Malkangiri: Even as this district lags way behind in growth when compared to other districts in the country, irrigation facilities made available to farmers have brought in a positive change in their lives.
There was a time when farmers after harvesting paddy used to leave their land uncultivated due to lack of irrigation facilities in the district.
In the absence of know-how and availability of bank loans, farmers were reluctant to take up vegetable cultivation. However, things have undergone a change after implementation of a slew of irrigation projects in the district.
The Poteru large irrigation project, the Satiguda medium irrigation project and subsequent release of water through various canals as well as lift irrigation projects have provided the necessary impetus to farmers in achieving self-sufficiency in paddy and vegetable cultivation.
A case in point is farmer Ananta Sarkar of MV-42 under Malkangiri civic body limits.
“I have been able to earn over Rs one lakh annually by cultivating cauliflower on one acre of farmland,” Sarkar said, adding he took up cauliflower cultivation after harvesting paddy in the month of Hindu calendar month of Margashir.
He has already sold the first lot of production and now taken up the vegetable cultivation again for the second time.
Vegetable cultivation has been rewarding as traders pay him between Rs 20-30 for a kilogram of cauliflower. He refuses to settle with complacency and has now started preparing for the cultivation for the third time.
Sarkar is not the lone farmer who has achieved self-sufficiency in cauliflower cultivation. Hundreds of farmers in MV-11, Kalimela, Balimela, Gobindpalli, Poteru, MV-79 and Chitrakonda areas of the tribal-dominated and Maoist-infested district have scripted success stories with cauliflower cultivation. PNN