ROURKELA: The unique farming model of Sundargarh’s Hirod Patel (35) has drawn praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address on Sunday.
Addressing the nation in his monthly radio broadcast, Modi said information about Odisha’s farmer Hirod Patel is truly inspirational. Till eight years ago, he with his father Shiv Shankar was engaged in traditional farming of paddy. But he started looking at farming with a new perspective. He set up strong net structures over his farm pond and grew vine vegetables. He cultivated banana, guava and coconut around the pond. He also started fisheries in the pond.
“At the same place, he is simultaneously doing traditional farming and additionally growing vegetables, fruits and fish to best utilise land, save water and increase his earning from agriculture. Today, farmers from far-flung areas come to see his farming model,” said the PM.
A resident of Ratanpur village in Tangarpali block, Hirod is successfully running his integrated farming system (IFS). Before returning to his family profession of farming, he unsuccessful tried for jobs with his ITI certificate.
Using his technical knowledge, Hirod resorted to an innovative hack of using a farm pond for both fishing and bund cultivation of bottle gourd on an iron structure over the water. He also cultivates horticulture crops around the pond. Apart from paddy cultivation during monsoon, Hirod’s IFS model includes simultaneous cultivation of horticulture crops, pisciculture, duckery, dairying and floriculture.
Now in Patna (Bihar) for some work, Hirod was unaware of the PM’s appreciation. He expressed happiness and extended his gratitude to PM Modi.
Hirod said his total agriculture field is on low-land and most suitable for labour-intensive paddy crops, the returns of which were not encouraging. Once he shifted to IFS during 2019 with support of the Sundargarh administration, things started to look better as agriculture gradually became both sustainable and profitable for him.
His dual-use pond farming is particularly remarkable. It consists of a rectangular pond spread over 10 decimal and above the water is a cover of strong iron net. Around 150 bottle gourds plants have been grown on the bunds of the pond and the vines are rested on the net.
During fruiting of the vines, the bottle gourds naturally hang from the iron net over the pond. To pluck the bottle gourd crops, he has made a makeshift raft using large PVC drums.
From an unsuccessful job seeker, Hirod today is a successful farmer earning handsomely, while providing jobs to half a dozen of farmhands.
Chief district agriculture officer (CDAO) of Sundargarh LB Mallick said the Agriculture department extended all possible support to Hirod in setting up the IFS. He also exhorted other farmers to emulate Hirod’s model.
In its Brightside segment on December 3, 2023, TNIE had carried an elaborate story on Hirod’s innovative agricultural endeavour.