Banker-turned-farmer sets example of farming in C'garh

Rajaram Tripathi of Kondagaon village chose to quit the government job and follow his family’s footsteps. He switched to farming and today his company helps over 22,000 farmers across the country and is a pioneer in export of medicinal herbs.

Kondagaon (Chhatisgarh): Rajaram Tripathi, famously known as musli king, resorted to farming after resigning from the government job. He has been successfully cultivating black pepper and white musli for several years in Bastar.

Tripathi says that if there is more administrative help in this direction, these crops can be proved as a game changer for the farmers of the region.

Talking to ETV Bharat, Tripathi says that due to the favourable climate of Bastar, black pepper, also known as queen of spices, is being cultivated without the use of chemical fertilizers.

"The quality of black pepper we cultivate is no ness than the one which is cultivated in coastal areas. Seeing the quality of black pepper grown here even the farmers of Kerala get stunned," added Tripathi.

Talking of how this crop can change the economic condition, the farmers cultivating this crop said that the combination of black pepper and Australian tic can make the farmers not only rich but it can also stop the thousands of crores of rupees which go abroad to buy imrati wood.

The Rajaram Tripathi's foundation, Maa Danteshwari Herbal Farm, is cultivating many crops in different areas of Bastar, in about 1100 acres of land. These crops include black pepper, white musli, ashwagandha, turmeric, honey and green tea.

Apart from this, many rare herbs are also being preserved by this foundation. About 700 people are regularly working in the fields and are also getting trained about new crops. Through this effort, the lives of hundreds of people have changed in naxal affected Bastar.