Mohammad Hafeez, veteran veterinarian and retired professor at Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University receiving ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from Vice-Chancellors S.C. Parija (Sri Balaji Vijayepeeth, Pondicherry) and P.K. Roul (Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology) at the National Congress of Veterinary Parasitology in Bhubaneshwar on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU) former Vice-Chancellor in-charge and a retired professor of veterinary parasitology Mohammad Hafeez received the ‘Stephen K. Wikel IAAVP Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the 3 rd National Congress of Veterinary Parasitology held at Bhubaneshwar on Tuesday.
He received the award from Vice-Chancellors S.C. Parija (Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Pondicherry) and P.K. Roul (Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology) at the event organised by Indian Association for Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (IAAVP). The award was presented in recognition of his path-breaking research undertaken in the field of parasitology.
Prof. Hafeez is currently a research advisory member of ICAR’s National Research Centre on Equines (Hissar, Haryana) and Maulana Azad Education Foundation’s inspecting authority.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Andhra Pradesh / by A.D. Rangarajan / December 07th, 2022
Prof Nafees Ahmad Khan, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, has been declared as the Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI).
The National Academy of Sciences, recognises researchers who excel in the field of their research as Fellow of the Academy, which is considered as the most coveted accomplishment in academics.
Prof Khan has worked on the mechanisms of hormonal and nutritional regulation of plant development with emphasis on plant resilience against stressful environments using nutriomics and metabolomics.
He has published many research papers in crucial high Impact Factors journals and collaborated internationally for research. He has published about 200 research papers（H-index 67; i–10 index 175）and was noted as one of the most-cited Indian researchers in the area of Plant Science by Elsevier every year from 2019 to 2022.
He has edited 19 books published by Elsevier, Springer-Nature, Frontiers, NOVA, Alpha Science and others. Supervised research projects focused on signalling molecules-nutriomics and abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms, and served as Editor/Guest Editor of the leading plant science journals, published by Elsevier, Frontiers, Springer-Nature MDPI.
Prof Khan is also fellow of The Linnean Society, Indian Botanical Society, Indian Society for Plant Physiology.
source: http://www.amu.ac.in / Aligarh Muslim University / Home / by Public Relations Office / November 04th, 2022
The 52-year-old Devanahalli farmer grows Avocados, Macadamia nuts, Rambutan, Bush Orange, Water Apple, Star Fruit and Lychee Thai Guava among others in his one-acre nursery.
Avocados. (Photo|Associated Press)
Bengaluru :
Eleven years ago, Mohammed Adil bid adieu to his 20-year-old gemstone business and turned to his interest in growing tropical fruit plants full-time. The decision helped him reap rich dividends as now his turnover by selling exotic saplings in Bengaluru is over Rs 1 crore annually.
The 52-year-old Devanahalli farmer grows Avocados, Macadamia nuts, Rambutan, Bush Orange, Water Apple, Star Fruit and Lychee Thai Guava among others in his one-acre nursery.
“I had 4 acres of land where I had many Jamun trees. But, since the yield was less, I searched for exotic fruit trees and my journey as a farmer began 11 years ago. I converted one acre into a nursery where I grew all the mother saplings. In Avocado alone, I have 13 types with four types named after Bengaluru nursery,” said Adil.
In the last five years, he has sold over lakh Avocado saplings. “This tropical fruit is easy to grow with zero maintenance and the yield is just in three years. All one has to do is ensure good care for the first two years,” said Adil.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Mohammed Yacoob , Express News Service / November 04th, 2022
Jabbarkhan Honnalli, a former minister for the state of Karnataka, passed away on Friday morning at the age of 80. Honnalli had been experiencing health issues for some days as well as also was receiving treatment in a specialized hospital when he passed away this morning.
In 1989, Janata Dal put him forward for the Karnataka Legislative Council.
Later, he joined the Congress party and twice won election to the Hubli City constituency. He was the minister of youth development and sports in the coalition government of the Congress and JDS in 2004.
He also served as the president of Hubli Anjuman E Islam.
Following are his works.
1. From 1966 to 1980, I spent 18 years as a teacher at Model Urdu Girls School No. 1.
2. He was actively working on behalf of society’s poor and needy, particularly those from marginalised and minority communities.
