Jai Ho Ramesh!

With the decision of announcing indefinite moratorium on Bt Brinjals’ immediate commercialization by Jairam Ramesh, the incumbent Minister of State (I/C) become the darling of the masses. His well thought, argued and articulated decision might have surfaced the tussle within the cabinet, with the vehement attacks by none other the Mr. Irresponsible Sharad Pawar and Shri Prithviraj Chavan over the issue. Even the PM has backed his sheer heartedness and the responsibly taken decision. He single handedly took the situation in control with the consensus of majority stakeholders unlike own Agri Minister Sharad Pawarjee, the man who is still untouched by the feelings and reeling of a common man, when the food items and almost all the essentials’ prices reached to an unprecedented level.

Earlier too Mr Pawar commented that the proposed consultations has nothing to do with the Bt Brinjal and the GEAC’s recommendation is final approval and the very moment it was befittingly the words have been returned to him by Mr Ramesh saying that if he remembers then GEAC falls under the prerogative of Environment ministry and as such it has been constituted for the appraisal and not for the final say on the approval of the Genetically Engineered crops and other products. And it has been entrusted only the task of appraisal and recommendation, and not the final approval. I am here for the final say and it would be taken after consulting all the stakeholders and considering the views from everyone. GEAC has fallen as the first ire of people and the minister, and thereafter has been aptly rechristened as “Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee” from the dillemic nomination of “Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee” by the ministry.

It is very hard to realize that why the Marathi ministers, I mean Pawar & Chavan are supporting the MNC (Monsanto), is there any under the table deal among them or, just their association with Maha-grown seed giant Mahyco and thus to keep their Marathi proud high, keeping aside the lives of teeming millions. Why not Mr Pawar and Chavan be first fed with the newly developed Brinjal, in case they are so assured of the associated risks. Let the Scientists and the agents of Bt Brinjal be the best guinea pigs for the conduct of the health tests.

Many advocacy forums including the scientific fraternity of ICAR & CSIR are vehemently supporting the Bt Brinjal cause, irrespective of the Bt cotton experience, but it seems they have forgot the graveyard beneath the cotton success saga throughout the dry tracts of the country, Vidarbha, Telangana, Rayalseema, Northern Karnataka, Punjab etc. The researchers take the denial as their credibility issue and as their contribution to the society have been questioned. But why the compromise on environmental & health safety for the interests of these so called irresponsible researchers. Researchers should not take it as a case of battle lost, but it is just the re-designing of scientific strategies in the larger interest of the common man and the farming community, and instead it is a “win-win situation” for all including the science. Any research has to have some social angles/ dimensions other than the economic gains, which is blatantly violated/ refused in India. It has to be gauged on the parameters of acceptance as per the demand, local taste and tradition of a place, unlike the thousands innumerable varieties developed by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) handful of which can be seen today in market and in the field, which is utter waste of money, resources and time. The time is ripe for the refinement of science by appropriating the reforms in the system. But for introducing any technology, it has to be taken to be taken for consultation before the stakeholders involved for the gauging the pros and cons of the same and no committee/ autonomous body having the authority to take the autonomous decision based on some lab tests and data provided by that too the producers, which needs to be scrutinized, before considered as reliable and base material for the appraisal purpose.

What is the hurry, when lots of things viz. health hazards, biodiversity risks and many other known & unknown effects are put on the stake and in the condition when there would be no “U” turn? The halt looked mature other than the half cooked speeches of the critics and some of the ministers, which is taken decisively after consensus among the aam admi and reknown scientists like MS Swaminathan, PM Bhargava etc. The Ministry of Agriculture, S&T and HR has to re-define their role and responsibility towards the society with sensible liability, which is running unilaterally with the futile efforts and he outcomes. Merely promoting biotechnology/ GM is not the panacea for food security, but has to have a better perspective for the same.

He became the first minister to initiate the concept of consultation in policy-making for making the consensus among all the stakeholders and considering multitude of issues. The man tirelessly travelled and chaired the consultations across the 7 states and even hurdled with abuses and curses by social organisations & farmers. But sometimes the curses only turns into the blessings in disguise, do prove in the case and given him the strength for steadfastly taking the issues without any sort of bias. Today the outcome is that Ramesh has emerged the champion of all and his tireless effort is clearly reflected in the decision report presented for which he conducted global reviews and consultations for addressing the cause of the ground zero people. The decision will surely have long term impact on the scientific research in India and has raised the bar for other ministries and organizations to show their final liability and duties towards the aam admi.

