Sometime ago, Hariya Naik of Lachunaik Thanda, was among the farmers, who in spite of having land, were not able to take up cultivation for the fact that the land they owned was a rocky terrain where cultivation is a herculean task, though not impossible.
Thanks to the Tribal Development Fund Scheme being implemented by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), Hariya Naik has been able to transform six out of 10 acres of his barren land into a mango orchard. He had sown mango plants and after four years of hard work, literally enjoying the sweet fruits of labour.
The farmer, an early bird to avail the assistance from the government scheme, first dug pits with 3-feet breadth, width and depth and planted mango saplings after filling them with green manure and fertiliser four years ago. He was also extended the drip irrigation facility to overcome the water scarcity in the terrain.
The result was phenomenal last summer with the mango trees giving the first yield, though it was low compared to the orchards in good soils. However, cultivating the land, leave aside getting any yield, was beyond his wildest of imagination.
“I was not aware about the mango price in the market and sold the entire produce for a mere Rs.11,000 when it was in the premature stage. But, I will be careful this year and sell it only after finding the market price”, Hariya Naik said with optimism of making better in the coming summer.
P, Jagadeehswar, a resident of Anekunta panchayat , said many farmers had benefitted with the Nabard scheme and the necessary on-field assistance from the implementation agency -- Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment (SCOPE).
“We are implementing the scheme in about 500 acres benefiting 500 farmers with an investment of Rs.1.7 crore and the results are encouraging so far”, Assistant General Manager of NABARD G. Ramesh Kumar told The Hindu .

Source : The Hindu