GUWAHATI: On March 4, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) will honour Assam farmer, Gauri Kanta Deka for his services to the agricultural industry.
The felicitation programme will take place on March 4, 2023, at the Innovative Farmers' Recognition for Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela, which will be hosted in New Delhi from March 2 to 4.
Deka, who is 74 years old, has received recognition from the Department of Agriculture, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Barpeta, and several organisations at the district and state levels.
When Deka was very young, he began farming. He used to work in the fields while his friends were enrolled in school.
Assam Agricultural University students are currently being supervised by Deka as they complete their fieldwork practicals.
Deka has succeeded without using pesticides, despite the fact that farmers cannot shield their crops from insects even when they use chemical pesticides. Using grafting, he raises and markets seedlings of horticultural plants, such as premium mango and palm trees.
He also creates insecticides at home using vermicompost and cow urine. The farmer raises and sells a variety of goods, including paddy, potatoes, melons, garlic, onions, strawberries, palm, cabbage, and cabbage seedlings.
His land grows cashew nuts, apple trees, dragonfruit, pears, mangoes, and the pricey coco fruit used to create chocolate, in addition to supporting fisheries in two sizable ponds.
He has also taken part in agricultural events and received the district's Best Farmer award. The Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha gave him the Luitparia Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. He was also given a Lifetime Contribution Recognition Award by the Barpeta KVK.
He once received an award for displaying a brinjal that weighed 2 kilogrammes and 800 grammes. Deka was a representative on the Agricultural Marketing Board as well. Deka rents up to 70 bighas, and he spreads out his farming operations throughout 22 bighas.
Tarun Gogoi, the former chief minister of Assam, honoured him previously.
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