Keonjhar: Indigenous leafy vegetables or greens, locally known as ‘saga’ have been in good demand in Keonjhar market. Many people, mostly tribals, have been cultivating leafy vegetables which have provided them a livelihood source. Lack of irrigation facility in some areas is a hurdle. Irrigation facilities in hilly areas will turn out to be a boon for vegetable farming for many farmers, a report said.
However, many farmers are deprived of getting right price of their produce, it was alleged.
They cultivate a variety of greens locally know as koshala, palang, dhania, methi, podina and leutia. Pudina leaves have medicinal properties. As it has digestive properties, this leafy vegetable has remained in good demand in the market.
Locals said pudina leaves and tamarind pulp are pressed into paste, which has now been a part of household cuisine in summer days.
Methi leaves are an ingredient of ‘methi paratha’.
Apart from leafy vegetables, the farmers here also cultivate other vegetables.
Nirmal Khuntia, a farmer of Mukuna, is a regular seller of leafy vegetables. “This year, I have cultivated green leaves by sowing four kilogram of seeds. I sell greens regularly here. Earlier, I used to get good price. Now, it is not very remunerative,” he said.
Four bundles of greens are sold for Rs 10 while a bundle of dhania (coriander) leaves is sold for Rs 1. But a bundle of dhania is sold for Rs 5 in town areas, he added.
Some other famers said that they earn their living by farming cabbage, beans, cucumber, bitter guard and brinjals.
Many farmers are from the area close to Aradei creek. There is no irrigation facility here, farmers alleged. Still we cultivate vegetables and leafy vegetables by making use of pump sets by drawing water from Aradei, they added.
Pradip Dehury, another farmer from Mukuna, said, “I earn Rs 60,000 to 70,000 annually from vegetable and leafy vegetable farming.”
Kabi Patra, a farmer of Kadagada area, said, “Many people in my area have done farming of vegetables and earn their living from it. But lack of irrigation has been a major problem.” Hemarda rivulet flows near the village. Farmers draw water with pump sets and irrigate the vegetable lands, he added.
If the government lays a small dam across the rivulet, it could be of great benefit for the farmers, Patra noted.
Social activists said the government needs to provide irrigation and a good marketing facility for tribal vegetable farmers so as to boost their socio-economic development in hilly and forested pockets.
PNN