Agriculture

In the year 2004, Jayati Chakraborty , a full time resident of Bhalopahar was determined to initiate agricultural activities at Bhalopahar.

Most of us were under the impression that agriculture is not possible in this laterite rocky soil filled with densely populated “Kash” flower.

Moreover, the area suffers from a general scarcity of water. Besides, the monetary crisis was perpetually prevalent. Jayati, having set her mind on it, hired a local person named Khadu, who was a night guard and resided almost 50Km away from the location.

With the help of Khadu, Jayati purchased two bullocks at Rs10,000/- solely from her own personal savings. The process of decomposing the land started with the help of two bullocks and Khadu , and the rest is history.

The implantation of 32 different types of rice seeds begun, followed by wheat, master, flaxseed, sesame seed and various other staples like Mung Dal, Moshur Dal, Tur Dal etc.

For the purpose of irrigation, we dug two big ponds- one with the assistance of Telco and the other, financed by us and subsequently renovated by Dept. of land reforms the Govt. of West Bengal.

Chemical fertilizers are never used in our irrigation process. Cow dung generated at our animal farm is the primary fertilizer applied to our land. Occasionally, composed tree leaves are also used.

As a result, all the vegetables- namely, Potato, Pumpkin, Bottle Gourd, Brinjal, Bhindi, Onion, Ginger, Cowpea, Bons, Tomato, Chilly, Corn, Cauliflower and spices like Curcuma, Coriandrum, Cumin, and so on, are all organic in nature.

Under the category of fruits, we cultivate Mango, Berry, Jackal Fruits, Pineapple, Citrus, Guava, Litchi, Coconut, Nuts, Strawberry, Almonds, Dates, Anacardium etc.

Our cultivation also attracts a lot of bees and birds of different species who build their nests in our forest, thus creating an environment of rich biodiversity . Very close to our paddy field, flows river “Amli". Our cultivation is a melting pot of Land, Life and Nature.