Need for a National Authority on Hunger Elimination

Despite the remarkable progress in the country with high economic growth, impressive food production, advanced technologies and enviable human resources, the country is seriously confronted with the most challenging problem of hosting over 240 million ‘hungry’ people, with 66^th position on Global Hunger Index (GHI) among 88 countries in the world. The fact that India could reduce hunger only marginally (about 25%) over a period of 18 years (1990-91 to 2007-08) made the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Washington to make a statement that ‘India’s performance was lack luster’ on hunger elimination. This reflects badly on the inadequate attention given to ‘hunger’.

The major contributing factor for GHI of 23.7 is the high percentage of underweight children (43.5%) below five years in the country. The most disturbing report that 70% of children between six and 59 months after birth are anemic (3^rd National Family Health Survey 2005-06), made the honest Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh to admit frankly that ‘it is a matter of National shame’. A recent report by Dr.Karin Holshof, UNICEF India Representative on the seriousness of the problem with 61 million children fighting under nutrition, is an eye opener. In spite of the schemes on health and nutrition of children, it is estimated that 20% of Indian children (over 25 million) die due to under nutrition during the five years after birth. Already India’s record on the percentage of underweight children is the highest in the world, with Madhya Pradesh topping the list (59.8%), followed by Jharkhand (57.1%), Bihar (56.1%) and Chattisgarh (47.6 %). Out of the 17 Indian States analyzed, four are grouped under ‘serious hunger’ (Punjab, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Assam), while 12 are under ‘alarming hunger’ (Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka, Orissa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand) ; with Madhya Pradesh alone under the ‘extremely alarming hunger’ category, similar to Ethiopia.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently reported that 1.02 billion people are chronically ‘hungry’ in the world. In the recently convened World Summit on Food Security in Rome, although the attention was focused on the rise in food prices across the world, the summit failed to bring out tangible commitments by rich countries on ‘hunger’ issues. In order to create awareness on the seriousness of chronic ‘hunger’ and solidarity with people who go to bed without food, the Secretary General of United Nations Ben Moon and the Director General of the FAO Jaques Diouf observed a 24 hour fast in November which attracted worldwide attention, but the Indian Government failed to observe any such demonstration in spite of adverse situations in the country. The sad comments were that ‘despite all the promises made concrete actions on hunger has been lacking’ and FAO concluded that ‘in the absence of strong measures another global food crisis cannot be excluded’. The Indian Government has to take note of the adverse situations arising out of climate change exemplified by unprecedented drought and floods which have the potential to increase the number of hungry people.

India with over 1.15 billion population out of which almost 200 million are chronically hungry, with high percentage of children, cannot afford to ignore the problem anymore. The long term implication of the present underweight children below five years will be on the future generation of youth, whose physical and mental health are essential to take up the responsibilities of Nation building activities. For sustaining the developmental activities during the ensuing decades, the children born, say from 2009 – 2010 onwards need utmost care in a holistic way – health, education, environment, character build up and skill development which ensure leadership qualities. In fact, all those born during early 2000s must undergo frequent health checkup for midterm corrections of nutritional disorders. It is well established that ‘good nutrition early in life is a key input for human capital formation, a fundamental factor for sustainable and equitable economic growth’. So, the child care should be the top priority for the Government. It is a daunting task, but acquires National priority as youth are great National asset for ‘India Tomorrow’ for ensuring peaceful life.

Therefore, the attention should be on the most sensitive States like Madhya Prdaesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh to rescue the lives of millions of children with underweight and to prevent the problem in other States too. An effective health and nutrition program for children (and mothers) from the infant to juvenile to youth stages is the need of the hour. A weak youth force will be an impediment for the entire Nation’s progress. It is, therefore, high time that the Honorable Prime Minister personally examines the situation in depth and initiates action to establish a ‘National Authority on Hunger Elimination’ (NAHE), with adequate funds and exclusive powers – administrative and financial and enhanced human resources with the ultimate goal of making India hunger-free by 2020. The NAHE must function as a high power coordinating unit with concerned ministries – food and agriculture, health, education, environment and finance. As the present poverty alleviation programs did not seem to yield the desired result in terms of minimizing ‘hunger’ among millions of the poorest of the poor, the NAHE might be expected to achieve the goal better and in shorter time frame. India should strive hard to get its name erased from the list of GHI of the IFPRI with exemplary time targeted programs. For this, extraordinary political will is the only answer under the dynamic leadership of the Prime Minister.

