eChapters

1. Introduction

Have you ever dreamt of exploring an entirely different realm? Envision a place where an alternate version of yourself can freely roam and pursue various activities without the constraints of reality. In this realm, you can engage in work, socialize, acquire possessions, conduct transactions, embark on novel experiences, and revel in unprecedented adventures. Now, imagine that major technology companies are actively developing this virtual world to make it a tangible part of your life. The once fantastical concept of the Metaverse is now poised to become the next major innovation(Jung et al., 2024). It is widely acknowledged by scholars and researchers that the Metaverse is an idea of technology that attracts itself as a three-dimensional monotony of the Internet. Moreover, as noted earlier, definitions of the metaverse in existing literature and among professionals reflect the integration of physical objects in virtual space as a consumable description of the metaverse great role(Dwivedi et al., 2022). The key to any Metaverse technology is their user experience. Analysis of Metaverse applications shows that most current applications are stand-alone or centralized. These applications provide different user experiences, based on the cardinal technology and interface devices used to communicate within virtual environments.2

Introduction

Global economies have witnessed very deepened financial integration in past decade and have more room for leverage. However, these integrations have also witnessed various turmoil in the economy in the form of Russian- Brazil debt crisis, Asian financial crisis, Dot com bubble, Argentina debt crisis, Global financial crisis and many more since 1990s. Due to the existence of globalization, these crises have impacted not only a particular economy but has extended its scope.

The previous studies have found the credit growth and asset prices as a leading indicator. Some studies also showed that the foreign exchange reserve, broad money supply and trade as variables were also statistically significant. These studies have used either the Signal Extraction Approach used by Kaminsky and Reinhart (1999) which used a threshold value as a limit for multiple variables beyond which a crisis signal is given. Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE)in Romania (Brezinski and Stephen, 2011) lost its attractiveness among foreign investors. However, there are not enough resources which focuses on Asian economies or India. The emergence of novel technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, cloud computing, big data analytics, machine learning (ML), internet of things (IoT), and 3-D printing, commonly known as Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0), offers developing nations like India both significant opportunities and challenges. IR4.0 technologies, sometimes referred to as the “digital revolution,” have numerous uses in the industries of services, industry, and agriculture.

Introduction

AI plays a key role in management effectiveness and adaptation, especially in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) facing evolving markets (Lemos S. I. C., et al., 2022). Designing AI-based management frameworks enhances companies’ economic activities through data analysis and informed decision making (Emine, Kalender., 2023). Academic research shows a growing interest in AI in management, with a focus on effective adoption practices and potential areas for development (Jbid, Arsenyan., Anke, Piepenbrink. 2023). Artificial intelligence (AI) significantly influences decision-making processes in management by enhancing rationality, efficiency, and fairness. AI, through machine learning and big data analysis, reduces managerial bounded rationality, enabling a shift from satisficing to optimizing decision making modes (Shtepa, S., et. al., 2023). In human resource management AI-enabled interview analysis improves candidate selection by uncovering hidden patterns and mitigating biases, leading to more objective decisions (Rajneesh, Panwar. 2023). Additionally, by increasing productivity, efficacy and creativity, the incorporation of AI into business strategy transforms decision-making; nonetheless, ethical considerations and human oversight are essential for responsible implementation (Gonesh, C., et. al., 2023).

Introduction

The finance sector is undergoing a profound transformation driven by technological advancements, with artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology at the lead of innovation. AI, characterized by its capacity to analyze vast datasets, recognize patterns, and take data-driven decisions has revolutionized various industries, including finance. On the other hand blockchain technology, initially popularized by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin has arose as a disruptive force in finance, offering decentralized, transparent and secure transactional systems.

The integration of AI and blockchain technology holds immense promise for the finance sector, offering new avenues for efficiency, transparency, and risk management. By combining the analytical power of AI with the security and transparency of blockchain, financial institutions can streamline operations improve customer experiences, and mitigate risks more effectively. However realizing the full potential of this integration requires a nuanced understanding of its complexities, challenges, and opportunities.

