Farmers’ Voice in All India Radio

“Kisan Bani – Voice of Farmers” is one of the attractive programmes of All India Radio, Jeypore. In this programme, progressive farmers share their knowledge on crop cultivation, technology adaptation and various agricultural schemes and on socio-economic improvement.

All India Radio came forward to document the experience of pulses farmers, in coordination with MSSRF and department of Agriculture, Govt. of Odisha. As a sample, we share the experience of Atalguda, a remote village of Chandrapada GP, Boipariguda block of Koraput District, in which four progressive farmers Mr. Sania Majhi, Mr. Ghenu Khillo, Mr. Sania Hantal and Mr. Hari Naik shared their experience on the latest technologies adopted in  groundnut, black gram and green gram fields.

There are 79 households cultivating rice in kharif,  groundnut, black gram and green gram in about 350 acres. Fifteen years ago their ancestors grew groundnut in a small area and got lower  yield. This led to reluctance of farmers in continuing groundnut cultivation. In 2012-13, MSSRF introduced many improved technologies such as selection of quality seeds, seed treatment with bio-fungicides and nitrogen fixing bacteria, sowing behind the plough, spread bed sowing, need-based application of appropriate basal fertilizers etc. in addition, the financial support was provided through VIMAS (Vikash Maha Sangh), a Farmers’ Producer Company for groundnut and green gramDue to this, there was a good harvest. They were able to sell the surplus after own consumption and their livelihood status improved.

Mr. Ramesh Chandra Nayak, (Assistant Agriculture Officer) shared with AIR how the department of Agriculture helped to provide them seed, weedicide, along with trainings, soil testing, pesticides and micro-nutrient under ‘Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India’ and Rastriya Krishi Vigyan Yojana with MSSRF. He said he has been working for over eight years in that block and was surprised to see farmers adopting improved technologies and getting good yield. He also appreciated the dedicated work of MSSRF which led to increase in the area of cultivation of groundnut from 75 to 225 hectares.

Mr. Susanta Sekhar Chaudhury, Principal Scientist, MSSRF shared his experience in the Foundation, as well as on linkages with different stakeholders and outcomes of the Indo-Morocco Food Legume Initiative programme of OCP Foundation. He also shared how the Govt. Agriculture Department, Odisha and KVK, OUAT were travelling together in the journey of success.

The AIR representative was pleased to know that farmers could adopt improved technologies. This impressed him to support farmers with a FM Radio system. E that on every Wednesday and Friday they could participate in the Phone-in-Programme and connect with scientists. This could help  solve field problems for a sustainable yield. Atalguda case study is one example of many such villages which have different success stories.

Case study by Mr. Susanta Sekhar Chaudhury (Principal Scientist), Mr. Pratap Chandra Jena (Technical Assistant), MSSRF, Jeypore