Even though broccoli for main course and lettuce for salad is uncommon in Punjab, two farmers in Muktsar district are growing these exotic vegetables and getting rich dividends.
They market their produce through outlets in Muktsar town and Doda village, situated on Muktsar-Bathinda road. Shamsher Singh, 54, of Chak Madrassa village, on the Muktsar-Lakhewali road, grows black carrot and has trees of pomegranate, date palm and chikoo (sapota) at Bhuj in Gujarat.
Ramandeep Singh of Doda village, 25, grows coloured bell pepper and Taiwanese melons. Shamsher cultivates vegetables in over 6.5 acres of the 15-acre land he owns at Chak Madrassa. He has dedicated four kanals (2,000 sq yards) each for broccoli and lettuce.
"Earlier, these vegetables were brought from Delhi but for the past two years, I have started cultivating these and supplying them to a restaurant in Muktsar and a few others in Bathinda. Two months ago, I opened my own outlet, 'Kisan Hut' in Muktsar where many people, including senior officers of the district, reach to buy these vegetables," said Shamsher.
He said he set up a polyhouse in his fields to cultivate vegetables and uses drip irrigation to produce organic vegetables. "Health conscious people prefer these vegetables and the concept is catching up in the area," Shamsher said.
Ramandeep, whose village is about 32km away from Shamsher's, was always keen on growing exotic vegetables. A BSc, agriculture degree from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and MBA in international business honed his entrepreneurial skills further. He undertook a research project, "Polyhouse, an economic analysis," from the National Institute of Post Harvest Technology (NIPHT), Pune and used nine out of his 50 acres to grow exotic vegetables.
"I grow vegetables using the low tunnel technique in the polyhouse. Vegetables are grown in furrows covered in a plastic sheet that is like a tunnel. I am growing 'Bobby' and 'Muskan' varieties of Taiwanese melons which are red, yellow and light green from inside and taste very good. Though initial investment needed to adopt this concept is much more than that required in traditional farming, gains are also handsome," said Ramandeep.
Source : Times of India
They market their produce through outlets in Muktsar town and Doda village, situated on Muktsar-Bathinda road. Shamsher Singh, 54, of Chak Madrassa village, on the Muktsar-Lakhewali road, grows black carrot and has trees of pomegranate, date palm and chikoo (sapota) at Bhuj in Gujarat.
Ramandeep Singh of Doda village, 25, grows coloured bell pepper and Taiwanese melons. Shamsher cultivates vegetables in over 6.5 acres of the 15-acre land he owns at Chak Madrassa. He has dedicated four kanals (2,000 sq yards) each for broccoli and lettuce.
"Earlier, these vegetables were brought from Delhi but for the past two years, I have started cultivating these and supplying them to a restaurant in Muktsar and a few others in Bathinda. Two months ago, I opened my own outlet, 'Kisan Hut' in Muktsar where many people, including senior officers of the district, reach to buy these vegetables," said Shamsher.
He said he set up a polyhouse in his fields to cultivate vegetables and uses drip irrigation to produce organic vegetables. "Health conscious people prefer these vegetables and the concept is catching up in the area," Shamsher said.
Ramandeep, whose village is about 32km away from Shamsher's, was always keen on growing exotic vegetables. A BSc, agriculture degree from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and MBA in international business honed his entrepreneurial skills further. He undertook a research project, "Polyhouse, an economic analysis," from the National Institute of Post Harvest Technology (NIPHT), Pune and used nine out of his 50 acres to grow exotic vegetables.
"I grow vegetables using the low tunnel technique in the polyhouse. Vegetables are grown in furrows covered in a plastic sheet that is like a tunnel. I am growing 'Bobby' and 'Muskan' varieties of Taiwanese melons which are red, yellow and light green from inside and taste very good. Though initial investment needed to adopt this concept is much more than that required in traditional farming, gains are also handsome," said Ramandeep.
Source : Times of India
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