With immense pride, Krishi Jagran welcomed 40 farmers in its New Delhi office who came all the way from Odisha and shared experiences of their struggles and strengths. Most farmers among them were women who are leading Farmer Producer Organisations comprising 600-700 members. These women expressed their gratitude toward MC Dominic, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief, Krishi Jagran for giving due credit to farmers of the country.
Kshetramohan Behera, Secretary of Live and Let Live (LALL), a non-governmental organization exclusively working on agriculture and enhancing livelihood of small and marginal farmers of Odisha was present at the event. He expressed his regard toward Krishi Jagran and narrated life instances of achievers in the farming sector.
Commending the efforts of women farmers, Behera said, “Ever since women have become FPO directors, the accountability has increased. For instance, earlier farmers used to sell green gram for Rs 52 per kg, but now they are able to sell it for Rs 85. This happened due to the elimination of middlemen.”
Odisha is prominent for its rice production, and through community efforts, the farmers have increased their production of paddy. Apart from paddy, many farmers also harvest green gram and coconut. To grow these crops many farmers in Odisha are contributing to organic farming by using organic pesticides such as neem oil and karanja oil and home-made fertilizers.
Talking about the challenges faced by women, Behera said it has become easier for women to step out of their houses and face the world from the past few years. “Many women farmers are earning 5-6 lakh rupees per year,” he said. However, he says, the only concern is the lack of banks and loan facilities in villages. Moreover, due to sharecropping practices and the landlord system still prevailing in villages, farmers have been deprived of benefits of many government schemes, he said.
Speaking about the Millionaire Farmer of India awards, Santilata Dwibedy, a woman director of one of the Farmer Producing Organization in Odisha said, the award is a step forward to the upliftment of farmers, especially women. Lata Shanti Dwivedi was invited by the Government of India for her impeccable achievements such as running an FPO and encouraging other women farmers. She and many other women have gained financial independence by working in the agriculture sector.
MC Dominic concluding the event praised women achievers and said that he is expecting more women MFOI winners in the future. He and Shiny Dominic, Managing Director, Krishi Jagran honored all the 40 farmers with shawls. All the farmers applauded Krishi Jagran for recognizing farmers who are otherwise ignored by mainstream media.
