How the use of advanced varieties and technology can make a big difference in the cultivation of sweet corn, read the story of these farmers of Mizoram
Maize is the main crop grown under shifting cultivation in the Lushai hills of Mizoram
The tribal farmers of Mizoram used to cultivate low yielding maize earlier, which limited their profits, but after introducing sweet corn, their profits increased manifold and the living standards of the farmers improved.
Maize is the main crop grown under Jhum cultivation in the Lushai hills of Mizoram. However, most of the maize varieties here are low yielding, which mature late. The farmers here were not able to take advantage of the high yielding hybrid varieties of maize. But an ICAR initiative changed the lives of farmers living in Lushai, Mizoram.
Sweet corn cultivation started in 2018
ICAR-Indian Maize Research Institute, Ludhiana, Punjab, in collaboration with ICAR-Research Complex, Umiam, Meghalaya has launched a project named ‘Promotion of Advanced Technology of Maize Production in the North East Region’. Under the programme, farmers practicing both Jhum (rain based) and sustainable agriculture (in low-lying areas in the Rabi season) were given information about the cultivation of sweet corn. Farmers started cultivating sweet corn on the advice of agricultural scientists. A good increase in the annual income of the farmers has been registered due to the cultivation of sweet corn on a large scale.
Successful cultivation of sweet corn
Under the project Zonunsangi of Tuichawng village in Kolasib district of Mizoram successfully cultivated sweet corn under slash and burn agriculture in hill slopes without the use of any fertilizers and pesticides during the pre-kharif season. Inspired by his success, the farmers of the lower valley areas near the village also started cultivating Rabi sweet corn in the rice fallow. The cultivation of sweet corn started in 2018 and gradually its area kept increasing. It has increased by 29.3 percent in the last two years.
A farmer named Vanlalrui also started cultivating sweet corn leaving french beans and kidney beans and is now a successful sweet corn producer of his village. He cultivates it for commercial purposes on a large scale.
Leave the cultivation of vegetables and start growing sweet corn
Vanalalaharita left his traditional rabi crop mustard and started cultivating sweet corn and he avoided using any kind of chemical fertilizers or pesticides in his farm. He did five sowings of sweet corn from September 2019 to January 2020. Two models of sweet corn cultivation were established. First on commercial scale and second organic sweet corn cultivation for small scale farmers.
Vanalalharita used multiple sowing windows for the cultivation of sweet corn, which earned her 20.6 percent more than Vanalalrui who used a single sowing window.
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How much did farmers earn?
During 2019-20, Jonunsangi earned 110.3% more from the cultivation of corn than its traditional cultivation of local sticky Mimbon Lines in previous years.
Even during the COVID lockdown, the sweet corn growers of Mizoram did not suffer, but got a good price. This shows that there is a huge potential for the cultivation of sweet corn in the area.
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