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	Ornamental fishing – transition from hobby to business Karnataka fishermen seek more powers under CRZ Government proposes to enact the National Food Security Act Sahai reviews progress of mega food park in NE, meets investors Karnataka foodgrains output likely to fall short of target Despite budget benefits, fuel price rise to pinch farmers EU may test 20% of Indian aquaculture imports Commerce and industry minister supports treating fisheries on a par with agriculture Pawar felicitates farmers, releases a tablebook on their success stories ICAR wants free hand on Golden Rice research
	Ornamental fishing – transition from hobby to business
	A sweet story for thousands of enthusiasts. K.K. Mustafah It's all biz: Ornamental fish put up for sale at an aquarium in Kochi.– C.J. Punnathara Kochi, Feb. 26 The transition from hobby to passion to profession has been short and sweet for thousands of ornamental fish enthusiasts in the country, several of whom have struck it rich. Mr A A Basheer, an overseer in the Kerala Irrigation Department, was enamoured by the concept of rearing ornamental fishes in his backyard. Now his Friends Ornamental Fish Farms has over 30 acres of ponds in two locations where he rears large, colourful and diverse ornamental fishes. At his home breeding unit he specialises in breeding all kinds of angel fish, golden severnum, oscar, green terror and rainbow shark among others which he later transfers and rears in his farms. Demand has never been a problem, says Mr Basheer, who had visitors from Tamil Nadu to see his farms and purchase his fish that morning. It is just a matter of not finding enough ornamental fish to meet the growing demand. And he is much in demand as a consultant for new and budding ornamental fish entrepreneurs. Or take the case of Mr K R Pushpangadhan of the Travancore Aqua Pets. He used to be employed in the Kerala Cooperative Federation for Fisheries Development before his hobby of fish breeding compelled him to quit his government job. “For the first couple of years I had to hide the fact that I had quit my job to escape being ridiculed by people around me. But now that I have converted my passion into a well-paying profession, I have no more regrets,” Mr Pushpangadhan said. Today, he exports the fish to countries in East Asia, West Asia and Europe and is poised to make his debut into the US market. His export destinations stretch from Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Dubai, Bahrain, Germany and France. The scope of Indian ornamental fish exports is poised to widen with recurrent disease outbreaks becoming a major scourge in ornamental fish rearing countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. India is still immune from this contagion mainly because of the strict import and quarantine rules. As disease outbreaks are debilitating traditional export majors such as Singapore and Malaysia, tremendous opportunities are opening up for Indian fish enthusiasts. Mr Pushpangadhan, who is a member of Ornamental Fish International, said that all through his 12-year export career he did not have to confront a single instance of export rejection against his consignments. MPEDA push The art of ornamental fish exports means mastering the technique of packing the maximum number of live fishes in the minimum space and water and ensuring that they reach their destination strong and healthy. More than 5 per cent mortality in transit means that the whole consignment is rejected and one has to pay for the return freight charges as well. The packaging and transit operations have to be precise and technically perfect. And demand and regular volumes prove the most attractive feature of ornamental fish exports. Mr Basheer, however, says he has no plans for exports given the huge domestic demand and competitive prices on offer from the local markets. The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) is pitching in, helping to transform the lives of fish enthusiasts and convert their passion into a well-paying profession. It not only offers technical expertise but also categorises the project into three grades of Rs 2 lakh, Rs 4 lakh and Rs 15 lakh projects — offering to subsidise 50 per cent of the project cost. (The Hindu Business Line)
	Karnataka fishermen seek more powers under CRZ
	Call to allow dwellings within 200 metres from high tide. Our Bureau Mangalore, Feb. 27 The Karnataka round of public consultation with fisher folk and local communities to strengthen the costal regulation zone (CRZ) here on Saturday stressed the need to allow fishermen to develop their dwellings in the 200 metres from the high tide line area, and also opposed pollution of coastal region by the industries. In addition to fisher folk, the public consultation also witnessed participation by representatives from tourism and hospitality industry. Mr Damodar Suvarna, who represented fishermen from Thenka Ermal in Udupi district, said that CRZ rules do not allow development in area up to 200 metres from the high tide line. This has affected the interests of fishermen as they cannot go in for the construction of houses there. “No construction is permitted within this zone except for repairs of existing authorised structures not exceeding existing floor space index, existing plinth area and existing density,” he said. The fishing community has been living in those areas for centuries, and such a rule will affect