Raipur
The positive impact of the water saving campaign to increase water conservation and increase income of farmers is now visible in Balod district. This campaign proved to be economically extremely beneficial for Shravan Kumar, a tribal farmer of village Chhindgaon of Daundi development block. In the past, Shravan Kumar, who cultivated summer paddy, cultivated maize in 02 acres of land this time with the guidance of the district administration and agriculture department. This made him a net income of Rs 88,200, which doubles the paddy.
Farmer Shravan Kumar said that a total of Rs 11,800 was spent on maize production, which included fertilizer, seeds and other arrangements. At the same time, the sale of maize earned Rs 1 lakh, which gave him a net profit of Rs 88,200. In contrast, paddy cultivation takes high cost and water in the summer season and the profit is less than that.
Maize cultivation not only increased their income, but also the consumption of water, which also helped in groundwater conservation. In addition, rotting in the fields of maize improved soil fertility, causing paddy production to increase by 3-4 quintals per acre in the kharif season. Inspired by this success, Shravan Kumar has decided to cultivate maize in the Rabi season this year.
Farmer Shravan Kumar appreciated the water saving campaign operated under the guidance of the district administration and said that with the inspiration of the administration, he has been motivated to cultivate other crops instead of paddy, which has also benefited. He said that this will not only be the economic condition of the farmers, but will also promote water conservation and environmental protection.
