liquefies at a temperature of -253°C, ammonia only requires cooling to -33°C. Liquefaction is necessary to transport and store these compounds. The lower cooling requirement for ammonia makes this process much more competitive and energy efficient than hydrogen transport. Thus, once the necessary infrastructure for import, storage and cracking of ammonia is developed, it will be possible to produce green hydrogen in locations with optimal conditions (competitive renewable energy) and then export it to other consuming regions.
Contribution to renewable energy deployment: Meeting future demand for green ammonia will require large amounts of new renewable electricity to meet the requirements set by the EU Delegated Acts for the definition of hydrogen and renewable derivatives.
Export benefits: Aiming at about 10% of the global market, India can potentially export about 10 MMT Green Hydrogen/Green Ammonia per annum.
Climate smart agriculture: By reducing the carbon emission intensity of ammonia, which is used for manufacturing fertilisers, carbon emission intensity of agriculture will be cut down.
Issues in developing Green Ammonia sector in India:
Government Steps for promotion of Green Ammonia in India
National Green Hydrogen Energy Mission: Launched and implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.Targets under the Mission are:
Green Ammonia Policy
Launched by Ministry of Power
Green Hydrogen / Ammonia manufacturers may purchase renewable power from the power exchange or set up renewable energy capacity themselves or through any other developer, anywhere.
Open access will be granted within 15 days of receipt of application.
The Green Hydrogen / Ammonia manufacturer can bank his unconsumed renewable power, up to 30 days, with a distribution company and take it back when required.
Waiver of inter-state transmission charges for a period of 25 years will be allowed to the manufacturers of Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia for the projects commissioned before 30th June 2025.
The manufacturers of Green Hydrogen / Ammonia and the renewable energy plant shall be given connectivity to the grid on priority basis to avoid any procedural delays.
To ensure ease of doing business a single portal for carrying out all the activities including statutory clearances in a time bound manner will be set up by MNRE.
Manufacturers of Green Hydrogen / Green Ammonia shall be allowed to set up bunkers near Ports for storage of Green Ammonia for export / use by shipping. The land for the storage for this purpose shall be provided by the respective Port Authorities at applicable charges.
Amul Milk Union Limited or Amul India got established on 19 December 1946 in the town of Anand in Gujarat in India.
It was a move against the brokers and agents who arbitrarily determined the milk prices and exploited the milk producers. Polson, another dairy company, was dominating the business! The government had given the company control in the work of collecting milk from Kaira and supplying it to Mumbai and its sub-areas. Polson brought the milk at low rates from the farmers.
These unfair trade practices made the farmers very angry! In the year 1942, Sardar Patel had also pointed out the ulterior motives of Polson and the British government in a letter
The angry farmers went to their local leader Shri. Tribhuvandas Patel. Together they approached Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. Sardar Patel advised the farmers to set up a cooperative (Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union) and supply milk directly to the Mumbai milk division, not Polson. He asked Morarji Desai, another Congressmen and freedom fighter, to organize the milk farmers.
Pasteurization unit was started at Anand. Kaira district cooperative. Anand milk producer union limited (AMUL) was formed at Anand in 1946.
Union set up milk cooperative societies in every village that would buy milk from farmers twice a day
The cooperative was further led by Dr. Verghese Kurien and H.M. Dalaya. Dalaya's ingenuity of creating skimmed milk powder using buffalo's milk, for the very first time and later putting it into commercial scale with Kurien's assistance created an early modern-day dairy in the cooperative in Anand (Gujarat).
National dairy development board was setup and Kurien was appointed as its head. It was the start of white revolution (operation flood).
Phase 1 – 1970-1980 – 4 metropolitan cities were connected
Phase 2 – 1980 – 1985 – 43000 cooperatives and 4.5 mn farmers joined. Raksha vaccine for cattle health was introduced.
