JAGTIAL : A farmer in Muthyampet, Mallapur mandal, is using a novel method for pollination to grow healthy and high-yielding crops while avoiding excess chemical usage. Marripalli Srinivas, a 35-year-old who returned from Singapore in 2016, now owns about seven acres of land in which he cultivates a variety of crops including watermelon, muskmelon, vegetables, pulses, and paddy.
In his watermelon fields, Srinivas has erected a stick and arranged a glass filled with toddy mixed with jaggery.
He has placed a small cloth in the jaggery to lure honey bees as their indiscriminate usage of chemicals has led to a shortage of bees and a subsequent drop in pollination and yields.
Srinivas has been following this method for the last five days and is hopeful that it will result in good yields through pollination.
In addition to this method, Srinivas also follows organic farming practices, avoiding the use of fertilisers and installing solar traps for pest management. He advises his fellow farmers to use alternative natural methods to avoid chemicals.
Srinivas has created a WhatsApp group for direct marketing of his fruits and vegetable produces, and he has been using solar traps for the last two years instead of fertilisers, which he claims work really well for pest management.