3. Established in Hubli in 1984 the Alfarah Education as well as Cultural Association.
4. In 1962, the Youth Muslim Academic Association was founded in Hirekerur, Dharwar District.
5. This Association established a primary girls school in Hirekerur.
6. From 1975 to 1978, acted as joint secretary of the Karnataka Muslim Academy in Hubli.
7. Muslim Jamat, Keshwapur, Hubli, established and built an Arabic school at its own expense.
8. Spent two years in Dandeli serving as an executive member of the Muslim Educational Association of North Karnataka.
9. From 1964 to 1966, I worked as the Poor Boys General Hostel’s secretary in Hubli.
10. Initiated the Hubli Taj Nagar Co-operative Residential Society in 1972. Distributed fully completed plots to minority communities and the society’s poorer members. Serving as president ever since it began.
11. Since 1980, serving as the honorary secretary of the Sri Kadasiddeshwar Cooperative Housing Society. Has given worthy underprivileged people from all facets of society house sites.
12. Since 1985, has served as president of Diyanat Urban Co-operative Finance Society in Hubli.
13. Founded Kamadhenu Cooperative Housing Society in Hubli and served as its honorary secretary from 1978 to 1980.
14. From 1978 to 1981, he served as the director of the Hubli-based Forest Labour Cooperative Society.
source: http://www.en.bebaak.in / Bebaak.in / Home> Karnataka / by Hritik Mishra / October 07th, 2022
Bharova Village (Bhaderwah District) ,JAMMU & KASHMIR:
Haji Mohammad Shafi Sheikh from Kashmir quit his job as a contractor in a forest corporation to grow exotic red pears that now fetch him more than Rs 25 lakh a year.
In 1980, Haji Mohammad Shafi Sheikh, a contractor in a forest corporation, was on a routine visit to Kashmir. He was scheduled to meet his younger brother Abdul Rashid Sheikh and cousin Ghulam Nabi, who was pursuing a degree in Engineering at Srinagar’s Engineering College.
The trio decided to explore a few of the tourist destinations. They started their journey with Nishat, a picturesque area of Srinagar, which houses the famed Mughal Garden, home to mighty Chinars.
A road on the outskirts took them to a beautiful garden of green pears, where Shafi and the others spent hours relishing and enquiring about the fruit.
Their interest in the garden grew to the extent that Shafi embarked on a mission to grow a similar orchard in his native village Bharova in Bhaderwah.
Bharova was still oblivious to the existence of these fruits, given its topography and the fact that locals only cultivated maize and fodder to feed their animals.
“The entire area of Bahrova is hilly and maize was the only crop being grown by farmers because of the drought-prone conditions. People were not financially stable due to which they couldn’t explore other options over maize to earn a livelihood,” Shafi says.
In the same year, he took a few saplings of pears and walnuts home and sowed them adjacent to his house to track their growth.
“Surprisingly, plants grew normally and within a few years started bearing fruits. It was very much encouraging for me and my interest grew to sow more plants to give an idea to the people about the scope of horticulture in my area,” Shafi says.
The 74-year-old now annually harvests 3,000 boxes of exotic red pears enough to fetch him more than Rs 25 lakh. “The maize which I grew in my fields would fetch me only Rs 4,000 per annum. Often we suffered crop failures and farmers were becoming poorer. But now, farmers of my area are financially stable,” he says.
Apart from pears and apples, Shafi also harvests 15-20 quintals of walnuts annually.
Horticulture Sheikh of Bhaderwah
Exotic red pears grown by Shafi Sheikh
The journey of growing pears on land which was confined to just fodder and maize a few decades before was not easy for Shafi. It was indeed a work of patience and determination for him, who would take the help of experts to have disease-free produce.
“In 1993 when I saw my pears growing, I left my job immediately and devoted my entire time to horticulture. I always had a hope that my efforts will change the fate of the people of my village,” he says.
After reaping benefits from his efforts, Shafi finally decided to completely abandon the custom of growing maize in 2002 and shifted to horticulture, despite opposition from his neighbours and family. “It was a very difficult decision for me and people would often question me for giving up maize cultivation. The initial years were full of hardships as plants needed years to bear fruits,” he says.
Growing native pears and walnuts didn’t satisfy his appetite and Shafi finally sought help from Sher-i- Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology Jammu to grow exotic red pears, which he only had heard about till then.