the interests of fishermen in those regions, he said. His views got support from fishermen representatives of various other areas, and they sought the Ministry's intervention to set right this problem. Mr Vasudev Boloor, Secretary of National Fishworkers' Federation, compared this situation with the tribal people living in forest areas. The Government has allowed tribal settlements in forest areas. Similarly, the fishermen should be allowed the facility to build their houses in the 200 metres of the high tide line. He also said that the original CRZ notification has seen 25 amendments. “These amendments are in favour of industries, and not in the interest of fishermen,” he said. POLLUTION Mr Sharath Guddekopla, President of the Coastal Karnataka Traditional Fishermen's Association, said that Karnataka coast has been witnessing the growth of many polluting industries. Those industries polluting the sea in the region should be stopped, he said. Mr Yatish Baikampady, Chief Executive Officer of Panambur Beach Tourism Project, said that discharge of effluents to the sea by the industries has to be stopped. He also sought to know the clear definition of ‘fisherman'. Otherwise, some people will take advantage of the situation to have their say in the issues related to fishermen, he said. Mr Upendra Hosabettu, President of Dakshina Kannada Parisarasakta Okkoota, wanted to know if the public consultation programme is for the original CRZ notification issued in 1991. He said that the 25 amendments which came later did not come in for public consultation. He suggested that the State-level CRZ office should be shifted from Bangalore to Mangalore. At present, CRZ officials have powers to identify the cases of CRZ violations. However, they can't take action against the violators. The CRZ rules can be strengthened by authorising the officials to take action against the CRZ violators, he said. The Government should take steps to provide representation to the members of the fishing community while taking decisions related to coastal region, he said. Mr Aloysius Albuquerque of Summer Sands Beach Resort said that CRZ is for waterfront activity and everyone has his/her own space in that. This should be taken into consideration while strengthening the CRZ rules, he said. (The Hindu Business Line)
	Government proposes to enact the National Food Security Act
	Saturday, February 27, 2010 Our Bureau, Mumbai As announced by President Pratibha Patil in her address to the joint session of parliament on Monday, the government has proposed to enact the National Food Security Act which envisages, among other things, entitlement of 25 kg of wheat or rice per month at Rs 3 per kg for every Below Poverty Line (BPL) family in the country. This was confirmed by K V Thomas, minister of state for agriculture, consumer affairs, food & public distribution, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. The law is also proposed to be used to bring about systemic reforms in the Public Distribution System (PDS). Consultations have been held with, and inputs received from, the states and other stakeholders, based on which various issues have been placed before an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) constituted for the purpose. Based on the decisions taken / directions given by the EGoM so far, a draft National Food Security Bill is being prepared which will be tabled in parliament during the Budget session. (Food & Beverage News)
	Sahai reviews progress of mega food park in NE, meets investors
	Saturday, February 27, 2010 Our Bureau, Mumbai Subodh Kant Sahai, minister of food processing industries, met the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that is setting up the mega food park at Nalbari in Assam. The purpose of the meeting was to take stock of the progress of implementation of the project in the North East region. The mega food park in Assam with an investment of around Rs 76 crore will be a notable achievement for the state, as this would help transform the agriculture in the state by fostering value addition and providing the thrust for the shift of conventional farming practices into a market driven and clusterised farming. This will further give a multiplier effect to the value of agricultural produce by the farmers. The Government of India is providing an assistance of Rs 50 crore in this project. It is expected to leverage an investment of about Rs 200 - 250 crore in the form of food processing units proposed to be set up in the mega food park. It will also attract a sizeable amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), as FDI up to 100% is allowed for most of the processed food products. The government claims this to be a unique project and first of its kind in the state because it willl address the needs of the farmers and will ensure a sizeable investment in the state/region and would have the potential of being the engine to drive economic growth in the region. Around 27 processing and ancillary units coming up in this food park will process about 180,000 tpa of raw material primarily comprising fruits and vegetables, rice and spices and will generate sizeable employment opportunities. It will have farm-proximate 6 Primary Processing Centres (PPC) at Badarpur, Nagaon, Kajalgaon, Krishnai and Barapani. In addition farm gate level 19 collection centres will be linked to the PPCs. This park will provide an umbrella for branding products for increased customer acceptance. The