Our Units

Our Units

Background:

The Area Agronomic & Training Centre (AATC) was established during 1986, in an area of 93.37 acres uncultivated land provided by the Govt. of Karnataka (Department of Agriculture), on long lease for a period of 30 years @ Rs 100 / acre / annum.

The initial infrastructure viz: farm development, office / quarters buildings, canteen, dormitory, guest house & storage go downs, cattle shed, farm equipments including tractor & bullocks etc were funded by the NDDB, under the Restructuring of Oilseed & Vegetable Oil Project.

The Farm is located 8 Kms away from Haveri town and 1 Km from Haveri - Hangal / Sirsi (Hosahally Cross) State Highway towards Kerimathihally village.

The Soil is of mainly light – red loamy / shallow type requiring frequent irrigation. The water is saline with high fluoride content. The water table is 350-400 Ft. depth. The average rainfall in the region ranges between 400 – 500 mm and it is in the border of transition rainfall zone.

Objective:

The AATC has got responsibility to undertake the production of foundation seed from the breeder seed, obtained from Univ. of Agril. Sciences / ICAR Institutes to take it up to certified seed, as part of the “seed chain”, for further supply to farmers. Also the newly released varieties / hybrids are tested at the Farm. The Training Centre organizes training programmes to the farmers/ P& I staff on the advanced agricultural technologies.

The AATC is acting like a ‘Nerve Centre’ of all the field activities for all the Oil Unions & KOF. The farmers / P & I staff are brought as part of different training programmes and are shown the new technology (for further popularization of innovation / advances in agril. production practices) by laying out field demonstrations / crop cafeteria during the seasons, besides imparting training.

The AATC has four functional units:

1.	AATC Farm
2.	Training Centre
3.	Seed Production Activity (Outside the farm)
4.	Seed Cell Co-ordination Unit

AATC Farm

Out of the total area of 93.37 acres, 75 acres block is in the main campus and balance 18.50 acres block is situated 1 Km away from the main campus, which is brought under cultivation only during the last Kharif ’05. However, only 75 acres is cultivable land, excluding the offices & go down, quarters, cattle shed, buildings, besides roads / bunds etc. The main campus area is bounded by barbed wire fencing and partly with compound wall – in the frontage.

Out of 5 bore wells, 4 are functioning with 1-1.5 inch water yield sufficient to irrigate about 6 acres in the rabi-summer season besides helping to give protective irrigations to plantation crops ( coconut trees).

The seed multiplication activity at farm is restricted to only breeder to foundation stage. Mainly sunflower, soybean, groundnut, maize, cotton, safflower are taken up on rotation basis. The other crops such as sugarcane, banana were also tried on commercial basis.
During the current rabi-summer season, Sunflower –AB Line (6 acres at farm & 15 acres at farmers land), Safflower (10 acres) foundation seed production and Safflower (20 acres) commercial programme is organized during rabi’ 05-06.

The Training Centre started functioning during 1992 onwards, under the financial assistance from NDDB, with an objective to impart training to the selected farmers from Oilseed Growers Co-op. Societies (OGCS) and field ( P& I) staff on improved farm practices. The training activities were in full swing up to 1999-2000, with NDDB / OPP/ NOVODB assistance.
The training programmes to Seed Growers, OGCS Secretaries, MC Members Revival of OGCS and P&I / Marketing staff are organized. The training / infrastructure facility is also being utilized by voluntary organizations / other govt. depts. on a nominal fee basis.
However, now the training programmes are organized only on need based requirements of all the three Oil Unions & KOF. The Resource Persons for the training programme are being drawn from the Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad and Bangalore besides Agril. Research Stations based on the crop specialization. The resource persons from local Co-op. dept. / audit and other related organizations are also invited.

Canteen & Dormitory facilities:

The Training Centre is having a canteen and dormitory for about 30 farmers. The Canteen is run on casual contract basis and the Contractor gets payment only on the basis of number of participants attending the programme. During the other days, the Contractor is finding it difficult to run the canteen for less number of people. At present the boarding facility in the Canteen is not available.

Seed Production activity (Outside the Farm)

AATC is undertaking the foundation / certified seed production programme of sunflower, maize, soybean, groundnut and other crops in the farmers fields during the crop seasons, as a major profit earning activity. This activity involves identification of growers/fields, attending sowings, following timely certifications schedule, crop stages monitoring / field inspections for quality seed production, procurement, processing and packing of the graded seeds.

During current rabi-summer season, around 185 acres sunflower certified seed production programme is organized and the crop stage is ranging from pollination to seed set / harvest stage. Also the seed marketing, other than sunflower, is handled by the AATC through State Department of Agriculture and by tie-up with other seed marketers.
The sunflower graded seed is surrendered to the Seed Cell Unit for further packing & marketing through Regional Oil Unions & dealers network. At present, the majority of sunflower seed is sold through Raitha Samparka Kendras (RSK’s).

Central Seed Cell Unit – Operations

The Seed Cell Unit was established at Raichur Oil Union, Raichur during 1992-93 as a Pilot Project , to make available the sunflower public hybrids to farming community at a reasonable price in competition to high priced private hybrids. However, during 1997-98, the Seed Cell Unit was shifted to KOF, AATC, Haveri, in view of the congenial climatic conditions prevailing in the zone for seed production activities in addition to the farm facility in handling the parental seed multiplication programme.