A group of 16 farmers from Aurangabad in Maharashtra are earning anything between Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.83 lakh per year after planting 15,000-18,000 Tulsi saplings on one acre of non-irrigated land each.
The group took up the planting of Tulsi or Holy Basil, a mainstay of almost every religious occasion as well as innumerable home remedies, some three years ago in Kekat Jalgaon, Kutbkheda and Dawarwadi following an MoU with a Bengaluru based pharmaceutical firm facilitated by NAAM Foundation, farmer Sandip Kakde said.
"We planted some 15,000 to 18,000 saplings per acre. The plants have to be reaped three to four times a year and sent in crushed form to the Bengaluru firm. Tulsi cultivation needs no manure or pesticides, as well as very little water, and helps us earn anything between Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.83 lakh per year," Kakde told PTI.
The circle agriculture officer of Paithan taluka said farmers opting for plants such as Tulsi, with have several uses, was a good move to earn more, and needed to be encouraged.
