The state and central government are running special campaigns to make farmers aware about the promotion of minor grain crops like Ragi, Kodo, Kutki etc. In this series, a woman farmer, Mrs. Shakun Bai Kujaam of village Urputi of Dhamtari development block has joined the category of progressive farmers by producing minor grain crop Ragi.
It is noteworthy that Mrs. Kunjam has strengthened her financial position by moving beyond traditional farming and adopting innovative and scientific methods. Despite limited resources, she has set an inspiring example of success through hard work, dedication, and the guidance of the Agriculture Department. Shakun Bai owns a total of 7 acres of agricultural land, which is irrigated by a tube well. She has modern agricultural equipment such as a tractor, rotavator, seed drill, multi-crop thresher, and reaper. Five members of her family actively contribute to the farming, ensuring a systematic operation.
Mrs. Shakun Bai told that she cultivated the minor millet crop Ragi (Chhattisgarh Ragi-2) in 3 acres of land during the Rabi season. She used Beej Amrit for seed treatment and vermicompost, DAP, PSB and KSB as fertilizers. As a result of farming done with scientific methods, she got a production of 28.50 quintals. A few years ago, under the seed production program, she earned a total income of Rs. 1,48,200 from Ragi cultivation at the rate of Rs. 5200 per quintal. The total cost of this production was Rs. 27,000, from which she got a net profit of Rs. 1,21,200.
It is noteworthy that under the Agriculture Department’s ATMA program, she received continuous guidance and technical support, which led her to successfully adopt crop rotation and the cultivation of minor cereal crops. After harvesting, she also performs summer plowing, which maintains soil fertility. Upon learning of this inspiring success, District Collector Mr. Abinash Mishra personally visited Shakun Bai’s home and discussed her farming practices. He praised Shakun Bai and called her an inspiration for other farmers in the district. On this occasion, Shakun Bai presented her garden-grown moringa (drumstick) as a gift and welcomed her with “Madia Peya” (a traditional leaf plate). This was a beautiful example of rural culture and self-reliance.
Shakun Bai’s achievement demonstrates that if farmers integrate traditional knowledge with modern technologies, they can achieve greater profits at lower costs. Her success has not only provided the foundation for her economic stability but also provided a new direction and source of inspiration for other farmers in the region.