Phase 3 – 1985 – 1990s – 10 mn farm families -> 2.5 crore ltrs of milk per day
Dr Kurien
Ramon Magsaysay award
Padma shri
Padma Vibhushan
Krishi ratna award
A three-tier Model of Amul
Amul is an amazing organization that is simple and yet awe. It operates on a three-step method which ensures that each body performs its function efficiently. The three tiers are:
Village Dairy Cooperative Society Every manufacturer is a member of the cooperative village which is a manufacturer's community.
District Milk Unions -Village Dairy Cooperative Society members elect their representatives which collectively forms the District Milk Union.
State Milk Federation-The State Milk Federation is responsible for the distribution and sale of milk products on the market.
Snapshot of India’s dairy sector
Dairy sector contributes one-fourth of total income generated in agriculture sector and this share has been rising.
Per capita production of milk in India has now exceeded the recommended dietary allowance (RDA).
India is the largest milk producing nation in the world with one-fourth of global production.
Per capita absorption of milk and milk products has almost doubled during the last 20 years.
Challenges in India’s Dairy sector:
International market share: Despite being the top producer, India’s share of milk and dairy products in global dairy export is less than 1% as compared to other exporters such as Germany (14.4%), New Zealand (12.9%), Belgium (7.6%), Netherlands (6.69%) and France (6.65%). India faces tough competition with other global players regarding sanitary standards and certification difficulties, particularly in developed markets.
Low productivity: India’s productivity per animal is very low. The significant reasons are limited availability and affordability of quality feed and fodder, traditional feeding practices, lack of veterinary, limited supply of quality animals, and ineffective cattle and buffalo breeding programs.
Production Inefficiency: Inadequate farm management, Inadequate access to finances, lack of affordable technology, and access to information led to low production efficiency in India.
Safety and Quality issues: India faces quality issues due to contaminated water, milk adulteration, use of pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, and veterinary drugs.
Cold chain infrastructure: –There is a lack of required infrastructure of chilling plants and bulk coolers to prevent contamination and spoilage at village level.
Power availability:- Many chilling plants suffer due to shortage of electricity and do not run optimally leading to poor quality and shelf life of milk.
Quality testing infrastructure and trained work force:- Adequate quality testing infrastructure is not available at milk collection centres. The problem is compounded by the lack of trained manpower to undertake quality testing.
Increased emission of greenhouse gases by ruminants: Doubling population of female bovines means GHG emissions by dairy animals has doubled in the last 50 years.
High antibiotic usage in dairy sector: Chemicals are indiscriminately used in commercial dairy which adversely affects quality of livestock and milk. Urine and dung of animals with chemicals affects soil microbes
Way Ahead?
Investments in milk value chain and tapping markets of high-end developed countries.
Milk as a solution for nutritional deficiency: Milk should be promoted as a critical input for addressing nutritional deficiency and improving health outcomes in India, especially in children & women.
Export competitiveness & FTAs involving milk: India’s domestic milk industry is opposed to FTAs that involves liberalisation of trade (import) in dairy products. If India wishes to capture overseas dairy markets than our milk industry needs to export competitive. Thus, India’s dairy industry needs to increase its competitiveness and confidently compete with imports and export markets.
Milk valued added products: Focusing on exports of milk value added and processed products rather than liquid milk alone.
Milk Quality: Compliances with high sanitary & phyto-sanitary standards of countries particularly in developed markets.
Livestock health: Steps to promote vaccination and disease free areas like foot mouth disease free areas, as some developed countries require this.
Adopting food systems approach: Integrated livestock and crop systems are organised in a complementary and in synergy. India’s agriculture is transitioning to natural & organic farming for this animal dung and urine are critical inputs. Using by-products from dairy to produce organic & bio-inputs is a win-win for both dairy and crop sector.
Dairy pricing: Currently, fat content in milk is the sole criteria for pricing of milk. There is a need to develop measurements and standards around other traits like solid-not-fats in milk.
Sustainability of dairy sector: There is a need to monitor the presence of antibiotics and other chemicals in milk and check it.