Dr.V.Rajagopal, Retired Director, CPCRI & Founder of Hunger Elimination and You movement (HEYm), Tirupati, E mail : rajvel44@gmail.com

The Indian Bt Brinjal dilemma

The debate over the approval of Bt brinjal by Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has gone to the next level, with the consultation being held throughout India by engaging different stakeholders under the able headship of Mr Jairam Ramesh. But the consultation faced open revolts with the wide protests by NGOs and even in some cases by the scientific fraternity. Already the Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar consultations faced the ire of the protestors and was closed without any results. Several groups have expressed concern and dissatisfaction over the way in which the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee conducted and approved Bt brinjal field trials. These groups have called for tests by an independent lab.

Dr MS Swaminathan also felt for the need of a regulatory mechanism that inspires people's confidence and genetically engineered foods hold great promise for the future, especially if India intends to cut its hunger rate by half by 2015. In the recently concluded 97^th science Congress, PM Dr. Manmohan Singh also expressed his concerns over the safety issues of GM foods and reiterated that safety must be given full weight, with appropriate regulator control based on strictly scientific criteria.

So, it seems just like another go around phenomenon. Why not we can go to basics and opt for the health, safety and other concerns raised? There are clear indications that people are still not ready for its acceptance without proper health and safety assurances. Just releasing a variety/ hybrid is of no use, if it doesn’t reach the end consumers at affordable rates and is proved of no damage to the human / any other creatures’ health, physiological activity and the ecosystem at large.

The data on safety and efficacy has been examined by 30 scientists who are members of the review committee on genetic manipulation and also the GEAC. The data is sufficient to allay safety and environment concerns, as claimed by the government. But one of the member Dr. P.M. Bhargava furiously revolted by noting that the report of Expert Committee II headed by Arjula R. Reddy, which recommended the approval of Bt Brinjal was full of lies and absurdities, a ludicrous document that brought down Indian science in front of the whole world. And one which looked like it had been written by the public relations officer of the Mahyco-Monsanto collaboration.

It was obvious from the Bt brinjal debate that Indians do not trust the current regulatory structure. Kerala, Orissa, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have already decided to keep Bt brinjal out. It was objected to even by former health minister Anbumani Ramadoss. But, Mr Ramesh has given assurance that no decision on Bt brinjal would be taken in a haste. He promised to arrive at a decision by February 20 only after conducting hearings in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Nagpur and Chandigarh. In the situation, when researchers’ themselves are not well assured and confident of the Bt Brinjal’s safety aspect, then how could we imagine its approval by the governing and other concerned departments?

After lot of discussions, debates out of research can only make sure/ convince the public/ consumers that, it is clean for environment and safe for humans. Government has to ensure that the decision due next month on going ahead with commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal should not be dismissed without a fair trial. As, in India even the murderer like, Kasab of 9/11 gets the trial. Govt, ICAR and corporates are in for its haste release, which may cause havoc to the health of general public and environment also.

With the widespread protests and debate over the release of Bt brinjal, even the Apex court has asked the government to come clean on the health and environmental effects of the GM food crop. The Supreme Court also wants to know from the Centre to spell out the measures taken to prevent contamination of indigenous crops varieties by open field trials of the Bt brinjal crops. Mr Jairam Ramesh, the Environment and Forests Minister expressed that India needs an autonomous bio-technology regulatory authority and an independent laboratory to conduct various tests.

Bt cotton, too, faced similar opposition a few years ago but today, the country is the largest producer of cotton. Besides, the soil bacterium has been around for many years, but here the situation is not the same as Brinjal being the food crop and a native to Indian subcontinent with unimaginable levels of diversity and consumption pattern. Tackling the debate on scientific basis is ok, other than on the basis of unfounded fears and a fear psychosis. Health and safety issues have to be well taken care of, before the unknown plunge. As there would not be U-turn, once it is introduced and reaches the farmer’s field.