Introduction

The phrase “sustainable” has been used so much in recent years-and frequently so imprecisely—that for many people, it has become meaningless or confused, more of a rhetorical chant than a source of useful advice. Lester Brown, the founder of the World Watch Institute, defined a sustainable society as one that can meet its requirements without compromising the opportunities for future generations. This definition is the one that we come across most frequently. Brown wrote this description in the early 1980s. The Brundtland Report, a 1987 United Nations report, addressed this issue and defined sustainable development as development that satisfies present demands without jeopardising the ability of future generations to satiate their own. Despite their obvious limitations speaking simply of human wants, for example, without reference to the natural world-these are significant moral exhortations. They do serve as a helpful reminder that it is our duty to provide our kids and grandkids with an equally abundant planet as we did, but they offer no guidance on how to truly create a sustainable society. When air, water, and minerals interact with living things to fill a specific region, it is referred to as an ecosystem (Tansley, 1935). This word was first used in 1935. Before then, the main goals of land management had been to provide a single item, like food or lumber, or to conserve a single, iconic species.

Introduction

A payment gateway is a server that is located between the web server of the merchant and the web server of the acquiring bank. When a merchant receives an order, it is transferred to the payment gateway by the merchant server.

The payments sector in India is set to reach USD 100 trillion in volume and USD 50 trillion in transactional value by the end of 2030. The payment gateways, which are also a part of the payments sector are set to reach USD 1.21 billion in India, growing at a CAGR of 17.6% between 2024-2029. The global payment gateway landscape as of 2024 stands at USD 16.27 billion growing at a CAGR of 16.43%. Payment gateways across the world are credit card-based gateways, with the introduction of card readers in mobile phones. The Fintech and payments sector boom in India cannot be justified without mentioning UPI (Unified Payments Interface), which has encompassed payment solutions for small street vendors to large conglomerates with its user-friendly interface and QR-code-based payments. UPI is one of the major payment gateways in India, in addition to IMPS (Immediate Payment Service), RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement), and NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer) and many more.

Introduction

A revolution is coming to the more than a century-old automobile industry. Electric vehicles (EVs) are viewed as a solution to a variety of problems, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fostering sustainable economic growth, improving air quality, and reducing the importation of fossil fuels. The demand for electric automobiles in India is rising. Incentives and programs have been launched by the federal and state governments to promote the usage of electric vehicles, and there are also regulations and standards in place. A consumer is a person or group that plans to purchase something, actually does so, or utilizes it for primarily social, family, domestic, or other non business or entrepreneurial activity-related objectives.

An asset that is an important criterion for evaluating the status of the consumer economy can be used to estimate consumer savings.

The concept of electric cars has been around for a while, but in the past ten years, it has gained a lot of attention due to the expanding carbon footprint and other environmental implications of fuel-powered cars. In contrast to an internal combustion engine, which generates power by burning a mixture of fuel and gases, an electric vehicle (EV) is propelled by an electric motor. When electricity was one of the favored sources of motor vehicle power in the late 19th century, electric vehicles (EVs) first made their appearance, providing a degree of comfort and usability that gasoline cars of the day were unable to equal.

Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) were initiated by the government to guarantee funds to SC/STs both at State and Centre in pro portion to the size of their respective population. It was in 1974-75 in the Fifth Five Year Plan period that the Government of India introduced the policy of the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) and later in 1979-80 in the Sixth Five Year Plan period the Special Component plan (SCP) which was renamed as Scheduled Caste Sub Plan in April, 2006 and renamed as Allocation for the Welfare of Scheduled Caste (AWSC) in February, 2017.Specifically, the SCSP and TSP mandated that pub lic resources towards SC/ ST welfare must be earmarked in proportion to their share in total population.The Narendra Jadhav Committee was constituted by the Planning Commission in 2010 in this regard.Every year, the Union Budget makes allocations exclusively for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe.This fund is spent through the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and the Tribal Sub Plan (TSP).As per the recommendations of the committee the earmarking of funds for all Central Ministries/Departments taken together should be at least 16.2% and 8.2% of the total Plan outlay respectivel under the SCSP and the TSP. The aim of such dedicated allocation is to promote nutritional security, livelihood security and entrepreneurship among these communities.

Stride of ICAR-IIVR and Operational Are

Amid nutritional and livelihood security of tribal population ICAR- Indian Insti tute of Vegetable Research (ICAR-IIVR), Varanasi has adopted 2724 tribal house holds from 24 villages of six clusters namely Faripan, Manvasa, Bakuliya, Chet wa, Jugail, Dahakudandi of Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh and one cluster from Ranchi, Jharkhand for implementation of TSP programme of the institute. Similarly 2566 Scheduled Caste (SC) households have been adopted from 33 vil lages of five different clusters of Varanasi, Mirzapur and Chandauli districts for implementing SCSP programme.

