Manish Kumar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: A farm scientist who left Orissa in search of better career prospects in London in 1998 has now vowed to serve his state. The 57-year-old scientist is on a project to turn Indian agriculture totally ‘‘organic’’.
Nilamadhab Nanda, an alumnus of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), is an MBA pass-out from California state university (2005). He developed a sea weed-based farm input at his London lab which could potentially multiply harvest. Nanda claims his product has been tested in several countries and has proved its worth in an organic way.
“The input has been prepared by taking enzyme extracts from 97 different sea weed varieties. It is natural and completely organic which could give an impetus to organic farming in India. This product has been certified by the US department of agriculture (USDA) and other reputed global organisations,” claimed Nanda.
The farm input is present in the form of a powder which is blended with water into a solution which is sprayed over the crops to raise productivity.
Nanda, who has returned to Bhubaneswar to extend the technological benefits in the state, has already started his work. “I have tried to bring the technology to around 4, 500 gram panchayats in the state. In Orissa this input has been tried on a number of crops except on tea and tobacco and the results have been overwhelming,” added Nanda.
However, Nanda also plans to extend the benefits of the innovation to other parts of the country. He has tried his products in 18 states and other countries in Europe and Australia. Nanda intends to try it in more states to ensure organic farming gets a boost in the country.
Nanda started his firm in Jatni in 2015 to make replicas of the technology and reach out to more farmers to pursue them abandon the practice of using harmful chemical fertlisers in their fields.
When asked about the motivation for coming back to the state, Nanda said, “I am about reaching 60 and I want to bring down the benefits of innovation to my state and my country. I dream of making the country’s farming complete organic by 2020. My move is a step in this direction.”
