Trellis cultivation catches Bastar farmers’ fancy
Several farmers in Darbha block of the district are growing creeper vegetables by building machans with wood and wires. The farmers who have taken up the trellis method of vegetable cultivation are finding it a profitable venture, writes Deepanwita Gita Niyogi
The tribal village of Madarkonta in southern Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district has earned popularity both in tourism as well as agriculture. Several residents here have taken up the trellis method of vegetable cultivation in a big way, attracting farmers from nearby villages wishing to learn this unique method.
Last month, about 1,500 women farmers belonging to the Tirathdhara Mahila Krishak Utpadak Samuh, an agriculture production cluster based in Darbha block of Bastar, arrived in Madarkonata on an exposure visit to learn how creeper plants like bitter gourd, sem and barbati (long bean) were being grown by farmers supported on vertical wooden poles tied together by iron wires.