NEWS Bulletin from Indian Society For Sustainable Agriculture And Rural Development ------------ on GMOs & Seeds ----- 1. Experts against founding of national biotech authority as glitches increase 2. India deposits rice, wheat seeds in Svalbard Vault 3. Good monsoon forecast brings hope to farmers 4. Indian research base opened in Arctic region 0n Chem Fert Vrs Traditional Farming---- 5. Slump in fertiliser supply chain causes shortage 6. Traditional farming helps west Rajasthan framers, says CAZRI 7. 'Price inflation should be based on CPI movement' 8. Connectivity barriers hit national highways ------------ Experts against founding of national biotech authority as glitches increase ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Monday, June 29, 2008 at 2347 hrs IST New Delhi,June 29: Teething problems which may pose difficulties for the birth of the proposed National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority (NBRA) have begun to surface. Experts have begun questioning the need for setting up of such an authority when existing regulator, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), is already acting as a single-window clearance for genetically modified (GM) food products. "We have been very swift in granting our process of approval. Since 2002, we have approved over 150 GM cotton hybrids, one transgenic cotton variety and five events. Our functioning has become more transparent following the orders of the Supreme Court. The GEAC meeting takes place every second Wednesday of the month and that of Review Committee on Genetic Manipilation (RCGM), every fourth Tuesday," said a GEAC official. The founder-director of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Pushpa Mittra Bhargava, said that biotechnology covered about 30 areas, out of which transgenic technology was one. "It should be clarified whether NBRA would regulate all areas of biotechnology or only transgenic crops, animals, GM food and recombinant pharma. If NBRA is to regulate only transgenic technology, then its name needs to be changed," he said. MS Swaminathan, who chaired one of the panels which had recommended the setting up of the NBRA, agreed on the justification for the change of the name of the authority and the limiting of its area of focus to transgenic technology. Bhargava, who is a permanent invitee to GEAC meetings by an order of the Supreme Court, said: "The government, before deciding to set up the NBRA, should clarify as why it is replacing the GEAC. It should make public knowledge any malfunctioning of the GEAC. If the government feels there is nothing wrong with the GEAC, then it should not think of setting up of the NBRA." Bhargava also pointed out that the draft National Biotechnology Regulatory Bill of 2008 did not contain a substantive portion for promising effective regulation. He said that the draft also did not accompany any rules or guidelines for implementation. Other experts opine that the government should make the GEAC more accountable, than contemplate on setting up the NBRA. The GEAC functions under the Union ministry of environment and forests, while it has been proposed that the "autonomous" NBRA would be anchored by the promoter agency, the department of biotechnology (DBT). In this case, a few experts feel that the NBRA may not be able to address health and environment concerns. The draft has proposed that NBRA should have an inter-ministerial advisory board, but its recommendations would not be binding. The NBRA is likely to infringe upon the state government's rights, under the Constitution, to regulate agriculture. The proposed Bill is likely to override about seven existing laws and this has set Delhi-based Human Rights Law Network gearing up to oppose the founding of the NBRA. ------------ India deposits rice, wheat seeds in Svalbard Vault ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Tuesday , July 01, 2008 at 2109 hrs IST New Delhi, July 1 : India deposited seeds of two varieties of rice and three varieties of wheat in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault near Longearbyen in Norway on Tuesday The indigenous rice seed deposited in the vault are IR-36 and IR-64 and that of wheat are Lerma Rojo, Sonoro-64 and Ridley. The Indian Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Kapil Sibal, upon the invitation of the Norwegian Government visited the Svalbard Global Seed Vault near Longearbyen and deposited Indian rice and wheat seeds. According to an official press release, Sibal was accompanied by the Director and the Coordinator of the Seed Vault and visited the tunnel. Along with Sibal symbolic deposit of some indigenous seeds was also made by the German Federal Minister of Education and Research, Annette Schavan. This was the first ever visit of any Indian minister to the climatically harsh Arctic region. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault's declared mission is to provide a safety net against accidental loss of diversity in traditional gene banks due to mismanagement, accident, equipment failures, funding cuts and natural disasters. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is supposed to be a secure seed-bank located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen near the township of Longyearbyen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Spitsbergen is said to be an ideal location due to the lack of tectonic activity and its permafrost can aid preservation according to some experts. The location 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level can ensure that the site remains dry even if the icecaps melt. Locally mined coal used for power generation to meet the needs of refrigeration units that further cool the seeds to the internationally recommended standard −20 to −30 °C (0 to −20 °F). Even if the equipment fails, at least several weeks will elapse before the temperature rises to the −3°C (30 °F) of the surrounding sandstone bedrock – the facility has a capacity to conserve 4.5 million. The Seed Vault is managed under terms spelled out in a tripartite agreement between the Norwegian government, the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center. The GCDT has played a key role in the planning of the Seed Vault and is coordinating shipments of seed samples to the Vault in conjunction with the Nordic Genetic Resource Center. The Trust will provide most of the annual operating costs for the facility, and has set aside endowment funds to do so, while the Norwegian government will finance upkeep of the structure itself. