With unsure rainfall patterns and irrigation canals utterly drying up, cultivation within the parched land of the Osmanabad district has grow to be arduous for farmers. Mendacity below the rain shadow area of Marathwada, the district faces acute water shortage.
Rising enter prices and unfair marketplace costs have seriously affected the output and yield of the most important plants of the area — like soybean, sugarcane, sorghum, and millet. The compounding money owed put Maharashtra farmers below an enormous financial burden.
Unfortunately, the habitual droughts power farmers to now and again finish their lives. The federal government’s Nationwide Crime Data Bureau (NCRB) information printed {that a} overall of 10,881 individuals concerned within the farming sector died via suicide in 2021. With 37.3 %, Maharashtra accounted for the best selection of farmer deaths.
Apparently, a number of impoverished farmers have became to cultivating oyster pearls within the water-starved Marathwada to conquer the demanding situations posed via habitual droughts and coffee crop yields.
One such farmer is Sanjay Narsing Pawar.
At the side of 9 different small-scale farmers, Sanjay harvested 8,000 pearls in an acre of pond, incomes them Rs 40 lakh. We sat down with him to grasp the nitty-gritty of oyster pearl farming.
Harvesting pearls in water-scarce land
After pursuing a Degree in Clinical Laboratory Generation (DMLT), Sanjay works part-time as a lab assistant. However farming comes naturally to him as for generations, his circle of relatives has been cultivating conventional plants. On the other hand, agriculture infrequently reaped the circle of relatives any earnings.
“This 12 months, we didn’t get rain in any respect. We did sow soybeans and different plants, however we didn’t get any output. It has grow to be tough to even earn again the enter prices,” he tells The Higher India.
A few years again, the 45-year-old even established a water financial institution in an acre of land for irrigation functions. In 2020, he became to fish farming to utilise the water financial institution however the initiative used to be useless within the water.
“Fish farming didn’t end up successful for us because it required a large number of enter prices. If we offered a fish for Rs 100, we’d incur bills of Rs 80. We have been simplest left with Rs 20 benefit. It used to be little or no,” he provides.
In 2021, Sanjay got here throughout a information file that discussed the profitability of oyster pearl farming. Motivated to take a look at his fingers in cultivating oysters, he purchased 25,000 oysters to domesticate in his water financial institution. For this, he additionally roped in different farmer pals.
With a collective funding of Rs 20 lakh, the crowd began oyster farming. And in a 12 months, they have been ready to generate an source of revenue of Rs 40 lakh via promoting 8,000 pearls.
![Farmers perform minor surgery to implant plain or designed pearls [an artificial nucleus] into the tissue of a pearl oyster.](https://en-media.thebetterindia.com/uploads/2023/11/oyster-1-1700658836.jpg)
Seeing their good fortune, about 40 farmers have joined Sanjay and his cooperative ‘Bless All Pearl Farmer Manufacturer Corporate’. In combination, they’ve planted 50,000 oysters and collaborated with firms like GKP Pearl Farm of Solapur and Namo Pearl Farm in Chandrapur to promote their produce.
The cooperative is ready to reap its 2nd batch within the upcoming December month.
Six pointers for novices
Even if the crowd used to be ready to generate a good-looking benefit of their first actual strive, the good fortune price, Sanjay says, used to be now not as estimated.
In 2022, the innovative farmer travelled to Bhubaneswar — 1,400 km from his village — to get formal coaching in oyster pearl farming. He attended a seven-day coaching on the Central Institute for Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) in Odisha.
“There, I used to be taught how you can supply uncooked subject matter, how you can nucleate oysters, the type of pearl designs which might be in call for, what meals to supply oysters, the surgical process of pearls, how you can stay oysters in antibiotics, and what’s its lifecycle,” he says.
Explaining how pearls are cultivated, Sanjay says, “First, we supply excellent high quality oysters. Then, we carry out minor surgical operation to implant undeniable or designed pearls [an artificial nucleus] into the tissue of a pearl oyster. The oyster is closed and is saved on antibiotics within a smaller water tank for 2 to a few days after which shifted to a larger pond.”
“The oyster then secretes nacre [a form of calcium carbonate] across the nucleus. The pearls get readied to be harvested in 12 to fourteen months,” he provides.
Sanjay stocks recommendations on how you can get started oyster pearl farming for novices:
The best way to establish excellent oysters: Sanjay says that it’s a lot more uncomplicated to domesticate oysters and earn a good source of revenue equipped you domesticate excellent high quality oysters.
“Supply excellent high quality oysters to get A-grade high quality pearls. The scale of the oyster will have to be between 2.5 to three inches. Its outer quilt will have to be golden in color,” he says.
Know the marketplace: Sanjay highlights that normally ‘fashion designer particles’ or ‘irritants’ within the form of Hindu deities Ganesha, Rama, Shiva, the Ashoka Chakra, 786 (holy quantity in Islam), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and so on are implanted within the oyster.
“The overall pearls pop out within the form of those symbols,” he explains. Sanjay provides, “You will have to learn concerning the marketplace call for. In the event you implant the nucleus of Ganesh ji, and cross to promote in a Ram temple, then it will now not be successful.”
Grasp the simpler surgical operation: Sanjay says that there are different types of surgeries in pearl cultures — like gonadal implantation, mantle tissue implantation, and mantle hollow space insertion.
“I recommend that farmers be informed mantle tissue surgical operation as it’s more uncomplicated to accomplish and the probabilities of oysters are upper as in comparison to other forms,” he says.
Get ready the pond: Sanjay informs that it is very important supply a river-like ecosystem for oysters.
“Oysters will have to now not really feel alienated and that they’re out of doors a river. They will have to have a river-like surroundings to thrive. To make sure this, you will have to introduce algae throughout the pond. Algae is the most important meals supply of an oyster,” he provides.
Take a look at the pH: Sanjay issues out that farmers will have to be certain a pH of 8 throughout the water tank. “If pH is greater than 8 (alkaline), oysters is not going to continue to exist. You will have to additionally test pH ranges weekly. If the pH is upper, stay converting the water.”
“When you’ve got a 20×20 sq. toes pond with 10 toes intensity, it will have the capability to retailer one lakh litre water. So, you will have to exchange no less than 10,000 litres of water in each batch,” he provides.
Handle the temperature: Given its geography, Sanjay says that Osmanabad has a fluctuating temperature between 20 and 40 levels during the 12 months.
“In oyster pearl farming, we will have to be certain a temperature of 32 levels Celsius. It will have to now not exceed 35 levels. We’ve got externally used aerators to keep an eye on the temperature throughout the water financial institution. It additionally boosts recent algae enlargement and gives new micronutrients,” he says.
Edited via Pranita Bhat; All pictures: Sanjay Pawar