Country notebook

Font Size

Print

Feedback

Email

Discuss

: E-choupal in trouble

Big traders in Madhya Pradesh are not happy with the progress made by ITC’s e-choupal (trading through Internet). Traders in 220 auction centres in the state suspended their operations in the first week of November, protesting against the “unjust choupal system” which allowed large companies like ITC to bypass the rules of the regulated markets and procure directly from the farmers.

The growers of soyabean who are associated with e-choupal trading, have decided to reveal the ‘truth’ before the state chief minister. One such farmer, Durga Prasad Patidar, says that farmers are immensely benefited by e-choupal trading. They get good prices for their produce even at times when the prices are low in the regulated markets.

ITC’s e-choupal system is in operation in the state since last four years.

New bio-kill

Nirmal Organic Bio-tech Pvt Ltd, has successfully commercialised a technology developed by the department of biotechnology (DBT) and has come out with two specific products. ‘Nirmal Bio Prahar’ is one such product for fighting diamond buck moth, a pest occurring on cabbages and grapes and for resisting woolly aphids and sucking pests occurring on sugarcane crop. The other product, ‘Nirmal Bio-Woolly Kill’ is designed exclusively for woolly aphids on sugarcane.

These miraculous bio-pesticides are developed from the insecticidal proteins secreted from the bacterium, Photorhabdus luminescenes. DBT experiments have shown the ability of P luminescenes to infect an insect host independent of its symbiont nematode, Heterorhabditis sp. Apparently, the nematode is employed by the bacterium as a surrogate host to enter the insect larvae.

Andaman lab

First full-fledged environment laboratory for the Bay of Bengal group of islands has been set up at the environment division of the Andaman Lakshadweep Harbour Works (ALHW), in Port Blair.

The lab is equipped with the state-of-the-art technological facilities to analyse various components like air, fresh water, marine water, noise, soil and other associated parametres. The service of the lab can be availed by any organisation or individual residing in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.