SOUTH KOKAN COASTAL ZONE

Sr. Name No. Zone of the Geo graphical location Geographical Climatic Average Soiltype spread of conditions annual the zone/ rainfall Districts and tahsils included Comprises mainly of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg Districts Total area of the zone is 13.20 lakh ha.area under culivation 3.5 lakh ha. Daily temp. above 20 C. Through out the year.May hottest above 33 C. Rainfall due to SW monsoon from June to Sept. 3105 Laterite. PH mm in 5.5-6.5 101 acidic, poor days in phosphorous rich in nitrogen and Potasscium Crop and cropping pattern

Veryhighrainfall 15.30 to zone with 18.50 N laterite soils Latitude 72 45 to 74 50 E Longitude

Rice is the major crops i.e. 39% of cultivated area. Ragi 2nd imp crop 0.45 lakh. Ha. Vari is a minor hillmillet grown on the slopes, pulses like horsegram grown on residual moisture. OilseedsNiger/ Sesamum, area under Summer Ground nut, Jowar and Tur is likely to increase with irrigation. Horticultural cropsMango, Coconut, Arecanut, Cashewnut Jackfruit, Banana and Pineapple Spices like clove Nutmeg and Blackpepper

NORTH KOKAN COASTAL ZONE

Sr. Name Ge Geographical Climatic No. of the ographical spread of the conditions Zone location zone/Districts and tahsils included II Very high rainfall zone with non lateritic 17 52 to 20 20 latitude 70 70 to 73 48 E longitude Comprises of Thane & Raigad districts. Total area 16.59 lakh.haNet sown area 4.69 lakh.haWith Avg.daily temp 22 to 30C.Mini. temp17 to 27 C. Humidity 98%in rainy Average annual rainfall Soiltype Crop and cropping pattern

2607 mm in 87 days. Maximum rain received in July

Coarse &shallow. PH5.5to 6.5, acidic Rich in nitrogen, poor in phosphorus

Rice is major crop 40,600 lakh.ha Vari 19,600 ha.Pulses-udid/ tur Vegetablesbrinjal, tomato

soils

forest zone season & i.e.41% about 3%. 32% winter-60% of land is under forest.

& potash.

Oilseedssesamum, nigerFruitsbanana, chicoo

WESTERN GHAT ZONE

Sr. Name Geo No. of the graphical Zone location Geo graphical Climatic Average spread of the conditions annual zone/ rainfall Districts and tahsils included It includes hilly high lying terrains of kolahapur, satara, pune, ahmednagar & nasik districts & small area of sindhudurg district. Altitude varies fron 10001900mt Maximum temp. ranges from 2939 C. Minimum temp ranges from 1320 C. 3000 to 6000 mm. Rainfall recorded in different places of the zone viz Igatpuri, Lonawala, Maha baleshwar, & Radhanagari. Soiltype Crop and pattern cropping

III

Western Ghat Zone /Ghat zone

Narrow strip extending from north to south along the crest of Sahyadri ranges

'Warkas' i.e. light laterite & reddish brown. Distinctly acidic, poor fertility low phosphorous & potash content.

25% area is under forest. Principal crops-rice/ragi/ kodra & other cereals. Rabi jowar, gram, groundnut, niger. Sugarcane major crop. Area under spices 353 ha. Fruits & vegetables 2933 ha. Well suited conditions for rainfed crops. Fruits-mango, cashew, jackfruit, jamun and karwanda.

TRANSITION ZONE -1
Sr. Name of Geo Geographical Climatic No. the Zone graphical spread of the conditions location zone/Districts and tahsils included IV Sub Montane Zone/ Transition Zone 1 Located on eastern slopes of Sahyadri ranges Spreads over 19 tahsils of five districts viz, nasik, pune, satara, sangli & kolhapur. The area of the zone Average maximum temperature is between 28-35 C and minimum 14-19 C Average annual rainfall Soiltype Crop and pattern cropping

700-2500 mm.Rains received mostly from S-W monsoon.

