Kondagaon: Dr Rajaram Tripathi is a farmer known as White Moosli King. He successfully raises white moosli and black pepper in Bastar. According to him, this crop cultivation can be a game changer for the farmers of the region if he gets more administrative support in this direction.
Left government job for farming
Rajaram left his government job for farming. First, he started raising white moosli then turned to black pepper cultivation. This is hard to believe but the truth is black pepper found in Kerala and other coastal areas are now cultivated in Bastar too.
Pepper cultivation
When the ETV BHARAT team reached the farmhouse of Rajaram Tripathi in Kondagaon, the sight here was worth seeing. We were stunned to witness black pepper creepers on the trees of Australian Teak. Rajaram points out that due to the favorability of Bastar's climate, pepper known as the queen of spices is cultivated without the use of fertilizers.
Pepper cultivation can change farmers fate
Farmers say that the combination of black pepper and Australian Teak can make them rich and also stop the expenses incurred for buying timber woods from abroad.
Employ 700 people
Rajaram's institution Maa Danteshwari Herbal Farm is cultivating many crops in different areas of Bastar. In about 1,100 acres of land, cultivation of black pepper, white moosli, steviya, ashwagandha, turmeric, honey and green tea is done.
Apart from this, many rare herbs are also being preserved by this institution. Over 700 people work regularly in the fields and are trained in new crops. No wonder, the lives of hundreds of people living in Naxalite affected Bastar have changed.
