The Hindu Business Line : Morarka Foundation sets up agri-biotech park in Jaipur

THE country's first agri-biotechnology park has been initiated in Jaipur by the M.R. Morarka - GDC Rural Research Foundation to encourage export-oriented agriculture development.

A joint venture between the not-for-profit agriculture research and development organisation funded by Gannon Dunkerley & Co and Rajasthan-based OM Agri-Biotechnology Pvt Ltd, it is intended to be a pilot project.

Slated to be ready by the end of the year, the agri-biotechnology park model being put in place involves funding by an agri-entrepreneur who, in turn, provides a platform for farmers in the region and provides forward and backward linkages for them.

By largely focusing on organic agri-products and providing biotech know-how for the purpose, the foundation intends to serve as a catalyst for growers to be able to tap the robust export market.

The Morarka Foundation already runs agri-business centres and food parks where a host of services are offered to farmers at a scale smaller than what would be at the agri-biotechnology park. The facilities include organic inputs such as vermicompost, bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides; planting material for vegetables, medicinal plants, fruits and so on; scientific storage facilities for all types of farm produce; primary processing services such as cleaning, grading, packing; quality certification services and marketing-export linkages.

``With an investment of Rs 10 crore in this pilot park, new employment could be created for around 5000 people, apart from income for the farmers themselves,'' said the Executive Director of the Morarka Foundation, Mr Mukesh Gupta.

He explained that the intention was to identify 100 such promoters across the country in the next five years who would make it their business to help farmers convert their traditional rainfed farms into high value organic agriculture land by adopting biotechnology-based inputs. Their incomes would be raised substantially through exports.

Reiterating that organic agriculture practices require several linkages, Mr Gupta believes that the conventional agricultural extension system may not be sufficient. Hence, entrepreneur-oriented services delivered through a common platform on a large scale could be the way to go.

``Based on preliminary estimates prepared by us, we expect that in each park about 80 to 100 entrepreneurs will mobilise a total investment of Rs 10 crore and will create direct employment opportunities for 2,500 persons. Each park would also serve approximately 3000 to 5000 farmers to help convert 5000 hectare cultivated land under organic management for exports,'' Mr Gupta explained.

Mr Kamal Morarka, promoter of Gannon Dunkerley & Co, who started the foundation over a decade ago, feels that agri-biotechnology parks are the need of the hour.

"The idea is to use biotechnology to hone our ancient agriculture methods.Technology absorption is also very high among the so called `illiterate' farmers. The moment they know that vermicompost and biotech products help productivity and health of the crop, they shift to it. However, it is difficult to get farmers used to chemical-based products to go back in time,'' he said.

The foundation has over 300 resource centres across 19 states and advises the Government on organic agriculture. It has over Rs 30 crore worth of resources as an outcome of its research. It provides vermiculture know-how to over 500 agri-preneurs every year, produces over 500,000 mt of vermi-casting every month, making it the largest producer of vermicompost in the world. Acting as a catalyst, it has over 1 lakh hectare land of farmers under certified organic cultivation.