The 3,750-odd small cotton farmers of the Naxalite prone areas of Adilabad district, Andhra Pradesh, have a reason to rejoice this year as their earnings are expected to get better on the back of a good crop, thanks to Project SHARE.
Project SHARE, a joint initiative by global agri-business firm Monsanto and an NGO ISAP, was launched in 2009 in AP, Maharashtra and Rajasthan with a five-year plan to raise small farmers' income via sustainable farming practices like water conservation, effective use of fertilisers and sprays, intercropping and effective resource management.
"With the current market price, I am expecting Rs 80,000 for 20 quintal cotton grown in 2-acre, higher than Rs 45,000 for 15 quintal, last year," 40-year old farmer Shankar Rao of Echoda mandal (block) told reporters during a two-day visit.
He hopes to get better returns this year as higher yields are expected because of judicious use of farm-inputs and intercropping of cotton with pulses unlike mono crop last year.
Rao is an active member of the Project SHARE, under which cotton farmers have been getting pre-sowing and post-harvest training in seven mandals of Adilabad, one of the main cotton growing regions in the state.
Courtesy, intercropping method and timely training, Rao said he has recovered his entire expenditure on cotton crop from tur dal. "I learnt in the training how to farm better with lesser inputs, thus reducing my input costs and farming risk," he added.
At present, cotton price is ruling at Rs 4,000 per quintal in Adilabad, known as the city of cotton. Last year, Rao sold it at Rs 3,000 per quintal.
Another farmer Manik Rao, who hails from Ponna Village and has five acres, said, "I am expecting to generate an income of Rs 1,00,000 with a higher yield of 10 quintals per acre as opposed to Rs 30,000 from six quintals per acre prior to SHARE experts's guidance."
Project co-ordinator Ved Prakash Sharma from ISAP, who is working at the ground level, said, "We chose Adilabad as this district is underdeveloped with farmers having small-marginal holding of 3-4 acres. They badly required a change to improve their lives."
The project is working with 3,750 farmers, who have turned some portion of their agricultural land in Adilabad into demo plots to test the sustainable agriculture.
