Business school for rural women who have no formal education

A woman who has successfully completed the training program at Mann Deshi Udyogini — Micro Business School for Rural Women — in Satara district of Maharashtra.

Training program provided by Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank and its sister NGO, the Mann Vikas Samajik Sanstha, in association with HSBC.

• To help the women become entrepreneurs and access the benefits of micro finance.
• A free counseling session helps tap the interest and possible skill sets of the women. They are then encouraged to take the requisite course.
• The courses will range from just a day to 10 days.
  

Topics covered:

• Vocational training in technical skills such as computer training and bag making.
• Financial literacy.
• Marketing techniques and communication skills.
• Confidence building.

Contract farming is good for farmers

Prakash Kulkarni of Vilaspur in Bidar taluk, Karnataka, who has been growing Coleus forskohlii (makandi beru in Kannada) on a contract basis for four seasons.

According to a recent study, profits earned by contract farmers are more than that of non-contract farmers.

• The advantage that accrued to contract farmers was mainly due to savings in production and marketing costs.
• The contractor often provides seeds and other inputs as well as technical know-how.
• The farmers are often trained in improving quality through better post harvesting techniques.
• Contract farmers are being offered relatively higher prices than the prevailing market prices mainly for better quality and as an incentive for ensuring a regular supply.

Other examples of contract farming:

• Marigold is being grown in Vallam and Sengipatti in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.
• Coleus forskohlii and turmeric are being grown in Salem district of Tamil Nadu.
• The National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation (Nafed) has begun a pilot project to grow potato through the contract farming route in Indore.
• Agro Tech Foods Ltd is planning to go for contract farming to produce sweet corn most likely in Warangal district.
• Godrej Agrovet Ltd intends to take up cultivation of oil palm under contract farming in Joida, Karwar and Yellapur taluks of Uttara Kannada district.
• Hatsun Agro Product Ltd has signed up with SBI to provide loans to dairy farmers for a contract farming programme.

First online trading of horticulture crops to start in 2007 December

Pilot electronic trading in mangoes conducted in June 2007 at the Regulated Marketing Committee delivery center at Pochampalli, Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu.

Safal National Exchange (SNX), promoted by Mother Dairy (National Dairy Development Board) jointly with private companies, is planning to launch nationwide online trading in fruits and vegetables in December 2007.

• Initial launch planned to cover apple, mango, banana, potato, onion and tomato.
• Actual traded prices will be displayed on the trading screen in markets across the country.
• Farmers on bringing their produce will grade and sort them at the delivery center as per the quality standards specified by SNX.
• SNX will undertake an inspection and issue a quality certificate to the farmers. SNX will also facilitate warehousing and logistics facility. Products that meet the required norms including size, quality, colour and shape alone will be allowed for trading.
• The delivery needs to be completed before the next day of trading. A penalty of 10 per cent would be imposed on farmers if they failed to deliver the produce after trading.
• Delivery of products to the buyer would take place once the payment is received. A penalty of 10 per cent would also be imposed on buyers if they failed to pay and lift the commodity after trading.
• SNX will pay the farmers after they receive the payment from the buyer and process it.

Benefits to farmers:

• Farmers can know the prices being realized across the country. They will have the option to conclude price for their produce for sale prior to harvest.
• Fewer middle men and lower transaction cost.
• Payments are guaranteed by SNX.
• Quality certification protocol administered by SNX.
• Improvement in post harvest practices for better shelf life and quality of grading, packing and overall delivery, match with rapidly rising expectations of quality by consumers.

Technology helps marginal farmers to grow jasmine in off season

About 60-70 marginal farmers of Kariapatti in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu during the past two seasons have successfully raised commercial jasmines.

• There is demand for jasmine round the year. However, farmers find it difficult to grow them during the lean months of December and January.
• The local agri clinic (under the Ministry of Agriculture scheme to facilitate technology transfer for farmers) has helped them.
• A carefully evolved plant-tending practice is set in motion well ahead of winter. This includes application of the right volume of soluble fertilisers combined with flowering stimulation (required dosage of phosphorous) that convert every bud formed into a flower.
• 5-6 kg of flowers were harvested daily on average from a 20-cent area.
• The agri clinic also guides farmers raising brinjal, lady's finger and onion as well as paddy growers.
• For example, the clinic focuses on technology intervention to enhance brinjal productivity by preventing potential fruit-bearing flowers from withering.

Microfinance boosts agriculture, water resources and other rural income

Bhagyamma Vadla in Chityala, Andhra Pradesh was able to get a small loan for buying water buffaloes. She is now able to get a steady income by selling milk.

Small loans for farmers in Theni, Ramanathapuram, Kancheepuram and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu helped to build land and water assets.

• Rejuvenation of tanks and ponds in Theni district.
• Focus on fertiliser in Sirumaniyendal in Ramanathapuram district.
• Combined with life insurance for reducing risk and vulnerability of families.
• Microfinance groups used the common funds to immediately close tank breaches during flash floods in Madurai district.
• Savings have also improved. Six microfinance groups in Ponpadhirkoodam in Kancheepuram district have a total saving of Rs. 1.97 lakh.

Some of the microfinance lenders:

• SKS Microfinance: Has 507 microfinance branches in 14 states mainly in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh. Loans for a range of income-generating activities, including livestock, agriculture, trade (such as vegetable vending), production (from basket weaving to pottery) and new age businesses (beauty parlor to photography).
• SHARE Microfin Limited: Has 312 microfinance branches mainly in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
• Gramin Koota: Has 44 microfinance branches mostly in Karnataka.
• SEWA Bank: Mainly in Gujarat.
• Spandana Charity Trust: Mainly in Andhra Pradesh.
• ICICI Bank, Canara Bank and other banks.
• In Tamil Nadu, you can contact Dhan Foundation for more details on microfinance options for water and agriculture. Dhan can be reached at 26280236 (Chennai) or 04522601673 (Madurai).

Avoid waste, improve quality and get better price by solar crop drying

Portable farm solar dryer designed by the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana Centre

• Get 70% higher price than open sun dried product. You can recover the cost of the machine in about 60 days.
• Up to 100% more efficiency than cabinet type dryer.
• Around 20-30 kg of red chillies can be dried in 3 to 4 sunny days.
• This design is commercially available at a cost of around Rs. 5500/- from M/s Vishwa Karma Solar Energy Corporation (Regd.), Phillaur - 144 410, Punjab.
  

Other manufacturers of solar driers:

• ATR SOLAR (INDIA), 380, Kamarajar I street Bibikulam MADURAI - 625 002, TAMIL NADU Tel: 0452 - 4353673, 3256595 Email: atrsolar@gmail.com, theri@atrsolar.com (chilies, vegetables, fish and herb driers)
• PRINCE India, Jankibai Trust, Shamgiri, Agra Road, Deopur, DHULE - 424 005, Maharashtra. Tel: 02562 - 271795 Email: contact@princeindia.org (vegetable/fruit drying, making powders of moringa leaves, tomato and potato powders, green chilly powders ...etc)

Note: Please note that we don't endorse any vendor.

Block level weather forecast for farmers

The Agro Climate Research Centre of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University provides block level weather forecast for farmers

• Block level forecast within each district.
• Weather forecast for the next four days - maximum and minimum temperature in degrees celsius, relative humidity in %, wind speed in km/hr and rainfal in mm for 24 hrs.
• You can also see a forecast map of the above at 8:30 AM and 2:30 PM for the next four days.

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