The 'Mocho Badi' scheme, launched by the district administration here, has, among thousands of other farmers, brought a change in the life of Dinesh Deva, a farmer of Bade Bodma, a remote village in Dantewada district also.
Earlier, Dinesh used to cultivate only Kharif crops, but this time round, taking benefit of 'Mocho Badi' scheme, he has made preparations for Rabi crops, including paddy, pulses and vegetables.
Through 'Mocho Badi' scheme, the administration encourages farmers for cultivation of vegetables, pulses and oilseeds, along with traditional paddy. Since vegetables reach Dantewada from Odisha, people have to pay higher cost for it. However, with the 'Mocho Badi' scheme, vegetable production in the area will increase and people will get it at cheap rate.
Collector KC Devsenapati launched the scheme in the district, not because the farmers get only profit from it, but also help them in cultivating crops having nutritional value.Farmers in the area were facing two main obstacles in vegetable cultivation – open grazing of cattle and lack of irrigation facility. As these obstacles were removed with the 'Mocho Badi' scheme, vegetable and Rabi crop cultivation has become easy.
Under this scheme, fencing of up to 3 acres of land is being done, maximum Rs 25,000 grant is given for digging of tube well and for the remaining amount loan from banks is arranged. Free of cost submersible pump is given to the farmer who dig tube well. 75 per cent grant is provided to small and marginal farmers, where irrigation facility is available through lift irrigation scheme.
Benefits of 'Mocho Badi' scheme is provided with a condition that the farmer has to do bio farming and has to take two crops per year. Priority will be given to those farmers who have already been engaged in bio farming.Over 1,200 applications have been received so far, of which, fencing has been erected in the fields of 300 farmers and work is nearing completion in 200 fields. In order to promote bio-farming, construction of Nadep tank, vermin-compost and concrete platform and tank for collecting cattle urine has been done at about 250 places, for the bio-fertilizer production units.
PMRDF’s Akash Badave said that over 500 farmers would take up Rabi cultivation this time. With the Rabi crops, new opportunity of revenue will be opened for the farmers, whereas, they will get income from vegetables also. On getting irrigation facility through 'Mocho Badi' scheme, the farmer can cultivate vegetables throughout the year and earn about Rs 2 lakh per year.