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Innovation, initiatives & donations: Lakhimpur man turns ‘big brother’ for his village
The 40-year-old Lakhimpur Kheri resident not only participates in plantation drives but also partially finances the weddings of local women who come from modest backgrounds.
A farmer by birth, lawyer by degree, entrepreneur by profession and a social worker at heart. Lakhimpur Kheri resident Achal Kumar Mishra dons all these hats. However, the residents of his native Medaipurwa village hardly ever use his name. They all refer to him as ‘bade bhaiyya’ (big brother) out of respect.
The 40-year-old not only participates in plantation drives but also partially finances the weddings of local women who come from modest backgrounds. Besides, he helps farmers in the region lower their input costs with innovative and technology-backed methods. Also, his cane fields and a tourist resort provide direct and indirect employment to about 50 people in the region.
It all started after his father’s untimely death. Mishra, who had just completed his post-graduation in law, had to return to his village from the city to look after his agricultural land. While this turn of events shattered his dream of making it big in the city, he leveraged his education to increase the yield of his agricultural land.
Despite family resistance, Mishra started using the innovative trench opener and then the trench ring opener method which lower the use of water. He also switched to organic manure at a time when everyone around depended upon chemical fertilisers.
With these informed choices and a lot of hard work, Mishra was able to more than double his land’s per acre yield. Where once the produce was 700-800 quintals, it quickly became 1,800-2,000 quintals. This is significantly higher than the average per acre yield in Brazil (350 quintals) and the United States (365 quintals), which are the other two behemoths in cane production.
“Our primary crop is sugarcane, but we also grow about 15-16 varieties of other crops — including paddy, wheat, broccoli, capsicum, mustard, garlic, onion, ginger, and other vegetables. I experiment with crops and learn new ways to maximise yield,” said Mishra.
His methods made cane farming so profitable that Mishra managed to buy more land and even a mid-sized resort. This helped him employ more locals and also promote rural tourism.
In recognition of his achievements, he was recently felicitated by the Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research under the National Agriculture Development Programme.
In 2018, he was also made a part of the farmers’ group which was taken for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mishra was also given the Innovative Farmer Award by SBI Karnal (Haryana). Separately, he has won awards for the highest cane production in the district multiple times over the last two decades.
“Mishra Ji has been awarded by the state a few times. The best part is that he motivates other farmers through his farmer producer organisation. This contributes to uplifting the rural economy,” said Arvind Mohan Mishra, deputy director of agriculture, Lakhimpur Kheri.
According to Mishra, it’s not money that drives him to do better but his strong urge to do good. Currently, he is paving the way for other farmers in his village to pivot to other profitable crops by shifting their focus to medicinal plants, which are in high demand.
Simultaneously, Mishra is also spreading awareness about lowering the usage of water in cane farming, which is known to be a water-intensive crop.
“Over the years, Bhaiyya Ji has helped a lot of people by paying for the wedding of their daughters. He is often seen planting saplings or taking care of plants and trees in public spaces. He spends a considerable percentage of his earnings towards social causes,” said Narendra Singh Banjara, a resident of the nearby Baghiya Khera village.
When asked about his philanthropic works, Mishra said, “Our religious scriptures teach us to live in sync with nature and help out those in need. I am just abiding by the teachings of our ancestors.”
