Natural substitute for fertilisers

By Priyadarshini PattnaikonAug. 30, 2018in Food and Water
Villagers prepare organic manure in Koraput district.
Villagers prepare organic manure in Koraput district. Telegraph picture

Koraput: Tribal farmers of teh district reap the benefits of organic farming. They do not use fertilisers nor pesticides and still get a good yield due to adoption of organic farming.

“We never use fertilisers and pesticides available in the market as they are costly and beyond our affordability. Hence, we are using organic manure prepared at home which is a perfect substitute for fertiliser and pesticide,” said Hari Miniaka of Koijhankar village in Laxmipur block of the district.

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Koraput: Tribal farmers of the district reap the benefits of organic farming. They do not use fertilisers nor pesticides but still get a good yield due to adoption of organic farming.

“We never use fertilisers and pesticides available in the market as they are costly and beyond our affordability. Hence, we are using organic manure prepared at home which is a perfect substitute for fertiliser and pesticide,” said Hari Miniaka of Koijhankar village in Laxmipur block of the district.

Hari said the procedure was very simple and one had to spend around Rs 30 to produce this natural fertiliser for one acre of cultivable land. One kilogram of cow dung, one litre of cow urine, 100 grams of molasses, 100 gram of besan, one kilogram of soil collected from anthill and one litre of water is kept closed inside an earthen pot for seven days. Leaves of at least five different varieties are also put inside the pot.

“After seven days, the colour of the water turns green and one glass of this water is diluted with 20 litres of normal water. Once sprinkled in the paddy field, it works wonders, increasing fertility of the land apart from preventing pest onslaught on crops,” said Dasri Miniaka, another villager.

Tucked amidst hills and forest almost all the household of Koijhankar uses this organic manure in agriculture. The lush green fields surrounding the tiny village reflect the success stories of tribal farmers.

Like the residents of Koijhankar, this technique has been a craze among the tribals of around 100 villages of Laxmipur, Boipariguda, Koraput and Semiliguda blocks of the district for its outstanding results.

“We never use inorganic pesticides and fertilisers in our field. There is a high demand for organic vegetables in urban areas,” said Dauna Talia, a tribal farmer of Mundaguda village in Boipariguda block.

Experts said organic farming brought sustainability to agriculture-based livelihood and reduced the costs of cultivation and increased net incomes of the small and marginal farmers.

“While cost of production has been reduced by organic farming, it is also good for environment as carbon emission is high in chemical farming done by using fertilisers and pesticides. Moreover, life of soil increases and nutrient content of the produced crops remains intact,” said Ramesh Chandra Swain, who wroks for a voluntary organisation promoting organic farming in the region.


First published by The Telegraph on Aug. 19, 2018

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