Braving acute water crisis and failure of monsoon, a software engineer turned farmer at Balasamudram has successfully raised ‘Thooya Malli,’ a long-term traditional variety of paddy adopting organic farming method.
Now, the paddy in three acres is at the harvesting stage.
He expects 2.5 tonnes of paddy yield per acre.
Unlike traditional farmers, J. Jayasankar of Palani decided to set up an integrated farm in five acres at Balasamudram to raise paddy and vegetables organically and rear cattle, sheep, poultry and fish, all under one roof.
“First, I bought two Kangeyam cattle, the basic requirement for undertaking organic farming. Sheep, fish and chicken were later additions. Now, these animals ensure my farm’s manure needs. While cow’s urine is used to prepare panchakavya and to destroy weeds, wastes from fish, goat and poultry become nutrients for plant growth,” he says.
From preparing the field to harvesting, he adopts organic methods. First, cattle penning – leaving 300 cattle in the field – was done to enrich the surface soil. Single tiller sowing method was adopted and transplantation was done manually. Now, tillers have grown up to six feet and the number of tillers was also high.
The young farmer gets technical support from several experienced organic farmers and agricultural department officials. “Jayaraman in Tiruvarur district, offered him seven kilograms of seeds free on one condition: He should return the same quantum of seeds to his seed bank and motivate at least three farmers to grow this variety by offering same quantum of seeds and technical support,” Mr. Jayasankar says.
All other methods and measures implemented in his farm are natural. A deep trench around his farm with thorny bush on bunds prevents wild animals. Palm, teak and red sanders are planted on pond bunds to prevent soil erosion. Solar power is utilised to operate irrigation pumps. A big pond stores rainwater flowing from the nearby hill.
Today, normal expenses for paddy cultivation are around ₹ 22,000 per acre. But he was able to get an yield of 2.5 tonnes with an investment of around ₹ 7,000, says Assistant Director P. Suruliappan who guides him to procure seeds and livestock. Animals and farm have complementary effect on each other. While animals consume farm wastes to grow, animal wastes are used in farms to raise the crop. Residual carryover of pests in organic produce is totally eliminated, he adds.
While inspecting the farm, Joint Director of Agriculture M. Thangasamy advised him to get organic certification for the paddy. Fertilizers, pesticides and weedicide are major expenses for paddy cultivation. Eliminating these costs enhances profit margin.
