Green paddy field inside Mangaluru city

Amid the high-rise buildings and concrete jungle, a man has been carrying out paddy cultivation on his 1.25 acres of land at Chilimbi in Mangaluru.

Francis Saldanha, a retired government employee, has been carrying out paddy cultivation for the last several years.

“In fact, we have been carrying out farming since the days of my father. After him, I am continuing the tradition. I cultivate only one crop during the kharif season.”

“In the rest of the year, I cultivate vegetables especially ‘Basale,’ ‘Harive’ and brinjal on the farmland,” Francis Saldanha told DH.

Saldanha was rearing a pair of buffaloes for tilling the land a few years ago. As it was difficult to rear the buffaloes in the city, he stopped rearing them and started using a tiller for paddy cultivation. Labourers are hired from Permude area in Bajpe for harvesting the crop and other related works. The harvest of kharif crop has been completed. The labourers are now engaged in thrashing the paddy crop at the house,” he said.

He gets 12 quintals of paddy every year. The rice from the paddy is used for family consumption. “In fact, last year we had the rice of the previous year, hence, the paddy was sold to the rice mill at Haleyangadi. This year, after processing it in the mill, the rice will be used for our consumption,” he said proudly.

He cultivated Mo4 Bhadra variety of paddy. The rainwater is sufficient for the paddy cultivation during the kharif season.

“Further, I have a well in the farmland, and water from the well is used for farming. This year we had bountiful rainfall and the harvest is also good. Before cultivating the field, I burn dry leaves, others and create sudumannu (a mixture of lopping of twigs and leaves or rubbish and dry earth burned together) and also produce manure from cowdung which is also used for the crops.

“I have not incurred any loss in agriculture. Even the straw from paddy is also sold. I am continuing the farming tradition of my father. Though there are no farm labourers in the surrounding areas of my house, I hire them from Bajpe area to carry out the tradition,” he said.