The sugary tug of war

With the continuing blame game of ever high sugar prices between the centre and the Uttar Pradesh government, the retail prices are not known to come down any soon. Sugar is selling at Rs 50 per kg in retail markets in Delhi and almost at the same rate across India, more than double from the level in January 2009.

India, the world's largest sugar consumer and currently a leading importer, after production fell two years in a row, needs 23 million tons of sugar annually. The country is expected to produce only around 16 million tons in the crop year. With farmers raising the farm gate price of sugarcane to 240 rupees per quintal from 140 rupees a year ago, costs have escalated and are likely to rise further as cane supply gets scarce in the coming months.

In the international market, sugar futures are trading near a 28-year high of 27.49 cents a pound, mainly because of anticipated shortages in India. India allowed tax-free imports of raw and white sugar in April to improve supplies in domestic markets, spiking benchmark prices in New York and London. India has contracted to import 2.9 million tones of raw sugar and 0.9 million tones of white sugar in the season that began in October. After being a net importer for two straight years, the country may become self-sufficient in 2010/11, as per the assurances from the Govt.

Uttar Pradesh government has imposed a ban on processing of imported raw sugar since the farmers' protest over cane prices in November, leading to about 8 lakh tonnes of raw sugar lying at ports. Imported raw sugar has been lying at the ports for more than two months and the UP government is not allowing millers to process. On the other hand, the UP govt is openly blaming the Central policies for the muddle, which encouraged hoarders and blackmarketeers and suggested for revamping the policies. The Agriculture Ministry has already written to UP government for lifting the ban on raw sugar processing and accepted that they have not been able to convince the state govt, and will try to request at the highest level.

The central government missed all the red flags that pointed to a sugar shortage for almost a year, generated sharply varying estimates of cane production, and kept prices artificially depressed from October 2008, due to the state elections, leading to a situation where sugar prices is at about Rs 50/kg today, and likely to only rise further. The agriculture minister was not even ready to accept the insufficient production last cane season ending September – November and most of the times reiterated that we have enough stocks to keep the prices under tab. A report even revealed that the incumbent Govt. and Mr. Pawar was aware of sugar crisis a year ago. In the case, they should have imported sugar six months ago when the sugar prices of import was just Rs.17 per kg. Sensing the crisis, the exporting countries hiked sugar prices knowing that India was going to import sugar. Sharad Pawar’s promise of bringing down the retail prices of essential commodities, including sugar within one week to 10 days, following the measures unveiled by the government is fading way. And now he is conveying that the wholesale prices have come down to 10-12 per cent during last 2-3 days and its impact can only be seen in retail after some time. Mr. Pawar should have been more empathetic and should have restrained from making insensitive comments of not being a fortuneteller and sugar prices will be high for the next three years, the moment sugar prices started defying gravity and reached Rs 50/ kg!

In situations of insufficient availability, the millers would have processed an additional 2.5 lakh tons per month. If this extra processed sugar could become available, this would have brought down prices. Besides, states should take stern action against hoarders and speculators. Additionally, steps should be taken to check smuggling of sugarcane and sugar from India to Nepal and other neighbouring countries. The govt. has already given green signal to the duty free sugar imports till December 2010, but it has to be adhered by the state and the essential commodities act has to be brought into action to contain the damage that has already been half done. So, with the Govt’s decision for importing 40 lakh tones of raw sugar, it is hoped that the situation would turn a bit placid. The regular imports would be allowed to ease the inflation and meanwhile, the current agriculture policies particularly, the marketing and pricing policy needs to be given a relook.

The lack of policy co-ordination among the Centre and States is also hindering government efforts to control prices. While the central government has been encouraging sugar mills to import raw sugar, the Uttar Pradesh has put ban on imports by mills in the state, resulting in some 900,000 tons of raw sugar being stuck at Indian ports. Some of the provincial governments are also slow to utilize the full quota of food grains released by the central government for distribution through welfare programs. While government officials have publicly stated they expect prices to fall in the coming weeks, fresh steps to control prices are a clear sign that the situation is still not under control.

Pride and Prejudice of being BIHARI !

