Dry land Agriculture in Anantapur district of AP

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Dry land Agriculture in Anantapur district of
AP Many challenges.
An attempt to address the Seed Needs of the
Farmers through Community Managed Seed System .
A Joint initiative of Department of Agriculture
and Farmer Community
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Community Managed Seed System

• An Initiative Towards Establishing Seed Security
  Among the Dry Land Farming Communities in
  Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh
• Supported by Department of Agriculture
• Facilitated by NGOs
• Implemented by Farmer Groups
• State level Coordination by WASSAN at State
  Level

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Coverage Across the District

• 10 NGOs were part of this Initiative
• Covered around 183 villages in 14 Mandals
• 2083 Seed Producing Farmers
• 2088 Acres
• 8059 Bags of seeds ( 30 kgs per bag )
• Apart from the efforts of NGOs, Department also
  took up this initiative in another group of 200
  villages

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Context

• Anantapur District is in the arid agro-ecological
  zone marked by hot arid climatic conditions With
  a mean annual rainfall of 553mm
• It is the second lowest rainfall district in the
  country.
• Groundnut is the single largest crop in the
  district with 8 lakh hectares area under rain-fed
  situation occupying about 90 percent of the
  rainfed area.

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Seed Issues in Anantapur District

• Large acreage under groundnut cultivation at a
  seed rate of about 70 to 90 kg per acre,
  Anantapur district requires seed in bulk.
• Cost of seed in itself forms over 50 per cent of
  the total cost of cultivation in groundnut.
• Availability of seed has become a major political
  issue in the district as dependence on the seed
  supplied by Department of Agriculture subsidized
  has increased over time.
• Anantapur itself consumes bulk of the seed
  subsidy in the state amounting to nearly Rs.110
  crore every year.
• Procurement and distribution of certified and
  subsidized seed has also become progressively
  more difficult for the Department to handle with
  many vested interests creeping in and owing to
  the issues of seed quality.
• Much of the seed procured by the Department comes
  from outside the district, thus draining out a
  lot of potential incomes in addition to the cost
  of transport.
• With increasing dependence on external sources,
  groundnut seed supply has become a messy situation

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Plight of the farming Community

• Over the years, farmers who were otherwise self
  sufficient in seeds and other inputs, have
  succumbed to frequent drought and associated crop
  failures, thus increasing their dependence on the
  external suppliers for seeds. S
• uch externalization has resulted in the farmers
  facing multiple challenges in terms of increased
  costs and reduced profitability.
• Ensuring availability of the seeds has become a
  major seasonal issue in the district.
• Govt., sought to address the issue of
  availability of seeds through agriculture
  department by ensuring its supply.
• Under the present arrangement the department
  puts effort to supply minimum quantity of seeds
  to all farmers i.e., 90 kg seeds per patta
  passbook, but quality assurance is felt almost
  impossible due to the huge demand and the
  politics behind seed procurement, certification
  and other processes.
• Even if the supply from the department is not in
  time, the farmers, especially small and marginal
  farmers have to wait until the seed comes to an
  identified distribution centre at the mandal
  level.
• The distribution process many times had assumed
  the witness of Lathi charge in the recent past.
  They had to wait for two to three days to get 90
  kg of subsidised seeds but still quality
  remain(s)ed questionable

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Emergence of Community Managed Seed Systems

• Addressing such a critical issue led to the
  evolution of Community Managed Seed Systems
  (CMSS) in the given context.
• It was initiated by the Joint Director,
  Department of Agriculture, Anantapur and the
  Commissioner for Agriculture, for self reliance
  in seed production within the district using the
  Seed Village Program and ISOPOM Scheme
• The initiative was intended to address both the
  supply and demand side issues and consecutively
  transfer maximum benefit and control to the
  farmer
• In simple terms, the CMSS involves seed producers
  and consumers coming together to address the
  issue of Seeds community through their own
  institutions.
• Procurement, storage, sales and exchange among
  farmers of the same or neighbouring villages, and
  distribution of seed through government Subsidy
  programme