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided approximately $750,000 to assist developing countries and international agricultural research centers to package and ship seeds to the Seed Vault. An International Advisory Council is being established to provide guidance and advice. It will include representatives from the FAO, the CGIAR, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources and other institutions. Construction of the Seed Vault (which cost approximately $9 million) was funded entirely by the Norwegian government. Operational costs will be paid by Norway and the Global Crop Diversity Trust. The primary donors of the Trust are the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.K., Norway, Australia, Switzerland and Sweden, though funding has been received from a wide variety of sources including four developing countries: Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and India. The prime ministers of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland participated in a ceremonial "laying of the first stone" on June 19, 2006. Sibal was accorded a warm welcome to the Ny- Alesund island by the Norwegian Minister Tora Aasland. He was one of the keynote speakers at the Ny- Alesund Symposium 2008, with climate change as its main theme. Referring to India's National Action Plan for Climate Change, Sibal said that there was need for policy makers, scientific experts and the business community to come together and make a global effort to meet the challenges of climate change. ------------ Good monsoon forecast brings hope to farmers ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Monday, June 30, 2008 at 2225 hrs IST New Delhi, June 30 There is some good news for Indian agriculture. The official weather forecasting agency, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has revised its forecast and predicted that the cumulative rainfall in the four-month monsoon season, beginning June would be 100% of the long period average (LPA) of 89 cm. The IMD's forecast is subjected to a model error of +/-4%, which means that the rainfall can be in the range of 96% of the LPA to 104% of the LPA. Along with the even spread of South-West monsoon rains predicted by IMD, the global forecast agencies have dispelled the fears of major flood situations, with exceptions at few places, by predicted the weakening of La Nina conditions (cooling of Pacific waters below normal) – the factor responsible for floods across the globe. Though the rainfall forecast is 100% of the LPA, the IMD has termed it as 'near normal' rainfall. This is because there is no categorization for normal rainfall in the IMD's parameters. Rainfall in the range of 96% to 104% of the LPA is termed near normal, that in the range of 90% to 96% of the LPA is termed below norm and that below 90% of the LPA is termed deficient. In its initial forecast made in April 16, this year the IMD had said that that the countrywide rainfall in the four-month monsoon season would be 99% of the long period average (LPA) rainfall for the period which is 89 cm subject to a model error of +/-5%. In its revised forecast released on Monday, the IMD has said that the countrywide rainfall in July – the month crucial for agriculture – would be 98% of the LPA of 29.3 cm, subject to a model error of +/-9%. It also said that the average cumulative rainfall over north-west India would be 96% of the LPA of 61.2 cm, subject to a model error of +/-8%. North-west India comprises of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab , Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh , Delhi , Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh. The rainfall over north-east India would be 101% of the LPA of 142.9 cm, subject to a model error of +/-8%. North-east India consists of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya , Assam , Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura , Sikkim , West Bengal , Bihar and Jharkhand. For central India consisting of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra , Goa and Orissa, the IMD has predicted rainfall amounting to 101% of the LPA of 99.4 cm, subject to a model error of +/-8%. Rainfall over southern peninsula consisting of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the island territories – Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep – would be 98% of the LPA of 72.5 cm. The US-based International Research Institute for Climate and Society has, however identified some areas of excess rainfall in the country. In its recent forecast it said: "In parts of northern India near Nepal in July-September, 2008, there is a 40% probability of that the precipitation will be in the wettest third of the years, a 35% chance it will be in the near-normal third of the years and a 25% chance that the precipitation will be in the driest third of the years." According to IRI in August there would be heavy rainfall over central India , in September and October there would be heavy rains over eastern Gujarat and Rajasthan. This year the South-West Monsoon set in over south Andaman Sea on May 10, about 5 days earlier than the normal date. It set in over Kerala coast on May 31, close to its normal date, June 1. It advanced rapidly and covered parts of south peninsula and entire northeastern region by June 2. It reached Mumbai on June 7, three days earlier than the normal date and reached southern parts of Gujarat on June 10, five days earlier. Monsoon arrived in Delhi on June 15, two weeks ahead of the schedule. But monsoon is yet to cover parts of west Rajasthan, the due date of which is July 1.Till June 25, the average cumulative rainfall over the country was 26% more than the normal, with 17 out of 36 meteorological sub-division receiving excess rains and 10 receiving normal rains. Floods were reported in some areas of excess rainfall. ------------ Indian research base opened in Arctic region ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Tuesday , July 01, 2008 at 2055 hrs IST New Delhi, July 1 : Indian