Nasruddin is a farmer in Taoru block, Nuh District of Haryana. In his eight acres of land, he primarily cultivates pearl millet, wheat, and mustard. Despite being a hardworking farmer, Nasruddin’s yields and agricultural income have been limited due to using traditional methods of crop cultivation and lack of diversification.
In April 2021, a CSR-supported project implemented by S M Sehgal Foundation, was initiated in his village. This project is dedicated to training of farmers on modern agriculture techniques, which includes demonstrations on a package of practices (PoP) to increase crop productivity and income.
The Village Development Committee (VDC) set up by the project team, selected Nasruddin for cultivation of broccoli, which was a new crop for this village. For this, in October 2021, Nasruddin was provided with broccoli seeds and several soil nutrients like calcium, sulphate of potash, zinc, sulphur bentonite, calcium nitrate, and seed treatment for a half-acre of his land. Nasruddin was trained and supported by the project team during the crop cycle.
Within two or three months, Nasruddin sold broccoli worth INR 43,000 from a half-acre of his field; while in comparison, he sold wheat worth around INR 21,000 in the previous year from the same agricultural plot. The wheat crop cycle takes around three to four months’ time, therefore he doubled his revenue in a shorter period of time.
Nasruddin says, “I cultivated broccoli for the first time in my life and had almost no knowledge about this, but due to the constant support and hand holding by the project team, I was successfully able to grow the crop. I will continue to grow broccoli and other vegetables in future, because it provides higher income, and will also share my experiences with fellow farmers.”
Authors: Nandpal Singh and Saurav Sriwastva
(Nandpal is field assistant and Saurav is project associate in Nuh)
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