Published Issue: July 2019
Pullamuthur, located 7 kilometers from Thirumangalam on the road to Usilampatti in Madurai district, is home to over 150 farming families. The primary crops here are paddy and cotton, with residents also rearing livestock such as goats and cattle. While the village has a primary school, students must travel to the nearby Sathangudi for further education. Livestock medical services and agricultural consultations are also located in Sathangudi and Thirumangalam, respectively.
R. Pappuraj, a second-generation farmer from Pullamuthur, has been farming for over 25 years after taking over from his father. His wife, Balasithra, supports him in his endeavors. Together, they have educated their four daughters up to undergraduate level. Pappuraj’s mother continues to guide the family in both farming and household matters.
Pappuraj cultivates paddy, groundnut, cotton, sugarcane, and various pulses during the Aadi monsoon season. For paddy, he uses the NLR variety based on his farming experience. Initially, due to a lack of awareness and usage of modern farming techniques, he could only harvest 35 sacks of paddy weighing 72 kilograms each per acre, despite incurring high costs on crop protection chemicals.
Upon learning about the free advisory services provided by the Reliance Foundation for farmers, Pappuraj decided to implement these in his farming practices. This resulted in increased yield and income. He shared his successful experience with us:
“In my 10-acre paddy field, leaf folder insects and stem borers had heavily infested the crops. Worried, I contacted the Reliance Foundation. A foundation agricultural expert visited my field and recommended the use of Trichogramma egg parasitoid cards to control pests biologically. He also advised installing solar light traps. Following his advice, I used natural fertilizers, bio-fertilizers, and necessary macronutrients to control pests.
Additionally, I used modern techniques for paddy cultivation, learned through the Reliance Foundation’s WhatsApp messages and toll-free helpline. Nobody in our village had previously used solar light traps. The foundation expert explained their usage and benefits clearly. I acquired the light traps with a subsidy from the agriculture department and installed them in my field, reducing crop protection costs by 1,200 rupees per acre.
By utilizing the Reliance Foundation’s WhatsApp messages, helpline, voice messages, and soil testing results in my field, the average yield increased from 35 sacks to 40 sacks per acre. In 10 acres, I harvested 400 sacks of paddy. With each sack selling for 1,100 rupees, the total income from 400 sacks was 440,000 rupees. With continuous technical guidance from the Reliance Foundation, I obtained an additional 50 sacks (5 sacks per acre) across 10 acres, resulting in an extra income of 55,000 rupees.
Additionally, by following the integrated pest management techniques suggested by the Reliance Foundation, I reduced the total input costs by 1,200 rupees per acre. This led to a total saving of 12,000 rupees in input costs across 10 acres. Therefore, the additional income from the increased yield (55,000 rupees) and savings on input costs (12,000 rupees) totaled 67,000 rupees in 10 acres.
As the leader of the green gram producers’ group in my area, I regularly share Reliance Foundation’s information with all farmers. For the past three years, the foundation has provided agricultural advisory services and information on livestock management to me and 150 farming families in our village.
We express our gratitude to the Reliance Foundation for helping sustain and grow our farming practices. We benefit from their free advisory services through the toll-free helpline number 1800-419-8800,” said Pappuraj.
Sreekirupa
