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My dear farming friends: The response to the two interactions with you through ‘My Dear Farmers; has been quite overwhelming.
A group of farmers met me this week. They had come from Karnataka. They wanted to know what crops to grow to get good revenue. After a detailed discussion I shared with them some information which I am sharing with all of you through this column for our benefit.
We all know agriculture is a very serious business in India. Soil, climate, labour — practically everything differs between states and regions. Even for the same crop variety, yields vary for different soils. In today’s column we are going to see what a small farmer Balaram Patidhar (mobile: 09977096087) from Sarangi village in Petlawad district, Madhya Pradesh has done.
Patidhar was initially growing the usual maize. Like paddy in Tamil Nadu, maize doesn’t bring in much profit in Maharashtra. Patidhar thought through his situation and decided to switch to tomatoes and chillies. Result: Steady rise in income.
The farmer successfully markets his produce in New Delhi, Ahmadabad, Mumbai and Indore markets and has been able to earn Rs10-15 lakh a year. If you did not already, note his income — it is Rs 10 to 15 lakh.
The farmer successfully markets his produce in New Delhi, Ahmadabad, Mumbai and Indore markets and has been able to earn Rs10-15 lakh a year. If you did not already, note his income — it is Rs 10 to 15 lakh.
With the money he earned from his crops, Patidar has bought additional lands (from an acre he has increased the land holding to about 4.5 acres) to try his success formula in an expanded area.
Today when farmers are selling their land saying agriculture is unrenumarative, here is Balaram Patidhar who is buying farmlands.
Another aspect to be noted is Patidhar’s marketing. In today’s situation, we should not stop with just growing and harvesting but also make some extra effort to start marketing on our own. This will be difficult initially but in the long run will prove beneficial for us. We can first start with our neighbours, our known sources and then slowly expand. It will take time but will definitely pay off.
Patidhar uses a range of technologies such as seed treatment, integrated pest management, nutrient management and water conservation methods in his field. He has set up drip irrigation for all the crops and presently grows capsicum and papaya in addition to tomatoes and chillies. All this shows his attitude, his proactive approach.
Dear friends, my suggestion to you — and I have learned this from hundreds of other successful farmers — is: “Never take decisions on an impulse to grow something. Always make it a point to visit and interact with successful growers before you embark on something.”
Patience and a long study of the crop, its market and several interactions with the concerned people are all important aspects to be considered if we need to reap a good return.
Till we meet in our next column, with another case study, it’s good bye from me, for now.
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