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Intervention is aimed at achieving the following
objectives

• To establish seed systems that are managed and
  controlled by farmers institutions
• To strengthen capacities of farmers and their
  institutions to achieve self-sufficiency in
  quality seed production this includes
  establishment of CMSS Cooperatives formally
• To facilitate farmers to diversify their crops by
  enabling access to seeds of a diverse range of
  crops and varieties.
• To establish a collaborative model of government
  - farmers institution facilitated by non
  government organisations with experience

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Pilot-Community Managed Seed System

• Several interactions were then facilitated by
  WASSAN, FES and other NGOs to synthesize various
  experiences with NGOs and the Department in
  addressing the seeds issue in the district
  comprehensively.
• FES is part of an innovative Programme on
  ensuring seed Security in the Village- Community
  Managed Seed System (CMSS) programme
• FES piloted CMSS in 11 villages covering Seed
  120 producing Farmers in 220 acres during this
  Pilot Phase. Altogether we have got 660 of bags
  (30 Kgs per bag) of seeds costing Rs.10, 29,600,
  of which 50 percent was subsidy from department.

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Salient Features of the CMSS

• Government supplied Foundation Seeds at 50
  percent subsidy _at_ 90 kgs per acre ( under normal
  SVP farmers are given only 30 kgs and restricted
  to 1 acre ) up to 5 acres per Farmer in Rabi for
  Bore well farmers identified by Farmers Group
• Agreement Farmers would follow all SA
  Practices- Seed treatment, inter crop, border
  crop, application of gypsum and would sell the
  produce back to the Farmers Group
• Seed Producing farmers were registered with State
  Seed certification Unit
• Continuous on Field Follow up Support to the
  Farmers, visit of Seed certification Team, Senior
  Government officials to get to now the Progress
  in the Field
• Discussed the options available of procuring the
  produce
• Directly by Farmers groups- Investment issue,
  capacity of the Farmers groups to procure-
  process , get it certified, Store , redistribute
  back to farmers , how to avail Subsidy ( As per
  Government norms, only Registered Seed Companies
  - AP Seeds Corp, HACA, MARKFED can draw Subsidy )
  
• Procuring through AP Seed Corporation- the
  original idea of seed getting distributed in the
  same/near by village would get defeated, farmer
  would not be in a position to go to central seed
  processing units of AP seeds to hand over their
  produce, cannot ensure redistribution of CMSS
  seed to the same Farmers

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Salient Features .. contd

• Government agreed to allow the NGOs to
  facilitate the Process of exchanging the seed at
  farmer level , allowed local certification by AO,
  agreed to allow the Framers to buy the seed from
  the farmer of their own village and avail subsidy
  under normal government seed supply scheme, this
  decision was Historic in may respects This is the
  first time in the Country where the Farmers were
  allowed to procure their own seed from their own
  village and get the subsidy amount form
  Department.
• AOs were asked to conduct germination test and
  certify the seeds
• Farmers were allowed to procure seeds from the
  Farmer of the Village ( Who was part of CMSS ) by
  paying Full costs of Rs 4800- 5200 per quintal at
  3 bags per Patta Book , seed processing was done
  in the village itslef.
• NGOs facilitated the Procurement from the seed
  producing Farmers pack in 30 bags, lable it and
  get it centrally stored
• Farmers Groups Facilitated distribution of seeds
  involving AO, get Patta bookk Stamped
• NGOs Compiled the list of Farmers based on the
  Patta Book and submit the list to Department for
  release of subsidy

