Komna: Youths of Komna block in Nuapada district are using modern farming methods to turn their agricultural practice into a profit-making proposition by discarding traditional methods.
Earlier, farmers used to cultivate traditional crops like paddy, green gram, black gram, arhar, horsegram, groundnuts and til, fighting adverse weather conditions. Apart from natural calamities, they often had to suffer crop losses in the absence of proper irrigation facilities.
Besides, poor water retaining quality of the soil also contributed to the failure of cultivation in this district. The condition was so miserable that people used to graze their animals on farmlands and hectares of stretches were seen lying barren for years at a stretch. Hundreds of farmers preferred to migrate to other states to work as labourers than investing in cultivation.
However, rapid changes took place with youths of the block adapting modern cultivation methods to augment harvest.
As a first step, the young farmers picked up crops like maize and cotton which can be raised with less water and withstand drought. At present, maize is cultivated on 3,000 hectares of land in the district while it is raised in 700 hectares alone in Komna block.
Hundreds of farmers of Jatagada, Tarboda, Jadamunda, Kurumpuri panchayats earn handsomely by raising this crop.
Working as labourers in neighbouring states was the last resort for scores of educated and depressed farmers of Jatagada. However, they have now become self-sufficient after starting maize cultivation in the district.
It is also the first preference for the farmers since they don’t have to face labour problems in raising this crop. The farmers said they earn more with less investment and minimum investment towards farmhands. They sold ripe corn at the rate of `900 per quintal last year which was profitable for them.
“I failed to get a job despite my educational qualifications. I preferred to work as a farmer than sitting idle at home. Now, I am capable of maintaining my family by raising maize,” Chintamani Balua said. Another young farmer Khyama Dharua said he used to work as a bonded labourer in neighbouring states since the cultivation was not fetching him enough money.
He doesn’t have to go to other states anymore after adapting modern farming methods, Dharua added. Youths and farmers used to live miserably here but maize farming has improved the village economy significantly, Krushnachandra Majhi, an elderly resident of Maniguda, said. PNN