“Seeing my commitment and desire to expand my orchard scientifically during a routine visit by a team of scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, one of the scientists, Dr Vikas Tandon, who is a professor at SKUAST Jammu handed me a few Italian pear seedlings, which was a significant turning point in my path,” he says.
After successfully growing red pears, he grafted green pears plants with red pear fruits to grow high-quality fruits in his orchard. “Now I have some 250 red pear trees and apart from them, I grow green pears, apples and other variety of fruits. For research, I visited Himachal Pradesh and other states to learn technicalities growing exotic fruits in my orchard,” he says.
He is hoping his production increases in the coming years as scores of his plants are ready to bear fruits. “I keep on experimenting with my orchards. From spraying quality pesticides to timely de-weeding, my production will increase in coming years,” he says.
A ray of hope for Bhaderwah farmers
Seeing Shafi’s hard work bearing fruits, his younger brother Abdul Rashid too has shifted to horticulture and has over 2,500 trees of pears in his orchards. His cousin Ghulam Nabi too followed his path and grew pears on his land to get better returns.
“I feel happy that my village is gradually progressing. I can now see a lot of growers, who are dedicated to growing pears and other fruits in our village,” he says.
Not just Bharova, adjacent villages like Khalo and Shanatra too are gaining recognition for growing exotic Italian red pears. These three villages grow nearly 1.5 metric tonnes of red pears annually.
Many farmers are getting inspired by his efforts and taking of horticulture in the hilly district of Bhaderwah. “Our district was only known for its breathtaking landscape a few decades before. Now, with the efforts of Shafi Sahab, we are growing quality exotic pears, which are very unique and have a huge demand in the market,” says Abdul Sattar, a framer.
Today, 165 households from the villages of Bharova, Khalo, and Shanatra have shifted to cultivating fruits, particularly Italian pears, taking their cue from Shafi.
Horticulture, an employment generator
Haji Mohammad Shafi Sheikh now helps other farmers in the region with practising horticulture.
Ever since Shafi took this initiative, the fate of the village has changed. Horticulture has been the employment provider to the village as more youth associate themselves with the growing pears.
During the season he employs almost 25 people in his orchards, who look after spraying, pruning and harvesting of pears. “Initially I had four boys who would look after my orchards. Now almost 25 boys remain associated with me during harvest season,” he says.
Fifty-year-old Krishan Lal, a resident of village Khalu in Bahderwah has been working for over 15 years with Shafi as a packer. He has been earning a decent livelihood and says, “I was working as a farmer before and my earnings were not enough. Now I earn some Rs 30,000 during the season at Shafi sahab’s garden.”
Shashi, a 35-year-old man too has been associated with the trade of red pears. “Horticulture has a great scope in Bhaderwah and scores of the youth are getting employed in this sector,” he says.
Edited by Yoshita Rao
source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> English> Agriculture / by Firdous Hassan / August 10th, 2022
Sattihalli Village, Gullampete (Chikkamagaluru District) , KARNATAKA :
Proud Umme Sarah receives gold medals from Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Wednesday
Bengaluru :
A girl student from Chikkamagalur district, bagged 16 gold medals at the 11th convocation of the University of Horticulture Science at Bagalkot on Wednesday. As many as 34 students received 77 gold medals during the convocation.
Karnataka Governor Thwar Chand Gehlot gave away the medals to Umme Sarah, daughter of Asmat Ali, a farmer from Gullampete.
Hailing from an agriculture-based family, Umme Sarah came to the horticulture sector inspired by her father’s farming. She studied hard with a government scholarship. Her father grows coffee on four acres of land. He had taken a loan of Rs 1 lakh from the bank for his daughter’s education. Umme Sarah’s mother is a homemaker.
Congratulating the winners, governor Thawar Chand Gehlot said, ““Our country is still agriculture oriented and agriculture graduates have to look out for wall and terrace garden horticulture,” he said.
Umme Sarah said, “There was no compromise when it came to studies since my childhood. My parents always encouraged me.”
I obtained a seat in the university after passing the CET,’ Sarah said.
She also said that she aims to work towards the betterment of Indian farmers and wants to pursue MSc from the university of Padua in Italy for that.
