 |
| Alambadan Muhammed, Kavathikalam, Kottakkal, Malappuram |
Some crave for an audience with the powerful and the influential; but a few others continue with their chosen vocations while VIPs themselves descend to their lowly abodes to appreciate or honour them. Alambadan Muhammed, a farmer without a square foot of land to call his own, belongs to the second category. Noted agriculture scientist and Chairman of National Agriculture Commission, Dr.M.S.Swaminathan visited his paddy field at Kottakkal recently.
Though he has no land of his own and he lives in a rented house, he has been bringing forth good harvest from the 23 acres of leased paddy fields for the last 6 years. The ‘one-straw’ cultivation, practiced by him in 2 acre portion had produced upto 62 tillers. According to Dr.Swaminathan the usual number of tillers is 45 and it was the first time that he was observing a field with 62 branches. He asked the Agriculture Department to submit a report on Mohammed’s cultivation done with organic manure and organic pesticides.
A hands-on farmer who involves himself in all activities of the farm, 60-year-old Muhammed is in the field practically from 6.30 am to 8.30 pm. The best farmer award winner of Kottakkal Panchayat last year, he has been using modern seeds and techniques for the cultivation.
Muhammed, who had earlier worked in the Gulf, turned into a full-time farmer following the injury sustained in a bus accident. The lease agreement mandates him to hand over 25 ‘para’ of harvested paddy to the land owners. Deducting this and other expenses including wages, there isn’t much profit from the venture. It is just sufficient to run the family, says the quintessential farmer.
But when he says that from next year he plans to extend the one-straw cultivation to the whole of his farm, it is a reflection of his confidence and love for the soil.
Courtesy:
V.C.Pramod Kumar
(text), Mathrubhumi,
December 28, 2005
& January 26, 2006
Contributed by: Administrator
