Kakinada: After noticing the link between pesticide residues in crops/farms and outbreak of unknown diseases in West Godavari in 2020, the agriculture department undertook a special drive against use of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides and promoted Zero-Based Natural Farming, a system propagated by Subhash Palekar.
The campaign was for increased use of “green manure’’. This is empowering Self Help Groups to earn money by supplying “green manure seeds and also organic liquids’’ to farmers.
Farmers need not go to pesticide and fertilizer shops. Nor do they have to make the organic liquids on their own. Women from SHGs are supplying these to farmers in sufficient quantities.
According to farm officials, farmers grow 15 varieties of seeds like black-gram, green-gram, ginger, custard, jowar, ragi, coriander, green-stemmed leaves (Gongura), amaranth leaves (rhotakura) etc. All the seeds will be supplied to farmers by the SHGs.
Besides, the SHGs are preparing five varieties of liquids -- Neemastra (from Neem leaves), Brahmasthra (from Guava leaves, Maredu leaves and Ganuga leaves), Agni Asthra (from garlic, tobacco, chillies) and Pancha Gavya (from milk, curd, ghee, banana, cow urine, cow-dung etc to kill pesticides and grow the plants.
“The SHGs are selling these at the rate of Rs1,000 to Rs1,500 per 10 litre of liquid. Farmers should spray these by mixing 100 litres of water, per acre.
This will help in the growth of plants without any use of pesticides and in giving necessary organic fertilizer to the plants,’’ said district project manager of ZBNF, Tata Rao.
He said, last year, the farmers engaged in this type of farming on 5,000 acres and got a yield of 32 bags on an average per acre, equal to the routine farming with use of fertilizers and pesticides, at low cost.
The farmers benefitted by a savings of nearly Rs5,000 to Rs.7,000 due to their resort to ZBNF.
He said the farmers felt very happy and the area over this system of cultivation has been increased to 30,000 acres. This type of farming will eliminate the problem of pesticide residue in crops and fields.
Palm-oil farmers are making use of ZBNF and earning 10 tonne of produce per acre. So with horticulture crops like guava, lemon, banana etc, which are also giving them good yield.
Agriculture joint director Gouse Begum said the green manure cultivation is giving good results. “If all the farmers adopt this method, consumers can avail pesticide-free farm produce, Begum said.