A Master’s Degree will cost anywhere between Rs. 15 lakh and Rs. 20 lakh abroad. Umme Sarah and her parents are expecting a helping hand for loans through banks, government scholarships, and donors.
source: http://www.newstrailindia.com / News Trail / Home / May 27th, 2022
By directly procuring ingredients such as wheat, raggi, millets and almonds needed for products directly from farmers, Shamila ensures a profit for them as well.
Shamila with her husband Muhammed Shahabaz
Ernakulam : :
With adulterated food posing a serious hazard, staying healthy now depends as much on trustworthy sources as on a balanced diet. Worried parents face a difficult time trying to get their children to eat nutritious food.
Doctor-turned-entrepreneur Shamila Shahabaz, 30, is aiming to make life easier for such parents. ‘Mama Papa Zay’, Shamila’s venture, aims to provide a variety of fully homemade and preservative-free products for children, right from eight months old. By procuring ingredients like wheat, ragi, millets and almonds directly from the farmers, the venture is earning profits for them as well.
“The idea struck me when I became a mother,” said Shamila, who is also a certified child nutritionist.
“People, generally, don’t have the habit of reading labels and ingredients before buying a product. This should change. You will stop buying so many products just by reading the ingredients list such as added sugar, artificial flavours and preservatives. It shocked me too and I wondered what to feed my baby. When I started sharing my recipes on social media after my pregnancy, people asked me whether I could make the products myself on a larger scale. Now we are getting orders from all over the world.”
Local farmers are benefiting greatly from Shamila’s initiative. “Kannankaya is the key ingredient used to make banana powder. We have a few local farmers cultivating it, and we directly deal with them. Shops charge Rs 35-40 per kg for the fruit. We pay Rs 20-25 directly to the farmers, who thus get a better deal than selling their produce in the market. Millets, ragi, nuts and other ingredients are similarly sourced from farmers in Salem and Mysuru,” said Mohammed Shahabaz, Shamila’s husband.
“We are playing a small part in trying to transform our society’s health as a whole, by cultivating healthy food habits. This is just a small step, we hope to be known as a trustworthy source of nutritional food for children. Young mothers should never find themselves in the quandary I was in, to identify unadulterated baby food,” said Shamila.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Anuja Susan Varghese, Express News Service / May 22nd, 2022
Dr. Rouf Hamza Boda has documented 100 indigenous and yet little known varieties of mushrooms in the Valley to earn the sobriquet of ‘Mushroom Man of Kashmir’. This includes the most expensive fungi in the world – Gucchi (Morel) – and the exotic Porcini.
Dr Boda is the author of Nano Mushroom Identifier, a Book that is beginners’ guide on mushroom cultivation. He belongs to Doru Shahabad of Anantnag and works as a lecturer in Government Higer secondary School, Verinaag in South Kashmir.
He says, “Since I come from a village (Doru Shahabad, Anantnag), I used to be part of the mushroom hunting groups in spring. I used to collect mushrooms in wicker baskets. Along the way, I often saw mushrooms of various shapes and sizes. Sometimes, seeing the large size of mushroom was intimidating.”
His childhood exposure made his pursue a Master’s degree in Botany and, he followed it up with a doctoral research on Mushrooms.
“My guide, Dr. Abdul Hamid Wani inspired me to research on wild mushrooms. I am the first person in the valley to research on wild mushrooms,” he says.
In his research paper, he has documented about 100 mushrooms from forest areas in South Kashmir and evaluated them for antioxidants. Rauf Hamza Boda says, “I have documented their nutritive value, cultivation pattern and studied their classification.”
He said that all mushrooms are fungi and they produce spores similar to pollen or seeds that are spread by wind. A mushroom mature only after this process is completed.In nature the mushroom grow in soil or on wood.
A local variety of mushroom on South Kashmir jungles
Mushrooms grow well on a pine tree. Hamza explains: “Mushroom extracts water and some minerals from the soil and gives it to the roots of these trees and the tree undergoes photosynthesis. This in turn produces many sugars for the mushroom.”
He says Kashmir has many naturally growing types of mushrooms, some of which are edible, including well-known species such as buttons, oysters, porcini and chanterelles, he said.
However, there are inedible ones too that can cause abdominal pain, or vomiting if eaten. Some can even prove fatal.
