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| Joseph Mathew (Kunjettan), Kallakkunnel, Parathode, Kanjirappally, Kottayam |
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When the Rubber Board chose the 10 best farmers from among the 10-lakh cultivators, Joseph Mathew (Kunjettan), Kallakkunnel, Parathode, Kanjirappally was one of them. But he was quick to realize the folly of a farmer depending on a single crop. Accordingly his 30-acre land is the venue for mixed crops, all cultivated in the organic way.
For the past 10 years he has been following this approach by using ash, cowdung, oil cake and compost from agricultural waste. 6 cows provide input to the biogas plant and the slurry from there is the major fertilizer of the farm.
Avoiding disturbance to the soil is of paramount importance to him. The soil is not tilled. Weeds are not uprooted but cut and dumped in the compost pits dug in the area.
He has a profit sharing scheme with the workers. For example the payment for rubber tapping is linked to the individual production. And may be because of this approach, the workers too have a warm relationship with the farming family.
His son,Subin, resigned the job in KHDP to assist the father in farming. Vanila and other new crops are under his care. His wife Marikutty, daughter Sebeena and daughter-in-law Linu look after anthurium cultivation.
Without transporting the produce to the market, he sells them in the farm itself, thus insuring himself against the pitfalls of the marketplace.
Courtesy: TKS, Karshakashree, February 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
