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| DOUBLING FARMERS’ INCOME | | INTERVENTIONS OF KVK-LEH | | Dr. Parveen Kumar, Dr. Feroz Din Sheikh
The government under the leadership of Primeminister Hon’ble Narendra Modi is paying a lot of attention to the agricultural sector. Many new schemes for the welfare of farm and farming community have been launched. One of the prestigious missions of the present government is the mission to double the farmers’ income by 2022. The mission of doubling farmers’ income was launched in 2015 and a seven years deadline was set up to achieve this target. The year 2022 will be the year when the country will complete 75 years of independence. Prime Minister has clearly set the time limit and referred to the doubling of farmers’ income of the agricultural year 2015-16 by the agricultural year 2022-23. Within 6-7 years the target has to be achieved. We have already passed the half way mark of the time limit prescribed for this target. The government has also an elaborated strategy to double the income of farmers with in time limit. The government now aims at diversification by promoting ancillary activities like poultry, beekeeping and fisheries, has a big focus on irrigation with large budgets, with the aim of ‘per drop, more crop’, provision of quality seeds and nutrients based on soil health of each field, large investments in warehousing and cold chains to prevent post-harvest crop losses, promotion of value addition through food processing, creation of a national farm market, removing distortions and e-platform across 585 stations, introduction of a new crop insurance scheme to mitigate risks at affordable cost.
To achieve this mission of Doubling Farmers Income, Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Leh, at Leh in the Union Territory of Ladakh and under the administrative control of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir is also contributing by various interventions to the farming community of this region. These interventions are remunerative, have augmented their income, are environmentally safe and are affordable to the farming community. These interventions are being described briefly as under:
REVIVAL OF BUCKWHEAT:
Buckwheat a highly remunerative crop was once grown on a considerable area in this region. However, due to one or the other reason in the recent times the crop is witnessing a decline in the area under it. KVK-Leh has taken up the revival of buckwheat in lower belts of Leh district and this is giving very good yield and encouraging results. KVK-Leh provides buckwheat seeds to the farmers and is also undertaking processing of buckwheat. It is very remunerative crop as it has very less maintenance cost. Also the market price ranges from 120 to 150 per kilogram enabling the farmers’ of the region to augment their income.
LOW COST PROTECTED TECHNOLOGIES:
In this region, owing to freezing temperatures in the winters agricultural activities are confined for only five to six months. KVK-Leh promotes the use of low cost protected technologies like the trenches, green houses, mulching with black polythene film, harvesting nets, pheromone traps. All these have proved to be a boon for the farming community. Due to mulching and low cost tunnels for vegetable cultivation the production of different vegetables in the farmer fields have gone up. The harvesting nets provided to the farmers have also helped them to maintain the quality of fruits during plucking. The pheromone traps provided to them for monitoring codling moth population has also effectively checked their infestation
VERMI COMPOSTING:
Under Mission Organic Development Initiative, the whole of the region has to be made organic by 2025. KVK-Leh is also contributing to this mission by encouraging the farming community to go for composting and vermi composting. These are the effective methods of recycling of their household and farm waste and at the same time results in production of high quality manure through the earthworms (Eisenia Foetida). The use of this organic manure has also reduced the cost of cultivation of the farming community as these are used as a substitute for harmful chemical fertilizers. Besides this, KVK Leh has also provided vermi beds to number of farmers in different villages of Leh district under Tribal Sub Plan and its various other schemes. This initiative has brought considerable area in this district under organic cultivation.
MUSHROOM CULTIVATION:
KVK-Leh is also promoting mushroom cultivation in this region. Regular training programmes are being conducted for the youths, farmers and farm women of the region on mushroom cultivation. Many farmers are now growing mushroom even in freezing temperatures and this is also adding to their income.
PROCESSING OF FOOD PRODUCTS:
Processing of vegetables and fruits is also being popularized by KVK-Leh in this region. Regular training programmes are conducted for the farm women, Anganwadi workers where they are trained on different aspects of processing of fruits and vegetables into jam, jellies, tomato puree, pickles and other related products. In this regard solar drier, mechanized churner, apricot harvest nets provided to the farming community has proved a boon for them. Apricot harvest nets help farming community to maintain the quality of their produce thereby ensuring remunerative prices for them. These have helped reduced the drudgery among the farming community. The smart plastic bottles have been provided to them for storing apricot oil. These help them to maintain the quality of produce thereby ensuring good remunerative price of the produce.
FARMERS’ MOBILIZATION:
KVK-Leh specially focuses on farmers’ mobilization. This is done by organizing the farmers into various Self Help Groups (SHGs), Commodity Interest Groups (CIGs), Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs), Farmer Clubs. KVK-Leh has also formed groups exclusively for farm women of the region.
PROMOTING RESOURCE CONSERVING TECHNOLOGIES:
KVK-Leh also emphasizes the use of various Resource Conservation Technologies to conserve the fragile ecosystem of the region. Regular soil testing and providing Soil Health Cards, Drip irrigation, Weather based agro advisories, promotion of homemade pesticides for diseases and insect pest management and control are being provided and promoted to and among the farming community of this region.
As Prime Minister said that he has laid this out as a challenge and this is not merely a challenge. KVK-Leh with its interventions is rightly on the path to double the farmers’ income by 2022 and make this region totally organic by 2025. |
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