Who carries you on a rickshaw or an autorickshaw in Delhi? Biharis. Who drives the cars of Delhiites? Biharis. Who built the Delhi Metro? Biharis. (You may not agree with the last one.) Who is building the new houses and the expanding suburbs of Delhi? Biharis. Who made Punjab the most prosperous state in the country? The answer again is Biharis. (Here too you may not agree.) The credit for building the Delhi Metro or making Punjab prosperous will never go to Biharis. Does anyone ever say that blacks built America? In colonial days, Bihar supplied the girmitiya, or indentured, labourers who built countries like Mauritius, Suriname and Fiji. A bulk of the labour employed in the Raj capital of Calcutta came from Bihar. After Independence Bihari workers flocked to places like Delhi, Punjab and Mumbai.

At the same time, Biharis excelled in other fields. Many became great political leaders, ICS and IAS officers, scientists, doctors, engineers, writers and artists. Delhi and other Indian cities attracted huge white-collar Bihari populations and Biharis formed a large part of the Indian diaspora of professionals. But in the eyes of the rest of India, “Bihari” had come to mean a labourer, a person doing menial jobs. It had become a term of scorn and contempt. In their anglicized lingo, places like Delhi University turned the word into “Harry”, but the pejorative tone remained unmistakable. Heaping scorn on the working classes is a universal phenomenon. That is how words like Negro, Paki (used for Pakistanis and Indians in Britain) and some of the words denoting dalit castes in India earned contemptuous connotations. In fact, while Biharis were getting their hands dirty on Punjab’s farms, Punjabis were migrating in hordes to the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. Never mind that they would take up blue-collar jobs as taxi drivers, petrol pump attendants and waiters in those faraway lands. As the years passed, many of the Biharis who had come to Punjab or Mumbai as manual labourers started moving up the economic ladder as did the blue-collar Indian emigrants abroad. A usually unnoticed aspect of the so-called racial attacks against Indians abroad is the threat the rise of working classes poses to the entrenched social order. This accentuates the contempt they face. From this angle, the attacks on Biharis in Punjab, and Mumbai, and the attacks on Indians abroad are manifestations of the same phenomenon.

What stopped Biharis from bringing about a green revolution or building a Metro in Bihar? The answer is geography and history. Geography, because ravaged by floods, the land of Bihar was unable to feed its growing population. And history, because what was the centre of the biggest Indian empire in ancient times was reduced to an obscure provincial existence. The skewed landownership system introduced by the British rulers worsened the situation. Things could have improved after Independence had the political leadership of Bihar been able to exert influence on the rulers in New Delhi to get enough funds for development projects and set off a process of industry in the state.

On the contrary, Bihar continued to live the same, conveniently ignored, provincial existence. A system built on casteism, nepotism, corruption and crime came to dominate the state. It spawned a neo-rich class of netas, babus, contractors and government engineers who would build palatial houses for themselves with the money meant for dams, power projects, ration for the poor or even fodder for cattle.

The money meant for roads and public amenities would go into their bank accounts. No wonder, the roads in front of those houses would be full of ditches and become the playground of pigs every monsoon. With limited options of higher education and hardly any employment opportunities in the state, the youth of Bihar started looking out. They flooded places like Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. They started dominating the country’s toughest competitions like the IIT-JEE and the civil services exam. With this success, Biharis started believing they had the best brains. The world began to grudgingly acknowledge their capabilities.

Academic success, however, did not do much to rid the word “Bihari” of the scorn it had gathered. People in Delhi continued to laugh at those who spoke with a Bihari accent. Those without an accent would get this compliment: “Oh, you are from Bihar? But you don’t sound like a Bihari.” Biharis, meanwhile, were retreating into a shell, with little but the historic glory of Buddha, Mahavira, Chandragupta, Chanakya, Ashoka, Aryabhatta, Guru Gobind Singh and Sher Shah to bask in. Now comes 11% growth. The state can recover from the damage it has suffered over hundreds of years only if such a high rate of growth can be sustained for many, many years. Then Biharis would not have to till others' land or build cities and countries elsewhere.

Vinay Pandey | The writer is proud to be a Bihari.

HNY 2010 !

H ours of happy times with friends and family

A bundant time for relaxation

P rosperity

P lenty of love when you need it the most

Y outhful excitement at life’s simple pleasures

N ights of restful slumber (Don’t worry, Be HAPPY!)

E verything you need

W ishing you love and light

Y ears and years of good health

E njoyment and mirth

A ngels to watch over you

R emembrances of a Happy Years!!!!!

