[Abundance From India's Acres: Footage]
Date Of Production
1968
Abstract
Footage from Abundance From India's Acres filmed by John Nash Ott and produced by Madras Fertilizers, Ltd. in 1968.
Description
This film is comprised of footage taken in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu which includes opening shots of rice crops, oxen plowing fields, farmers spreading harvested rice over roads to dry, a woman washing her laundry in a fountain, several men horseplaying on top of bamboo scaffolding (possibly related to construction for the Madras Fertilizer Plant), farmers harvesting paddy fields, shots of roadside shrines, laboratory staff posing outside the Rice Research Station in Tirurkuppam, mobile soil testing laboratory workers analyzing soil samples outside of their van, two American men examining plants inside a greenhouse, and concluding footage of a tractor operator threshing out grain by driving in circles as nearby laborers toss bundles of straw into the pathway.
A soil testing laboratory program began in India in 1955. By 1970, 25 new laboratories were established to meet increasing demand, as well as 34 mobile soil testing vans which were introduced to better serve the needs of farmers located in remote areas.
In 1966, India's grain deficit was estimated between 15 and 22 million tons. By May of that year, India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi helped push through Parliament a contentious deal (preceded by 17 months of negotiations) between the Indian government and the American Oil Company (AMOCO) to develop a 200,000-ton fertilizer plant which would operate by mid-1969 at a 700-acre site in Manila village 10 miles north of Madras, India. It was agreed upon that the Indian government would own 51% of Madras Fertilizers, Ltd. and AMOCO would own 49%, and AMOCO would also maintain managerial control during the first 10 years.
A soil testing laboratory program began in India in 1955. By 1970, 25 new laboratories were established to meet increasing demand, as well as 34 mobile soil testing vans which were introduced to better serve the needs of farmers located in remote areas.
In 1966, India's grain deficit was estimated between 15 and 22 million tons. By May of that year, India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi helped push through Parliament a contentious deal (preceded by 17 months of negotiations) between the Indian government and the American Oil Company (AMOCO) to develop a 200,000-ton fertilizer plant which would operate by mid-1969 at a 700-acre site in Manila village 10 miles north of Madras, India. It was agreed upon that the Indian government would own 51% of Madras Fertilizers, Ltd. and AMOCO would own 49%, and AMOCO would also maintain managerial control during the first 10 years.
Run Time
20 min 37 sec
Format
16mm
Extent
740 feet
Color
Color
Sound
Silent
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Genre
Form
Subject
Related Collections
Related Places
Sponsor/client
Main Credits
Ott, John Nash Jr. (is filmmaker)
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