Agriculture Products

Agriculture products 
Agriculture product is a derivative of agriculture or farming. The major agricultural products include food, fuels, fibers and raw materials and agricultural products are the life source of human kind without which they can’t survive and a major part of the population is directly and indirectly employed in this sector.

Aromatic plants

Aromatic plants are those plants that have essential or aromatic oil in them and which helps to cure many diseases and improves the mental condition of a person. Hence aromatic plants are widely used in therapies and herbal treatments. It is even used in herbal teas for calming the stress. The most commonly used aromatic plants are lemon grass, palmorosa, bergamot mint, spearmint, cinnamon, eucalyptus, patchouli, lavender, geranium, ocimum, vetiver, peppermint, citronella etc. Most of these herbs have anti-inflammatory, sedative, mosquito repellent, antidepressant properties and are widely used as deodorizing agents. The vasodilative properties of aromatic plants boost the spirit of the mind and also provide a cooling effect. The oil present in these plants is extracted through steam distillation. The roots of certain aromatic plant such as vetiver are used for making fragrant screen and mats are widely used for refreshing the rooms

Beverages and Juices

Beverages and juices are one of the widely marketed agricultural products and a stimulating drink at times helps to relieve the stress. They are marketed as roasted seeds, powders, leaves and even in ready to drink form. The most commonly used nonalcoholic beverages include coffee, black tea, green tea, hot chocolates, roasted grain beverages etc. Other commonly used beverages are mate, guaranam, khat, cola, cassine, yoco etc Fruit juices are a good option that provides a lot of vitamins and minerals besides providing a refreshing effect. The popular fruit juices include apple juice, orange juice, lemonade, orangeade, mango juice, pineapple juice, guava juice, tomato juice, carrot juice, mixed fruit juice etc. Sherbets made from berries, sweet cider which is an expressed juice of apple, perry obtained from pears are very popular nowadays. Selling agriculture products in processed form helps the farmers to fetch more prices for their product and many banks are providing assistance to farmers to start such units and hence many tropical fruits are now used for making wines and juices.

Berries

Berries are a type of fruits that are very delicious and nutritious and they are fleshy fruits developed from a single ovary. They are a rich source of vitamins and antioxidants. There are different types of berries like gooseberry, grapes, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, acai berry etc. Most of these berries are widely used for making pickle, jam, jelly, juice, vinegar, wines, ice creams etc. The juice, puree and even dried berries are widely used in many recipes. Smoothies made out of berries are very popular for their nutrient rich and curative properties. Certain berries like acai berry are helpful in reducing the cholesterol level and improving the heart conditions and hence are also used for medicinal purpose and weight loss.

Cereals and pulses

Cereals and pulses are the staple foods and are nutritionally very important. They are considered as the cheap sources of protein, energy and several minerals and vitamins. Besides using whole grains and pulses they are subjected to processing to produces flakes, puffs etc. Puffed pulses and grains are nowadays widely used as breakfast foods and they are made by exposing the grains and pulses to high steam pressure. It is then coated or toasted with other ingredients to get the required flavor. While flakes are made by softening the cereals and pulses by cooking them partially in steam and then rolled or pressed to makes flakes. Cereals and pulses are also used to make dough’s by combining their flour with water, fat, milk, sugar, yeast, nuts, fruits etc and these dough’s are again utilized to make different products. Noodles, biscuits, tortilla, vermicelli, semolina etc are made like wise.

Coconut and coir Products

Coconut is a nut obtained from the coconut palm and each and every part of this nut is useful. The fiber extracted from the outer core of the coconut is used for making so called coir. Coconut water is used for making tender coconut water which is a wholesome beverage. Coconut is then dried to make copra which is then used for making coconut oil that is widely used for cooking and hair care. Coconut cake, coconut toddy, coconut milk, desiccated coconut, coconut cream are some other products made out of coconut. There are also coconut shell based and wood based products and the coconut coir pith which is a waste product obtained while extracting coir fiber is used as a soil conditioner, desiccant and rooting medium. From the cir fiber coir pile carpet, coir braid carpet, coir mats, coir gypsum board, coir matting tiles etc.

Dry Fruits and Nuts

Dry fruits and nuts consist of only one seed and the wall of the ovary does not develop in to flesh. They are easy to carry and provides energy and they serves as a healthy snack. The most commonly used dry fruits and nuts include cashew nuts, ground nuts, dried grapes, walnut, dates, almonds, roasted almond, figs, pomegranates, pistachio kernels, apricot etc. dry fruits fetch more prices in market because of its sweet taste, long shelf life and nutritive value.

Dairy products

Dairy products are food products made out of milk. Milk is a complete food that provides minerals and vitamins to person but is highly perishable. Hence the idea of processing the milk emerge to improve its shelf life and the most widely used milk products include curd, ghee, khoa, cheese, yogurt, butter milk, condensed milk, powdered milk, paneer, ice cream, sreekand, margarine etc. It helps the farmers am option to use the surplus milk and get good price for their product.

