Sendhwa (Madhya Pradesh): At a time when farmers growing conventional crops are struggling to make ends meet, one progressive farmer Mohan Parihar from Barwani district is reaping gold from his capsicum farmlands these days.
Parihar has not only become an example before other farmers in the area for opting for the non-conventional crop, he has also deployed some distinctive methods to save his crops from the direct sunlight during the months of August and September.
Parihar who hails from the Nangalwadi village, about 35-kilometre away from the Sendhwa tehsil headquarters in Barwani district, has used more than 3000 sarees to cover his entire four-and-a-half acre field to save his crop from direct harsh sunlight. And the positive results are visible in bumper and healthy yields.
Speaking to Free Press, Parihar who pursued masters in Arts, said he entered into farming about a couple of years back. Speaking about using sarees to protect crops, the young man said he had seen some farmers in Maharashtra using the same technique to save their crops from the direct sunlight.
Following this, Parihar has decided to opt for the same technique as it is non-hazardous as well as economical. Parihar purchased 3000 sarees (each for Rs 15) made up of polyester material for Rs 45,000 and spent Rs 10,000 on its transportation from Pipalgaon village and spent Rs 10,000 on labour.
Parihar said that so far he has spent a total of Rs 65,000 on the technique and started getting positive outcomes as his crop is still in good condition and could get another harvest before November – December.
Revealing how much he earned this year, Parihar revealed that this year he already earned Rs 11 lakh, and could get more. He added that before using this technique, since capsicum is a delicate crop, his harvest used to get damaged due to direct sunlight during the months of August – September, but now there is no fear as saree cover successfully prevented 50 to 60 per cent direct sunlight, especially between 11 am and 3 pm.
Parihar added that many of the farmers in the region approached him directly or through social media to get more information about the technique and how they could replicate at their place. In future, more farmers in the area could use this “Desi” jugad and reap more harvest, he said.
(Contributed by Kapilesh Sharma)
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