Kutch (Gujarat): In the heart of Gujarat, a quiet agricultural revolution is taking place. Farmers, once reliant on chemical-laden farming, are turning to natural and innovative farming solutions and are reaping huge benefits of diversification.
Ratilal Sethiya, a conventional farmer, from Bhachau in Gujarat’s Kutch, was earlier involved in traditional farming of groundnuts, cotton, cumin and vegetables. However, after realizing the harmful effects of chemicals, he embraced organic farming in 2009.
He says adopting Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF) method and multi-cropping system also known as the ‘jungle model’, have turned his fortunes. He started organic dates farming in 2017, and today, his farm is a testament to the power of nature.
Ratilal Shethiya, Dates Grower said, “It is called jungle model which you are seeing. This dates farm, I started in 2017. In this, we are also growing guava, mangoes and bananas. It is a jungle model. We also call it ATM. The dates produce we get once a year, and when if it rains or there are other disturbances, it leads to income loss for farmers. And the farmer has to sit idle the whole year. When the season of dates ends, we get guava, mangoes, bananas, papaya and other vegetables. We have covered the whole land. In natural farming, we have a five-pillared model, following that we have developed this. The annual income, per acre, is 12-15 lakh”.
Ratilal has created a successful brand of organic dates, along with his partner, Hitesh Vora, who helps him in marketing the produce through their FPO.
Together they boast of supplying their fresh fruits produce to nearly 500 families directly under the farm-to-finger concept.
Hitesh Vora, Farmer & Marketer said, “If we did not adopt this system, then what used to happen was that our crops would go to the market, where the wholesalers sell to the retailers. And from retailers, our customers would go to buy. And then the value-added costs double like this. So now in such a setup, we also get a good price, and especially our clients, they get the best price and produce, directly from farm to finger. We follow this concept”.
Another example of innovation taking root in Kutch is the farm of Haresh Thacker, who has transformed his land into a dragon fruit paradise along with a range of other crops.
He says a visit to Vietnam in 2012 inspired him to start dragon fruit farming, and innovative ideas such as drip irrigation, which he learnt in Israel, and the ‘jungle model’ have worked wonders for him.
The government’s support, especially the subsidies, have been a game-changer.
Haresh Morarji Thacker, a farmer said, “The government has been supporting a lot. One in drip irrigation, farmers get 75 per cent subsidy. And if you grow Kamalam (dragon fruit), you get subsidy of 3-3.5 lakh per hectare. And when you pack and take these to markets, there also government gives subsidy. The government is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with farmers”.
A senior horticulture official said Kutch has immense potential, with about 59,000 hectares already into fruit crop cultivation.
He said the government is committed to supporting farmers who adopt sustainable practices along with innovation.
M. S. Parsaniya, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Kutch said, “Farmers to upgrade themselves go to different research institutes to upgrade themselves. They learn farming from there. They learn about new technology and adopt it. You will also find farmers here in Kutch, who have been abroad and learnt the farming there, like in Israel and other countries, and have improved the farming here. If we combine all these things and extract them, then technology adoption, large-scale farming, geographical diversity – due to these factors the horticulture sector is booming here”.
With farmers in Kutch leading the way, the future of agriculture looks promising in Gujarat. These farmers are not just growing crops; they’re building a healthier future for generations to come. (ANI)
