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Raipur : Due to the horticulture promotion schemes of the government in the district, farmers are now breaking the limitations of traditional farming and moving towards new possibilities. Now farmers are not relying only on paddy and are adopting more profitable crops. Farmer Lal Bahadur Singh said that it cost about Rs 2 lakh to cultivate strawberries in two and a half acres. From this he is expected to earn around Rs 9 lakh.
Farmer Lal Bahadur Singh, resident of Bhagwanpurkhurd of Surguja district, also adopted innovation in farming with the same thinking and today he has made his mark as a strong, self-reliant and advanced farmer.
Successful transition from paddy to horticulture
Farmer Lal Bahadur Singh said that even after cultivating paddy for years, he was getting relatively limited profits. Profits were reduced due to increasing costs and dependence on weather. Meanwhile, officials of the Horticulture Department informed them about high value crops like strawberry and explained its benefits. This inspired him to make changes in his farming.
Starting from small area, expanding to larger area
He told that he started strawberry cultivation with only 50 decimal area. After getting profit, he cultivated one acre in the next year and then increased it to two and a half acres in the third and fourth years. Presently he is successfully cultivating strawberries in an area of two and a half acres, from which he is getting good income.
Less cost and more profit in strawberry cultivation
Farmer Singh said that it cost about Rs 2 lakh to cultivate strawberries in two and a half acres. From this he is expected to earn around Rs 9 lakh. After deducting the cost, a net profit of about Rs 7 lakh is being obtained. He told that if the same two and a half acres had been used for paddy cultivation, then about 90 quintals would have been produced, which would have fetched an income of about Rs 3 lakh if sold in the government procurement centre. After the cost of paddy cultivation is around Rs 1 lakh, the net profit remains only around Rs 2 lakh.
Subsidy in horticulture reduced expenditure and increased profit.
Farmer Lal Bahadur Singh said that under this scheme of the Horticulture Department, the amount of saplings, fertilizers and seeds is returned through DBT. They will receive a subsidy of approximately Rs 80 to 85 thousand. Technical guidance is also provided by the department from time to time, due to which farming is becoming more successful.
Guidance from officers became the key to success
Lal Bahadur Singh said that he himself procures the plants and cultivates them as per the parameters set by the Horticulture Department. Departmental officials inspect the farm and give necessary advice, which improves both the quality and quantity of the production and gets a good price in the market.
Lal Bahadur Singh became an inspiration for other farmers
Singh said that other farmers can also benefit from the government’s horticulture scheme. Farmers can increase their income manifold by adopting horticultural crops along with traditional crops like paddy. Today, he himself has become strong and self-reliant through horticulture farming and is also inspiring other farmers in this direction.
Expressed gratitude to the government for promoting horticulture
Farmer Lal Bahadur Singh expressed his gratitude to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai for encouraging horticulture farming. He said that due to the schemes of the government, the farmers of the state are becoming strong, self-reliant and advanced farmers today.
