Farmers in Orissa take to maize cultivation

Nabarangpur (Orissa), Jan 3 (ANI): Farmers in Orissa's Nabarangpur District have taken to profitable maize cultivation in place of traditional paddy cultivation.

Predominantly an agricultural district Nabarangpur, more than 90 per cent of its inhabitants depend on farming for their livelihood. They have been traditionally cultivating paddy, but in the absence of sufficient irrigation facilities, had to largely depend on rain gods.

Taking up maize cultivation, as it requires less irrigation, has helped them in more ways than one.

Dinabandhu Bhatara, a farmer said that the shift to maize cultivation has proved more profitable.

"We have taken up maize cultivation in place of paddy as it is more profitable. For this very purpose, we are tilling the maize fields. We require 70 kilograms of manure for a maize field while for paddy more manure is required," said Bhatara.

Nabarangpur district has 42, 892 hectares of land under maize crop and one acre of land produces forty quintals of maize, which is sold at 840 rupees per quintal.

The District Farmers Association of Nabarangpur is demanding setting up of a marketing facility in the district, which they say would help them in getting proper price for their produce.

"We don't have a market facility to sell maize here if we have this, the farmers will benefit more out of this. Besides this, we want a maize mill here," said Gopal Pujari, President, District Farmers Association of Nabarangpur.

Nabarangpur has emerged as major maize producing district of the country and the leading one in the state. By Sharada Lahangir (ANI)