There two Telangana farmers have become masters of their own destiny with alternative farming

The farmer currently grows basmati paddy in his half-acre plot. Pandari says that he gets four bags of grain from this plot every season.
There two Telangana farmers have become masters of their own destiny with alternative farming

SANGAREDDY: At a time when paddy farmers in Telangana are struggling to earn their daily bread, two ryots belonging to Tadkal cluster in Sangareddy district are busy showing the world how to be the master of your own destiny.

Thanks to G Santosh, Agricultural Extension Officer of Tadkal cluster in Kangti mandal, who has been lending them a helping hand for quite some time now, the two farmers are reaping gold by growing alternative and unconventional crops.

Tadkal cluster comprises four villages — Chapta (K), Chapta (B), Babulgam and Tadkal — and is located along the border.

Around three years back, while most ryots belonging to Kangti mandal were going for paddy every season, Mochi Pandari of Tadkal village and B Havappa of Chapta (B) village realised that they have to grow alternative crops to ensure steady profits as they were incurring severe losses by growing paddy.

With the help of Santosh, Pandari started growing basmati paddy apart from other alternative crops to ensure good revenue. While most farmers of his generation thought that the cultivation of basmati variety won’t fetch them good prices, Pandari saw that it has a high demand across the country.

The farmer currently grows basmati paddy in his half-acre plot. Pandari says that he gets four bags of grain from this plot every season. He has also been helping other ryots by providing them seeds to grow basmati variety of paddy which would eventually let them earn good revenues.

Pandari grows several other crops such as white sorghum, cotton and lentil in the remaining five acres. 
The farmer also mentions that he grows paddy only during Vanakalam and raises alternative crops during Yasangi season.

The sesame street

Meanwhile, Havappa’s field in Chapta (B) village resembles a street with sesame plants growing all along it. Apart from its high demand in local markets, Havappa says since a sesame plant would grow on its own and don’t require much human intervention, scores of farmers are currently growing them.

“When I started sesame cultivation two years back, I was utilising only 10 guntas of land for the purpose. Noticing the good profit, without having to spend much on fertilisers and labour, I decided to grow the crop in another 10 guntas. I currently make an income of Rs 4 lakh per year through the cultivation of alternative crops,” a proud Havappa points out. Apart from sesame, the ryot grows sorghum, cotton, lentil and sunflower in his remaining five-and-a-half acres.

“Last Vanakalam, I managed to get a yield of 25 quintals of cotton from my two-and-a-half acre plot, which eventually fetched me Rs 1.7 lakh revenue. Though the price of cotton was Rs 7,400 per quintal last year, it has skyrocketed to Rs 8,900 per quintal now. Unlike paddy that poses a lot of hardships, growing alternate crops is easy and kind of hassle-free,” he adds.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com