Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal

Bantwal, Sep 14: One can see a prosperous organic farm in Badagundi situated between Manihalla and Vagga along the Bantwal-Punjalakatte National Highway. At a time when farmers dump their wastes and produce on the national highways, an agriculturist has attracted the attention of the passers-by.

Ramanna Sapalya Navooru, a resident of Badagundi has happily taken to organic farming adjacent to the new highway and is busy and happily cultivating ladies finger and cowpea among other crops.

In the last 25 years he has been growing areca and vegetables. Two years ago, he had to part with a portion of his land for the widening of the national highway. Presently, work on the widening of the Bantwal-Punjalakatte National Highway is under way. Ramanna has fenced the areca crop area that lies close to the highway.

In the last two years Ramanna has been cultivating ladies finger and cowpea using organic manure packed in sacks.

Motorists who pass through this stretch of the highway are often seen curiously admiring the crops cultivated by Ramanna.

He has been growing ladies finger and cowpea using drip irrigation and manure. In the backyard of his home, Ramanna is cultivating ridge gourd, bottle gourd and ash gourd among vegetables.

"Earlier, I had cultivated Taiwan papaya and had achieved financial independence. Sometimes, vegetable creepers used to be troubled by the presence of peacocks. However, there is no danger of any disease to the crops following the use of organic manure. I am giving away a portion of the vegetables to the local anganawadi centres and to a few schools for their mid-day meal programme," he said.