Coconut plantation comes to rescue of Covid-hit migrant workers

KENDRAPARA: Thanks to MGNREGA, a large number of Covid-hit returnee migrant workers are now busy planting coconut trees on their land in Kendrapara district and looking forward to have a sustainable earning in the coming years.   

The workers and farmers of the district have been given coconut saplings free of cost by the Horticulture department for planting on their land. Assistant Director of Horticulture department Kanda Keshari Jena said 7,000 saplings have already been distributed among the workers and farmers for planting over 40 hectare land.

In the first phase, the department has set a target to distributed 17,500 saplings for planting on over 100 hectare land. The coconut trees will bear fruit after five years of plantation.

Jena said the department is using the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to transform vacant land into coconut farms. The workers can plant 175 saplings over one hectare land. On Monday, the department distributed 1,050 coconut saplings among 40 migrant workers and they planted them on their land in Korand village of Rajkanika block. While a worker is given daily wage of Rs  207 for plantation work under MGNREGA, the saplings that cost Rs  60 each are being distributed free of cost.

The farmers and workers are also being given fertiliser and pesticide by the department. The scheme is meant to benefit small and marginal farmers and migrant workers.

Chittaranjan Pradhan, a resident of Korand said 25 youths from his village worked in metros and were rendered jobless due to the lockdown. But now most of them are planting coconut trees under MGNREGA, he said.

Another resident of Korand Mahendra Das, who worked as a plumber in Mumbai has planted 80 coconut saplings on his land. “I hope to earn well after the trees start bearing fruit,” he said. Similarly, Swadhin Behera of Iswarpur village, who worked in a hotel in Hyderabad, too has benefited from the scheme. He has planted 80 saplings over his tree acre and is hoping to settle in the village.