Soils are Mainly dominated by kharif cereals, reddish & brown to groundnut black sugarcane. Rabi tending to crops are taken lateritic. PH where there are deep 6-7.Well soils & moisture supplied in holding capacity. nitrogen but Vegetables-potato, low in onion, chillies,

measures 10,289 Sq Km

phosphorous tomato &brinjal. & potash Fruits-mango, banana, guava cashew & grapes.

TRANSTION ZONE-2
Sr. Name of Geo Geographica Climatic Average No the Zone graphica l spread of conditions annual . l the zone/ rainfall location Districts and tahsils included V Western Maharashtr a Plain Zone /Transition2 It is a wider strip running parallel to e astern side of Sub Montane Zone. This zone includes tahsils of Dhule, Ahmednagar , Sangli & central tahsils of Nasik, Pune, Satara & Kolhapur districts. Geographica l area 17.91 lakh ha.Net area sown is 8.86 Lakh ha. Water availabilit y ranges from 120150 days .Maximu m temp erature 40 C & minimum 5 C. Well distribute d rainfall 700 to 1200 mm. Soiltype Crop and cropping pattern

Topograph y is plain. Soils greyish black .Moderatel y alkaline 7.48.4, lowest layer is 'Murum' strata. Fair in NPK content. Well drained & good for irrigation.

The zone is predominantl y a kharif tract suitable for single rainfed crop. Principal crops grown -kharif & rabi jowar, bajra, groundnut, wheat, sugarcane, udid, tur gram & ragi.

SCARCITY ZONE
Sr. Name of Geo Geo Climatic No the Zone graphica graphical conditions . l spread location of the zone/ Districts and tahsils included VI Western Maharashtr a Scarcity Zone/ Scarcity Zone This zone covers geo graphical area of Suffers from very low rainfall with uncertainty & illdistribution Average annual rainfall Soiltype Crop and cropping pattern

Less than 750mm in 45 days. Two peaks of rainfall.,

General topography is having slope between 12%. Infiltration

Based on bimodal distributio n of rainfall hence two

73.23 lakh ha. The gross & net cultivate d area is 58.42 ad 53.0 lakh ha res pectively .

. Occurance of drought is noted once in three years. Dry spell varies from 2-10 weeks. Water availability 60-140 days. Which is affected due to 1) delayed onset of monsoon 2) early cesation of monsoon. Maximum temperature 41 C minimum 14-15 C

1) June/ July2) september . Bimodal pattern of rainfall.

rate is 6-7 mm/hr.The soils are vertisol. Soils have Montmorilonit e clay. Poor in nitrogen, low to medium in phosphate & well supplied in potash.

cropping systems are noticed. During kharif shallow & poor moisture retentive soils are cultivated. Medium deep, moisture holding capacity soils are diverted to rabi cropping. Kharif cropping 25-30%. Cropsbajra, jowar, groundnut, safflower, pulses etc. Productivit y is rather low in both the seasons.

Konde has set up a polyhouse on two-and-a-half acres of land in Kamthadi and is one of the main producers and suppliers of gerbera and carnation flowers in the Kamthadi, Kelwade and Degaon villages of Bhor taluka. This area has around 70 polyhouses set up by farmers in the last three years. Other crops grown in Bhor taluka are tomato and brinjal, which have also been affected. While the area under conventional crops is larger, the returns from polyhouses has proved to be higher, prompting farmers to bring more area under polyhouses. Aside from the polyhouse, Konde grows tomatoes on an area of five acres. The loss on the tomatoes, he says, will be the same as the loss due to partial damage of his polyhouse. "I need to remove the damaged tomato crop from the open farm and buy new seeds. I will have to buy a new plastic sheet to cover the polyhouse and repair or replace the steel beams. I don't think my polyhouse will yield flowers in the coming weeks as the plants will take a long time to recover," said Konde.

