CUTTACK: Turning the Covid-19 crisis into an opportunity, as many as 25 women of Gelapur village under Kantapada block in the district have scripted success story by cultivating vegetables.
Women members of Maa Annapurna vegetable producers group, who sowed seeds of various crops, have so far earned Rs 18 lakh in the last six months.
The State-run Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) had formed the producers group from 11 women SHGs after improving their skills to undertake income generating activities.
The group started with seasonal plantation in their kitchen gardens but due to low productivity, the same could not be marketed.
Seeing the enthusiasm of the group, Udyog Mitra Manmohini Sahoo and secretary of Rural Organisation for Social Action (ROSA) Rozalin Sahoo encouraged the members to expand their activity.
The members who initially started vegetable cultivation in 4-5 acre of land now have extended up to 25 acre and are producing different kinds of seasonal vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, gourd, beans etc by adopting modern techniques and using organic farming method, said Joint CEO of ORMAS Bipin Rout.
Agriculture as a medium of empowerment has contributed a lot in development of rural women. Adoption of women-friendly technologies and increase in work efficiency have made them self-sufficient and empowered. The group is hopeful to add more number of women to further expand their activities soon, he added.
“With financial help of Rs 2 lakh from ORMAS, we have procured power tiller, water sprayer and other agricultural equipment. We are now being able to produce different kinds of seasonal vegetables,” said group president Mamata Pradhan.
The women supply these vegetables to Bhubneswar for sale at Unit-1 and Unit-4 markets. After a hard work of six months, the women succeeded in carving a niche for themselves by yielding vegetable, said secretary Sanjukta Mallik.