Post News Network
Binjharpur, Dec 5: Napoleon Bonaparte’s famous line “Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools” seems to have come true for this unbelievably successful farmer Fakir Behera of Jagannathpur village under this block in Jajpur district.
Losing his father at the age of one-and-half-years, Fakir, a synonym for poverty, manages to earn over Rs15 lakh annum from his farmland with his determination and hard work. His feat becomes all the more significant as natural calamities like flood and drought are just routine in this block. He has set an example with his bumper harvest of paddy, sugarcane, ground nut and vegetables like brinjal, okra, tomato, parbal and beans round the year for other farmers of the state who still look to government aid.
Fakir’s rise to prosperity is a typical ‘rags to riches’ phenomenon. His mother Soli Behera brought him up working as a daily labourer after the demise of his father Kanhei Behera. Fakir started working in a small patch of land left by his father at the tender age of 12 since Soli couldn’t bear his education cost. In due course, he bought some cows and managed to save some money by selling the milk. With the savings he now owns over 17 acres –up from an acre when he became fatherless. Even at 70, Fakir works not less than 12 hour a day.
Despite being a major farmer, Fakir never uses modern farming equipment like tractors or power tillers to plough his land. He manages with two pairs of bullocks and goes from strength to strength. However, he uses two motor pumps to irrigate his large tract of farmland. His four sons – Nimain, Santosh, Purnachanda and Sushant – also follow in father’s footsteps instead of aspiring for a corporate job. They lend their hand to transport quintals of produce to markets like Balamukuli, Singhpur, Binjharpur, Kandia and Jajpur town. They even export water melons to outside of the state to make some extra bucks.
When asked about the earning, Fakir says he easily saves Rs 5-6 lakh a year and never ever regrets engaging his children in his occupation.
Most importantly, he has never sought any government aid or help from banks to support his agri-business.
However, district agriculture department, two years back, honoured him with a certificate, a mobile handset and Rs5,000 for his extraordinary contribution to the field of agriculture. Fakir never complains about government apathy and believes one can get results by working hard. He refused an old age pension offered to him by the administration.
With a strong will power, man can accomplish impossible, Fakir’s is a case in point.