Vikas Konde, another polyhouse owner from the same area said, "The rains have disrupted electricity supply to the area. Most of the polyhouses have a mechanised watering system and it has been difficult to water the plants manually as they are ultra sensitive as far as quantity of water, fertilisers and even slight changes in weather conditions are concerned." Arjun Mandhare of Kamthadi village told TOI that officers of the insurance company had arrived on Friday. Many farmers have started repair work immediately, he said, as crops in the polyhouses are vulnerable to climate change and the farmers are worried they may not get proper compensation from the insurance company. Medha Borse, president of the Flower Growers' Association, Maharashtra said, "As per our information, the polyhouses in Satara, Pune, and Nashik have been affected much more than those in Kolhapur and Sangli, the other two districts with polyhouse activity. Though the polyhouses cover a smaller area, the losses are higher because of the higher investment. The farmers need to be compensated immediately. The association has written a letter to the state government urging them to look into the matter." There is 350 hectares of land under polyhouses spread across the state,

Varne Flora is a brand name for group farming success at village Varne near Satara in Maharstara State. Under the guidance of Mr Mansing Pawar, a great personality in marathi film industry as well as Maharastra State agree-revolution, few farmers came together to form a group and started producing polyhouse flowers like Gerbera, Carnesian etc.Day by day all other farmers joined them and now there is huge group of farmers started their polyhouses instead of traditional farming.Now due to success of this group farming movement, we decided to highlight this success and a Varne villlage through this website. The name Satara derives form the seven (sat) hills (tara) surrounding the town. Including Mahabaleswar and Panchgani, there are several beautiful places situated in Satara district like varne. Satara was the capital of Maratha Kingdom spreaded over 14 lacks square kilometer. This land has rich heritage. Several great warriors, kings,saints, and great personalities create their historical evidence in the history of Maharashtra. There is one of the famous temple of god Kalbhairavnath. A Mandir is situated at Hiltop is also known as Kalbhairavnath Mandir is well known in whole satara region. A "Hemadpanthi Mandir" is known as Jagrut Devasthan in Varne village.

Varne Village in Maharstara state is a very good example of the Agricultural Revolution. This village is known in flower market for its fresh greenhouse flowers. Variety of flowers like Gerbera,Carnesian are produced in a bulk

quantities.More than 50 Acres polyhouse construction is done in Varne.

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Gerbera Cultivation

Effective P.roduction, Efficient Packaging, Export Group Farming Carnation Production Satara Pride Varne Flora is a brand name for group farming success at village Varne near Satara in Maharstara State. Under the guidance of Mr Mansing Pawar, a great personality in marathi film industry as well as Maharastra State agreerevolution, few farmers came together to form a group and started producing polyhouse flowers like Gerbera, Carnesian etc.Day by day all other farmers joined them and now there is huge group of farmers started their polyhouses instead of traditional farming.Now due to success of this group farming movement, we decided to highlight this success and a Varne villlage through this website. The name Satara derives form the seven (sat) hills (tara) surrounding the town. Including Mahabaleswar and Panchgani, there are several beautiful places situated in Satara district like varne. Satara was the capital of Maratha Kingdom spreaded over 14 lacks square kilometer. This land has rich heritage. Several great warriors, kings,saints, and great personalities create their historical evidence in the history of Maharashtra. There is one of the famous temple of god Kalbhairavnath. A Mandir is situated at Hiltop is also known as Kalbhairavnath Mandir is well known in whole satara region. A "Hemadpanthi Mandir" is known as Jagrut Devasthan in Varne village. Horticulture Training Centre Survey No. 398-400 Near C.R.P.F. Camp Pune Mumbai Highway Talegaon-Dabhade Tal-Maval Dist-Pune Phone- 02114-223980 E-mail nipht_htc@rediffmail.com
There are about 2,200 greenhouses in the Maan, Khatav and Koregaon talukas and the prospects of higher returns on investment are encouraging more and more farmers to set up greenhouses. The current challenge for the business is the increase in prices of water soluble fertilisers. These fertilisers are imported at a high cost, as they are not produced domestically. The other input costs are purchase of

