International Year of Millets – 2023

-Millets aresuperfoods  ,to revive the forgotten glory of ‘Miracle Millets’ through the International Year of Millets (IYM) – 2023.

-Millets such as jowar, bajra, kodo-kutki, etc. are known to have multiple health benefits and are resilient to climate change, and require less water for irrigation compared to wheat and rice.

-Madhya Pradesh is one of the major producers of kodo kutki in India.

-Kodo kutki is primarily grown in the eastern and central parts of Madhya Pradesh, where the soil is welldrained and fertile. In line with the Central Government’s initiatives and schemes, the government of Madhya Pradesh has been taking several initiatives to promote the cultivation of millets in the state.

-The government has also launched various schemes and programs to encourage the cultivation of kodo kutki like-

= MP State Millet Mission in 2020 and

=Mukhya Mantri Kodo-Kutki Kheti Sahayta Yojana,

Which provides financial assistance to farmers for the purchase of seeds and other inputs.

4) Arhar(Tuwar):-

-Total production of pulses in the state is 82  Lacks M tons.

-Total Arhar production in M.P is 5.7 LMT.

M.P. is first in India in total Pulses production. 

Most important pulse is tuwar or Arhar.

It is sown in July & August, with kharif .

It is harvested in March - April.

- Highest Arhar producing district is Chindwara .

4(A) Gram –

Total gram production is 52 LMT. .(Highest among Lentils)

- Highest Gram-producing districts are- Chhindwara, Rajgarh, and Ujjain.

5) Soyabean:-

It is Chinese crop.  It has…..maximum percentage of protein 40-45%.  It has..fatsupto 20%.  It has protein more than pulses.  M.P. is known as Soya-state because it produces 75% soya bean of India. 

Total production of soyabean is 56lakh  m tones.  It is sown in western areas of state  .

- The highest Soyabean-producing districts are- Dhar, Ujjain, and Mandsaur.

5(A) Total Oilseeds- 

72Lmt ,Largest Oilseed is Soyabean in the state .

6) Cotton:-

 it is an important kharif crop,cash-crop. Sown in western area. Total production 9.7 LMT/

-20 lac Cotton bales,……..1bale=(170kg).

- The highest Cotton producing districts is Khargone-

7) Opium:-

 Important crop of…..union government, comes under ministry of finance.

 Its plant is known us poppy, it’s  capsuleis known as Dodda.

 It is obtained by putting a cut on doda. 

Countries largest-opium production is in M.P.

- The highest Opium  producing districts are Nemech and Khargone.

7(A)Cannabis cultivation (Marijuana/Ganja/Bhang)–

The MP government will allow the farming of hemp. However, the cultivation of Cannabis,  doesn't mean ganja, which is the Hindi for weed, known for intoxicating the mind of the consumer but hemp for medicinal purposes.

 A non-intoxicating type of marijuana, hemp is aimed to be cultivated to be used for medical purposes like to develop medicines to be used in the treatment of cancer, making clothes, aimed at industrialization

Hemp won't be cultivated for consumption or trading.

The cultivation will be legalised and it will be aimed to help cancer treatment.

 The agricultural project will need international help. "Hemp is being cultivated in parts of the state, but not as a cannabis but as a medicine.

8) Sugarcane:-

 it is kharif crop total production 5.4 lakh m tons.

- The highest sugarcane producing districts is Narsimhpure which has 65% 0f the sugarcane area.

9)Total spices –

-41 L MT , Most important is Garlick(Lahsoon) -18LMT

-Spice park is at Guna (Mavan)

10) Total vegetables –

Total production is 175.23LMT, Most important is Potato-33 LMT. "Okra" (also known as lady's finger or bhindi) holds significance.

11) Total Fruits-

Total production is 74.08 LMT, One of the most important fruits cultivated in Madhya Pradesh is the "Mango."

 Madhya Pradesh produces several varieties of mangoes, including the famous "Malihabadi" and "Alphonso" varieties.

