Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Hirod Patel, a young farmer from Ratanpur village in Sundargarh district, Odisha, for transforming his eight-acre farm into a profitable, sustainable model.
Patel’s integrated farming method combines aquaculture with vertical, floating vegetable cultivation, earning him high praise and significant income.
“Our farmers are not just food providers… they are true devotees of the earth,” Modi said in his Mann Ki BAAT radio programme. Patel’s model includes growing creeper vegetables, bananas, guavas, and coconuts around a pond, and fish farming in the pond, leading to better land use, water savings, and additional income.
“I am pleased to see that our farmers are now focusing not just on production but also on quality, value addition, and new markets. The story of a young farmer named Hirod Patel in Odisha is truly inspiring. Until about eight years ago, he cultivated paddy in the traditional way with his father, Shiv Shankar Patel, but then, he began to approach farming from a new perspective. He built a strong mesh structure over his farm’s pond. He grew creeper vegetables on it, planted bananas, guavas, and coconuts around the pond, and also started fish farming in the pond,” Modi hailed.
Modi also highlighted Kerala’s Thrissur district, where 570 varieties of rice are grown in a single field, preserving seed heritage. India’s rice production has reached 150 million tons, making it the world’s largest producer.
The PM noted that Indian agricultural products, like Nanjangud bananas and Mysuru betel leaves, are now exported to countries like the Maldives, showcasing their quality and taste
