Tamil Nadu

MYRADA-KVK helps farmers earn more

– PHOTO:M. GOVARTHAN.

Breaking conventions: MYRADA - KVK has been promoting citronella cultivation among farmers in Thalavady hills;(right) it has also funded the setting up of an extraction unit to help the farmers.

THALAVADY: Farmers in Kottamalam and Sujilkarai hamlets in the hills here will soon start earning more.

Helping them do so is the MYRADA-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Gobichettipalayam, which has introduced citronella cultivation.

The farmers for long cultivated ragi, maize or jowar for about four to five months a year and thereafter left their lands fallow.

In short, the farmers’ lands remained uncultivated for most part of the year.

And, the income the ragi, maize or jowar gave was about Rs. 10,000 a year, just about enough to meet their bare minimum.

For meeting the family needs, the farmers and young men in the families ventured to Mysore, Coimbatore or neighbouring areas in search of employment.

“The men mostly ended up as daily wagers or construction workers,” says P. Pachaiappan of MYRADA-KVK.

To address the issue, the Indian Council for Agriculture Research Organisation introduced citronella, the oil from which is used in mosquito repellents and other products.The reason behind introducing citronella was more than one, says Mr. Pachaiappan. “The first is that it increases farmers’ income and, second, assures that the income is continuous and steady, as every three months after the first six months the crop is ready for harvest.”

There is another advantage as well and as far as hills are concerned a very important one.

“Elephants, wild boars or other animals do not destroy the crops, and it is not prone to any pest attack,” he says. The same cannot be said of ragi, maize or jowar.

Given the advantages MYRADA-KVK has introduced the crop and also funded the setting up of an oil extraction unit. In a day or two, the farmers, through self help groups and federation of such groups, will start the extraction of oil.

Project Officer, MYRADA-KVK, P. Alagesan says an acre under citronella will yield between 10 and 12 tonnes a year if it is rain-fed and nearly 15 tonnes if irrigated.

And, a tonne of citronella gives eight kg of oil, a kg of which costs Rs. 350.

A rough calculation suggests that a farmer with an acre under the crop will get about Rs. 28,000 a year.

At least Rs. 10,000 more than what ragi or jowar gives.

As for the marketing aspect, MYRADA-KVK has tied-up the SHG federation with an Udhagamandalam-based organisation, which will purchase the oil.

In doing so, the KVK has taken care of another important aspect in that it has advised farmers do not completely switch over from ragi or maize. "We have asked them to divert only a portion of their lands for citronella, as their food security has to be taken care of and ragi cultivation preserved."

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