Monday, February 15, 2010

To Bt or Not Bt

Does one protest over a new recipe introduced in a restaurant? Now does one protest if a farmer grows a new variety of a particular fruit or vegetable? Does one protest if we hybrid a tomato and a potato?
Do we object to breaking down of proteins in a lab and then simplifying the same provide life saving drugs?
Is poison not sold over the counter, or cigarettes and alcohol?
But when it comes to bio-technology in agriculture, the whole of human race is worried.
It’s because life revolves around two poles, fear and hope.
For everything we do not understand is fear and everything beyond that is hope.
The case against BT is nothing but fear out of misinformation and lack of knowledge.

There is no reason for the government to be a part of this debate. A consumer that is farmers for purchasing these seeds and household for purchase of crops, have to decide what exactly is good for them.
Companies which are trying to come through the formal and organized route are facing difficulties, from civil as well as government agencies. This helps the insecticide, pesticide and fertilizer nexus. As it is them who would be affected the most out of trans- genic crops.
The Chinese half baked BT seeds are smuggled and sold in India and rest of the world without any hindrance. The consumer and the farmer are both at risk here, simply because the legalized and authentic stuff is banned.
I am a farmer and try to use the minimum of chemical stuff in my produce, if Bt crops were to stand on a counter marked “BT”, perhaps My produce would fetch a better price for not being Bt or partially organic.
The Farmer would benefit from including low capital and low risk. The consumer perhaps can analyze and not rip their wallets buying food for subsistence.
Protesting is like, saying we will not use tractors, and we shall use only bullock carts. Well sure it’s a good thing, but its history, it’s not a possibility anymore.
Why would a corporate spend billions for years into research and come up with a product which a large part of the world is opposing? Does it not have a market? And if there is, that’s all that matters. Well the truth is, it’s not a large part which is opposing, and it’s a very small part of a nexus, driven by some fear painted people, who are hogging the limelight.
Who perhaps never eat Brinjal and are surely not farmers.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Pashuprash

The extreme weather conditions this winter were harsher on the animals than humans.
At village Maniyarpur, my father was a worried man. Someone who would save his pennies was seen spending heavily on his cattle, usually on medicine. Three cows had delivered within a short span, in the middle of sub zero temperature, and as expected had fallen prey to the cold.
Cattle, in this part of the world are treated like god. We worship them in the day, and leave them out as the night falls. As we sleep cuddled in our thick quilts, drink warm water and burn tons of wood to maintain temperature. The cattle gets a worn-torn sack to cover its back, and possibly some burnt leftover of hay to possibly give an impression of a heater.
We had been producing tons of Chyavnprash, a two thousand year old ayurvedic recipe full of Indian herbs, of course for humans, as this is an expensive formulations and not everyone can afford this.
Perceived to be extremely useful human body during winters, to fight cold and improve metabolism, vigor and vitality.

Much out of seeing the plight of the animals and some for commercial sense, there is this unique formulation that has been tried.
The recipe is as follows.
Amla (Indian gooseberry) : 80 kg
Ghee - clarified butter : 6 kg
Gud – Jaggery : 70 kg
Heapto safe forte : 200 gm
(pittapapat,arjun,kakmasi,mandur bhasma,kasmarda,
Bhumi amla,kalmegha,punarnava,guguchi,daruhira,amalki,vidigo.haritki and bhringraj)
Ruchina : 200 gm
(chitrak mool,harrey,sathey,kalimirch,pipal,ajwain,vidrikand,sariva,rakt,
Ponarnava,bhringraj,saindhalavan, kalanamak,yavaksar,saunf, vidang)
Bootisa : 500 gm
Prakshep : 500 gm
Satavar : 5 kg
Ghritkumari (aloe Vera juice) : 2 lts
Til oil (sesame seed oil) : 3 lts
Mangraila : 5 kg
Ajwain : 500 gm
Sodium benzoate : 80 gm

Process: steam cook Amla – deseed – pulp – fry in clarified butter and til oil to retain minimum moisture, fried Pisthi will be 35 kg – make a paste of Satavar – mix Jaggery well in water to form a solution – add Pisthi to Jaggery solution and mix well, cooking at 80 degrees– add Satavar - add all additives and preservatives – cook till paste – pour immediately in final pack or else it will solidify.

Different herbs have different utility, to give it a commercial sense, Satavar, mangraila and Jaggery has been used to enhance lactation.
In fact, it’s quite good enough for human consumption.