 Most important is Orange /(मौसंबी/संतरा) 21.95 LMT

Major institutes related with agriculture-

1-Deen Dayal Krishi shodhAnusandham Kendra- Majhhgava (Satna)

2-Warehousing & logistics corporation- 1958, H. Q.-Bhopal, Distt name was added in 2003.receipt of ISO-9001/function:- Logistics & warehousing of all agriculture input & agriculture output.

3-J.L.Nehru Agriculture University, Jabalpur established -1964 ,function:- Development of high yielding variety of agriculture, provides training for agriculture development. Research &devt. on fertilizer & seeds.

4-M.P. State Agro-industries Corporation.:-head quarter-Bhopal,established-1969-70 .

Functions:- To promote agro-based industries. To produce bio-fertilizers (they are first in country) .To develop bullock –cart driven instrument. To promote mechanize farming. 

The corporation  has state’s largest mechanize farm at……Babai,Hoshangabad.

5- M.P. seeds & farm development corporation-H. Q. Bhopal, established -  1980.   functions- To provide high Quality seeds to farmers.

6-M.P. state land development corporation-H. Q. Bhopal, established -  1977-78. functions:- It provides Long term loans for  agriculture up to 20 years. 

7-M.P. LaghuKrishak Vikas Abhikaran-H. Q.Bhopal, established -  1971 -72.Objectives:-To provide grants to small farmers for…. irrigation, agriculture etc.

Green-revolution in M.P.

Meaning:-

The sudden revolutionary changes in agriculture  output because of technological  inputs, known as green revolution.

 It began in 1967. It is designed for ….5 crops viz- …..wheat, rice, jowar, maize, Bajra etc.

Reasons:-

1) America stopped giving help to India in form of PL-480 aid under which free food grains were supplied to India.

2) There was insufficient food grains to support the need of …food & nutritional requirement.

3) The availability of   dwarf  & semi-dwarf varieties of  wheat, invented by Dr. Norman Borlog.  These verities were suitable for climatic conditions of M.P. & India.

Impact:-

In M.P. the impact of green revolution was felt.  But it is less than states like Punjab, Hariyana&A.P.

According to a research by Mr. Sharma the green revolution provides impetus to rural development.

According to him the impact of green revolution is not same in M.P. rather it is differed in different parts. 

In use of high yield varieties Nimar, mandsour, chambal are more benefited.

 In the field of tractors, the distribution is uneven.  In Rewa, Satna, Bhopal, Sehore Vidisha, Gwalior etc., the use of tractors are more than other district.  The soft loans of banks are helpful to promote green revolution.

The training of modern agro technique is provided by government servants like gram sevak .In this field  gram panchayat is also working as an  agency.

Green revolution is more on areas surrounded by urban town.

The maximum impact of green revolution is felt by farmers whose holding is more than 10 acres framers with less than 10 acres of holding are not able to get the proper input of green revolution & farmers less than 1.5 acre holding are not at all benefited by Green revolution.

In M.P., the impact of green revelation is seen in wheat.  After adopting Green revolution , the agriculture output increased. 

The agriculturist community has become a  dominating community. Thereafter due to the impact of Mahajan& Mandal commission, this community is given  reservation.

There is political empowerment of farmers but still a long ways to go to achieve the target of Green Revolution.

Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Cost and Marketing Commission.  2017

The Madhya Pradesh government has constituted an authority to make recommendations for ……..providing beneficial pricing and marketing of agricultural produce in the state in 2017 in the interest of farmers.

The Commission's tenure would be of two years.

The Commission will present three reports every year to the state government before the..Kharif, Rabi and summer crop(Jayad Crop ) periods,"

The Commission would make recommendations regarding the ….cost, beneficial pricing and marketing of agricultural produce.

