Lakhimpur Kheri (UP), Jan 8 (PTI) A sugarcane farmer in Lakhimpur Kheri has doubled his yield by employing the “trench pit method” and experimenting with various seed varieties. For his innovative style, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has awarded him the “Innovative Farmer” certificate last month.
Achal Mishra, 40, from a remote village of Medaipurva in Gola tehsil has also set up a farmer producer organisation (FPO) for the sale of organic products processed from his crops, and many other farmers are associating with it, agro scientist Dr Pradeep Kumar Bisen said.
Mishra spoke to PTI and said that after completing his graduation in law, he decided to take up farming.
“However, instead of following traditional ways of cane farming, I applied the new trench pit method and new variety of seeds which are suited to local weather conditions,” he said.
“This resulted in encouraging sugarcane crop yield, which increased to 550 to 600 quintals per acre from the earlier 300 quintals per acre,” the farmer added.
Mishra was felicitated with the “Millenium Farmer” award last year owing to his experiments.
Bisen of Kisan Vigyan Kendra (KVK), which is affiliated to Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, lauded Mishra’s methods in cane farming.
“Mishra successfully experimented on various cane seed varieties to derive maximum yield from his sugarcane crops, apart from switching to the trench pit method,” Bisen said.
“His experiment with intercropping, which included growing oilseed plants, pulses and even flowers simultaneously, also yielded very positive results in terms of income,” he said.
Mishra has set up an FPO for the sale of his products processed from his crops, which include jaggery and kala namak (black salt) rice, the scientist said.
District cane officer (DCO) Ved Prakash Singh said, “Achal Mishra, through his innovative efforts in cane farming, has motivated other cane farmers of the district to increase the crop yield per hectare.” “Mishra’s contribution to cane farming was commendable,” Singh said.
Elaborating on his intercropping method, Mishra said he sowed mustard, potato, garlic and marigold in the spaces between the trench pits meant for his sugarcane crop.
“These intercrops not only supplemented the micronutrients to sugarcane plants but also added to my income,” he said. PTI COR ABN ABN SKY SKY
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