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Baksa farmers smell success in tuberose cultivation

By ANN Service

MUSHALPUR, Feb 15 - Farmers of Motipur, Bishnupur, Chaibari, Barbari and neighbouring villages under Mushalpur Subdivision in Baksa, who had never cultivated anything other than paddy and mustard, are now smelling success in tuberose cultivation.

Altogether 40 farmers, for the first time, started tuberose cultivation in Baksa in January 2016 under the project �Promotion of Farmers Producer Organisation (FPO) supported by the NABARD and implemented by Green Environment Task Force, which is working in the field of sustainable agriculture and livelihood generation.

After being trained with technical support from KVK (Baksa) and the District Agriculture Department, tuberose cultivation was done in small plots of land. Since August 2016, the FPO Sparrow Beekeepers Producer Organization has started aggregating the produce collectively and selling the flower directly in Guwahati.

One Mahadev Ramchairy, who invested Rs 3,000 in March 2016, has already earned over Rs 30,000 from tuberose cultivation.

The success of the business side of the activity has been so encouraging that around 150 farmers are now members of the FPO with a total of 300 farmers involved in other produces.

The FPO has also set up an office in Khamarigaon village.

Significantly, farmers from Jopa, Polashi, Heremjhar, Chaibari No. 2, Bhutankhuti, Pakhamara, Dhanbill, Barimakha, Bishnupur Uttar Diyapara, Rawmari, Dadhigaon, Digholdonga, Manikpur, Kataligaon and Barimakha villages are now gearing up for the ensuing season of tuberose flower cultivation.

The farmers had never experienced commercial cultivation of flowers. Most of them were initially reluctant to start flower cultivation, but now their success has become an example for other farmers to adopt.

The project has raised the hope of farmers and helped them understand the value of collective work in doing productive business. The attitude of the farming community as a whole in the villages is changing with more farmers interested to join the producer organization.

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