Various state government departments and Pune district administration are working in tandem to give shape to Sharad Pawar’s dream farmer. For the uninitiated, these are the traits that the union agriculture Minister believes an ideal farmer should possess: a teetotaler, one who promptly repays bank loans, does not splurge during marriage ceremonies and above all, encourages at least one member of his family to take up alternative employment.

If this model farmer project, that’s been in the making in Pune, at the behest of the union agriculture minister works out, distressed farmers in Vidharbha who’re susceptible to the suicide bug may soon get ‘lessons in living’ from Pawar’s home turf.

With the launch of Mahatma Phule integrated agriculture development pilot project, the district administration is confident that farmers in Pune district will not only make profit of Rs 15,000 –20,000 a month by changing crop patterns but will also become a model for other farmers to follow.

When the project was formally launched on Monday there was no mention as to why it was started in Pune and not in any of the distressed districts of Vidharbha. “This is saheb’s own home ground and once farmers here are happy, those across the country will become happy,” said Shantaram Jagtap from Jejuri. His only reservation is that the farmers selected for the project are already of the well-to do variety and often doubling up as politicians.

Those shortlisted for the project are about 5,000 farmers who have between one and three hectares of land holding who will be trained in 24 crop patterns and loans made available to them. “ In the last two weeks, out of 2,500 loan proposals, banks have cleared 1,850 and loans worth Rs 47 crore has been disbursed,” said Pune district collector Prabhakar Deshmukh.

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