A young man who started promoting organic farming in the Dhanbad coal belt is now planning to raise orchards in abandoned coal dumps in the area.

“It’s still in the planning stage as we need clearance from the authorities,” said Ravi Nishad whose group had been promoting organic farming for more than five years in the region, adding they had just approached some senior officials of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a Coal India subsidiary, for the purpose.

Nishad, along with his friends Ranjit Kumar and Amit Mishra, had formed RPA Farming and involved about 80 persons who actively helped them promoting organic farming in leased plots totaling about 150 acres in Dhanbad district. He is hopeful of growing fruits in abandoned coal dumps.

“Besides, about 300 persons who are involved in various activities of farming also earn their livelihood through our venture,” the 32-year-old informed and added they
want to promote the same in tribal villages but that needed patronage from the government.

“The tribals hardly get bank loans against the land they own but that would help augment their income from farming,” he replied when asked about the nature of patronage they wanted and added many centrally sponsored schemes, if implemented properly, would also help the tribal farmers.

This is indeed a problem and even chief minister Hemant Soren pointed this out and gave stress on sanctioning bank loans to the tribals at a meeting in Ranchi on Monday that was also attended by senior bank officials.

The abandoned coal dumps are like scars in the landscape and vegetation would change the scenario with fruit bearing trees planted there, Nishad said.

“Of course, we have to replace the top soil in patches where fruit bearing trees can be planted successfully,” he explained their plan, adding that would be possible only if BCCL gave them a go ahead.

Similarly, some tribals are already working with them and many others are also interested to do so, he further informed, adding they already trained about 2,000 farmers, including the tribals, in organic farming with help from IIT-ISM Foundation.

The tribal farmers could engage themselves in organic farming more seriously if they got bank loans, he said, adding that would certainly augment their income as organic produces attract higher prices.

These all began when, in 2014, his mother died of lung ailments, allegedly caused by pollution of the region and he formed a Samarpan Seva Samiti that took up plantation drive for containing pollution.

But soon they were advised to add income generation activities for sustaining their efforts and that was how he gave up his job in Delhi two years later, teamed up with friends to form RPA Farming and started organic farming on a two-acre plot in Bhuli in Dhanbad, he narrated. They were growing, besides marigold, various fruits such as papaya, banana, cucumber, guava, pineapple and sugarcane.

They also make organic fertiliser with cowdung, gramflour, jaggery, vinigar and crop residue and use the same, he added.

“One of our team member, Shubhankar Mishra, handles social media platforms for marketing our produces and buyers respond on their own,” Nishad informed. “Many now know about us and this will also help all others, including the tribal farmers, who will join us in future to market their produce and augment their income.”