Jaipur : Crrots selected for farming in a small village in Bharatpur district to replace the traditional crops in the wake of increasing input costs, erratic rainfall and continuous changes in climate have brought prosperity to farmers, who were encouraged and provided guidance for getting good crop yield with low investments. The income in the first year of sowing of carrots has been reported to be somewhere between Rs. 15 lakhs and Rs. 20 lakhs.
The initiative has been taken in Chak Sahana village of Rupbas tehsil in Bharatpur district, which is now called Gaajar Gaon (carrot village) as a result of phenomenal production of carrots of high quality.
Farmers in Chak Sahana were earlier sowing the traditional crops of mustard, wheat and gram, which were not giving good profits to them. With the financial condition of most of the villagers declining, public service organization Lupin Human Welfare and Development Foundation adopted the village for its overall development and launched the efforts for improving the condition of farmers.
Twenty-eight farmers were convinced in the first year to take up the sowing of carrots. The Lupin HW&D Foundation made available to them 240 kg of seeds of red and other improved varieties of carrots at 25 per cent subsidy.
The Lupin HW&D Foundation’s Executive Director, Mr. Sita Ram Gupta, said here today that the favourable soil and water in the village led to the production of 400 quintals of carrots in the first year. The red colour and good shape and size of carrots made them popular among buyers and fetched better prices in comparison with the carrots from other regions.
Carrots from Chak Sahana earned an identity for themselves in the markets of nearby towns, such as Bharatpur, Bayana, Agra and Mathura. Mr. Gupta pointed out that the farmers were now earning a profit of Rs. 1.25 lakhs for each hectare of carrot crop, which was 2.5 times more than the profits earned on regular crops grown elsewhere.
Carrot growers like Mukesh, Vishnu and Jagdish get a profit of Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 1.25 lakh per hectare each easily by selling carrots grown on their agricultural land. Farmers in the nearby villagers have also decided to grow carrots next year after witnessing the progress and prosperity of Chak Sahana village.
Mr. Gupta pointed out that carrots were grown in Septembers and the produce was ready in the last week of November, which could be obtained till March-end. After the digging of carrot, the same land may be used for sowing of wheat, moong, white radish and green fodder, whose yield increases manifold at the land.
Mr. Gupta said two to three tractor-trolleys of carrots were supplied everyday from Chak Sahana. If the same production level continues, the financial condition of farmers would improve and enable the farmers to grow other profitable crops after getting the carrot yield.
The Lupin HW&D Foundation is also making an attempt to encourage farmers to take up the production of processed carrot items. Mr. Gupta said the Foundation proposed to provide training to farmers for processing of carrot products and their marketing.
– Kalyan Singh Kothari