research base in the Arctic region was officially inaugurated by the Union minister for earth science Kapil Sibal on Tuesday at Ny-Alesund an official press release said here today. The base named "Himadri" would be equipped with state of the art facilities and will conducting round the year scientific research in contemporary fields of Arctic science with special emphasis on climate change. Situated at 78055' N, 11056'E, Ny-Alesund is only 1200 kms from the North Pole and offers the ideal land-based entrance to the Arctic . The whole Svalbard archipelago is part of the high Arctic region with permafrost – which means that the ground is frozen all year round. The vegetation in the area varies from sparse ground cover to the meadows like vegetation of the bird sanctuaries. Current areas of research in Ny-Alesund include marine science, aurora physics, biology, glaciology, geology, environmental science, geodetic studies, rocket probe studies, atmospheric physics, terrestrial studies, climate change monitoring. 'Himadri' will be managed by the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. This premier polar institute based in Goa has been coordinating entire gamut of Antarctic research for the country. Withthe opening of 'Himadri' India has become the 10th country to have established its full fledged research station at Ny-Alesund. While inaugurating the research base 'Himadri' the minister expressed happiness that the Indian Arctic Programme which started in August 2007 as a small contingent of 5 scientists has expanded big enough to become a full fledged research station in less than one year. The inaugural function at Ny-Alesund was attended by Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Germany , Tora Aasland, Norwegian Minister, Christian Gaudin, the French Senator besides many eminent polar scientists, diplomats and policy makers of various countries. On this occasion a Memorandum of Understanding on Polar research was also signed between the NCAOR and Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI). ------------ Slump in fertiliser supply chain causes shortage ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Monday, June 30, 2008 at 2042 hrs IST New Delhi, June 29: The early onset of the southwest monsoon and the even spread of rainfall in June, the first month of the season has caused an increase in demand for fertilisers. Though a sufficent stock of fertiliser has reached the districts, the supply from the districts to villages has been slow and this has caused problems of shortage at various places. According to RC Gupta, Fertiliser Association of India (FAI), there was no problem in the supply of urea and the muriate of potash (MoP). However, the situation is dim in the case of DAP , SSP and complexes due lack of sufficient supply. He said that the domestic manufacture of DAP was slightly affected due to the delay in the movement of rock phosphates from Rajasthan where the Gujjar agitation brought road and rail traffic to a complete halt. Small units that manufacture single super phosphates (SSP) and other complexes are unable to meet the demand to the lack of economies of scale. Importers DAP are also unable to bring in supplies with China tightening its contribution in the global market. The cumulative average rainfall till June 27 has been 26% more than normal. Rainfall has been fairly even with major parts of the country receiving good showers, with the exception of Kerala, Marathwada, eastern Gujarat, Madhya Maharashtra, north interior Karnataka, Rayalseema, Lakshadweep and some parts of Northeast India. All summer crops with the exception of cotton, sugarcane, jute and soybean have registered increases in their area coverage. In some states like Punjab there has been a shift in cotton area to paddy because in the previous year the farmers had bad experiences of mealy bug on Bt cotton and also with the hope of getting better prices for paddy this year. ------------ Traditional farming helps west Rajasthan framers, says CAZRI ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Monday, June 30, 2008 at 2040 hrs IST New Delhi, June 29: Farmers in western Rajasthan based on the generation of experiences have devised criteria for judging the suitability of land for cultivation of a particular crop and cropping systems. The region suffers from low rainfall, high temperature and light textured soils. Usually the soil in the region is deficient in nitrogen, low to medium in phosphorous and high in potassium. Due to uncertainty of rainfall and insecure returns the farmers are reluctant to use chemical fertilisers. A study done by BM Sharma and JP Gupta of the Jodhpur-based Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) shows that the resource poor farmers have successfully adopted ancient `Khadin' system of cultivation. Depending upon the land quality various management practices evolved by the farmers in the region have led to an increase in soil fertility. Khadin system of cultivation not only increases soil fertility but also conserves water. The other important management practices like crop rotation, fallowing, crop residue use as manure, addition of pond sediments, agro forestry are practiced to maintain soil fertility. The traditional practices have been improved through further scientific researches in agro forestry, ley farming, use of farm yard manure and compost. Selection of crops and the amount of fertilizer or manure to be used depend upon the quality of land. Mothbean is generally grown in poor soil. Better soils are preferred for munbean and pearl millet while cluster bean is grown on relatively heavy soil. In sany soil ehere parl millet and mung bean are grown cow dung manure and camel manure are used. In irrigated area sheep and goat manure are applied Farmers follow certain management practices which help to maintain the soil fertility to some extent. Allowing herd of sheep in the field for one or two days and 'khejri' trees to grow in the field are some of the practices followed to increase soil fertility, according to the study. The field preparation for kharif (summer) crops are initiated in May and June by clearing the shrubs and other weeds. The fields are ploughed with the arrival of monsoon in the region in July. Normally one ploughing is