consumers will have an option of wide range of quality products at reasonable prices in the region. Sahai also addressed a gathering of entrepreneurs of the food processing and other industries and encouraged them to invest in the sector as the potential in this sector was huge. Sahai informed the entrepreneurs that common facilities proposed to be created like multi-commodity cold storages, dry warehouses, pre-cooling, sorting, grading and washing lines, packaging facilities, reefer vans, quality control & testing laboratory and factory sheds for micro and tiny units etc will generate a direct employment opportunity for about 2,000 people in addition to around 15,000-20,000 indirect employment. At least 30,000 farmers will be benefited by way of assuring remunerative prices for their produce and reduced post-harvest losses thereby enhancing their earnings and quality of life. The minister also attended an “Investors’ Meet” at Agartala, Tripura. The region has plenty of agri-horti produce, most of which get wasted in the supply chain due to low level of processing and lack of adequate processing as well as logistic facilities. Sahai hoped that this investors' meet would attract sufficient investment in the food processing sector in the North-East Region. (Food & Beverage News)
	Karnataka foodgrains output likely to fall short of target
	Floods, drought may cause 10% shortfall. Standing crops on 21.92 lakh hectares were damaged due to flash floods in September-October last, officials in the Agriculture Department said. Nagesh Prabhu Bangalore, Feb. 28 On account of unfavourable seasonal conditions, Karnataka is unlikely to achieve its foodgrains target of 118 lakh tonnes in 2009-10. The overall foodgrains output is expected to drop by 12 lakh tonnes. Sources in the State Government told Business Line that severe drought and flood in parts of the State, caused major damage to the crops in almost all districts. Sources said that the State's foodgrains production is expected to touch 106 lakh tonnes, against the targeted 118 lakh tonnes in 2009-10. The production of foodgrains stood at 112 lakh tonnes in 2008-09 and 121.86 lakh tonnes in 2007-08. Major reasons for the likely decline in the production are erratic monsoon in early June and July and flash floods at the end of the monsoon which had destroyed standing crops on vast tracts of lands in a dozen districts in north Karnataka. Standing crops on 21.92 lakh hectares were damaged due to flash floods in September-October last, officials in the Agriculture Department said. Many attributed the spiralling prices of essential commodities, particularly foodgrains, to the fall in foodgrain production in the past two years in the State and the country. The State formulated a “farmer-centric” agricultural policy in 2006 for doubling farm production in 10 years by setting the target at 4.5 per cent a year during the next decade. But since the inception of the policy, there has been decline in the growth rate on account of untimely supply of seeds, fertilisers and erratic climatic conditions, experts said. Crops had been sown on 111.46 lakh hectares in 2009-10 and the annual coverage of cereals is 54.28 lakh hectares, pulses – 26.78 lakh hectares and oilseeds – 20.83 lakh hectares. The drop in the output is expected in cereals as well as pulses. Though sowing had taken place on 98 per cent (70.41 lakh hectares) of the targeted area (72 lakh hectares) in the 2009 kharif season, the farmers could not harvest the yield on account of destruction of crops during the floods in north Karnataka districts. Barring maize and sugarcane, the latest crop estimates for the current kharif season is that the production of most crops is likely to drop by at least 10 lakh tonnes. The department has set a foodgrains production target of 86.12 lakh tonnes in the kharif season. The last kharif season's foodgrain output was 77.40 lakh tonnes. There has been a significant increase in the coverage of maize in the State on account of high demand for the output from the poultry industry. The crop covered 12.94 lakh hectares against the target of 10.68 lakh hectares (121 per cent). Sources said the rabi crops were sown on 35.20 lakh hectares against the target of 37 lakh hectares, achieving 95 per cent of the target. The summer crops were planted on 5.85 lakh hectares against the target of 6.73 lakh hectares (87 per cent). (The Hindu Business Line)
	Despite budget benefits, fuel price rise to pinch farmers
	1 Mar 2010, 0132 hrs IST, ET Bureau CHANDIGARH: Even as the budget appears to have some benefits for the Punjab farmers, especially in terms of direct delivery of subsidies on fertilisers, easy mobility of grain from one state to another and conservation of natural resources especially groundwater resources, the increase in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in higher cost of production for various crops, which may not go down well for the Punjab farmers, who use farm machinery intensively. Punjab has also not received any draught relief from the central government for using its energy and water resources to maintain food production despite deficient rains. Dr Manjit Singh Kang, vice-chancellor, PAU said that keeping in view the issue of food security, the emphasis of the budget is in right direction in terms of increasing foodgrain production in the potential areas of Bihar, Chattisgarh, Orissa and eastern states by promoting green revolution technology. “A