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Salient Features Contd

• In FES 120 Farmers took up seed production in 220
  acres covering 11 villages
• The total Yield was around 4280 Bags 40 kgs,
  around 5380 Bags of 30 kgs
• Total distributed through CMSS Government
  Subsidy Scheme for 686 acres with 2058 bags- 30
  kgs in 21 villages
• Seed used by Seed Producing Farmers own use 880
  Bags ( Includes their close relatives )
• Seed sold to local farmers on Full cost basis
  435 bags
• Rest was sold in open market

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Comparative cost estimation of subsidized seeds
under government and CMSS program
Cost Centres Cost under Government Subsidy Scheme Cost under CMSS Porgramme
Seed cost 3540 3135
Travelling and Transportation 50 0
Daily labor loss 150 0
Cost of food and other expenses 75 0
Wastage with seeds 432 (12 kg) 0
Total Costs. 4247 3135
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What Does Farmers say about CMSS..

• A Successful Framer Ramana Reddy from SR Kunta
  said The seed that we produced in our own
  village definitely had better germination
  percentage. Wastage is not found in the bags.
  Difficulties in the procurement came down Seeds
  were supplied in time and hence the sowing has
  been done in time. My expenses towards seed
  procurement have come down by 25-30 per cent for
  this Kharif season. The seeds which I now have
  are of one variety and I am sure I would get good
  yield and fetch better price for the produce when
  I harvest in November 2012
• Malli Reddy from Bathinagaripalle said I got
  the best quality seed through CMSS and I was able
  to save nearly Rs.1400 for three bags and could
  take up Kharif cultivation in time. Since I will
  be using pure quality seed, I expect good yield
  and I would save the seeds required for my next
  crop from own produce.

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Cost savings to Government

• Government spends an amount of 107 Crores a year
  in Anantapur District alone
• Around 15,000 Quintals exchanged through CMSS
• Government would be spending an amount of Rs.
  2.57 crores under CMSS toward Subsidy
• Under the Government Regular Seed Supply scheme
  government has spent an amount of 2.92 crores
  for the same quality of seeds towards subsidy
• Savings for Government under CMSS amounts to
  Rs.35 Lakhs, if CMSS is taken up covering all the
  Farmers of the district , savings for the
  Government could amount 35 crores
• Government supported NGOs with 2.50 per KG of
  Seeds procured
• Even if the Government withdraws subsidy and
  supports with Facilitation costs, still the CMSS
  would be viable

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Some of the Major Outcomes of CMSS

• For the First Time in the Country the Department
  has brought in a Policy allowing the farmers to
  procure seed in their own village and get the
  subsidy for the same.
• Farmers had the choice of choosing the seed and
  get the best seed possible from within the
  village
• The seed was made available in the farmers hand
  well in advance of the monsoon facilitating to
  get prepared for early sowing.
• Farmers in FES villages got Subsidy of Rs.
  514,000 from the Department for the seeds in Rabi
  for CMSS Programme and an amount of Rs. 10, 56,
  369 for the seeds procured through CMSS in 20
  villages.
• Since the Farmers have quality seeds of one
  variety, they expect that they would get good
  yield , would help them save seed for use during
  Kharif next year. This would mean that they dont
  have to purchase during next Kahrif and at the
  same time could avail the benefit of subsidy.
• Institutional Mechanisms have been put in place
  in all the villages where CMSS was taken up to
  manage the project and this base is now being
  used by FES to promote Sustainable Agriculture
  practices among these farmers

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Way forward

• FES, along with the village Institutions, is
  looking forward for multiplying the seed, seed
  producers and seed consumers during the coming
  season - cover around 3000 farmers during next
  Kharif.
• Similar expansion plans are being worked out by
  the NGO Network with Coordination Support from
  WASSAN
• To promote seed security systems for other crops-
  Millets, pulses and cereals also among these
  farmers
• Work towards establishing proper market linkage
  explore collaboration with Farmers Federation
  promoted by CCD, in the district on this front.
• Work towards policy direction in collaboration
  with other NGOs .... If Government takes a
  stand , they can bring in many changes ... This
  is what was done in CMSS