Dry Fruits and Nuts

Dry fruits and nuts consist of only one seed and the walls of the ovary does not develop in to flesh. They are easy to carry and provides energy and they serves as a healthy snack. The most commonly used dry fruits and nuts include cashew nuts, ground nuts, dried grapes, walnut, dates, almonds, roasted almond, figs, pomegranates, pistachio kernels, apricot etc. dry fruits fetch more prices in market because of its sweet taste, long shelf life and nutritive value.

Edible oils

Edible oils are widely used throughout the world for cooking, pharmaceutical industries and cosmetic industries. Edible oils are purified fats obtained from a wide range of plant products like beans, vegetables, nuts, seeds etc. Oil can be extracted by either cold pressing or refining. Cold pressed oils are obtained by pressing the source physically while refined oil is obtained by either heat or chemical refining. Even though refined oils are less flavoured than cold press oil, they have better shelf life. The different types of edible oils include palm oil, soya bean oil, canola oil, pumpkin seed oil, corn oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, rice bran oil and some others. Because of the high price for oil seeds and vegetables farmers are slowly shifting from the traditional rice and wheat cultivation.

Essential oils

Essential oil is a volatile oil extracted from the roots, bark, stem, leaves or flowers of certain plants by steam distillation. Essential oil provides the true essence and aroma of the plant and most of the essential oils are clear expect lemongrass, patchouli, orange that has yellow to amber color. These oils are widely used in making soaps, perfumes, cosmetics etc and also for flavoring foods. Many of the essential oils are found to have medicinal value and they helps to treat cold, soothe inflammation, relieve pain, stimulate digestion and also as an antiseptic. Many of the essential oils are also used in aromatherapy and help to calm down both the mind and the body. It is always used in combination with carrier oil and the commonly used essential oils are lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, patchouli, peppermint, tea tree oil, rosewood oil, citronella etc.

Fruits

fruits are the most healthy and natural food that provides a lot of nutrients such as vitamin A, C, manganese, folate, potassium, flavonoids etc. It is ideal to take at least 5 fruits a day and this helps to lose weight besides providing vitamins and minerals. Fruits are also rich with fibers and it remains as a good laxative. It also helps to maintain the proper functioning of digestive tract and helps the digestive tract to absorb more nutrients and less fat. The antioxidants presents in fruits lower the risk of cancer and reduces the cholesterol level in the blood which in turn protect the heart. Besides all fruits boost the immune system of the body and provides more energy to fight with the diseases.

Flowers

Flowers are the reproductive structures of the plants and they increase the aesthetic value of the plant. They are widely used for decorating the homes and nowadays flower arrangements obtained a prime position in all functions. Certain flowers have good fragrance while other has good shelf life. Depending up on their quality farmer’s use flowers for income generation. Orchids, anthuriums, carnation, geranium, gladiolus etc. are sold for flower arrangements while marigold is highly marketed for pigment extraction. Floriculture is now expanded and became a major source of income for many farmers. Along with the development of floriculture dry flower production has also emerged to benefit the farmers.

Fodder

Fodder is a coarse food used for feeding domesticated animals. It includes straw, hay, silage, pelleted and compressed feeds, legumes, grains etc. There are different types of fodder such as compound feed and premixes, crop residues, fish meal, freshly cut grass, plants and trees, bone meal and meat, molasses, oil cakes and press cakes, sprouted grains and legumes, yeast extract etc. The fresh grasses that are commonly fed to domesticated animals include guinea grass, gamba grass, setaria grass, hybrid napier grass, para grass, congosignal grass etc while the fodder trees are subabul, hedge lucerne, agathi, shevri etc. Fodder legumes like fodder cowpea, stylo and fodder cereals like fodder maize, fodder sorghum are also used for feeding the animals.

Garden plants

Garden plants are the plants that are grown in the gardens and they are selected depending up on the design, soil, climate and sunlight available in the garden. The nature of the plants such as their height, spreading, color etc. also have to be considered while setting the garden as these plants when grows should not hinder the view of the garden. There are different types of garden plants such as annuals, biennials, perennials, shrubs, climbers, creepers, bulbs, tubers etc. If any side of the garden is having shade then prefer shade loving plants for that particular area. One can also hang plants at certain corners of the garden. Besides flowering plants there are another type called shrubs which are plants that have multiple stems and have a height usually between 5 to 6 meters. They are semi-woody or woody perennial and they help to fill up the empty spaces in the garden and thus provides good look to the garden. Shrubs are available in a wide range of sizes, shapes, with diversifies growth habit, color, leaves, flowers and fragrance. There are three different types of shrubs like the one that grows and flower in full sun, another type grows in partial shade while the third type grows well in both semi-shade and sunny conditions. Common shrubs include hydrangeas, lilacs, crabapples, hibiscus etc.

