Odisha Farmer Succeeds in Commercial Rice-Fish Farming with NRRI Technology
Shri Sunakar Mishra of village Mahisara under Dharmasala block and Jajpur district in Odisha has developed a 35 acres large rice-fish farm following the technology developed at NRRI, Cuttack. He has availed a loan amount of Rs 53 lakh for mainly the land shaping and some amount (Rs 3.70 lakh) for seeds of rice, fish and prawn, out of the total Rs 93.52 lakh sanctioned by State Bank of India, Jajpur Town Branch. The farmer purchased a Pocoline Hitachi Machine (LNT 90) and did entire earth work in the farm. The project includes a subsidy amount of Rs 20 lakh from Agricultural Production and Investment Corporation Limited (APICOL), Odisha to be released after completion of the scheme. Shri Mishra grows NRRI semi-deepwater rice varieties (Varshadhan, Durga) along with around 3 lakhs juveniles of fresh water prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) and 2 lakhs fry of fish (Catla, Catla catla and Rohu, Labeo rohita). Vegetables (Bitter gourd, okra, ridge gourd), tuber crops and pulse (Pigeon pea) are being grown on wide bunds (8 meter) all around. The farmer plans to grow around 10,000 improved Guava and 2,000 tissue cultured Banana, 200 Coconut plants, besides agro-forestry with 2,000 Sisso (Dalbergia sisso) plants. Shri Mishra expects an annual return of Rs 60 lakhs from the farm and is confident of refunding the entire released loan amount in the first year itself. Further, the farmer also visualizes phase by phase utilization of Rs 2.2 crores for farm and other infrastructures development in his total 60 acres area and desires to take up commercial farming of rice including quality rice, fish, prawn, horticultural crops, plantation crops and agro-forestry in the farm with expert advice of NRRI scientists.
The farmer get a net income of Rs 16 lakh from rice-fish-prawn and other crops. In the year 2007-08 the farmer took another Rs 60 lakh of loan and expanded and renovated the area to a total area of 65 acre, these includes 3 farms in which rice-fish farming is done in two farms of 55 acre (35+20 acre) and fresh water prawn is being grown in 10 acre area. He has planted 350 saplings of improved mango variety “Amrapali”, besides, coconut and other agro-forestry plants on bunds. He also growing number of vegetable crops on bunds. He has a plan to integrate the poultry component this year and expects much more increase in income.