Nurturing livelihood options by spawning nurseries

Sadasivpet: A number of farmers in the predominantly agriculture-based village, Peddapur, have shifted to maintaining nurseries rather than sticking to agriculture on which they have been incurring losses every year in one way or the other.
Peddapur is emerging as nursery hub with more than 200 operating from the village. Farmers of Peddapur no longer depend upon crops for their sustenance.

They had established a number of nurseries, developing new varieties of saplings and gaining huge profits. Most of the villagers are small and marginal farmers who took up this business. Earlier, the villagers had practiced agriculture but due to persistent losses in the sector they shifted to nursery business. The saplings from these nurseries are even supplied to the government’s prestigious programme ‘Haritha Haram.’

Of the 200 nurseries here, 52 are recognised by the State government. More than one crore saplings are being spawned here. The farmers are raising wide range of saplings comprising flowers, pomegranate, orange, lemon and coconut. More than 100 varieties of mango saplings are available here. Nurseries are avenues of self-employment and a source of livelihood for hundreds of daily wage labourers, said Mogilaiah and Mahinder, who work in these nurseries. Narender Goud and Krishna Prasad, both nursery organisers, said that the business is yielding good profits compared to agriculture. They urged the government to encourage fellow farmers to set up the nurseries.

By Ahmed