[Prafulla Kaman]
PASIGHAT, 9 Jan: Popok Darin is a 54-year-old farmer from Kiyit village in Mebo subdivision of East Siang district, where he lives with his seven-member family. He dropped out of the school after attending Class 12 to support family livelihood.
Darin grows paddy, cereals, pulses, oil seeds, etc, in the barren lands on the left bank of the Siang river in Mebo as a source of income.
He produces around 200 quintals of oil seeds per annum with an annual turnover of Rs 10 lakhs. His annual turnover from paddy, pulses and other cultivation is around Rs 2 lakhs.
He sells his farm produces in the local markets in Pasighat.
Darin has also started fish farming in the natural ponds of his lands. He takes guidance from the agriculture field officer for cultivation of the crops and other farm activities.
“The agriculture field officers helped me to avail farm training from time to time and also give me ideas on multi-cropping. Now I am planning for integrated pig-fish and poultry farming and goat rearing on a commercial basis,” Darin told this correspondent.
He had received Rs 6,000 under the Prime Minister Kishan Samman Nidhi scheme last year, which helped him purchase crop seeds and farming assets. He has also procured some agricultural machinery and equipments at a subsidized rate under the agri-mechanization programme.
Emulating the success story of Darin, some rural farmers and unemployed youths of Mebo area too are engaging themselves in agriculture and allied activities to enhance their household economy.
