OTHER DEPARTMENTS

AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT

Organisation

For all the activities pertaining to agriculture in Bhir district, the Agricultural Development Officer, Bhir, is responsible He works under the technical guidance of the Superintending Agricultural Officer, Aurangabad Division and under the administrative control of the Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad, Bhir. The Superintending Agricultural Officer is in charge of the five districts of the Aurangabad division viz. Aurangabad, Nanded, Bhir, Parbhani and Osmanabad and works under the direct control of the Director of Agriculture who is assisted by four Joint Directors. The Joint Directors help in matters relating to establishment, extension, agricultural engineering and research and education.

The following state level specialists help the Agricultural Development Officer in specialised matters: —

(i) Agronomist,

(ii) Plant Pathologist,

(iii) Agricultural Chemist,

(iv) Agricultural Entomologist,

(v) Soil Specialist,

(vi) Oil-seed Specialist,

(vii) Rice Specialist,

(viii) Millet Specialist,

(ix) Statistician, and

(x) Sugarcane Specialist.

Besides, the Agricultural Development Officer is assisted by the District Agricultural Officer and three Agricultural Officers and one Agricultural Supervisor at the headquarters. The three Agricultural Officers assist the District Agricultural Officer in office administration and general technical matters and in work relating to Tahsil Seed Multiplication Farms; and to the Kharif and Rabi campaigns, respectively. The Agricultural Supervisor is in charge of the plant protection activities in the district. He is assisted by two Agricultural Assistants in his work. Besides, two Agricultural Assistants supervise the works pertaining to preparation of compost manure and development of sugarcane. The soil conservation programme in the district is implemented by the Sub-divisional Soil Conservation Officer stationed at Bhir.

Besides these offices of the department, there are statutory and non-statutory bodies which render assistance in the execution of agricultural programme in the district. They are the District Farmers' Unions and the District Land Improvement Board at the district level; the Tahsil Farmers' Union at the tahsil level and Village Panchayats and Village Farmers' Unions at the village level. The Agricultural Committee of the Zilla Parishad, Bhir, is mainly responsible for the Agricultural Development Programme in the district.

Activities

The activities of the Agricultural department in the district can be divided into three main groups, viz., (i) research, (ii) education and (iii) development.

Research: In the absence of any Agricultural Research Station in the district, the demonstration of improved agricultural practices and the innovation of the most suitable cropping pattern for the district is carried on at the Trial-cum-Demonstration Farm started under the Bendsura project from 1960. It is situated near Bhir and has for experimental purposes an area of 1782.613 hectares (4,405 acres) under its control. The work on the farm is supervised by an agricultural officer (tahsil seed farms) assisted by two agricultural assistants.

Education: The agricultural school in the district, situated at Ambejogai started functioning in 1960. It offers two years' course in agriculture and allied subjects and admits about 30 students. With the formation of the Zilla Parishad, Bhir, it works under the Zilla Parishad with a staff composed of a superintendent, two agricultural supervisors and two agricultural assistants.

Development: The developmental activities pertaining to agriculture in the district are looked after by the agricultural development officer. He works under the technical guidance of the Superintending Agricultural Officer, Aurangabad and under the Chief Executive. Officer, Zilla Parishad, Bhir, for administrative purposes. Development programmes in respect of agriculture are implemented through the Block Development Officers, in charge of the Panchayat Samitis in the district. They are assisted in technical matters by the agricultural extension officers and gramsevaks posted in the blocks. The extension officers and gramsevaks extend necessary technical guidance to cultivators and make them available improved seeds, manures and equipment.

Agricultural Schemes in the District: Tahsil Seed Farms.— Tahsil Seed Multiplication Farms were established in the district in 1958-59 with the object of providing improved seeds to the registered seed growers. They in turn multiply the seed? and distribute them to the cultivators. There are six tahsil seed farms (out of 8 proposed during the Second Five-Year Plan period in the district. They are located at Ambejogai, Kaij Shidod, Khamgaon, Manjlegaon and Ashti and together control an area of 240.987 hectares (595.03 acres). Improved seeds of the varieties suited to local soil such as groundnut, pulses cotton, paddy, tur, bajra, jowar, wheat, etc., arc multiplied.