saplings where each sapling costs around Rs 30. Also, red soil has to be bought and transported to the greenhouses. y The cumulative investment for a 10-guntha greenhouse is around Rs 2 lakh and it increases with the size of the greenhouse. The government has also provided a subsidy to those farmers whose greenhouse need replantation, Patil said. Vedantikaraje Bhosale, chairperson of the Ajinkyatara fruits and flowers trading co-operative society, said, "Major markets for these flowers are Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Pune. Train and air service is used to transport the commodities as they have a short shelf life. Many farmers are growing coloured (red and yellow) capsicum, which is in great demand from luxurious hotels." Vikas Patil, district superintending agriculture officer, said, "A greenhouse is constructed over minimum 10 guntha land, which is one fourth of one acre. A farmer can plant 3,000 saplings in the 10 guntha piece of land, which produces close to 90,000 flowers annually. Jerbera attracts around Rs 2.50 per stem whereas Carnations and Dutch roses are marketed at Rs 8 to Rs 10 per flower. The capsicum, which has higher demand from luxurious hotels, fetches around Rs 50 Rs 150 per kg." Such high value agriculture produce has not only increased the farmers' income, but has also generated employment in these talukas. "Today, every worker in the greenhouse earns around Rs 100 to Rs 150 per day," he added. The current challenge for the business is the increase in prices of water soluble fertilisers. These fertilisers are imported at a high cost, as they are not produced domestically. The other input costs are purchase of saplings where each sapling costs around Rs 30. Also, red soil has to be bought and transported to the greenhouses.
Food Crops. The main food crops are sugarcane, jowar, bajra, rice and when among cereals; gram, matki, udid and tur among pulses; and fruits and vegetables. Food crops covered 12,92,200 acres or 71.4 per cent, of the total cropped area of 18,08,700 acres in 1956.57 Jowar covered an area of 4,97,500 acres (38.5 per cent.) [These are percentages to total area under food crops.] bajra 4,02,800 acres (31.2 per cent.), rice 57,400 acres (4.4 per cent), wheat 33,200 acres (2.6 per cent.), gram 44,100 acres (3.4 per cent.), tur, 20,500 acres (1.6 per cent), udid 26,900 acres (2.1 per cent), math48,700 acres (3.8 per cent.), sugars 14,000 acres (little over one per cent.) and groundnut 1,42,400 acres (11 per cent.). Non-food Crops. Groundnut, safflower, chillies and cotton are the important non- food crops. In 19.56-57 groundnut commanded an area of 1,42,400 acres or 7.9 per cent, of the total cropped area; safflower 20,800 acres or 1.1 per cent.; chillies 6,100 acres or 0.3 per cent, and cotton 3,800 acres or 0.2 per cent. Groundnut and chillies are the important commodities of export.

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HYPPTHESIS OF THE STUDY Satara district is one of the leading district in onions cultivation in Maharashtra and Agro Produce market Committees are playing an important role in marketing of Onions in Satara district WEBSITES www.agri.gov

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www.agriwatch.com www.agrowan.com www.agmarket.com www. agri.mah. nic.in www.agric.gov.ab.ca www.agricultureonline.com www.msamb.com

The districts of Sangli and Kolhapur in the south of the state where the Shivsadan biogas programme surveyed is located, continue to be extensively agricultural areas. The emphasis here is on the sugar industry and on the cooperative movement of Maharashtra. The Cooperative Farmers' Association has around 32,000 farmers as members. These and another 10,000 nonmembers from a total of 151 villages in the two districts cultivate sugar cane over a total cropland area of 40,000 acres (approx. 16,200 hectares). Every year around 1 million tonnes of sugar cane are delivered to the factory at Sangli. The Sangli Sugar Mill belongs to the cooperative and is the third largest sugar mill in India. The mill, employing approx. 2,500 workers and salaried staff, generates approx. 850 million Rs (approx. 50 million DM) annually. Apart from sugar, alcohol, acetic acid and animal feedstuffs are also produced. The cooperative not only provides an income for the 2,500 employees, the 32,000 members and the 10,000 farmers who are non-members but also for around 25,000 seasonal workers. Biogas technology is also promoted by the cooperative; a subsidy of RS 500 for building a plant is paid to members on application. Also bank guarantees allow access to credits for building biogas plants.
http://indiangov.in/commerce 9. http://krishiseva.com/article2010 10. http://agriproductsinindia.com, 11. http://agricoop.nic.in 12. http://mahaagri.nic.in