done in the case of pearl millet, mothbean, mung bean, sesame and cluster bean. However, if more than one ploughing is practiced the land has to be kept fallow for a long time. Rabi (winter) crops are usually grown in irrigated areas and in 'Khadins'. Wheat, mustard and chick pea and in some areas cumin crops are grown. Livestock grazing after harvest is a common practice which helps in regaining soil fertility, according to the CAZRI study. The field preparation for kharif (summer) crops are initiated in May and June by clearing the shrubs and other weeds. The fields are ploughed with the arrival of monsoon in the region in July. Normally one ploughing is done in the case of pearl millet, mothbean, mung bean, sesame and cluster bean. However, if more than one ploughing is practiced the land has to be kept fallow for a long time. Rabi (winter) crops are usually grown in irrigated areas and in 'Khadins'. Wheat, mustard and chick pea and in some areas cumin crops are grown. Livestock grazing after harvest is a common practice which helps in regaining soil fertility, according to the CAZRI study. ------------ 'Price inflation should be based on CPI movement' Rural Economy Bureau Posted online: Monday , June 30, 2008 at 2123 hrs IST New Delhi, June 29: The traders have a different view about The government's computation of the price inflation rate. They feel that the 1993-94 base year for calculation of price inflation is longer valid as the economy has undergone severe changes. The base year should, therefore, be fixed at 2000-01. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has urged the government to estimate price inflation rate on the basis of the movements in the consumer price index (CPI) instead of the wholesale price index (WPI). "Movements in CPI can give the actual picture of the price inflation trend as it is directly linked to the consumers and there is a noticeable difference of minimum 15% on an average between WPI and CPI," said the CAIT national president, BC Bhartia. He claimed that the price inflation trend based on the movement in CPI would be much higher than that currently estimated through movement in WPI at 11.42%. The traders also urged the government to include services and transport sectors in the computation of price inflation trend. "The government needs to constitute a working group of experts and stakeholders to conduct an in-depth study to ascertain the root cause of price rise," said CAIT general secretary Praveen Khandelwal. CAIT also demanded on changes in weightage assigned to basket of commodities. It should be fixed on a rational basis, traders said ------------ Connectivity barriers hit national highways ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Monday, June 30, 2008 at 2151 hrs IST New Delhi, Jun 29: National highways are important links connecting different states of the country. But this network suffers from serious deficiencies at some places in terms of capacity, presence of links , condition of bridges and railway level crossings (most of them are in bad shape). Out of the 68,354 km of national highways, 19,704 km are of less than two lane width. "There are many distressed bridges on the network which requires strengthening or upgradation. There are railway level crossings as well, to be replaced by the road over bridge. The removal of the deficiencies requires a huge sum and cannot be tackled in a year and hence a phased programme is needed," a note prepared by the Central government's department of road transport and highways said. The Centre is also concerned over the haphazard construction of roads by states under the new expressways scheme in absence of necessary guidelines and policy approach from the Planning Commission. As a matter of policy the Centre has involved the state governments and the private sector for the road connectivity. It has envisaged a vision document to develop and complete 66,500 km road connectivity under the National Highways Development Project (I to VII). While the road transport and highways department is mainly concerned with the development of road infrastructure in the core areas of national highways, it also has a role in the upgradation of major highways in the states through Central Road Fund (CRF) and other schemes of interstate and economic importance. While the National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) is being implemented through the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the major chunk of the national highway network is to be developed and maintained by state governments and some by the Border Roads Organisation for which the central government makes annual budgetary allocations. In the current year 2008-09 an allocation amounting to Rs 5528 crore has been made to 28 states and Union territories. The Centre has asked the state governments to prepare comprehensive time bound programme for double laning and long and short term programmes for removal of other deficiencies. The state governments have also been urged to implement the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act 2002 to prevent Ribbon development and removal of encroachments from the national highway land and property. The 11th Plan has envisaged a target for construction of 15,600 km of Expressways on public-private partnership basis. The road transport and highways department has invited bids for consultancy services to formulate master plan for the National Expressway Network. It has also sought the participation of state governments and has formulated guidelines on geometric standards and circulated to the state governments for necessary feedback. The Centre has noted that some states, without waiting for necessary guidelines, have begun construction of Expressways on their own and making these projects financially viable by allowing commercial developments along with it. It noted that Expressways coming up in such a fashion 'may not only compete with the NHDP projects, but may also lead to development of haphazard network with little or no linkage and inefficient traffic dispersal mechanism.' The Centre has, therefore asked the Planning Commission to formulate National Policy for Construction of Expressways at the earliest. ------------ |
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