Introduction

India is known to possess a significant demographic dividend due to its large and growing population where the female population is estimated to be 586.5 million or above currently. This population is characterized by vast regional and cultural differences that create difference in terms of region and culture due to which any kind of generalization is not possible. Women play a crucial role in the growth of the economy and over the years, they had made a substantial impact and achieved status across different sectors both within the country and overseas. Women is a part of workforce but still there is a large population of women both in rural and urban areas that has dreams, but lack the opportunities to realize those dreams and take up their roles other than the household ones. In this regard, it is essential for to promote skill development and women empowerment. In order to upgrade employability and other skills among women, there is need to reduce the unemployment, demographic dividend, cultural and regional barriers and bridge the gap between talent and industry by various innovative methods.

Proactive involvement of society is essential to attain the sustainable development and bring the desired change in the society. Women in economically disadvantaged areas lack opportunities for employment and for self-employment due to various causes and sometimes women in need are on the look-out for affordable vocational courses that is not only of interest to them but also enables them to enhance their employability. Women from these areas can be equipped with the skills they need to increase their employability so that they can access meaningful and sustainable employment, and self employment through entrepreneurship. UNICEF is also assisting women to build stronger links with the private sectors so that they have sustainable market access for their artisanal goods including those who are running home based business.

Introduction

Silk also known as the “Golden Fibre” is admired all over the world for its lustre, strength and smoothness. Sericulture industry is an ecofriendly agro based activity of mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing and production. It is a labour intensive, rural cottage industry providing subsidiary employment and supplementing the income of semi-literate and semi-skilled poor workers throughout the year [Chanotraet al., 2019]. The term ‘sericulture’ includes economic activities which receive poor workers in the value addition at each stage like (i) raising plants for feeding the silk-worms (in the form of the mulberry plantation); (ii) production of disease-free silkworm layings (dfls), eggs, or seeds; (iii) indoor rearing of silkworms till the cocoon stage which produces silk (about 30-day egg-to-cocoon cycle), and (iv) sale of silk cocoons produced.

Silk industry can be broadly classified into; (a) sericulture, (b) post-cocoon technology – reeling (yarn production), spinning and twisting of silk yarn from the cocoons; and (c) weaving, fabric production, printing and dyeing, finishing, garment designing, marketing etc. These activities also provide the auxiliary enterprises of by-product utilization and machine manufacture including spun silk yarn manufacture and pupae oil extraction, thus creating livelihood for the small and marginal farmers and labour force.

Asia is the key producer of silk in the world producing over 98.5 per cent of the global output. There are more than 40 silk producing countries, but the majority of its production comes from China and India, followed by Brazil, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. Unlike temperate countries, India has a distinct advantage of practising sericulture all around the year, as a result of its tropical climate, yielding a stream of about 4-6 crops (Savithri and Sujathamma, 2019).

Introduction

India has been advancing excessively in terms of workforce engagement as a lot of women have started seeking space in the business arena. The new age has given way to a new trend of entrepreneurshipwhich is flourishing without the quantification of gender. Needless to say, India has been dealing with a very bad history of patriarchal class arrogance and work division that cannot fully provide all the freedom to women who want to prosper in their professional lives.

The female entrepreneurs have to undergo a lot of obstacles right from the initiation of the idea till the plan operates. Sometimes, the existence as a women itself comes with a baggage of responsibilities. Indian women are bound to fulfill their responsibilities towards their family, community and work, balancing everything equally and in an efficient manner.

The conventionalism, ethnicity, social and cultural principles, parenthood, the tag of feeblest sex and insecurity curb the confidence of women in comparison to their male counterparts. Even though there have been considerable changes found in the women dwelling in urban areas, the rural women still have numerous hindrances blocking their path. The perceptive of the opponent sex is irrational in rural areas due to the lack of education and it becomes hard for the women to resist men in such cases.

The Indian customary draws a thin line between the capability and responsibility allotted to different gendersMohsen B., and Zouari S. (2014). It has even threatened the employment chances of females in the traditional and eccentric sphere of fiscal exercises. The present scenario has not broken the undeterred confidence of women who sought to make a career in business, since the last decade. With the alteration in technology, globalization and rivalry accentuation has made the operation of business more multifaceted and vibrant.

