With Technical Know-How, This Balasore Farmer Hopes For Better Paddy Yield

Bhubaneswar: I am hopeful of a good yield from paddy this Kharif season,” said Prahallad Behera, a farmer of Kuruda village under Soro block in Balasore district.

He owes this confidence to the technical know-how gathered during his various interactions with scientists.

Earlier, this 55-year-old farmer engaged in farming activities the traditional way on his 5 acres of land.

Things changed in 2017 when he got connected with Reliance Foundation and its advisory programme. Now, he had easy access to all information and a toll-free number on which he could make frequent calls for advice on land preparation, seed treatment, fertilizer application, pest and disease management and post-harvest management.

He has also been participating in multi-location audio conference programme related to pest and disease management in paddy.

Prahallad is now cultivates paddy, mustard, sesame and vegetables. Recently, he reaped three quintal of mustard, two quintal of sesame.

He also does fish farming in 0.25 acer (50) decimal pond behind his house.

Under this programme, near about 30 farmers interact with a scientist through phone conferencing and get valuable inputs on farming.

As a part of its rural transformation initiative, Nita M Ambani led Reliance Foundation (RF) runs Reliance Foundation Information Services (RFIS) in 11 states of India. This programme helps to empower rural and marginalised communities through the means of expert knowledge and technology.