Trade with Commodities: Gujarat farmers reap gains with crops of foreign origin

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Gujarat farmers reap gains with crops of foreign origin

JAPANESE watermelon, Taiwanese papaya, American maize and now, German gherkins. Crops of foreign origin are helping farmers in Gujarat rake in big moolah. German gherkins, the latest addition to the list, are known for use as salad. The crop was recently introduced in Kheda district by farmers and is ready to fly to European destinations.
    Ranked number one by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) for adoption of latest technology in farming in the country, Gujarat has successfully translated the adoption of modern farming practices to reap rich harvest. The agriculture sector in the state stood at a whopping Rs 48,000 crore during 2008-09 as against Rs 9,000 crore during 2004-05.
    Thanks to incentives from the government, the state will have at least one lakh hectare of land under the drip irrigation system by 2010. Currently, 57,000 hectares of land are under drip irrigation system.
    Said agriculture expert Jitu Patel, under whose guidance the farmers of Savli
and Bodeli in Vadodara district took to contract farming of Japanese Watermelon: "Nearly 400 acres have been acquired in Patdi taluka of Surendranagar district for this purpose."
    German gherkins were introduced between Nadiad and Chaklasi area in Kheda district last month. One acre of produce of this crop fetches Rs 1 lakh to farmers. "The production is available within 35 days from the date of sowing. The gherkins are exported to around 18 countries. Besides Kheda, we plan to encourage the farming of German Gherkins in Rajkot and Deesa (Banaskantha district)," Mr Patel further added.
    Earlier, Jamnagar experimented with banana farming that fetches Rs 140 for 20 kg, which is an amount much higher as compared to traditional crops. Mr Patel also said as compared to Saurashtra, the sandy soil in Kutch was better suited for long-term farming required for horticulture products like mango and pomegranate. The mango tree bears fruit within two years in Kutch, compared to three to four years in Talala (Gir) Junagadh in Saurashtra.
    In order to promote horticulturebased farming in the Kutch region, one NGO in Mandvi now encourages farmers by offering subsidy in the form of free supplies of saplings.