OTHER DEPARTMENTS

THE AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT

Organisation.

THE AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT IN KOLABA DISTRICT is in charge of the District Agricultural Officer (Maharashtra Agricultural Service, Class II). He is directly responsible to the Superintending Agricultural Officer, Bombay Division, Nasik. The latter is assisted in his office by two Deputy Directors of Agriculture, one in charge of research and educational activities and the other in charge of Engineering. There are five Agricultural Officers and two Agricultural Supervisors to assist the District Agricultural Officer in smooth implementation of the various schemes. Out of the five Agricultural Officers, one is the Assistant District Agricultural Officer, who helps the District Agricultural Officer in the administrative work. Another is in charge of Kharif and Rabi campaigns. He is supposed to organise and supervise the work in that connection. The remaining three officers are each entrusted with the paddy pilot schemes operating in the three blocks, viz. (1) Panvel Block comprising Panvel, Khalapur and Karjat talukas; (2) Alibag Block comprising Alibag taluka, and (3) Roha Block comprising Roha and Sudhagad talukas. The two Agricultural Supervisors are in charge of Revenue Sub-Divisions which have not so far been covered by Development Blocks. The eighteen Agricultural Assistants work in non-development areas and 36 Agricultural Assistants are working in the paddy pilot scheme areas. The Fertilizer Inspector at the district office looks after the smooth working of the Central Fertilizer Order, 1957. Each of the National Extension Service Blocks in the district is in charge of an Agricultural Supervisor, who, for all technical, matters, is under the control of the District Agricultural Officer.

The District Agricultural Officer is responsible for the following:―

(a) Organisation of agricultural demonstration centres and holding field demonstrations.

(b) Organisation of crop protection services.

(c) Supervision of crop-cutting experiments and conducting district trials of improved seeds and fertilisers.

(d) Inspection of offices and depots in the district and guiding the staff.

(e) Submission of periodical reports such as season and crop report, forecast and weather report, periodical progress reports of the various schemes, etc.

(f) Implementation of grow more food schemes,

(g) Carrying out rural development activities.

(h) Arrange for the procurement and distribution of improved seeds and chemical fertilisers.

Demonstration Centres and Propaganda.

The nine agricultural demonstration centres in the district are located on the cultivators fields under the supervision of the Agricultural Assistants or gram-sevaks. At these Centres, the owner cultivators adopt the improved agricultural practices advocated by the Agriculture department. Field demonstrations of the standing crop as also of the improved agricultural practices are held at these Centres as well as outside by the Agricultural Assistants or gram-sevaks for propaganda of improved agricultural practices. In non-development areas, each taluka is suitably divided into three or four circles and each circle is placed in charge of an Agricultural Assistant. In National Extension Service Blocks this work is done by the gram-sevaks.

Experiment and Research.

There is a permanent Government Agricultural Research Station at Karjat where botanical as well as agronomic research in paddy is conducted. At the head of the research station is the Rice-specialist (Maharashtra Agricultural Service, Class I). The two sub-stations for rice research work are at Khopoli and Panvel, respectively. The sub-station at Panvel deals with the problems of suitable varieties for Khar lands. In addition to the research work, nucleus seed is produced at these stations and supplied to the taluka seed farms for further multiplication and distribution amongst the registered seed growers.

Grow More Food Schemes.

Various grow more food schemes are being implemented in the district. Following is an account of some of the important schemes with their targets and achievements:―

(a) Scheme for subsidised distribution of sann seed.―Green manuring not only adds nitrogen to the soil but also adds organic matter. It can also help ease the conditions of short supply in chemical fertilizers. To make this practice popular among the cultivators a scheme was launched in 1959-60 to supply green manure at subsidised rates, and 55 Bengali maunds of sann seed were distributed in the same year.

(b) Scheme for composting of forest leaves.―Some material available in forest areas such as leaves, etc., can be profitably used for composting and manuring. To avoid the waste of such useful material and to encourage preparation of compost a scheme was started since 1958-59 whereby a subsidy of Rs. 6 per pit is paid to the cultivators for digging a pit and preparing compost out of forest leaves. During 1958-59 compost was prepared out of forest leaves from 106 pits.

