Who is Hirod Patel? PM Modi praised in ‘Mann Ki Baat’, earning up to Rs 12 lakh annually through innovation in farming

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly praised Herod Patel, a young farmer from Odisha, in his popular radio program Mann Ki Baat. The Prime Minister described his integrated farming, innovation and modern thinking as an inspiring example for rural India.

Hirod Patel, resident of Sundargarh district of Odisha, has written a new success story by combining traditional farming with new techniques and experiments. They have developed multiple sources of income by combining paddy, banana and fish farming, which has reduced risk and significantly increased income.

From traditional knowledge to modern models

Herod Patel, who belonged to a farming family, carried forward the farming lessons learned from his father with a modern perspective. Despite being an ITI trained technician, he chose farming as his main profession. His experiment, which was started about four years ago, is today emerging as a successful agricultural model.

He has adopted integrated farming system on about 14 acres of land. He has made maximum use of resources by combining paddy cultivation with horticulture, floriculture and fish farming in ponds.

Additional income increased from pond ridges

Hirod Patel planted vining crops like bottle gourd on the ridges of the fields and ponds and prepared a trellis system with GI wires. This experiment resulted in additional income of about Rs 30 thousand in the very first crop.

He is earning around Rs 80 thousand annually by farming fish in two ponds built with the help of the Agriculture Department. He converted the low lying lands which were earlier filled with water into sources of income.

Preparing for the future with fruit plants

While diversifying farming, he has also planted fruit trees like coconut, banana, plum, guava and mango. These plants are growing rapidly and will become a strong base for additional income in the coming times.

Annual turnover of Rs 10 to 12 lakh

Due to innovation, hard work and better management of resources, the annual turnover of Hirod Patel has now reached Rs 10 to 12 lakh. He believes that if farmers combine new technology and thinking with traditional farming, then farming can also become a profitable business.

After being mentioned in ‘Mann Ki Baat’, his success story has become a topic of discussion across the country and is inspiring many youth towards farming.