sum of Rs 400 crore have been earmarked for this purpose. It has been seen that the import bill on edible oil is increasing every year. To address this issue, Rs 300 crore has been earmarked for investments in 60 thousand villages in rainfed areas of the country to promote oilseed production. Conservation of natural resources in the green revolution irrigated belt has become a major concern and the governments of Punjab and Haryana have been raising the issue of additional allocation of budgetary resources for management of natural resources. The finance minister has allocated Rs 200 crore for this purpose so that the natural resources especially groundwater and land are conserved for long-term sustainability in these areas. Access to institutional credit especially in case of small and marginal farmers is also one of the important areas of concern despite tremendous growth in the institutional agricultural credit during the last five years. This year also the agricultural credit supply is proposed to go up by Rs 50 thousand crore from Rs 3.25 lakh crore to Rs 3.75 lakh crore but whether it would really benefit the small and marginal farmers is a big question and shall have to be addressed through making changes in the credit delivery mechanism,” he said. The PAU economists believe that the better paymaster areas like Punjab and Kerala, where the rate of loan default is very low, appear to have benefited from this budget in terms of reduction in the rate of interest by 2% on agricultural loans from 7 to 5%. This interest rate subsidy will be available to only those farmers who make timely payments, said Dr RS Sidhu, Dean, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities. The balanced fertiliser use is also likely to be promoted by the proposed changes in price policy for the fertilisers which is being made nutrient based rather than being focused only on nitrogen fertilisers, he said. Another positive feature in this budget is the change in mode of fertiliser subsidies, observed Dr Sidhu adding that various research studies had indicated that 50% of the fertiliser subsidies goes to the fertiliser industry rather than farmers because of the subsidy determining mechanism. Disbursement of fertiliser subsidies directly to the farmers is expected to benefit Punjab state, which uses around 9% of the total fertilisers and is under constant threat of subsidies being withdrawn due to their mounting burden. The food storage capacity including cold storage capacity is proposed to be enhanced this year. This will go a long way in reducing the grain wastages as well as help Punjab state in the scientific storage of its surplus grains without any fear of loss in quantity and quality. (Economics Times)
	EU may test 20% of Indian aquaculture imports
	Unhappy with residue monitoring, testing methodology. The proposed move, if it materialises, would prove a major barrier to Indian exporters and an inherent advantage to competitors. C.J. Punnathara Kochi, March 2 Finding fault with the residue monitoring and testing methodology employed by India, the European Union might decide to check 20 per cent of Indian aquaculture exports to the region. The decision to scrutinise 20 per cent of the exports at random and its effective implementation might commence from April, sources in the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) said. Why the testing The problem arose mainly due to the recurrent rejections of cultured scampi exports to the EU in the early part of last year. Now the random testing is likely to be extended to all aquaculture exports from India to EU. The industry was confident that the testing would pose no difficulty for black tiger shrimp exports. The introduction of field-level testing of scampi at the production level is also expected to at least partly alleviate the problem. Field-level testing is now being enforced across all major aquaculture states in the country. A barrier But the proposed move, if it materialises, would prove a major barrier to Indian exporters and an inherent advantage to competitors. The Indian exporter would have no clue if his consignment might be selected for testing at the port of arrival. The delays in testing would mean delays in reaching the consignment to the EU importer, the shelves of the supermarkets and the final consumer. With this sort of an uncertainty, why should the importer continue to depend on Indian exporter for his needs, some exporters wondered. This would definitely be to the advantage of competitors from other countries whose export consignments would arrive without any such delays and apprehensions. Biggest market While conceding that 20 per cent checking is far better than an outright ban, industry sources, however, pointed out that would still create numerous problems for the industry. The EU continues to be the biggest export destination even during the current year, accounting for almost one-third of the volume and value of India's total seafood exports. Export to EU is more than double that to Japan, the second biggest export destination. EU export consists mainly of squid, cuttlefish and shrimp. While squid and cuttlefish exports are mainly caught wild from the seas, shrimps are almost always sourced from farm aquaculture. While black tiger shrimp farming has so far caused no significant difficulties, problems with scampi culture could pose a problem to Indian aquaculture exports as a whole to the EU region. (The Hindu Business Line)
