ITANAGAR, Feb 27 - Bodumba, a progressive farmer of Namthung village in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh has been conferred the �Krishak Samrat Samman� (Farmer of the Year � Male) 2017 under the category of �More than 20 acre� in recognition of his remarkable contribution towards farmers� empowerment and agriculture-based entrepreneurship development in the State.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh presented the award in a ceremony at New Delhi recently. The ceremony was attended by Anand Mahindra, CMD, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Purushotam Rupala and Sudarshan Bhagat, Union Ministers of State for Agriculture, Ashish Bahuguna of NITI Aayog, Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and Shobhna Patnayak, Union Agriculture Secretary. The programme was organised by Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
A release said that Bodumba has successfully developed an innovative technology of increasing plant population of Kiwi by reducing spacing of Kiwi plants into 4 metre x 4 metre, instead of the old/indigenous practice of spacing of 6 metre x 4 metre, where only a single Kiwi plant is planted. With this method, Kiwi plant population can be increased to 252 from 168 per acre and Kiwi production can be increased to 13,860 kg per acre from 9,240 kg. The cost of production can be reduced to Rs 2,10,870 from Rs 2,40,000 per acre by adopting the new spacing.
With an experience of nearly two decades in farming and production of temperate fruits like Kiwi, apple, walnut, persimmon, etc, Bodumba is also the owner of wellknown temperate fruit nursery Namthung Agri-Horti Multipurpose Nursery at Namthung village that has been accredited by Central Institute of Horticulture, Medziphema, Nagaland.
He has assisted tremendously in training of farmers and agricultural students of Arunachal, Assam and Nagaland for cultivation and production of quality planting materials of temperate fruits.