Simulia: Prabhakar Mohanty is a retired teacher of Markona-Nayapalli area under Simulia block of Balasore. Even after retirement, the 67-year old has been into farming. Since 2010, he has been cultivating ‘Olua’ (a kind of root vegetable) in his five gunths of land. He has been successful in it and set an example for others.
“There is no fear of pest or insect attack on ‘Olua’ cultivation. Besides, use of fertilizers and chemical is almost zero. ‘Olua’ is harvested in six to seven months. He has earned Rs 30,000 from this cultivation last year.
He said that after retirement he did not want to be idle and wanted to cultivate a patch of his land which was lying barren. He thought the land would be congenial for ‘Olua’ cultivation and started it.
Bengali farmers who lived in his neighbouhood were doing ‘Olua’ farming. He bought 25 quintals of ‘Olua’ seeds from them at Rs 30 per kg.
“The land is prepared before June. 3X3 ft pits are dug out at equal gaps. Manure and fertilizers are applied to the soil before seeds are planted. The ‘Oula’ is harvested from pits by December. A single ‘Olua’ can weigh 12 kg,” he said.
Besides, Mohanty has planted fruit trees like Chiku, Batapi, betel and banana plants. He also earns from the fruit orchards. “As marketing facilities are not around there, I auction the fruits to traders,” he said. Mohanty’s wife Gitarani is also a retired teacher. She also extends a helping hand to her husband.
Mohanty observed, “Land should not be left uncultivated. Various farming activities can improve the condition of famers and mitigate unemployment problem to an extent.”
PNN