Introduction

India is bestowed with a lot of potentials to produce a variety of organic products due to its diversified agro-climatic regions and this is very true in case of Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. It offers a variety of geographic locations suitable for cultivating various food crops such as: fruits, vegetables, food grains etc. Globally, organic farming is cultivated in an area of 57.80 million ha. However, India accounts for just 2.59% of the area. The organic farming is followed in India in almost all the regions with three states Madhya Pradesh (34.34%), Maharashtra (13.19%) and Rajasthan (11.67%) accounting for about 59% of the total organic area of the country. The cultivated land under certification has substantially increased from 1.74 lakh ha in the year 2005-06 to 1.78 million ha in the year 2017-188 (https://www.researchgate. net/publication/338209816_Impact_of_farmer_producer_organization_on_ organic_chilli_production_in_Telangana_India) Agriculture and its allied sectors are the largest source of livelihoods in India. However, India still has many growing concerns. As the Indian economy has diversified and grown, agriculture’s contribution to GDP has steadily declined from 1951 to 2011. (Source: http://www.fao.org/india/fao-in-india/india-at-a-glance/). One of the main reasons is due to the lack of competence in Indian farmers for selling the crop in remunerative prices in the market. Some of the critical constraints and bottlenecks are lack of infrastructure for storage, transportation, quality control, packaging, price risk management, cool chains, market led extension, and framework for promotion of contract farming (Gohain, 2018). Realizing these issues Government of India under the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation identified Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) as the most appropriate institutional form to mobilize farmers and build their capacity to collectively leverage their production and marketing strength(Ministry of Agriculture, 2013).For analyzing the potential, importance and contribution of FPO in the agriculture sector, the present study aims to discuss the role of FPO in uplifting small and marginal farmers and its impact on the basis of the project undertaken by Silgur Bizat SwayattSahkarita FPO in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand.

Introduction

Novel Corona Virus 2019 (COVID 19) has impacted the human race very badly than any other disease in twenty first century. Almost every country on this planet was affected by this virus. The condition is more severe in developed countries.

So when it All Started?

There were reports that the medical professionals of Wuhan in China informed the government that there is some mysterious pneumonia like disease which is spreading very fast and affected the doctors and other paramedical staff who are attending the patients. When the situation became serious it was declared as outbreak of epidemic and first case of COVID 19 was declared in Wuhan China on 31st December 2019. Wuhan is one of the main business centres of china and there was regular movement of domestic and international visitors to that place. Till the problem was identified and communicated to other agencies, the spread of virus was already there in other parts of china and world specially Europe and USA.

World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID 19 as pandemic on 11 February 2020. Countries like USA criticized WHO for delay in identifying the disease and declaring it a pandemic.The damage was already done due to its spread in other countries. In India first reported case of COVID 19 was on 30th January at Kerala. However, considering the possible danger of this disease, Indian Government took primitive measure to contain the spread of Virus and announced Nationwide Lockdown 1.0 on 23rdMarch 2020. Similarly, Lockdown 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 were announced on 14 April, 3rd May and 17th may respectively.

Introduction

In view of the present Indian agriculture scenario, farmer producers organisations (FPOs) are emerged as a most appropriate institutional form to mobilize small and marginal farmers ,improved their access to technology, inputs and markets. As per the report of National Council on Farmers, these organisations are mainly promoted to combine the advantages of decentralized production and centralized services, post harvest management, value addition and marketing. (NCF,2004). In order to meet the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat and to make farmers atmanirbhar, Farmer Producers’ Organizations (FPOs) is an appropriate form to mobilize them. Recently Government of India has announced a budgetary provision of 4496.00 crore for five years for promotion of 10,000 FPOs.(Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,CCEA2020)

Also to improve agricultural productivity and income of the farmers, it is necessary to develop an entrepreneurial culture among the member farmers of an organisation. To make this organisational approach more successful, member farmers need to develop planning ability, decision making abilitiy, managerial qualities ,scientific attitude, organisational skills, participatory skills etc. The member farmers as an agripreneur should possess knowledge about improved production techniques, markets, consumer preferences , schemes, credit availability, policy advocacy to enterprise effectively under FPO.

Introduction

Agriculture is one of the important pillars of the Indian economy. According to a report from FICCI, about 54 percent of Indian population depends directly on agriculture and it accounts for around 17.3 percent of GDP (FICCI, 2018). In the last two decades, powered by the Government policies and strong engagement of the industry and institutions, agriculture is rapidly evolving into agribusiness in terms of approach and structure. Transformation of Agriculture to Agri-business is one of the important strategies where enterprising farmers practice profitable agriculture.

India has become the third largest startup ecosystem hub. India is home to highest number of unicorn startups after US and China with 26 unicorns out of 250 plus total unicorns globally. At a time where with the increasing population and demand for better quality and higher quantity of food. India currently has more than 49,000 plus startups, 1500 plus investors, 250 plus incubators, and 26 unicorns (NASSCOM, Srivastav, 2018). The Indian startup ecosystem is ranked at number 37 and the global ranking of its top three cities are Bengaluru, New Delhi and Mumbai for the year 2018. In 2020, Bengaluru again continued its title “silicon valley of India” (Spews, 2021).

