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| Sadanandan, Pidavoor, Pathanapuram |
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When ex-Serviceman and KSRTC driver Sadanandan, let the sweat of his brow flow, his 230 rubber trees reciprocated by gushing forth the latex of prosperity. And today this middle class farmer is the winner of Rs.1 lakh Prof.K.M.Chandy Memorial award.
He has been spending the spare time after driver’s duty in the 2.85 acre land which he purchased in 1979. By tapping the trees himself, by constructing contour bunds and water traps, by judicious application of fertilizers, he had been able to produce 2436 kg rubber per hectare - a figure much above the national average.
This 8th standard drop out is not a farmer by birth. Yet he taps 80 trees out of 230. His son Nimil, who happens to be a tapping demonstrator, is his right hand man in the field. Usually, he and his wife together with Nimil and his wife share the jobs in the farm. He has not availed any loan so far.
His Greenland Agricultural Farm was able to generate Rs.1.5 lakhs by selling potted rubber saplings last year. He has devised a mechanical means to fill earth in the polybags. He is into honey production also, taking into consideration the possibility of the rubber trees.
Earthworm compost is another venture of his. Truckloads of banana stem is used to generate the manure, which he sells at Rs.6 per kilo.
After retirement from KSRTC in 1996, he is able to spend more time among rubber trees. Sadanandan is the Director of Rubber Producers’ Cooperative at Pidavoor, Pathanapuram
Courtesy: Radhakrishnan Narippatta, Mathrubhumi, January 12, 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
