ANNUAL REPORT - Department of Biotechnology

aromatic grasses. These women are getting good
return through sale of semi-processed essential oils
procured at oil extraction units set up at their own
land or community land. The high lights are as
follows
(i) At G.B. Pant University of Agriculture &
Technology, Uttaranchal, tissue culture techniques
has been perfected from leaf & nodal explants of
Patchouli. Over 300 women were trained in complete
technology including cultivation, harvesting and oil
extraction. An extraction unit has been installed for
the beneficiaries and market linkage established for
their product.
(ii) Under a roject supported at HRG, Shimla, over
100 women from 23 families of two blocks of Mandi
distt. were selected for training in organic cultivation
of lavender. They were provided with 50,000 plants
raised in nursery covering an area of 5 ha. The
beneficiaries were also trained in rearing those
plants and collecting the spikes for Lavender
processing. Individual beneficiary has been able to
earn around Rs. 3000-4000/- per month through half
ha; of land.
(iii) In another project supported to an NGO, at
Bhopal, over 300 women belonging to SC/ST
category were selected from 6 villages. They were
trained in cultivation of aromatic grasses and oil
extraction. A low cost extraction unit was also set up.
Women are earning approx Rs. 200/- per month
through sales of essential oils of mint and lemon
grass.
Floriculture
Over 300 women from Shillong, Itanagar and
Chandigarh were trained in complete packages of
hardening of micropropagated plants of
commercially important varieties of orchid viz.
Dendrobium fimbriatum var. oculatum, D.
longicornu, D.lituiflorum, C. pendulum, C. aloifolium
and C. giganteum in their backyard. The
beneficiaries were also trained in vegetative
propagation of local species and post-harvest
technologies. Also 100 women from Papum Pare
Distt., Itanagar were trained in establishing
hardening facilities using local resources such as
bamboo.
Horticulture
In an attempt to provide quality hybrid rice seed to the
farmers, a project was supported to TNAU,
Coimbatore, where the technology had already been
perfected. Through this project, about 200
progressive farm women were trained in cultivation
practices at their field covering an area of 4 ha; about
5000 kg of CORH-3 hybrid rice seed was produced
which has provided additional profit of more than Rs.
10,000/ ha.
In another project supported to TERI, New Delhi,
women from Supi, Uttaranchal were trained in
vegetative propagation of high yielding variety of
potato (Kufri jyoti and Kufri chipsona) and French
bean.
Organic Farming / Vermicompost
Organic farming has been taken in a big ways This
sector not only deals with application of various bioagents
but production of biopesticides, biofertilizers
based on local strains and vermicomposting.
Thousand of women are benefited with several
projects supported throughout the country. A
examples are as follows :
(i) A formulation of bio-control agent (Pseudomonas
fluorescens + Trichoderma harzianum and P.
fluorescens + Paecilomyces lilacinus) developed at
Indian Institute of Horticultural Research,
Hessarghata was tested at farmers field. About 300
rural farmers were trained to produce the formulation
for the treatment of seeds, nursery substrate to be
used for raising the seedlings of the horticultural
crops in the polyhouses, nursery soil mixture and
nursery beds in the open field conditions.
(ii) In another project supported to Sri Padmavati
Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Tirupati, 320 members
from 8 villages of 3 mandals of Chittur Distt. were
trained in preparation and marketing of phosphate
solubilising biofertilizer enriched vermicompost. The
individual beneficiary is earning around Rs.570/-.
(iii) Through JSS Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Suttur,
Karnataka, farmers were trained in large scale
production of vermicompost enriched with vesicular
arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM). The farmers were
educated on the benefit of organic cultivation of
various vegetable and horticulture crops. 30
137 Biotechnology for Societal Development