	Commerce and industry minister supports treating fisheries on a par with agriculture
	Tuesday, March 02, 2010 Our Bureau, Mumbai While inaugurating the 17th India International Seafood Show-2010 organised by the marine products export development authority (Mpeda) and the seafood exporters’ association of India (SEAI) in Chennai, union minister for commerce and industry Anand Sharma supported the seafood exporter community’s demand that fisheries be treated on par with agriculture. Sharma said that he would support in the cabinet any move by the agriculture ministry to provide the fisheries sector the same incentives and credit linkages as agriculture enjoyed. The minister wanted seafood exporters to ensure better quality control and technology infusion to garner a bigger share in the global market, The Hindu reported. He also stressed the need to upgrade the Mpeda laboratories for pre-harvest and post-harvest quality checks to ensure compliance with international standards. Speaking about seafood consignments rejections, the minister said, “These involved not just seafood but other commodities as well. The Central government would take up issues of “unfair trade practices” by some countries soon.” In the keynote address, minister of state for agriculture KV Thomas said the proposed Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Bill sought to streamline the scientific exploitation of exclusive economic zones, protect fisheries resources and strengthen national security. “The aim is not to restrict the rights of the state governments or traditional fishermen but to regularise fishing in the present context of national security,” Thomas said. (Food & Beverage News)
	Pawar felicitates farmers, releases a tablebook on their success stories
	Wednesday, March 03, 2010 Our Bureau, New Delhi On February 26, about 101 farmers from across the country came to Vigyan Bhawan (Delhi) for being felicitated for their exemplary work in the field of agriculture. During the felicitation, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar released a coffee table book titled "Harvest Hope," a documented success stories prepared by the department of agriculture & co-operation. In a glittering ceremony Pawar honoured 101 enterprising men and women farmers from remote parts of the country, who by sheer dint of their innovation and hard work have been more than inspirational for others. Pawar said that it was a historic occasion when hard working farmers from all over the country were being felicitated in Vigyan Bhawan and a coffee table book had been written for the faceless farmers, which had hitherto remained a domain of dignitaries and celebrities. He lauded the role of these trend-setting farmers who will spearhead this agricultural extension by emulation. The minister of state for agriculture KV Thomas emphasised the need of highlighting successes of farmers through print and multi-media instead of focusing only on tragic failures. "The official structure of agriculture has to be the friend in the neighbourhood rather than a distant philosopher," he said. The function which was attended by enthusiastic farmers, attired in their traditional costumes, travelled long distances to reach New Delhi at a very short notice. Some of the farmers, who might not have even seen a train in their life due to sheer remoteness of their village, were specially flown in to New Delhi, the agriculture ministry said. (Food & Beverage News)
	ICAR wants free hand on Golden Rice research
	Wednesday, March 03, 2010 Our Bureau, Mumbai The thaw in Golden Rice research in India is likely to end with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the nodal agricultural research agency under the Union Agriculture Ministry writing to Syngenta (an agri-business company) and the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board (GRHB) to allow it unfettered freedom to go about the research in India, according to a report in Business Line from Hyderabad. A team from Syngenta is expected to arrive in India next month to discuss the issue. If ICAR is allowed the freedom it seeks, research on the rice technology will speed up. "Public research institutes in India have the capability to conduct safe field trials and carry out bio-safety tests. We have asked Syngenta, which owns the Golden Rice technology, and the GRHB. We are hoping that we will get the nod," Prof. Swapan Kumar Dutta, Dy Director-General (crop sciences), said. Prof. Datta, who was associated with the Golden Rice research in Zurich and later at the International Rich Research Institute, Manila, was in Hyderabad in connection with a three-day symposium on "Genomics and Crop Improvement - Relevance and Reservations" held at the Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University. Following the global outcry over the huge cost of licence fee, Syngenta has agreed to give licences free of cost to developing countries to take care of the needs of the poorer sections. After a certain volume point, however, users need to pay licence fees. Though Syngenta gives the technology free, the Board lays a strict regimen for research. The promoters of Golden Rice say it could address the huge vitamin A deficiency in several parts of the globe. Deficiency of vitamin A causes blindness in thousands of people. The genetically modified rice could make up for the deficiency. (Food & Beverage News)

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