How CIMAP helped farmers strike gold
Embracing the scientific know-how disseminated by CSIR laboratories in UP, a number of cultivators who had been farming traditionally for generations and facing losses due to poor yields, are now affluent .
A day before National Science Day, HT spoke to some farmers who are making profits using the latest innovations developed by the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP).
VIRENDRA KUMAR, AHMEDPUR, RAE BARELI
Virendra had never imagined that some seeds of medicinal plants taken from the CIMAP in 2005 would end all his woes. Struck by the decreasing ground water level, the farmer had lost all hopes. But expert guidance of CIMAP scientists of changed his fortunes.
He said, “I was a poor farmer till a decade back. But CIMAP has made me a popular man today. I sell truckloads of artemesia (a medical plant used in anti-malaria drugs) every year.” Once a farmer, now an entrepreneur, Virendra Kumar today has nearly 300 farmers in more than 30 villages working under his guidance .
“Till 2005, I was into traditional farming and sowed wheat, rice, peas, peanuts and vegetables. Blue bulls and monkeys often damaged the crops and what was left was at the mercy of the weather.
Virendra earlier used bulls to plough the fields. But now, with profits multiplying each year, he has bought a tractor. “I could never dream of buying a bike for myself. But with my income going up immensely in the past few years, I thought of buying a tractor. In addition to making my work easy, it has also ensured me income since I give it on rent to other farmers also,” he said.
HARAK CHAND VERMA, SITAPUR
Harak Chand, who switched to cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants under the guidance of CIMAP scientists in 2007, has not looked back.
Now, 80% of his land is used to grow medicinal and aromatic plants. “I cultivate wheat and rice only to meet the family’s needs. The rest of the land is devoted to medicinal farming,” he said.
“The best part is that the profits have multiplied manifold and the risks have been minimised. There are no threats to these plants from cattle and there isn’t much problem of market also,” he said.
Starting as a small scale farmer, Harak now has his own tractor, vehicles and house. His daughters go to a good school and he has plans for their future.