Ramprakash's labour of love
Ramprakash alias Bhagatji, who lives in Bijua Nagla, a village in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district, is an illiterate small farmer. This is his story.

"A year and a half ago, I had less than an acre of cultivable land. That was when I borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh and purchased my nephew's land, which was of similar size. I had started to worry about how to repay the loan when I visited the Tata Kisan Sansar in Junavai."

The TKS agronomist at Junavai logged on to the GIS on his computer and studied the soil fertility and other data about Ramprakash's land to draw up a list of the crops that would grow best on it. He then clicked on the latest market data to see which of these crops was fetching the best prices.

Based on this information, the agronomist advised Ramprakash to plant a high-yield variety of chilli on half his land and peas on the other half.

"Unfortunately, heavy rains and hailstorms buried the tender seedlings under the earth. Seeing my panic, my wife suggested another trip to the TKS."

This time the sansar's agronomist paid a visit to Ramprakash's land and assessed the damage. With the latest global information on agricultural issues available to him at the click of a mouse, he was able to solve the problem very easily.

"My hard work and the help from the TKS saw beautiful green chillies blossoming on my land the next spring. Between March and November 2000, I sold chillies worth Rs 1 lakh, and the field was still sprouting more chilli. Plus, there was the income I made from selling the peas."

With a total investment of only Rs 16,000, Ramprakash was able to repay his loan. Today, he gratefully attributes his success to the timely advice and help from the TKS.

How Kavindra Kumar Gupta's profits surged
Kavindra Kumar Gupta, who lives in Islamnagar village of Badaun district, is one of three brothers. "My older brothers work in the city while I till my 10 acres of land in the village," he says. "For many years, my returns have not been proportionate to my investment. This is a constant worry.

"Two years ago, agronomists from the TKS visited Islamnagar and introduced local farmers to its services. This proved to be a boon. Along with many other farmers, I became a member of the TKS. The TKS agronomist advised me on how best to till the land, optimise output and profits. I was also assured of a supply of quality seeds and fertilisers from the TKS.

"For the last two years, I have been farming in accordance with the advice given by the TKS — and the benefits have been many."

How did they do it? "First, the TKS agronomist tested my soil. Then, with the help of new technology, advised me and other farmers in the region on the best way to farm our land. The increase in yield has been phenomenal. In the last rabi season, the farmers in my area harvested up to 30 quintals of wheat per acre.

"We plan to increase grain production this coming season too. Besides, I have been regularly winning prizes in the crop competition held by the TKS. This has boosted my morale, and my prestige in the village. I am now considered an expert in farming!"

The crop that Surendra Uttam grew
Surendra Uttam of Prempur, a village near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, is a potato farmer. For the last couple of seasons his crop has been plagued by epidemics and pests. "A chance meeting with Tata officials at a gathering changed things," he says.

"On their advice, I started to use modern farming techniques and Tata fertilisers and pesticides. The pests were eliminated and my profits soared.

"While sowing my next crop of potato, I used Tata products again. As a result of all this care, my crops grew like no one else's and were the cynosure of all eyes."

Surendra firmly believes that all this was possible only due to the Tata Kisan Sansar.