2010

The underground Treasure troves

Roots and tuber crops, due to their high calorific value and carbohydrate content occupy a remarkable position in the food security of the world, particularly in the developing nations. The economically and socially important tropical tuber crops are Cassava, Sweet potato, Yams, Dioscoreas, Aroids which include Elephant foot yam, Taro and Tannia (Amorphophallus, Colocasia or Taro, Xanthosoma or Tannia) and other minor tuber crops namely Chinese potato, Arrow root, Yam bean, Canna etc. In addition to the major tuber crops, there are many rhizomatous types and tuberising species which are grown and used in different parts of India. Some of them are already cultivated, but many others are grown wild as a neglected group. They are often used as food or serve as a source of raw material for the production of alcohol and animal feed.

Production

The countries of Asia-Pacific region account for about 40% of world's total annual production of roots and tubers. Roots and tubers are a major staple in the Pacific islands, the Asian and African countries also use them as animal feed, and in starch-based industries. Increasing demands of cassava and sweet potato in non-food and organized market sectors are closely linked with increased production. There are considerable differences in the agro-climatic conditions suitable for the production for the different root and tuber crops. In fact, these crops remained neglected in terms of scientific input until the establishment of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, and the International Potato Center (CIP) in Peru.

Consumption & Utilisation

In the developing countries (with the exception of China and Brazil), relatively small amounts (less than 20%) are fed to livestock and the rest is consumed as food. The consumption of root and tuber crops as food in developed countries is considerably smaller than it is in developing countries, but their use as animal feeds is relatively higher. They are staple foods in many parts of the tropics. These are also an important source of animal feed and industrial products. On a global basis, approximately 45% of root and tuber crop production is consumed as food, with the remainder used as animal feed or for industrial processing for products such as starch, distilled spirits, and a range of minor products.

In terms of contribution to calorie supply, the importance of root, tubers and derived products crops (all production included and converted into primary product equivalent) is small, compared to the contribution of cereals. The contribution of root and tuber crops to the world supply of calories is only 5% compared to 48% for cereals and 46% for other food. In Africa, root and tuber crops contribute 14% to the calorie supply as compared to 51% for cereals and 37% for other food, while in South America roots and tubers contribute 5% and in Asia only 4% to the calorie supply. Many tropical tuber crops are used in the preparation of stimulants, tonics, carminatives and expectorants. The tuber crops are rich in dietary fibres and carotenoids viz. carotene and anthocyanin.

Importance of Root and Tuber Crops

Among the tuber crops, Cassava is the most important one in the tropics and it ranks fourth, after rice, sugarcane and maize, as a source of calories for human consumption. It is a major carbohydrate food for about 500 m people in the world, and in Africa, it is the most important source of calories in the human diet. Cassava is cultivated in 16mha, spread over the continents of South America, Africa and Asia, producing 158mt of tubers. The average productivity in the world is 10.88t/ha and that in India is 27.42t/ha from an area of 0.24mha. However in sweet potato, average productivity in India is only 8-9t/ha as against the world average of 16t/ha. Area under tuber crops in India is 4 lakh ha under cassava and sweet potato besides approximately 2 lakh ha under elephant foot yam, Colocasia, Xanthosoma etc.

Research & Development

The CGIAR Institutes, mainly IITA, Ibadan, CIAT and CIP, Peru has made stupendous accomplishments in root and tuber research. Of major concern is the scarcity of germplasm collections and the greater lack of breeding programs. In India also Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTRI), Thiruvananthapuram is striving to promote R&D in tuber crops. Some other institutes like, RAU, Bihar, OUAT, Bhubaneshawar and BCKV, Mohanpur has made considerable contribution towards the development of root and tuber crops.

Cassava

The crop has gained importance as a cheap source of carbohydrate, mainly for human consumption. Its importance in tropical agriculture is due to its drought tolerance, wide flexibility to adverse soil, nutrient and management conditions including time of harvest. As cassava has no definite harvest time farmers can have a staggered harvest, which provides security against famine. Cassava can be profitably cultivated throughout the year. Cassava roots are perishable with a shelf life of only a few days. The presence of hydrocyanic glucosides (HCN) in all plant parts presents some problems in marketing cassava. Other postharvest problems with cassava include proper handling and storage of cuttings under frost-free conditions. Even though cassava flour can be used as a partial substitute for wheat flour in the production of bread, market economics restrict this process to countries where wheat is an import commodity. Apart from its role as a staple/subsidiary food, during the past few decades there has been growing recognition of the value of cassava roots as a low cost energy source for livestock and as a raw material for industrial starch and fuel alcohol.

