It is rare to find uneducated farmers who are extremely proud of their profession. It is rare but they exist. Meet Mr Ashok Panwar, a passionate farmer, who feels if a country cannot be resourced with healthy food, there isn’t any need for farmers. Mr Ashok has received the Krishak Puraskar at the Taluk level and has been recognised at the block level for his innovative work on the fields like usage of solar pump, vermin compost and net house for organic farming.
Hello Mr Ashok, please give us a brief introduction about yourself and your current activities in the agricultural sector.
I am from Dewar district of M P. I have been practicing organic farming since the last 3-4 years. Honestly, this is a methodology that runs in our ancient history. It was practiced by our ancestors. The same thing that was practiced then has been aided by net houses, etc. in these modern times. I have small net houses and have installed solar panels so that we are not hassled with electricity issues. This way, farmers can save on their cost of production as well. This is our modus operandi. We aim at providing people with good grains so that people stay healthy. We have been experimenting with new things. We have also made a vermi compost and have been producing bio gas. This is a very simple procedure. The cow dung is used to generate bio gas which can be used to support various household chores. The slurry is feed for the vermi compost plant.
Are you into dairy farming as well?
I have cows but I don't sell milk. I admit that it can be done, but I haven't delved into it full-fledged. Honestly, if you do dairy farming, your soil gets converted into organic pretty fast. The more cow dung manure you feed into the soil, the faster your farm soil converts into organic. I have seen how magically cow dung works on the soil. Half of our problems will be taken care of by cow dung. In fact our ancestors used to say that if you use cow dung, you don't have to feed the soil anything for the next three years. That was their mantra for agriculture. Cow dung is a boon for the earth. Also, you shouldn't burn any of your farm residue. Burning farm residue deteriorates the soil and environment. All the farm waste can be used as feed for your vermi compost plant, instead.
What crops do you produce on your field?
I currently produce tomatoes in the polyhouses and in my open farm I have soya bean. I had a lot of vegetables last harvest. This time, I have not planted that many.
How do you market your farm produce?
Nowadays we have switched widely to grains. If I get a good price I sell it in the market. If not I supply it directly in the nearby houses. Mine is not a huge set up. I have started small. But, it is not much of a hassle.
Has switching to organic farming impacted your health in a positive manner?
People, nearby, have consumed my produce and have commented that it tastes good. They feel it fares better than the produce you get from the market. In fact they say that when they make rotis, out of the produce I supply, they stay soft for longer. The vegetables may lack the colour and lustre but they taste better. The produce, that uses chemicals, looks great but quality and taste is not as good.
What are the challenges you faced when you started doing organic?
Everything in today’s world moves at fast pace and people want instant results. You can't expect the same ease and pace when you want to go organic. It takes time, effort and patience. Farmers are not motivated to do this because for the usual method everything is available readymade - the seeds, the fertilizers etc. But, in this method, we have to make a lot of things ourselves and process it. These are the challenges.
What are your future plans, Mr Ashok?
We have made a group for ourselves. We are a bunch of organic farmers. The plan is to improvise on what we are doing right now and encourage more farmers to join this bandwagon. If that gets done, there will be a lot of unity and we can sell all our produce in bulk and get good prices for it. Only if we get good prices can we attract more farmers to take up this style of farming. So, we are working with conviction. Hopefully we will get more farmers to work this way and it benefits many people.
How many people are there in your farmer's group now?
Now, we are a group of about 12 farmers. Our club is called Varda Farmers' Club. The club is at a distance of about 30 kms from my farm.
How much did you have to invest when you started this this initiative?
I am cultivating in 2 and half acres of land. I had invested about 6-7 lakhs for the net houses, etc. Additionally, I had to spend on the solar panels etc. For the last three years I have been growing vegetables. This time, I have grown vegetables in one part and grains in one part. Honestly, vegetables are a greater hassle to sell because of the lower shelf life.
Did you seek any help from the Government?
We sought help when we were setting up net houses. We got subsidy for that. We also got subsidy when we wanted to install solar panels.
How would you advice farmers who want to go organic and follow whatever you are doing at the moment?
My advice is that we should keep food clean and be mindful that as farmers, we are the ones who can do that. I would advise to increase the usage of cow dung. Of course, we shouldn't stop chemical usage all at once, gradually decrease the usage of chemicals on the farm and increase the usage of natural manure like cow dung etc. What happens usually is, when farmers want to turn organic, they just stop chemical usage all at once. This will end up being a huge loss because their yield goes down pathetically. Due to this they lose heart and think it is a waste turning organic. Another reason why they shouldn't stop the chemical usage all at once is because everything should be balanced out. We should think of our household expenses etc. and work systematically.
Is your farm certified?
We haven't moved towards certification. We have to think and discuss about it before we venture into that path.
Are you getting good rates, for your produce, at the market?
In the market the rates aren't very good. In our local market, there isn't so much of space. So, that is a dilemma.
How do you source your seeds?
We have organic seeds with us. We have farmers from whom we source it.
Are you being able to meet your family expenses, after taking up this initiative?
Right now, it is not running at a huge profit. In fact we are suffering a bit of a loss.
You may have to look into certification. The advantage of getting your produce certified is that you can brand your products and sell it at a better rate at the market. Make sure you keep a record of everything you do so that the certification process becomes easier.
The discussions are on with respect to certification. Hopefully that will do the trick.
Thank you, Mr Ashok. You are a very practical farmer and this was a good discussion. All the very best to you!
