Cashew farming changes lives of 52 tribal families in Junglemahal

 

                       Tribal women are busy in cashew farming on their sterile lands

Cashew farming changes lives of 52 tribal families in Junglemahal

Not only Bipin, another 51 tribal families living at Gaighata village under Salboni block in West Midnapore, who were mainly depend on forest produce like woods and Sal leaves, have started earning a substantial income from cashew farming.

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News   

                                                                                                 

MIDNAPORE, 26 SEP: Before three years, Bipin Mandi, a tribal farmer barely managed to make two ends meet for his family. He often used to go to other states for a job as a daily labour.

Bipin was then suggested to go for cashew nut farming in his own barren laterite land by the officials of the soil conservation branch under state agricultural department in association with Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV).

And, today, he does not require going elsewhere for earning and he can maintain his livelihood from his earlier sterile land. Now, he can cultivate vegetables on his own land which was quite impossible barely three years ago. In addition to this, he is now engaged in cashew farming which is very profitable crop.

Not only Bipin, another 51 tribal families living at Gaighata village under Salboni block in West Midnapore, who were mainly depend on forest produce like woods and Sal leaves, have started earning a substantial income from cashew farming. All 52 families who had 32 hectare barren laterite lands, have been engaged in cashew plantation and within two years, their lands have become fertile. They now started cultivating various vegetables in their courtyards. The total laterite lands have now turned into a green fertile land.    

                                                          

Dr Dibyendu Samanta, assistant-director of state agriculture department (Soil Conservation), who is pioneer in changing this huge sterile laterite land to a fertile land by implementing cashew plantation project, said, “Cashew farming is very much effective in changing the soil character especially of laterite soil. Due to this intense farming, underground water level has already been lifted and the land has gradually been turned from less fertile to fertile. Here, the tribal families who depend on forest produces have been grossly benefitted as they have started earnings from their lands. Next year, they will get profit from selling cashew nuts.”

He also said, “We have also planted gamhar trees along the border of the land and this will help protecting the cashew plantation from storm or natural calamities. This apart, the beneficiaries will get prices by selling woods of these gamhar trees with the intervals of few years. This border plantation has been carried out with the help of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya”.  

After inspecting the farm, Dr Benukar Biswas, Officer-in-charge of  Agro-forestry department, BCKV said, “The university will help in beautifying the farm in future.”