Sweet Potato

The tuber is an important source of carbohydrate. The yellow flesh varieties are rich in carotene. Sweet potato is a short duration crop, adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions. It exhibits no strict seasonality making it suitable as a combination crop with other crops. The major sweet potato growing states in India are Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In China, where approximately 85% of global sweet potato production is grown, multiple uses of the crop (e.g., as animal feed as well as processing of the roots into starch, noodles, and alcohol), have helped to diversify markets for what was once mostly a directly-consumed food crop.

Yams

Yams are cultivated in every tropical country, but their large-scale cultivation is restricted mainly to West Africa, South-East Asia including China and Japan. Yams are eaten mostly as boiled, baked or fried. Yam production is also significantly influenced by day length. In India, traditionally yams are grown in homesteads. Yams are usually baked or boiled and mashed. Unless the production expenses are reduced, little potential exists for commercial processing of yams into items like that of potato chips or french fries.

Aroids

Aroids comprise several species under the family Araceae that are cultivated for food in most of the tropical and subtropical parts of the world. Important aroids cultivated in India are taro, tannia, giant taro/ alocasia and elephant foot yam. Aroids are short-statured perennial plants, grown as annuals. They store starches in large corms at or below the sod surface. Corms which contain 25 to 35% starch, are plagued by the presence of an acrid factor, which causes itchiness and considerable inflammation of tissues. The potential for expansion of these markets is considered to be very limited, as the acceptability is poor among the masses. Colocasia tubers are also good source of protein, minerals like phosphorus and iron. Elephant foot yam is basically an underground stem tuber and is gaining popularity due to its yield potential and culinary properties. These are crops having high yield potential and starch value and they are yet to be properly explored.

Harvesting & Marketing

The production, harvest and marketing of root and tuber crops are generally labor intensive. The sheer bulk of root and tuber crops, compared to cereals, is an even bigger problem than is their underground harvest. The processing of traditional consumable products from these crops may also require high labor inputs. Root and tuber crops share some similarities from a market perspective at the farm level. For instance, much of root and tuber crop production is consumed on-the-farm, or at distances that are relatively closer to production.

Post harvest management

All of the root and tuber crops have the distinct disadvantage, following harvest, of limited storability, and are fairly perishable if the conditions are not suitable. This characteristic of root and tuber crops predetermines the need for post-harvest treatment of these crops to preclude very large post-harvest losses.

Export avenues

Trade enquiries show that there is considerable demand, of about a lakh tonnes of cassava chips, for exports to the South East Asian countries. There is a need for series of studies be initiated to assess afresh the export potential from traditional and non-traditional areas, export demand of tuber crop-based products, policy issues relating to growth of exports, extension of technologies to non -traditional areas and linkages with APEDA for expertise and training in the area of exports of tuber crops. The lack of a clear export policy had hampered Indian interests, outpricing its products from the global marketplace and the price factor had been playing a crucial role in the cassava chips export scenario.

Major roadblocks

One of the persisting problems with root and tuber crops is its unrealized yield potential that could only be attained through yet-to-be-developed technologies. In the case of root and tuber crops, the potential for yield is considerably higher than the actual yield. Both biophysical i.e., diseases, insect pests, low-yielding cultivars, poor crop husbandry and socio-economical; scarce land, shortage of labor, shift in food habit linked with urbanization constraints are adversely affecting production of root and tuber crops.

The way-ahead

The potential of the roots and tubers being processed into snack foods depends on economics and public acceptance. Unless the costs of production can be reduced dramatically through mechanization and selection of earlier maturing clones, the future is not bright. Both obstacles are not insurmountable. However, a decided commitment to research and development must be made for this to happen. Some of the indicated changes will likely be driven by consumption demands and production opportunities as a result of technology yet-to-be-developed for root and tuber crops. Some of these technologies will no doubt entail food processing technologies and expanded feed markets, as well as current and new industrial uses for the harvested products of root and tuber crops.