NAGPUR: Poultry farmer Ravindra Metkar from Amravati will be guiding 189 IAS trainees of 2022 batch, giving them a low down on agrarian crisis as well as success stories, at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie on March 7.
About four decades ago, Metkar had started his farm with just 100 layer birds on the terrace of his modest home in Anjangaon in Amravati. He now owns a 50-acre farm having nearly two lakh layer birds producing 1.20 lakh eggs daily.
Metkar also cultivates a range of fruits and seasonal crops like citrus, chikoo, coconut, maize, wheat on 42-acres land in the farm. He would be speaking during ‘Kisan Samvad: Learning from progressive farmers’ under the agriculture module at the academy.
Metkar has received top awards from ICAR for his best practices in 2022, 2021 and 2020. He is also brand ambassador of Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth Akola. Metkar said he is the first farmer from Maharashtra to be invited to the academy in the last 20 years.
“I would be narrating how I progressed from 100 to 2 lakh birds and 50 acres. I would also be telling them what the farmers expect from government officers and how can they support us,” he said.
The award-winning farmer was just 16-year-old when he started pursuing his passion for poultry farming. “I never backed out despite several ups and down in this journey.
With timely investments and right moves, I had established my farm by 2005. I suffered losses too due to bird flu in 2006 but could manage the crisis from the cushion of previous savings. Now, we have employed 50 people to look after our farm,” he said.
Metkar has received top awards from ICAR for his best practices in 2022, 2021 and 2020. He is also brand ambassador of Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth Akola. Metkar said he is the first farmer from Maharashtra to be invited to the academy in the last 20 years.
Today, our daily income from poultry eggs alone is Rs4lakh. Crops are yielding Rs1lakh per acre annually. Out of 50 acre, 8 acres are used for poultry sheds,” he said. His younger son Shivraj has joined Metkar in his farm after completing BSc in Agriculture Management from Baramati.
“After 2003, I am the first farmer from Maharashtra to receive the ICAR’s national award. Paddy farmer Chandrashekhar Bhat Sawale from Raigad was the other farmer from the state to receive ICAR’s award,” he said.
In 2022, Metkar received ICAR’s Jagjeevan Ram Abhinav Kisan Puraskar carrying Rs1 lakh cash award for doing inspirational work in agricultural and allied sciences. Later, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) bestowed fellow award conferring professorship to Metkar in 2021. This was followed by innovative farmer Award in 2020 by IARI.
Not just the officer trainees, Metkar has been guiding retired government officials, entrepreneurs and fellow farmers on agricultural practices. His YouTube videos have now crossed millions of views.
Source – timesofindia