Thank you!
Contact address
Ashok Panwar,
Khategaon, Dewas district
Madhyapradesh
ashokpanwar65@gmail.com
9977111532
Hello Mr Ashok, please give us a brief introduction about yourself and your current activities in the agricultural sector.
I am from Dewar district of M P. I have been practicing organic farming since the last 3-4 years. Honestly, this is a methodology that runs in our ancient history. It was practiced by our ancestors. The same thing that was practiced then has been aided by net houses, etc. in these modern times. I have small net houses and have installed solar panels so that we are not hassled with electricity issues. This way, farmers can save on their cost of production as well. This is our modus operandi. We aim at providing people with good grains so that people stay healthy. We have been experimenting with new things. We have also made a vermi compost and have been producing bio gas. This is a very simple procedure. The cow dung is used to generate bio gas which can be used to support various household chores. The slurry is feed for the vermi compost plant.
Are you into dairy farming as well?
I have cows but I don't sell milk. I admit that it can be done, but I haven't delved into it full-fledged. Honestly, if you do dairy farming, your soil gets converted into organic pretty fast. The more cow dung manure you feed into the soil, the faster your farm soil converts into organic. I have seen how magically cow dung works on the soil. Half of our problems will be taken care of by cow dung. In fact our ancestors used to say that if you use cow dung, you don't have to feed the soil anything for the next three years. That was their mantra for agriculture. Cow dung is a boon for the earth. Also, you shouldn't burn any of your farm residue. Burning farm residue deteriorates the soil and environment. All the farm waste can be used as feed for your vermi compost plant, instead.
What crops do you produce on your field?
I currently produce tomatoes in the polyhouses and in my open farm I have soya bean. I had a lot of vegetables last harvest. This time, I have not planted that many.
How do you market your farm produce?
Nowadays we have switched widely to grains. If I get a good price I sell it in the market. If not I supply it directly in the nearby houses. Mine is not a huge set up. I have started small. But, it is not much of a hassle.
Has switching to organic farming impacted your health in a positive manner?
People, nearby, have consumed my produce and have commented that it tastes good. They feel it fares better than the produce you get from the market. In fact they say that when they make rotis, out of the produce I supply, they stay soft for longer. The vegetables may lack the colour and lustre but they taste better. The produce, that uses chemicals, looks great but quality and taste is not as good.
What are the challenges you faced when you started doing organic?
Everything in today’s world moves at fast pace and people want instant results. You can't expect the same ease and pace when you want to go organic. It takes time, effort and patience. Farmers are not motivated to do this because for the usual method everything is available readymade - the seeds, the fertilizers etc. But, in this method, we have to make a lot of things ourselves and process it. These are the challenges.
What are your future plans, Mr Ashok?
We have made a group for ourselves. We are a bunch of organic farmers. The plan is to improvise on what we are doing right now and encourage more farmers to join this bandwagon. If that gets done, there will be a lot of unity and we can sell all our produce in bulk and get good prices for it. Only if we get good prices can we attract more farmers to take up this style of farming. So, we are working with conviction. Hopefully we will get more farmers to work this way and it benefits many people.
How many people are there in your farmer's group now?
Now, we are a group of about 12 farmers. Our club is called Varda Farmers' Club. The club is at a distance of about 30 kms from my farm.
How much did you have to invest when you started this this initiative?
I am cultivating in 2 and half acres of land. I had invested about 6-7 lakhs for the net houses, etc. Additionally, I had to spend on the solar panels etc. For the last three years I have been growing vegetables. This time, I have grown vegetables in one part and grains in one part. Honestly, vegetables are a greater hassle to sell because of the lower shelf life.
Did you seek any help from the Government?
We sought help when we were setting up net houses. We got subsidy for that. We also got subsidy when we wanted to install solar panels.
How would you advice farmers who want to go organic and follow whatever you are doing at the moment?
My advice is that we should keep food clean and be mindful that as farmers, we are the ones who can do that. I would advise to increase the usage of cow dung. Of course, we shouldn't stop chemical usage all at once, gradually decrease the usage of chemicals on the farm and increase the usage of natural manure like cow dung etc. What happens usually is, when farmers want to turn organic, they just stop chemical usage all at once. This will end up being a huge loss because their yield goes down pathetically. Due to this they lose heart and think it is a waste turning organic. Another reason why they shouldn't stop the chemical usage all at once is because everything should be balanced out. We should think of our household expenses etc. and work systematically.
Is your farm certified?
We haven't moved towards certification. We have to think and discuss about it before we venture into that path.
Are you getting good rates, for your produce, at the market?
In the market the rates aren't very good. In our local market, there isn't so much of space. So, that is a dilemma.
How do you source your seeds?
We have organic seeds with us. We have farmers from whom we source it.
Are you being able to meet your family expenses, after taking up this initiative?
Right now, it is not running at a huge profit. In fact we are suffering a bit of a loss.
You may have to look into certification. The advantage of getting your produce certified is that you can brand your products and sell it at a better rate at the market. Make sure you keep a record of everything you do so that the certification process becomes easier.
The discussions are on with respect to certification. Hopefully that will do the trick.
Thank you, Mr Ashok. You are a very practical farmer and this was a good discussion. All the very best to you!
Thank you!
Contact address
Ashok Panwar,
Khategaon, Dewas district
Madhyapradesh
ashokpanwar65@gmail.com
9977111532
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