In a bid to double the farmer’s income by 2022, the Government of India is continuously looking for ways to boost agricultural production, food processing and marketing avenues through the integration of latest technologies and innovations; thus creating a huge scope for food and agritech startups in the country (Balaji, 2018). Many agritech startups in India are mainly in marketplace segment where e-commerce companies provide fresh and organic fruits and vegetables procured directly from farmers. Very recently many startups have come up providing innovative and sustainable solutions for farmer’s problems. Startups have provided solutions such as biogas plants, solar powered cold storage, fencing and water pumping, weather prediction, spraying machines, seed drills, vertical farming, etc (Sachitanand, 2018). EM3 Agriservices offers farming services and machinery rentals to farmers on a pay-for-use basis.

Introduction

Beekeeping is an environment friendly and agro-forestry based occupation that has established itself as an income generating activity and a commercial enterprise which not only promote agricultural and horticultural development but also contributes in upliftment of the rural economy of the country. Apiculture provides enormous potential for income generation, poverty alleviation and sustainable use of forest resources. Traditional beekeeping with Apisceranais widely practised by rural people in Uttarakhand who have inherited the tradition from their forefathers and maintain it till this day. The people in Uttarakhand have indigenous knowledge of beekeeping which is passed from one generation to another. In the hill area traditional hives are more suitable than modern hives. Modern beekeeping is infancy in the area, so people need to be encouraged to use modern bee hives for better management of colonies.

Uttarakhand is a land of variety of flora and fauna. Beekeeping forms an integral part of the small holder farming system and plays a significant role as a source of additional cash income in subsistence farming. There are around 2,50,000 beekeeping units in India out of which only 8,700 are in Uttarakhand accounting for about 2500 MT of honey production in 2016-17. Uttarakhand is extremely rich in Bee forage plants but the use of this rich resource is not being made properly (Tiwari, et al. 2010). Around 20.00 per cent of the Beekeepers in Uttarakhand do not use any medicine for the management of pest and diseases showing that the farmers are not much aware of the advance methods of beekeeping (Khan et al., 2007). Uttarakhand has huge potential for beekeeping due to plenty of flora and suitability of climate. Beekeeping is an ancient practice that is managed traditionally in Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand. Due to the traditional production system the productivity per hive is low in Uttarakhand. Therefore, it is Important to know about the constraintsfaced by the Beekeepers in practicing apiculture in Kumaon Hills of Uttarakhand.

1. Introduction

Milk is the principal source of protein and lactose in the diet. Dairy farming is viewed as a whole ecosystem of reciprocal relationships and reliance, as well as there production and safe guarding of societal values. Dairy farms are primarily made up of high-yielding dairy cows. Goats, sheep, and camels are some of the other animals employed in commercial dairy production. Milk has always been regarded as a healthy food. Milk includes more than9 other essential elements, including protein, carbs,vitamins, minerals, and lipids, in addition to calcium, which makes it critical for your bones.

Every year, about 600 million tonnes of milk are produced by over 264million dairy cows across the world. The global average for milk output per cow is around 2,200 litres. India is the world’s top milk producer followed by the United States, China,Pakistan, and Brazil. The economy of India is mostly dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry, with milk production playing a significant role. It is also the world’s largest producer of buffalo milk (FAO, 2019).

Co-operative dairy sector proved to be resilient as it continued to procuremilk from farmers and supply it to the consumers despite several logistical and other challenges. Milk production in India did not show any sign of slowdown. Milk productionis anticipated to be around 209.96 million tonnes in 2020-21, an increase of about 6.3 percent over the previous year. The estimated per capita availability of milk is expected to increase to about 425 gms /day which is more than the world average of around 315gms/day(NDDB,2020).The dairy co-operatives had a difficult year due to an influx of more milk production, a reduction in milk sales, and the building of inventories of preserved goods. Throughout the year, milk procurement by dairy co-operatives increased as it accepted diverted extra milk from farmers that would otherwise be sold to private and unorganized businesses. During the 2020-21 budget year, milk procurement by dairy co-operativesincreased by 7.9 per cent. Indian dairy co operatives have installed milk processing capacity of 66.3million litters per day,73.3million liters/day in private sector enterprises, and 2.5 million litres per day in producer companies.

