A few farmers of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh have quit tobacco cultivation to grow healthy food

A small group of progressive farmers in Santhanuthalapadu in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh has quit the cultivation of tobacco, the principal commercial crop in the district, to grow organic fruits and vegetables.

After burning their fingers growing the “negative” crop — tobacco— the price of which is governed more by the global demand-supply situation, they decided to go in for organic fruits and vegetables.

A satisfied lot

Now, they are satisfied as they no longer grow the “cancer-causing tobacco”, they said in a conversation with The Hindu. They use only natural fertilizer “'ganajeevamrutham,'” produced with cow-dung and cow urine, and biopesticides made from neem and other leaves.

“There is no problem in marketing the organic vegetables and fruits, as health-conscious people come to our farms from Ongole and other places to buy the farm fresh produce,” says farmer D. Yellamanda Reddy, who grows among other vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, brinjal and tomato. “We also have the satisfaction of contributing our mite to fighting climate change and global warming,” says Mr. Reddy, displaying the just-harvested healthy brinjal, free of insect infestation.

‘No’ to chemicals

The organic farmers in the village have installed micro irrigation systems such as sprinklers and drip irrigation to ensure the much-needed water for the crop.

This is significant at a time when a majority of farmers are struggling to save their crops following a severe drought in the district for the third successive year.

Organic practices adopted by the select group of progressive farmers in the village include residue mulching, composting and crop rotation to maintain soil health, adds Rajagopala Reddy, who focusses on growing greens, particularly fenugreek — highly sought-after by those having high cholesterol, diabetes and renal diseases.

According to farmer D. Chennappa Reddy, this system of cultivation helps in restoring the severe biodiversity loss associated with inorganic, chemical-based farming.

Chemical farming kills useful insects, rats, frogs and snakes upsetting the food-chain in the ecosystem, he says. It took him three years to restore the soil health which was affected because of the repeated use of chemical fertilizers.