Food Legumes Research Platform (FLRP) at Amlaha, Sehore

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved:   the Establishment of Food Legumes Research Platform (FLRP) at Amlaha, Sehore, Madhya Pradesh with Satellite Hubs in West Bengal (for pulses) and Rajasthan (for Natural Resource Management) by …..ICARDA in the second phase; by International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) .ICADRA established in 2008 New Delhi.

Agro And Sub Agro Climatic Zone-

An “Agro-climatic zone” is a land unit in terms of major climates, suitable for a certain range of crops and cultivars.        The planning aims at scientific management of regional resources to meet the food, fiber, fodder and fuel wood without adversely affecting the status of natural resources and environment.

Madhya Pradesh has remarkable agrarian diversity having a wide range of climatic backcloth within and between different crop seasons, variety of soil types ranging from light textured soil to very heavy rich clay vertisols, each with their own inherent problems, and cropping patterns.

The State is divided into 11agro-climatic zones.

Each zone has its unique set of natural resources and constraints.

The eastern part of MP is characterized by its rice based cropping systems, light alfisols which have low water holding capacity and are prone to erosion mainly water erosion because of higher and often high intensity rainfall.

Rainfall in this part of the state is about 1500 mm mainly received during south-west monsoon season.

The central and western parts of MPfollowsoybean based cropping system whereas pulses and oilseeds occupy an important place in the region.

Important soil types in different zones of the states are mixed red and black (Kymore plateau), medium and deep black (Vindhya plateau), deep black with clay (Central Narmada Valley), Alluvial, Medium black soil, Mixed red and Black soil and red and yellow soil (Grid sub zone), clay and clay loams and sandy loam soils (Bundelkhand), light reddish brown to black clay loam (Satpura), Alluvial, Recent alluvium and Calcareous (Food Prone Eastern Plain Zone).

District-wise classification alongwith soil type and normal rainfall range is as below :

Krishi Rin Samadhan Yojana

To appease the farmers, the government of the state has announced the implementation of Krishi Rin Samadhan Yojana. The announcement was made in the month of June, 2017.

Key features for the Krishi Rin Samadhan Yojana in MP

The following are the key features of the new scheme, launched by the state government of Madhya Pradesh:

1-As per the guidelines of the scheme, the state authority has already set aside a whopping sum of 1000 crores. The sum will be utilized …….for providing financial relief to the farmers of the state.

2-The state has also decided to form a……MP Agriculture Cost and Marketing Commission. This body will have the responsibility of analyze the market and determine the cost of the agricultural produce.

3-If the farmers trade under the guidelines of the commission then they will be able to make a better profit. The price that they will get will be much more than the market. The price that the commission will decide will be done after research.

4-As per the guidelines of the scheme, the program has been implemented from centers, which have already in 22 districts.

 Onion, Toor and Moong will be collected at these centers by the government authorities at minimum support price. It will be done till the 10^th of June, 2017.

5- Under the program, the ….farmers will get credit waiver and they will also be provided with loan so that they can pay the bank credits. The loan will be given on a one-time basis and the interest rate will also be very low.

Mukhyamantri Solar Pump Yojana-2021

The Chief Minister Solar Pump Scheme has been inaugurated by the State Government to benefit the farmers.

Under this scheme, solar pumps will be distributed by the Government of Madhya Pradesh to the farmers of the state for irrigation in the field.

 Under this Mukhyamantri Solar Pump Yojana, up to 90% grant is being given by the Central Government and the Government of Madhya Pradesh.

 Under this scheme, farmers can get irrigation pumps easily and irrigate their fields.

 A provision has been made by Madhya Pradesh Energy Development Corporation to provide solar pumps at subsidized rate to 18 thousand farmers of the state.

So far, applications have been received with MP Energy Development Corporation for installation of solar pumps for 27 thousand farmers of the state. Please read the entire article carefully for more details.

'Deendayal Rasoi Yojana'

Madhya Pradesh government started 'Deendayal Rasoi Yojana' on 7 April 2017. Under the Deendayal Rasoi Yojana, the poor will be given a full meal (thali) of Rs 5 (Now Rs-10/). The thali will consist of four rotis, a vegetable and lentils.