Introduction

Animal husbandry and poultry rearing, in addition to offering economic participation, play an important role in securing household food security. The core notion of food security argues that everyone should have physical and economic access to the basic nutrition they require. ‘Food security is a scenario that exists when all people have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, secure, and nutritious food that fits their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life’, according to the FAO (2002). Consequently, two requirements must be met in order to ensure food security: the first is the availability of food, and the second is the ability to purchase it. There is a propensity to define food security at the national level without examining its condition at the grass roots level with major emphasis at the household or individual level. This is because, while national food security may appear to be adequate, disparities in food security may exist among regions, groups, households, and people.

Increased crop output can increase people’s calorific intake, but protein is also essential for health, and pulses and coarse grains are essential. According to the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, DAC & FW, total pulse output in the nation was roughly 25.42 million tonnes in 2017-18, and over 23.40 million tonnes in the following fiscal year (2018-19). This demonstrates the country’s falling pulse production pattern, diminishing the availability of vegetable protein to the public. A similar trend was observed in states like Assam, where the area under pulse production declined from 1,54,706 hectares in 2017-18 to 1,50,229 hectares in 2018-19, and further fell to 1,43,962 hectares in 2019-20. The provisional data further forecasted the area to fall even further to 1,42,303 hectares in 2020-21. (Statistical Handbook of Assam, 2020 and 2021)

Introduction

NITI Policy Paper No.1/20017 reveals details of the concept and time frame as how to double the income of the farmers. The policy paper emphasizes in increase in agriculture productivity, improvement in total factor productivity, diversification towards high value crop, and increase in crop intensity, increasing terms of trade for farmers and shifting cultivators to non-farm and subsidiary activities. The well thought and planned program for doubling the income of the farmers reflecting dream or reality. We have farmers of different types like, small. Marginal and large farmers, resource rich and resource poor farmers, farmers of irrigated and non-irrigated zones, tribal and non-tribal farmers , trained and untrained farmers and progressive and non-progressive farmers. The farmers and their economic structure are quite different from place to place even within district. NSSO data on consumption expenditure survey (2011-12) reveal that more than one-fifth of households with self employment in agriculture and their principal occupation were having income less the poverty line.

Milk Production Scenario

Milk is primary source of protein and lactoseDairy farming is considered to be a whole environment of reciprocal relations and dependency reproduction and protection of social values. In worldwise dairy cows count up to 264 millions producing 600 million tones of milk every year. The global average for milk production is approximately 2200 litters/cow. Cattle population of world is 1009.69 millions heads (FAO, 2019) and highest milk producing countries are India, USA, China, Pakistan and Brazil. In case of consumption of milk India tops in the world followed by EU, USA and China. The per capita consumption of milk is highest in the country of Belarus followed by Ukraine and New Zealand. India is ranked 7th in the world in this respect. In India total cattle population is 306.70 millions. The state of Odisha constitutes 1.19% of the total cattle population of India. The level of milk production of India is reported to be 198.2 metric million tones. The per capita availability of milk in India is 427 gms/day (2021) and highest being in Punjab followed by Rajasthan. In case of Odisha the per capita milk availability is 143 gms and in milk production the district Cuttack top the list followed by Ganjam and Jagatsinghpur.

Introduction

India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric in the world. Indian turmeric is considered to be the best in the world market because of its high curcumin content. India accounts for about 80 per cent of world turmeric production and 60 per cent of world exports. Major turmeric exporting countries are India, Thailand, Taiwan, and several other Southeast Asian, Central and Latin American countries. The major turmeric importing countries include Japan, Sri Lanka, Iran, UAE, US, UK and Ethiopia.

Turmeric is native of India and china. The word turmeric is derived from the French word ‘Terre-merite’ meaning merit of the earth. Its botanical name is Curcuma longa L. and belongs to family Zingeberaceae, it is also known as ‘Indian Saffron’ is an herbaceous perennial plant growing up to the height of 60 – 90 cm with short stem. The plant is propagated from rhizomes. The leaves are long, broad lanceolate and bright green. The flowers are pale yellow and born on dense spikes. The pseudo stem are shorter than leaves. The rhizomes were ready for harvesting about 7 to 9 months after planting.

India is popularly known as the “Spiced Bowl of the World” as a wide variety of spices with premium quality grown in a country since ancient times. Indian turmeric is considered to be the best in the world due to presence of high curcumine content. Turmeric contains up to 5.00 per cent essential oil and up to 5.00 per cent curcumine, a polyphenol.