Agricultural Extension.—To improve the yield of the major food crops like kharif jowar, paddy, hajra, cotton, groundnut and rabi jowar and wheat, etc., schemes aimed at intensive and extensive cultivation are undertaken. The following table shows the area in hectares in the district under these schemes during the period between 1958-59 and 1961-62: —

Paddy Cultivation.—Paddy covers a small acreage in the district. The Japanese method of paddy cultivation has been recently introduced in the district. As against an yearly target of 80.937 hectares (200 acres) fixed for 1960-61 and 1961-62, 28.328 and 48.562 hectares (70 and 120 acres), respectively, were brought under the Japanese method.

Sugarcane Development Scheme.— The scheme aims at encouraging the cultivators to adopt improved agricultural practices by providing quality sets. An agricultural assistant supervises the work under this scheme. During 1960-61, 15,000 cane sets of Co. 740 variety were supplied to the cultivators The area under improved variety in 1960-61 and 1961-62 was 3.237 and 5.665 hectares (eight and fourteen acres), respectively.

Horticultural Development Scheme—The Scheme is intended to bring about an increase in the area under orchards. Under the scheme, technical guidance is given; improved types of seedlings, seeds and cuttings are supplied and loan to fruit growers is granted at the rate of Rs. 300. An agricultural supervisor supervises the work under this scheme in Bhir and Aurangabad districts. The following statement gives the details of the loans granted under this scheme: —

*Figures in brackets are in acres and those outside in hectares.

Cotton Development Scheme.—Under this scheme, improved varieties of cotton, viz., 170—Co² and 1422 are distributed to the cultivators in the district so as to induce them to take to their use on a larger scale. The scheme is supervised by the gramsevaks.

Crop Protection.—To protect the crops from various pests and diseases, plant protection appliances, insecticides and fungicide? are stocked in godowns at tahsil headquarters and made available to the needy cultivators. Technical guidance is rendered by the agricultural supervisor and the extension workers. In 1961-62, 53 sprayers and 112 dusters were made available for use to the cultivators and 16.380 lbs. of pesticides were distributed among them. Besides 412 sprayers and dusters were kept in godowns at the various tahsil headquarters.

Manurial Resources.—To increase the manurial resources the cultivators are advised to prepare compost on scientific lines Gram panchayats and municipalities are also encouraged in preparing compost from town refuse. A subsidy is paid at the rate of Rs. 2 per ton the average production of the preceding two years. The seven municipalities in the district produce about 6,096 metric tons (6,000 tons) of compost annually. For green manuring of fields, sann seed is sold to the cultivators at a subsidised rate.

Fertilisers.—Distribution of fertilisers is entrusted to the cooperative societies. From 8.128 metric tons (eight tons) in 1955-56 the quantity distributed increased to about 306.832 metric tons (302 tons) in 1961-62. The Agricultural Officer, Bhir Zilla Parishad and the fertiliser inspector attached to the office of the Superintending Agricultural Officer, Aurangabad, inspect the manure depots in the district to ensure that fertilisers of approved quality are supplied.

Farmers' Unions.—Farmers' unions are intended to enthuse the farmers to take an active part in the implementation of the agricultural programme in their respective villages. In 1962-63, there were 1,029 village farmers' unions in the district with a membership of 59,164. There were also seven tahsil unions and one district farmers' union.

Crop Competitions.—Crop competitions are conducted and prizes awarded in the district for kharif and rabi jowar, bajra and wheat to encourage the cultivators to obtain increased yield per acre and thus increase agricultural production.

Demonstration Centres.—Demonstration centres are organised in the district to impress upon the farmers the advantages of improved methods of cultivation. Thirty such centres were organised in the district in 1960-61. The number rose to forty in 1962-63.

Pumping Sets and Boring of Wells.—Loans are advanced by government for installation of pumping sets and mechanical equipment for boring wells. In 1961-62, 46 pumping sets were installed in the district for which a government loan of Rs. 45,550 was advanced. The area brought under irrigation as a result amounted to 111.693 hectares (276 acres).