Jamshedpur’s Banbihari Mahato: Farmer’s fairytale journey from ‘just enough’ to Rs Three lakh annually

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, Nov 4: From a traditional farmer depending solely on Kharif crop for family sustenance and, perhaps, devoting a small patch of the hereditary farmland for raising essential vegetables for home consumption, Banbihari Mahato of Pipla village in Barabanki Panchayat under Jamshedpur Sadar Block was just like any other rare farming class who did not have to spread out his hand for credit to keep the family hearth aglow. He earned just about enough from his traditional three acre cultivable land to cater to the needs of the family. But that was just about enough because looking beyond Kharif paddy cultivation had not been inculcated in his forefathers’ lineage. Like all others of the farming community, Banbihari too used to think of possible ways to enhance the scope of his family’s sustenance. The only difference that separated his pensive forays from the others of his ilk who just munched mentally on problems, farmer Banbihari Mahato concentrated on possible ways to break the traditional cultivation shackles. He sought ways to enhance his family income and it was on this line of thinking that he ultimately came across the concept and practical implementation of departmental planning and advanced agricultural technology. Soon, with this ‘awakening’ Banbihari Mahato started on his trek towards a new dawn and he had to take additional land on lease to accommodate his agricultural horizons that was fast expanding to make him an ideal farmer in his Pipla village and others nearby.

Today, Banbihari commands an annual Rs Three lakh income that he has made a habit of counting all the way to the bank. Today, he has qualified to the status of a ‘Progressive Farmer.’

At this juncture, it may be prudent to scan the steps that Banbihari had taken to begin his climb to agricultural success. The ancestral cultivable land of Banbihari Mahato is about three acres. When asked about his path to success, Banbihari shared, “During my mental quest for enhancing my crop yields, I realized that due to lack of knowledge in proper means of irrigation and advanced technology, except of course for Kharif paddy, no other crop could be cultivated simultaneously.”

 Banbihari Mahto, a matriculate, was always eager to strengthen his economic condition. In this process, he used new experiments and that was the cause that attracted support from the Agriculture Department. “During initial days, I, along with my family members, put in a lot of hard work. We prepared nurseries and later started farming vegetables on a small scale. Presently, we are gradually migrating from our traditional farming ways and by adopting new technology, we are harvesting parallel crops like cabbages, papayas, brinjals and tomatoes through grafting method. Apart from our ancestral land, we have taken another five acres of land on lease to cultivate vegetables,” stated Banbihari.

Appreciative of Banbihari’s new-found farming and experimenting zeal, the government departments concerned have been providing the Pipla farmer with financial and technical support. Along with his constant zeal to adopt new methods in farming, he has started duck farming.

Mahato has been provided with shednet (net that protects shoots of plants from prying birds yet allows adequate light for growth) from the Department of Drip Irrigation and Horticulture. He has also been provided assistance by the District Agriculture Office, East Singhbhum for drip irrigation under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.

Banbihari Mahato explained, “The process of drip irrigation ensures that the requirement of water for irrigation is on the lower side because it is regulated according to plant needs. The usage of fertilizers is minimized and naturally, labour requirements are reduced appreciably. I make it a point to remain in touch with the district’s agriculture department and am constantly receiving technical guidance and support. For me, my agriculture field has become my laboratory where I implement latest techniques and the results are evident.”

Today, Banbihari is not only using updated agricultural techniques in preparing plant saplings but also growing and selling vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, brinjals, cabbages, cauliflowers, sponge gourd (Nenua) on five acres of land. He has been preparing saplings using latest methods and selling them to other farmers as well.  “I am cultivating grafted brinjal whose plants bear half to one kilogram of the vegetable. Each such plant grows to a height of seven to eight feet and bears vegetables for an average period of two years. Each plant yields between 22 and25 kg of brinjals.”

 Banbihari Mahto produced bumper production of cabbage during the last Rabi season, which earned a good profit as it sold @ Rs 60 per kilogram in the market. The farmer sells his vegetable produce in local markets and in Jamshedpur that fetches at an average, Rs three to Rs 3.50 annually.

Need not wander to other states for employment

Jamshedpur, Nov 4: Banbihari Mahto who is worth emulating said, “One need not wander off to other states for employment. The biggest irony of our region is the problem of migration. If people work diligently, update and implement modern techniques readily available through agriculture department they will not have to migrate. My humble suggestion is ‘Take advantage of the government schemes and your economic condition is bound to improve.’” Mahto informed that he himself has engaged field labourers who, under daily wages, make a monthly earning of Rs 7,000 on an average. Banbihari Mahto not only cultivates with advanced technology in his fields, but also encourages other farmers staying in and around Pipla by making them aware of the modern agriculture techniques readily available with the agriculture department.