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| AGRICULTURE TRIBUNE |
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Look for value addition to chilli Humble potato can have novel use Breakthrough
in treatment of guava wilt
Slow and steady wins the organic race Concern
over small land holdings |
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Look for value addition to chilli CHILLI (Capsicum annum) is valued for its diverse commercial uses. India is a major producer, exporter and consumer of chilli. Bangladesh, Bahrain, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, the USA and UAE are among the leading importers of chilli from India. Grown almost all over the country, in Punjab it occupies an area of 8,250 hectares with a production of 13,000 tonnes. Amritsar district has the maximum area, followed by Jalandhar. Used as vegetable as well as a spice, it is gaining importance in the global market because of its byproducts like powder, oleoresin, capsanthin, chilli paste and chilli oil. Nayaki (2004) has reported that "extracts of chilli are used in the production of ginger, beer and other beverages. Capsaicin, chilli oil, powder and oleoresin are used to impart pungency. Capsaicin has many medicinal properties, especially as an anti-cancerous agent and instant pain reliever." Parthasarathy (2002) has observed that capsicum pigment is incorporated in poultry feed. In Mexico, pigments are concentrated and blended in feed mix for chickens. This gives a reddish tint to the chicken meat, which is more valued. It is believed that yolks of eggs of such chickens are also more coloured and healthy looking. Chilli is highly perishable in nature. It requires more attention during harvest, storage and transportation. Most of the growers sell their fresh crop in the market and it is consumed as green chilli as well as in powder form. Through value addition we can increase its market price, shelf life and the quality. For this care has to be taken in picking, cleaning, sorting, grading, drying, packing, storage and transportation.
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Humble potato can have novel use POTATO has been around for nearly 2,000 years. However, potato processing on an industrial scale is confined mainly to the developed countries. In India, every year large quantities of potato go waste despite cold storage because its processing constitutes less than 1 per cent of the total production. North India is a major producer of potato. To avoid glut, its processing is a must. Potato starch possesses a variety of properties that make it suitable for both food and industrial applications. It gives high viscosity, high water-binding capacity, and has a low swelling temperature. Compared with cereal starches, it is more transparent and has a blander taste. The low protein level of potato starch makes it suitable for use in pharmaceutical tablets. The physical, chemical and functional properties of this starch vary from cultivar to cultivar. Most of its properties depend on the morphology of the starch granule. Potato starch may contain granules of small, medium and large sizes that affect the functional properties and usage of potato starch in the food industry. Suitable cultivars with desirable starch properties can be screened out. These starches may replace the chemically modified starches used in food. Studies conducted on potato starches from different cultivars have suggested that the potato cultivars grown in North India have good physico-chemical and functional properties that make these suitable for novel food applications like starch-noodle preparation. Potato-starch noodles maintain a clear and shiny appearance after cooking, have a smooth and slippery texture and high absorption of soups and sauces. The major quality factors that govern the characteristics of potato starch noodles are cooked weight, cooking loss and textural properties. Noodles from different
starch cultivars and sources exhibit varied physical and textural
properties and starch isolated from suitable cultivars could be used
as potential source to make noodles. |
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Breakthrough in treatment of guava wilt LUCKNOW: The Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) here has achieved a major breakthrough in the treatment of guava wilt, a plant disease popularly known as the "cancer of guava tree." The cost-effective treatment involves cutting an infected tree at its trunk and using cow-dung manure treated with a type of fungus. The technique developed by senior CISH scientist Dr Gorakhnath Singh has been named "guava rejuvenation." Guava wilt is caused by a fungus, Glycladium roseum, which spreads to other trees in the orchard. Once infected, a tree never bears fruit. The infected tree is cut at the trunk and manure treated with Aspergillus niger, a fungus, is put at the base of the plant. While the rejuvenation
method treats infected trees as old as 15 years, it also increases the
fruit output, Dr Gorakhnath Singh added. UNI |
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Slow and steady wins the organic race
SEVERAL eco-friendly techniques of production of crops have been studied and used over the past several years. Various names have been assigned to these techniques such as sustainable agriculture, biodynamic agriculture, bio-intensive gardening and organic farming. There are minor differences among these methods. However, the objective is the same, i.e., production of agricultural commodities in an eco-friendly and sustainable manner. Among these methods, organic farming is widely prevalent as a term as well as a highly systematic technology. It has been defined by FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission as "a holistic production management system, which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It emphasises the use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs. This is accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfil any specific function within the system." Organic production is carried out under an extensive regulatory set-up because these products are sold as value-added products with certified organic labelling in developed countries. Production is monitored at every step. The method apart from being eco-friendly offers higher net returns. However, conversion from conventional to organic production should be carried out gradually. Initially, there may be a significant reduction in yield, but after a conversion period of about three or five years, organic yields may be as high as 90-95 per cent of conventional yields. The organic system uses traditional tillage systems, crop rotations, residues, animal manure, legumes, green manures, off-farm organic wastes, mineral-bearing rocks, and biological pest and weed control to maintain productivity. Thus, an organic farm should be a self-contained system of production with minimal dependence on external inputs. Organic farming is a highly labour-intensive enterprise. Therefore, it offers greater opportunities for employment. Though a lot of stress is being laid on the promotion of exports of organic produce, it has to be said that production for export will require implementation of stringent production norms and certification of produce, as also the production process, from an internationally accredited certification agency. Some of the major organic accreditation agencies are IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements), FiBL, and Demeter. In India, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA) is the nodal agency for accreditation of certification agencies apart from the Coffee Board, Spices Board, Tea Board, Coconut Development Board and the Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development. APEDA has also developed
national standards for organic production. These standards are
required to be further supplemented with standards of the country
where we intend to export the produce. The standards implementation is
carried out by accredited certification agencies. To market produce
under the "India Organic" logo, certification is a must.
Indian farmers face many challenges in the adoption of certified
organic production. Fragmented land holdings, high cost of
certification and uncertain markets are the main problems. However,
these problems could be overcome by forming self-help groups. |
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Concern over small land holdings MUMBAI: The division of agricultural land among family members over the years has resulted in the creation of a large number of small land holdings across the country, in which farming has become unviable due to the low volume of produce. According to agro experts and bankers, several farming families have been marginalised as their ancestral assets (land) were divided over generations. Individual cultivation in these small land holdings (below five acres) becomes unviable due to high overhead costs. "It is difficult to get a reasonable return on investment in small-land farming since the cost of inputs remained same as in the case of cultivation of larger farms," says a senior officer from the National Bank for Agriculture Research and Development (Nabard). Nabard AGM P. R. Krishamurthy says small farmers do not have any surplus income from their cultivation while the input costs like fertilisers, water and ploughing practices remain the same as in the case of larger farmers. In this context, experts say there is a need to revisit the existing laws and land reform measures to discourage the division of land below the economically viable size of 5 or 8 acres per family. They also suggest the formation of cluster of farming communities in line with the cooperative pattern. Otherwise, no amount of financial measures such as improving the credit delivery system or interest rate would help improve the status of small farmers. Bankers in agriculture financing say it is a challenging task to curb the growth of small land holdings. The existing Hindu joint-family laws and land reform measures should be amended to encourage these small land holders to have community farming among their family members or local bodies so that they become eligible for bank finances or purchase of farm inputs. UNI |
THE
following processes can increase the value of chilli produce.