JAGATSINGHPUR: When it comes to turning adversity into opportunity, villagers of Nalabehdi in Jagatsinghpur district look up to Belarani Pradhan. Twenty-six years back, circumstances forced her to take up farming as a livelihood but today, she has become an example of determination for many.
Belarani not just grows vegetables but is also into prawn and dairy farming, all by herself. Erasama was one of the worst affected in the Super Cyclone of 1999. At Nalabehdi, which comes under the block, many people were killed and several families rendered homeless. Belarani, who was 31 then, also lost her farmer husband, two sons and a daughter to the disaster. Though help poured in for those affected through NGOs and government agencies, it was temporary.
The tragedy, however, did not break Belarani’s spirits and she wanted to rebuild her life for the sake of her second daughter who survived. With some basic knowledge about farming that she had gained from watching her husband work before the Super Cyclone, Belarani decided to grow vegetables organically on her 1.5 acre of ancestral land. She sold the produce in local markets at Olara and Gadabishnupur and owing to the good quality of vegetables she grew, vendors also began procuring them directly from her doorsteps.
Since vegetable farming was seasonal, Belarani diversified into rearing milch cows and prawn farming. While she already owned a milch cow, Belarani bought another with the Subhadra Yojana funds that she received this year and now sells milk in the village. While she worked alone for all these years, the woman farmer this year hired a worker to look after her prawn farm. Every month, she makes a profit of Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 depending on the produce and market demand. Today, young farmers of the village seek advice from her in organic cultivation, managing dairy farm and prawn cultivation.
“When I lost everything to the Super Cyclone, I had no hope for my life but the thought of raising my only surviving daughter kept me alive. For her, I decided to opt for farming with the resources I already had. I started vegetable farming without any government help and sold my produce locally to sustain my livelihood,” she said. After the government announced the Subhadra scheme, Belarani received Rs 10,000 in two installments which she used to buy another cow. “The amount may be small but it has helped me add to my income,” she said.
Sarpanch of Gadabishnupur panchayat under Erasama tehsil, Ramesh Chandra Pradhan said Belarani’s story stands as a shining example of how grit and perseverance can turn adversity into opportunity.