According to the state government, Deendayal Rasoi will be started in at least one place in the headquarters of each state.

The arrangement of the scheme will be monitored by the district level coordination and monitoring committee.

Apart from the government officials in the committee, the president of the Grain Merchants Association and the Vegetable Market Association have also been made members.

For kitchen centers, wheat and rice will be made available through a fair price shop at the rate of Re 1 per kg.

Municipal corporation will arrange water and electricity for free.

Funds will be made available from the..Chief Minister Urban Infrastructure Scheme for the establishment of centers.

An account will be opened for each center in the nationalized bank of the local headquarters.

Suraja-dhara scheme-2000-01

This scheme is also prevalent all over Madhya Pradesh. Its objective is to provide seeds to the small and marginal farmers of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for improved and abundant production of beneficial pulses / oilseed crops in place of non-viable crops / varieties.

Seed swap-In lieu of non-viable seeds given by farmers, advanced seeds of beneficial pulses / oilseed crops are supplied to the extent of 1 hectare.

Improved seed of the same crop (up to 1 hectare limit) is supplied equal to the seed given by the farmers. The seed or cash amount of 25 percent of the actual price of the seed of the other crop will have to be given to the farmer.

Jai Kisan Crop Loan Waiver Scheme2021

According to this scheme, the loan taken by the farmers of the state for their crop, then the loan has been waived by the Madhya Pradesh government.

 Under this Madhya Pradesh Debt Waiver Scheme 2021, the state government has assured to waive loans of 2 lakhs of farmers.

Kisan Kalyan Nidhi in MP

Why in News?

On the birthday of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay from September 25,2020  the amount of Chief Minister Kisan Kalyan Nidhi has also started going to the farmers' account. 

What is kissan samman nidhi?

-On the lines of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Madhya Pradesh government has also started the Chief Minister Kisan Kalyan Yojana. 
 

-Under this scheme, farmers will be given 6000 rupees annually in 2 installments of 3000 rupees. 
 

All those farmers will also continue to get a benefit of Rs 6000 annually under the PM farmer.

How much money farmers of MP will get now ?

After getting 4000 rupees in the Chief Minister Kisan Kalyan Yojana and 6000 rupees in the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, the total benefit of farmers in the state of Madhya Pradesh will increase to 10 thousand rupees. 

The Madras High Court had dismissed the Madhya Pradesh government’s plea for GI tagging of Basmati rice grown in the state.

The Basmati variety is noted for its slender, elongated and aromatic grains.

Basmati Growing Countries

Basmati rice variety is cultivated in India and Pakistan. 65% of the international demand for basmati rice is catered to by India while the rest is supplied by Pakistan.

GI Tagging of Basmati

In India, the Basmati rice variety was given the Geographical Indication Tag or GI tag in 2010. However the tag was given only to those Basmati rice crops grown in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, parts of western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

Horticulture& Food Processing in MP

Horticulture & Food Processing Department, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh

In MP the Directorate of Horticulture and Farm Forestry works is the nodal agency which works under the Department of Agriculture, Government of Madhya Pradesh to increase the production of horticultural crops in the state and to provide a balanced diet.

Objectives:-

To augment the development of horticulture, it is imperative to plan schemes in accordance with the needs of the modern era to be swift, timely, engaging, attractive and useful to large farmers’ groups, farmers living below the poverty line and landless agricultural labourers.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI)-

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI) is a ministry of the Government of India responsible for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to food processing in India as well in all the states including MP.

The ministry tries to develop a strong and vibrant food processing industry, to create increased employment in rural sector and enable farmers to reap the benefits of modern technology and to create a surplus for exports and stimulating demand for processed food.

Regulatory

The regulatory responsibilities are under Food Safety Authority of India .

What is food processing policy in MP?