He says mushrooms are today known for their significant health benefits as these contain a variety of medicinal properties. “Mushroom is a low calorie food. It is rich in many health-boosting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Mushrooms have been recognized as an important part of the diet.
For example, mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light are a good source of vitamin D, an important component in bone and immune health. In addition, many of them have anti-cancer properties.”
However, he pointed out that climate change and urbanization have affected many mushroom species. As a result, there has been a gradual decline in the mushroom production including that of Gucchi mushrooms.
“I have been tracking them for the last 10 years. It is estimated that their production has decreased as a result of climate change, deforestation and habitat destruction. Similarly, other mushrooms that grow in early spring, such as the monkey cap, are beginning to disappear. Earlier, they were seen in March and April.
He said that mushroom growing is a profitable venture for anyone who has the basic knowledge about the technique and art of growing mushrooms.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Youth / by awazthevoice.in / May 03rd, 2022
8 yrs into venture, V Hakeem has over 150 cows and supplies 650l of milk daily, reports A SATISH
Palakkad :
By 2am, V Hakeem is on his feet. He then goes to his coconut grove, located more than a kilometre away, and wakes up his eight migrant workers. And they begin work at his dairy farm in the village of Kamblichungam near Chittur. Hakeem’s foray into dairy farming happened with the cost of purchasing manure for his coconut grove becoming unaffordable. “So I decided to set up a dairy farm inside the grove,” he recounts.
Eight years down the line, Hakeem now has more than 150 cows and supplies 650 litres of milk daily to the Panniperunthala milk society, of which he is the president.
On Friday, he received the district’s best farmer award instituted by the dairy development department. Last year, he supplied 1.36 lakh litres of milk. Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister J Chinchurani gave away the award. “It is the involvement of the farmer that brings in the results,” Hakeem says.“Apart from high-breed varieties like Holstein Friesian and Jerseys, we also have native varieties like Sahiwal, Vechur and Gir.”
He decided to set up the shed there as the cows can be housed in a cool place. “There are coconut palms on all sides, which helps the cattle stay cool and produce more milk. The only issue is that I have to replace the sheets of the shed occasionally as dry palm leaves fall on them.”
He now plans to install a machine that can automatically milk 20 cows in seven minutes. “It will reduce the workload,” he points out. Hakeem says dairy farmers should be given at least Rs 50 per litre to ensure a minimum return on investment, with the cost of feed and other inputs increasing substantially.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by A Satish, Express News Service / April 03rd, 2022
The land was handed to the Government Higher Primary School in Bachegowdanahalli, and registered in the name of the headmaster, who can utilise it to enable rural children avail education.
Mohammed Rakib hands over land documents to the Bachegowdanahalli government school authorities at the registration office in HD Kote
Mysuru :
At a time when the hijab row has engulfed most districts of the state, a Muslim family from a remote village in HD Kote taluk of Mysuru district has donated 2.5 acres of their land to a government school in a bid to promote education.
Fulfilling the dream of their late father Mohammed Jafar, a resident of Marchalli village, who had pledged to donate a piece of land for serving the educational needs of children in the neighbouring villages and improving literacy rate, his children have now donated 2.5 acres, valued at over Rs 50 lakh, for the purpose.
The land was handed to the Government Higher Primary School in Bachegowdanahalli, and registered in the name of the headmaster, who can utilise it to enable rural children avail education. Speaking to TNIE, Jafar’s son Mohammed Rakib said, “My ‘Ayya’ (father) had pledged to donate a plot of land to the school, to ensure that no one is deprived of education and help improve the literacy rate in the region.
We are six siblings — four brothers and two sisters. We had a discussion and decided to give away 2.5 acres as per the wishes of our late father, and we got the land registered in favour of the school on February 15.”
The family, which is into agriculture, owns over 12 acres of land in the village and has donated 2.5 acres of it. Their hope that if there is any dearth of classrooms, new ones can be built on the donated land, or the latter can also be turned into a playground for children, or used for other development activities.
Expressing happiness over the gesture, HD Kote Block Education Officer Chandrakanth said, “The donated land can be utilised to help develop the school and also for the construction of new classrooms, if required, in future. This gesture of the family is exemplary and will motivate others to help.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Karthik KK, Express News Service / Februrary 18th, 2022