(c) Scheme for composting of town refuse by Municipalities.―All the crops require a basal dose of farm yard manure or compost. This bulky manure can best be prepared from dung, as well as from sweepings. The Municipalities and Village Panchayats are induced to prepare compost from such refuse. In the years 1957-58 and 1958-59, 616 tons and 280 tons of compost was prepared, respectively.

(d) Combined scheme for rural compost and farm yard manure.―In urban areas compost is prepared by Municipalities and Gram Panchayats while in rural areas this is done by individual cultivators by digging pits in their own fields and preparing compost or farm yard manure. During the period 1955-59 about 4,625 pits were dug in about 500 villages.

(e) Scheme for distribution of manures and fertilizers.―Under this scheme the fertilisers are procured, stored and distributed according to the needs of the cultivators. Food crops are given preference over nonfood crops under this scheme. During the period 1957-60 about 3,742 tons of ammonium sulphate was distributed.

(f) Scheme for grant of financial assistance to Katkaris for reclamation of Dalhi plots.―Lands suitable for paddy cultivation are left as uncultivable waste by the Katkaris for want of finance. For this purpose a subsidy of Rs. 100 is paid to these people for bringing an acre of Dalhi land under paddy. During 1956-59, 131 acres were brought under paddy under this scheme. The target for 1959-60 was 125 acres.

(g) Crop competitions.―Crop competitions are held in the district at the taluka level. These have an effect on the productive capacity of individual cultivators and make possible an exchange of ideas and improved practices.

(h) Pilot scheme for intensive cultivation of paddy by Japanese Method.―Japanese Method of paddy cultivation increases the yield by about 10 Bengali maunds per acre. Still the cultivators find it difficult to adopt the same for lack of timely supply of fertilizers and finance. To overcome these difficulties a pilot scheme was launched in the Panvel Block of the district from 1957-58 whereby the necessary fertilisers and crop finance are made available to the cultivators through co-operatives. This scheme is run jointly by the Agriculture and the Co-operation departments. The scheme was first tried in 1957-58 in Panvel Block which consisted of Panvel, Khalapur and Karjat talukas. The target fixed was 10,000 acres against which the actual achievement was 6,003 acres under Japanese Method. During 1958-59 the target fixed and the actual achievement was 10,000 acres and 9,828 acres, respectively. For 1959-60 the target was 20,000 acres. During the same year two more blocks have been opened, viz., (i) Alibag Block for Alibag taluka, and (ii) Roha Block for Roha and Sudhagad talukas, each with a target of 10,000 acres. Against the above targets, the achievements under the various blocks during 1959-60 were as under:―

(i) Establishment of Taluka Seed Farms.―During the First Five-Year Plan the nucleus seed of improved varieties was produced at the Research Stations and the same was multiplied on the fields of the registered seed growers and then was made available to the cultivator. Sufficient quantities of improved seed could not be supplied for want of adequate acreage on the Research Stations. To overcome these difficulties four taluka seed multiplying farms have been established in the district during 1958-59 as detailed below:-

Improved seed of different varieties thus produced was distributed among the registered seed growers during 1959-60 for further multiplication and finally distributed to the cultivators during 1960-61.

(i) Scheme for development of fruit production.―Under this scheme an Agricultural Supervisor is placed in charge of two districts, viz., Kolaba and Ratnagiri, for technical advice and guidance to the cultivators. The cultivators are also advanced a loan of Rs. 300 per acre which is recovered in instalments.

Agricultural Education.

An agricultural school was opened in the district in 1958 about four miles off Roha The school admits 30 students every year. It has residential accommodation for 50 students. No rent is charged for hostel accommodation and stipend of Rs. 20 per month is paid to each student. Besides, the students are provided with an uniform. In the 75 acres attached to the school paddy and wal are grown. The head of the school is a Superintendent (M. A. S., Class II) who works under the direction of the Superintending Agricultural Officer, Bombay Division, Nasik.

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