Hazaribagh: With more than 70% of the population in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh dependent on agriculture, an impressive feat has been achieved by Maryam Purti, a resident of Katkamsandi in the district. Purti, a female farmer of the region, has successfully cultivated mangoes in a 1.94-acre stretch of land renowned in the area as being difficult to harvest. She has become the first person to use the land successfully for agriculture.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Purti said the strip originally belonged to her parents and her grandparents. "Earlier, it was barren. No one even came towards this land. No one had ploughed here before I started. I tilled it for the very first time, and today you can see the result.
This area was almost like a jungle. Even my ancestors never used this land. However, when I joined JSLPS (Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society) and got the benefits of MNREGA, the staff provided me with commodities to start my agriculture," Purti said. She added that she received more than 250 mango saplings from the state government to kickstart her cultivation.
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She further said that right now her trees were full of mango blossoms, noting she was also doing mixed cropping to bring in variety. "Through intercropping, vegetables such as onion, garlic, chilies are also produced. Through this, I earn approximately Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 a year. No one ever grew and sold a single crop from this land, but I now sell approximately 5 to 10 quintals of onions per year, as well as a quintal of garlic," she stated.
Vedvati, Block Development Officer of Katakamsandi block, said Purti was the ideal farmer of the area. "Whenever we take any farmer or beneficiary for field tour, we take them to her farmhouse. Maryam is doing mixed cropping. First, she successfully used mango gardening and then did mixed cropping alongside growing mangoes," she said.
