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Vermicompost reduces the cost of production by 20% and enhances output by 25%. Most important, it's organic. The M R Morarka-GDC Rural Research Foundation (MRRF) has promoted vermiculture to transform the lives of over 3 lakh farmers in Rajasthan
When he retired from the army, jawan (soldier) Subodh Singh Meena, of Dundlod village in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, decided to invest a major part of his life's savings in becoming an 'agripreneur'. He set up a vermicompost plant at a cost of Rs 1.25 lakh, in a 700 square yard plot he owned. He took a short training course at the M R Morarka-GDC Rural Research Foundation (MRRF), an organisation spearheading the use of vermiculture in India. The MRRF is run by industrialist and former Rajya Sabha member, Kamal Morarka. Vermiculture involves the rearing of earthworms for manure, ensuring that farmers no longer have to use chemical fertilisers. A year later, Meena's account books had balanced out. Cost of setting up the unit: Rs 1.25 lakh. Net return for the first year: Rs 1.2 lakh. Plus, he had Rs 80,000 worth of earthworms that multiply nearly 20 times over within a year. The vermiculture experiment is proving a great success across the barren stretches of sandy Rajasthan. Every kilo of compost Meena harvests, at a cost of about Rs 7, is sold at Rs 40 a kg in cities like Delhi, where people have begun to realise the value of eating organically-grown food. "Just add the Eisenia foetida variety of earthworms to a heap of suitably moistened cowdung, or any organic waste, and cover it with straw," explains Meena. "As the worms eat into the waste, they excrete the fertile compost which is then sold to farmers in surrounding areas." The other major advantage of vermiculture, according to Mukesh Gupta, executive director of the MRRF and author of the widely-selling book Organic Farming is that: "This compost possesses the ability to retain water, which, in turn, helps the crops survive on less water. That is a blessing in a drought-prone area like Rajasthan." Gita Devi, whose husband Laxman Singh owns a two-acre farm on the outskirts of Jhunjhunu, vouches for this. "Not only have the earthworms increased the productivity of our crops but the shelf-life of the vegetables and fruits we grow also increases after we use this manure. The vegetables we harvest no longer get spoilt so quickly," she points out. MRRF, set up in 1993, has transformed the lives of over 3 lakh farmers in Rajasthan. In 1995, under contract with the Rajasthan state government, it kicked off its initial programme by providing extension services to 10,000 farm families. "We were able to gain the confidence of the farmers because the first thing we were able to tell them was that by using this manure they would, firstly, no longer be using chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and secondly, it would help increase their production by 25%." The farmers of Jhunjhunu district were especially delighted because a large section of this area is dependent on rainwater as the only source of irrigation. "Since we can grow only two crops a year, most of us were too poor to afford chemical fertilisers like urea. The earthworms were given to us through state-subsidised support and we in turn are now in a position to sell this manure to other farmers," says Khem Chand Seni, a farmer from Sanio Ki Dhani village. The MRRF, which has its headquarters in Jaipur, has also reached out to 10,000 of the more affluent farmers and entrepreneurs. This has helped create a combined vermicompost production capacity of over 1.5 lakh tonnes, making the Foundation the world's largest producer of this bio-compost. Morarka, who closely monitors the activities of the MRRF, points out: "Earthworms are nutrient-rich. Their presence in the soil improves its fertility by facilitating its aeration, and adding plant nutrient to it through the process of decomposition of biodegradable material. Earthworms are particularly beneficial as they can eat a variety of vegetative material, including farm and household waste, cowdung and municipal sewage, and excrete it in the form of vermicompost. Though there are a number of species of earthworm that can perform this job, the red earthworm known as Eisenia foetida, are considered the most efficient," Morarka says. The vermicompost production capacity of earthworms can be gauged from the fact that each worm, weighing 0.5 to 1.2 grams, is able to produce an equal quantity of compost in 24 hours. Thus, about 1,000 earthworms can churn out about a kilo of vermicompost a day. They also multiply in the process. According to experts at the Delhi-based Indian Agricultural Research Institute, vermicompost contains about 1.3% nitrogen, against merely 0.7% in cowdung manure. Besides, it has about 0.5% phosphorous and traces of several useful micro-nutrients such as calcium, manganese, copper, iron, zinc, vitamins and enzymes. As most Indian soils are poor in organic content, vermicompost can be particularly useful. Farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and the north-east, quick to realise the benefits of vermiculture, are busy incorporating it in their farming practices. The MRRF has responded by helping set up vermicompost pits in all these states. It is presently working closely with the ministry of agriculture. As Gupta points out: "Our experiments across the country confirm that not only does this compost reduce the cost of crop production by 20%, but it also enhances output by 25% by helping rejuvenate the soil." The MRRF recently tied up with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to utilise the dung and urine of thousands of stray cattle to produce vermicompost and bio-pesticides. The MCD will arrange to catch the cattle and bring them to gaushalas; the MRRF will undertake the conversion of cowdung into vermicompost, and cow urine into bio-pesticides by using the relevant technologies. A similar project has also been undertaken with the Gauri Shanker Gaushala in Bagad, and the Sri Krishan Gausha in Chirawa. Both these towns are located in Jhunjhunu district. P D Sharma, the gaushala manager in Bagad says: "We have 200 cows here, in an area of 750 bighas. Selling the vermicompost has helped us become self-sustaining. Now we can even earn money from cows which have stopped giving milk." Gupta adds: "In the year 2002-2003, we distributed 26,0771 kg of earthworms at an average market rate of Rs 500 per kg. We have also helped create jobs for 25,000 villagers who are involved in this work. Overall, our calculations show that we have helped create a Rs 1,591-crore equivalent net value addition for Indian farmers by these efforts. In the US, organically-grown foods are a $ 6 billion industry. We hope to start a similar trend in India." No wonder then that the poor farmer in the Jhunjhunu belt, marginalised for all these years, is overjoyed to find a premium placed on his products. Ganga Devi says: "We have also grown food by following traditional methods of agriculture. If we can get a higher price for our mustard oil, vegetables, wheat and other products, it will help improve the quality of our lives." Contact: M.R. Morarka GDC-Rural Research Foundation
RIICO Gem Stone Park, Tonk Road,
Jaipur- 302 011, Rajasthan
Tel: +91-141-2720202
Email:
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--Rashme Sehgal
(Rashme Sehgal is a Delhi-based journalist) InfoChange News & Features, September 2003 |
