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Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa

In the imperial Gazetteer of India 1878, Pusa was recorded as a government estate of about 1350 acres in Darbhanba. It was acquired by East India Company for running a stud farm to supply better breed of horses mainly for the army. Frequent incidence of glanders disease (swelling of glands), mostly affecting the valuable imported bloodstock made the civil veterinary department to shift the entire stock out of Pusa. A British tobacco concern Beg Sutherland & co. got the estate on lease but it also left in 1897 abandoning the government estate of Pusa. Lord Mayo, The Viceroy and Governor General, had been repeatedly trying to get through his proposal for setting up a directorate general of Agriculture that would take care of the soil and its productivity, formulate newer techniques of cultivation, improve the quality of seeds and livestock and also arrange for imparting agricultural education. The government of India had invited a British expert. Dr. J. A. Voelcker who had submitted as report on the development of Indian agriculture. As a follow-up action, three experts in different fields were appointed for the first time during 1885 to 1895 namely, agricultural chemist (Dr. J. W. Leafer), cryptogamic botanist (Dr. R. A. Butler) and entomologist (Dr. H. Maxwell Lefroy) with headquarters at Dehradun (U.P.) in the forest Research Institute complex. Surprisingly, until now Pusa, which was destined to become the centre of agricultural revolution in the country, was lying as before an abandoned government estate. In 1898. Lord Curzon took over as the viceroy. A widely traveled person and an administrator, he salvaged out the earlier proposal and got London’s approval for the appointment of the inspector General of Agriculture to which the first incumbent Mr. J. Mollison (Dy. Director of Agriculture, Bombay) joined in 1901 with headquarters at Nagpur The then government of Bengal had mooted in 1902 a proposal to the centre for setting up a model cattle farm for improving the dilapidated condition of the livestock at Pusa estate where plenty of land, water and feed would be available, and with Mr. Mollison’s support this was accepted in principle. Around Pusa, there were many British planters and also an indigo research centre Dalsing Sarai (near Pusa). Mr. Mollison’s visits to this mini British kingdom and his strong recommendations. In favour of Pusa as the most ideal place for the Bengal government project obviously caught the attention for the viceroy.

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  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    A STUDY ON EXPORT OF MAJOR MARINE PRODUCTS FROM INDIA
    (Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2023) JEEVITHA, G N; Singh, K. M.
    Indian fisheries sector contributed immensely to the country’s economic development as it is a promising contributor to foreign exchange earnings. Developing countries have inevitably acquired a superior position as international fish exporters. India occupies 3rd position as an international producer and 5th position as an international exporter in 2020. The growth of marine products exports benefits the country’s economy as it supports nutritional security and provides livelihood opportunities for coastal communities. The marine product exports contribution to India's total agricultural exports and its status as a consistent net exporter underscore its importance in international trade dynamics. The present study focuses on the international trade aspect of the India’s marine products to understand trends, export dynamics and market shifts over the period. The study revealed that the Crustacean exports primarily drove India’s total marine exports. Although Crustacean exports grew substantially over the second period (2011-2021), both in terms of quantity (11%) and value (10.45%), the unit value realization was not up to the mark. They were highly concentrated towards importers like UAS and China and highly competitive in the international market concerning both agricultural exports (average RSCA value of 0.69) and total merchandise exports (average RSCA value of 0.76) over the study period. The USA was the stable destination for India’s Crustaceans export. India’s Molluscs exports, though increased both in terms of quantity and value, their share in total exports remained more or less constant around 13 to 19 per cent. The Molluscs exported from India were competitive with average RSCA value of 0.51 concerning total merchandise exports and 0.38 with respect to agricultural exports over the study period and moderately concentrated in European countries and China. On the other hand, Frozen Fish exports were highly unstable both in terms of quantity (33.37) and value (35.95) during overall period. Their exports declined in recent years in both quantity and value terms, and their competitiveness exhibited a declining trend over the period. Their exports were highly concentrated towards China and Thailand. In recent years, China occupied the second position as a key importer of India’s marine products with a market share of 18.20 per cent and was also found to be the stable market for Molluscs export with retention probability of 0.83. Thailand has become one among India’s top five destinations, while Japan’s share declined over the study period. The study suggested emphasizing value addition and product development to improve the per-unit value of the exports. It is high time that India needs to diversify its exports in terms of both geographic destinations and export product basket to avoid risk and enhance its exports. India needs to improve its quality standards further to enhance its exports by gaining more comprehensive market access. It is also suggested to engage itself in trade negotiations to reduce market risks which can be very promising to sustain its exports in the long run.