NAGPUR: A third-generation farmer from a village in the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra has found mention in the state revenue minister's address to the legislative council as an example for other farmers to emulate if they want to ward off penury and disaster.Sanjay Gandate, 31, now cultivates pearls in his 900sqm freshwater pond and leads the charge of innovation in the belt that is battling low-agricultural productivity. Experts say one of the prime reasons for the unending spate of farmers' suicides is the unwillingness on their part to change and hold him up as an example of what a little innovation can achieve. NCP chief Sharad Pawar too had suggested that farmers switch to cash crops to ward off penury.Proving their contention true is the fact that almost every other farmer in Gandate's village is battling low-agricultural productivity, which doesn't meet their economic demands. Gandate, whose family traditionally cultivates rice, started freshwater pearl farming after getting basic training and guidance from a scientist at the government's Krishi Vigyan Kendra."Agriculture in India is still reliant on several parameters that are beyond one's control and so, to support my family and to diversify, I thought of starting this experiment as most of the resources required were easily available," Gandate told TOI.Wainganga River runs by Gandate's ancestral farmland. Oysters are fished from that river and then cultivated under controlled conditions after a period of at least 18 months, till the pearl is formed. He said that using this process, a pearl takes lesser time to form as compared to what it would have taken under uncontrolled conditions. Natural pearls are formed by nature, more or less by chance. On the other hand, cultured pearls are human creations formed by surgical implementation of mantle grafts and appropriate nuclei in the internal organs of the recipient oyster/mussels."We have started this farming in a small freshwater pond that has been created on our farmland and we are trying to supplement our farming income with this. So far, it has been a very rewarding experiment," said Gandate. He added that after tasting success, he is now organizing workshops for other farmers on pearl cultivation .Revenue minister Khadse spoke about Gandate's innovation and risk-taking ability while talking on the issue of farmer suicides and drought-affected farmers. He said that innovation in farming and changing crop pattern are the need of the hour. More than 3,000 debt-stricken farmers have committed suicide in the state after their farms failed to produce enough yield to allow them to pay back their loans. "The young generation of farmers needs to think out of the traditional farming system. I was stunned to know that Gandate was cultivating pearls to support his declining income from rice fields," said Khadse.To encourage such attempts, he has granted financial aid to Gandate for his farm pond and also announced a scheme, where the government will give Rs 50,000 to anyone who wants to dig up a pond on farms for water storage and for allied activities like small-scale fishing.