Definition: In the context of the MP State Food Processing Policy - 2008, the food processing "involves any type of value addition to the farm produce, especially perishables like vegetables, fruits, milk, produce of animal origin, forest based produce, spices and condiments, medical and aromatics.

What is the rank of MP in food production?

Our State ranks 

-1st in country in the production of Soybean, Gram, Urad, Tur, Masoor, Linseed;

-2nd in the production of Maize, Sesame, Ramtil, Moong and

-3rd in the production of Wheat, Sorghum, Barley.

Goals -

• Better utilization and value addition of agricultural produce for enhancement of income of farmers.
• Minimizing wastage at all stages in the food processing chain by the development of infrastructure for storage, transportation and processing of agro-food produce.
• Induction of modern technology into the food processing industries from both domestic and external sources.
• Maximum utilization of agricultural residues and by-products of the primary agricultural produce as also of the processed industry.
• To encourage R&D in food processing for product and process development and improved packaging.
• To provide policy support, promotional initiatives and physical facilities to promote value added exports.​​​​​​​

Status of horticulture in MP

Madhya Pradesh stood at 4th rank in horticulture production.

Madhya Pradesh is the top producer of Medicinal plants and aromatic plants in the country.

- Some of the prominent medicinal plants and aromatic plants found in Madhya Pradesh include:

Ashwagandha-: Ashwagandha is used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for its ability to reduce stress, enhance vitality, and boost overall well-being.

Tulsi : Tulsi, is known for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.

Safed Musli : Safed Musli is  used in traditional medicine for the treatment of sexual disorders, infertility, and as a general health tonic.

Sarpagandha : Sarpagandha is commonly used in the treatment of high blood pressure and insomnia.

Lemongrass -Lemongrass has antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties.

Kalmegh -Kalmegh, is commonly used to treat liver disorders, fever, and respiratory infection

Madhya Pradesh holds the third rank in the country in the production of flowers.

Madhya Pradesh ranked 7th in the production of fruits in India.

- Madhya Pradesh has emerged as the leader in production of guava overtaking Maharashtra and accounts for 22.9% of the total production of Guava in the country. 

Fruit plantation scheme-

Objective: To expand the area under fruit plantation in the state and increase the production of fruits.

farmers are eligible for subsidy on mango, orange, sweet lime, custard apple, plum, sapota, pomegranate, strawberry and banana, mango, papaya and lemon crops produced through tissue culture system.

Spices Area Expansion Scheme –

 Objective: To expand the area and increase production of selected spice crops through quality high yielding varieties.

 Selected Crops ; Biwali Spice Crops and Rooted/Rhizome Turmeric and Ginger

Vegetable Area Expansion Scheme –

 Objective: To expand the area and increase production of selected vegetable crops through high quality high yielding varieties.

 Selected crops: Melon, Watermelon, Cucumber, Kamal Gatta, Sass Singhada, all seed vegetable crops and Arabic etc.

Protected Cultivation of commercial horticultural crops Scheme

 Objective-

To encourage protected cultivation (green house/shednet house/plastic tunnel/plastic meshing etc.) by providing financial assistance to the farmers.

 To maintain availability in the market throughout the year by cultivating fresh vegetables and flowers in a controlled environment.

-Swarup scheme(Swarojgar for urban poor),

-poly house(made up of Transculent material like glass,polythene),

-shednet house(GI Structure with Green shed netting),

- plastic meshing (Green Plastic Jali)etc

Mega food parks in MP-

A mega food park is a cluster of food processing units located near each other and sharing common infrastructure facilities.

These facilities include cold storage, processing units, and transportation facilities.

MP hosts 2 mega food parks.

-Indus Mega Food Park, Khargoan, Madhya Pradesh (1^st mega food park)

-Avantee Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd , Dewas (H.Q -Indore).

-National horticulture mission was stated. 

It began in 20 dist.

 Its objective to double the …production of horticulture like Banana, oranges, Amla.

For this farmers are given subsidy 50-75%.