Herbal products

A variety of herbal products are now available in the market and they are considered safe and produce lesser side effects. The commonly used herbal medicines include essential oil that provide good relief and relaxation, pills or capsules, infusions which are the herbal teas, poultice which is the macerated and chopped herbal parts used for injuries, sprains etc, tinctures which are solutions, decoctions etc. Some of the herbs are also used in raw form. Herbal teas are most widely used herbal products and can be made by easily by boiling the specific parts of the herbs in water for example sage tea, ginger roots tea, chamomile tea, cardamom tea, cinnamon bark tea etc.

Medicinal plants

Medicinal plants are the plants that have medicinal properties and the active ingredients in these plants impart these qualities to the plant. Most of these plants are used in ayurvedic preparation and are very safe to use. Certain herbs and spices such as garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, ocimum, peppermint, rosemary, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, rauvolfia, emblica, withania somnifera etc. are widely used for their medicinal value. Ocimum is used for treating asthma, bronchitis, fever, skin disease, gastric distension etc, while saraca asoka helps to avoid stomach pain, diabetes, bleeding through anus etc. Trachispermum is another medicinal plant that to treat antiseptic, diuretic and anti-inflammatory diseases

Poultry feed

Poultry feed is the food that is given to the poultry and it covers a major part of the cost of poultry production. Most of the poultry feeds contain a mixture ingredient like cereal grains, cereal by products, plant protein sources, fats, animal byproducts, mineral supplements, vitamins, crystalline amino acids and feed additives. Widely used animal protein source is poultry feeds are meet meal and fish meal. Meet meal contains good amount of protein, phosphorus and calcium and is manufactured from bones, tendons, ligaments, skeletal muscles, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, livers etc of animals from slaughterhouse.

Processed Food and Snacks

Processed food is foods that are transformed from its raw form in to other forms through a set of methods and techniques and thus makes it more convenient for consumption. They are tastier than the unprocessed food. Processed food or snack are available in canned, refrigerated, dehydrated or frozen form and hence are less susceptible to spoilage than the fresh foods. Most popular processed foods include porridge, potato wafers and chips, cheese snacks, processed seafood, canned food, frozen meat, frozen vegetables, breakfast cereals, meal mixes, processed nuts, processed snacks etc. Processed snacks include salted peanuts, popcorn, pretzels, potato chips etc.

Pickles and Condiments

Pickles and condiments are made by preserving or fermenting the plant products and they enhance the taste. A wide variety of vegetables like cucumber, ginger, turnip, chinese cabbage, onion, ground dates, garlic, tomato, beetroot, mushroom, lemon, peach etc. can be used for making pickles. Pickles can be made by using different techniques and they are dry methods, water based methods, fat based methods and device based methods. Condiments are preparation used to enhance a food and chili sauce, tomato ketchup, soy sauce, mayonnaise etc comes under condiments.

Spices

Spices are dried fruits, seeds, bark, flower, root or vegetative part of a plant that are used in small quantities to enhance the taste of the food. They are strongly flavored or aromatic substances and some of the spices include pepper, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, nutmeg, galangal, ginger etc. Most of the spices provides vitamin B, C, iron, calcium, carotene and antioxidants and thus plays a major role in prevent many diseases including cancer. Hence many of the spices are also used in pharmaceutical industries and some are even used for cosmetic purposes.

Trees

Trees are a woody perennial plant that grows sometimes up to 400 ft. trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases oxygen and thus purifies the atmosphere. It also helps to prevent soil erosion by holding the soil with its roots. There are different types of trees called evergreen trees and deciduous trees and they are even classified as trees for timber purpose, trees for making wood, trees for industrial purpose, trees providing fruits etc. Rosewood, teak, banyan tree, peepal tree, oak, neem tree, mango tree, sapota, jack etc are some commonly found trees.

Turf

turf is an area of grass maintained for recreational or decorative purpose. Turf or lawn plays a major role in beautifying a garden and there are different types of lawn grasses that are used for making lawns based on the climatic and environmental condition. Bahia grass and bermuda grass are sun lovers and warm season grasses that require moderate maintenance. Carper grass and centipede grasses are other warm season grasses while bent grass and blue grass are cool season grasses.

Vegetables

Vegetables are edible plant parts other than sweet fruits and seeds. Most of the vegetables grow well in direct sunlight. There are different types of vegetables like leafy vegetables, fruit vegetables, and flower vegetables, root vegetables, stalk vegetables etc. vegetables can be used either in raw form or in roasted, steamed, fried or cooked form. Most of the vegetables are low in fat, high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Most of the colored vegetables contain antioxidants, beta carotenes etc. that protect the people from many diseases and improves the immune system of a person.

Eco friendly products

Eco friendly products are also called environmental friendly or green products that does not harm the environment that we live in. they are not causing any pollution to the environment and can be recycled easily. Bamboo is a natural product that can be used for making mats and flowers which are ideal when compared with the plastic mats and flowers. A lot of eco-friendly products are also made with bamboo. Similarly solar panels that generate electricity with the help of sunlight are a great achievement and it helps to reduce the pollution generated while producing electricity through thermal power plants. There a lot more eco-friendly products such as handmade paper, handicrafts, paper bags etc.