Katihar, Bihar, September 12 (IANS/101Reporters) The Kosi-Seemanchal district of Bihar is experiencing a progressive move away from maize development. When it was the #1 rancher, corn production has been steadily declining due to high cost of information, environmental change, and low overall income.
“Corn has great commercial value as popcorn, sweet corn, corn flakes and chips. Many think that we are making a quick buck on this. Be that as it may, the fact remains that only Andhra Pradesh maize is made into value-added items. Our harvest becomes dairy cattle feed and bird feed,” Girindra Nath Jha, columnist turned rancher, makes sense.
However, for what reason does corn from Bihar really not qualify? As Grain Traders Association President Pappu Yadav pointed out, exporters are looking for excellent grains, not a large quantity of grains. “It’s exceptionally simple. In case they don’t get the necessary quality, they will get the grain from different districts.”
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The result: ranchers don’t get a good price and consequently abandon corn to grow wheat and rice. As of July 8, corn was planted on just 31.84 lakh hectares in the state against 41.63 lakh hectares during a similar period last year. This implies a fall of 23.53 percent.
Located in the northeastern part of Bihar, Kosi-Seemanchal contains seven regions of Araria, Madhepura, Saharsa, Supaul, Purnia, Kishanganj and Katihar. The Gulab Bagh Mandi in Purnia is seen as the largest corn exchange center globally. Maize staples from India to neighboring nations, including near Nepal, generally pass through this mandi.
“About 35 bighas of land in our panchayat had maize in 2005. Currently, not as many as four bighas have the harvest,” says Pankaj Jha from Ekma panchayat in the Supaul area. Corn ranchers are forced to monitor 24/7 as theft is a big problem, especially at night. “The same goes for mango development.”
One more explanation that neutralizes corn is its feedback cost. “There will be a noticeable increase in yield if more compost and manure are used. That also implies high information costs,” says Pankaj. Therefore, putting resources into an expensive crop during uncertain times, floods and dry seasons are essential to the game is a dangerous business.
Rampaging nilgais is another appropriate explanation. They swallow all the corn. “Because of these gazelles, vegetable and maize development has become a colossal undertaking in the Kosi area,” he adds.
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Environmental change emerges Otherwise, changes in climatic conditions are the main certainty in the town of Kosi-Seemanchal. For example, through August 7, the state recorded a rainfall of 15.3 inches, which is less than ideal. Preferably it should be no less than 657.6 mm.
Now contrast this year’s information with last year’s. Bihar saw floods in the rainy season somewhere several times, with more than 31 localities affected.
The Department of Science and Technology report called Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework records Bihar in the zone of high weakness.
“Environmental change is most influencing North Bihar. Corn development needs water and daylight in enormous quantities. Over the past few years, maize planting and harvesting have been postponed due to dangerous weather conditions,” says Arun Kumar Jha, a resigned official from the Jharkhand Department of Agriculture.
Selling below MSP Quite a while ago, the Bihar government under Nitish Kumar canceled the Agricultural Commodities Market Committee Act, generally known as mandi framework, and replaced it with Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) for food grains of ranchers with a Minimum Support. Price (MSP).
“Last year, the public authority had registered the MSP for maize at Rs 1,975 per quintal. Be that as it may, we only got about Rs 1,500 per quintal in private mandis. We got that amount since poultry ranches need bird feed. Rice and wheat farmers can’t even get that,” laments Harihar Nath Jha, a resigned farmer and educator.
“In Bihar, offering to PACS is a long process. The framework is not set up in a targeted manner in all panchayats. The cash is credited to the rancher’s registry about five months after the grain is sold. Since most ranchers need cash immediately, they choose to sell to unregulated private mandis,” says Subodh Rai, leader of the Katarani Chawal Sangh.
In any case, Sanjay Jha, a livestock facilitator for the Department of Agriculture in Saharsa, varies. “PACS has worked significantly over the long term. Farmers are usually in a hurry. So they are offered to private mandis,” he says.
According to Kosi Navnirman Manch President Mahendra Yadav, the MSP does not care about small landless farmers. “The tenant farmers do not claim the land. They are in the farm to take care of their families. They couldn’t care less about MSP. In the event that there is an excess, they sell it locally.”
High expectations at ethanol plant In April, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled Bihar’s most memorable grain-based ethanol plant in Purnia. The plant is likely to help livestock farmers, particularly maize and rice farmers, in the Purnia and Kosi divisions.
“However, 130 tons of rice hulls and 150 tons of maize/rice will be purchased from farmers in the Kosi-Seemanchal area for ethanol production at the Purnia plant. Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum will purchase the fuel delivered here. A 10-year contract has been backed by this impact,” says Manish Kumar, head of virtual entertainment at the Department of State Industries.
About 20% of the ethanol can be combined with oil, which could reduce fuel costs in the country. Another beneficial thing is that the result of ethanol production can in any case be used as grain for domestic animals.
“The day-to-day production limit of the plant is 65,000 liters. Additionally, the plant will supply 27 tons of Distillers Dry Grains with Solubles (DDGS), which can be sold as animal feed,” he clarifies.
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“The creation of DDGS has not started. However, each time it is shipped, the creature grain will be offered to animal breeders to help aid milk production in the state.”
(The creator is a freelance writer and member of 101Reporters, an organization of grassroots columnists in India.)