In what could be the first step towards a welcome reversal of current farming practices in the Agency areas, a hotelier from Hyderabad, Ram Babu, has tied up with tribal farmers of Ghumnoor in Sirpur (U) mandal of Adilabad for the purchase of indigenous varieties of millets.
Instead of sowing the vexatious Bt cotton, the farmers will now cultivate local varieties of foodgrains in a part of their land, which will be purchased by the Aahar Kuteer restaurant at Begumpet in the State capital.
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The restaurant specialises in serving and catering food made exclusively of organic millets besides retailing the grains. The tie-up will result in the improvement of the range of foodgrains sold across the counter. The arrangement between tribal farmers and Mr. Ram Babu is likely to result in the protection of biodiversity of foodgrains in the Agency areas besides safeguarding the former from the heavy investment required for cultivating Bt cotton. The indigenous varieties are zero investment crops as the seed is available with the farmers and is weather and disease-resistant.
Mr Ram Babu on Tuesday examined the varieties of foodgrains available in the village. He found the little millet, foxtail millet, kodo millet, the barnyard millet, red rice, wheat, jowar, red gram and Bengal gram to be useful to him. Mr. Ram Babu apprised the village sarpanch, Kanaka Gangaram, and others about the demand for the produce in the Hyderabad market and the market price.
"If you are ready to purchase we will certainly cultivate our crops at least in a portion of our lands," said the village Patel, Kanaka Manku. .
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A headmaster, Kursenga Somu, volunteered to go in for the desi variety of food crops on an experimental basis this season. He plans to source indigenous varieties of seeds from tribal villages in Asifabad mandal.