Missing MSP, awareness keep bio-fortified black wheat in the dark

Farmers grope in the dark as unsold stocks pile up in their homes awaiting buyers in the absence of a mandi system for the producePrayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: In 2018, Abhishek Srivastava (34) from Tandwa village in Uttar Pradesh’s Shravasti acquired seeds of indigenously developed black-coloured wheat, NABI MG, from the Mohali-based National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI). After harvesting 20 quintals from an acre, he posted a video on social media platforms detailing its merits.At a time when social media has become the go-to destination for those seeking information on emerging farm technologies, newly-introduced crops, and exotic vegetables and fruits, Srivastava was flooded with enquiries from farmers nationwide.“I multiplied the F1 hybrid seeds on my farm. I sold 100 tonnes of black wheat seeds, including what I harvested and what I acquired from neighbouring farmers, in the last couple of years. Over 500 enterprising farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat were the beneficiaries,” claims Srivastava, president, Agri Junction, an Uttar Pradesh government initiative with 4,000 outlets across the state. “I am told exporters have taken our black wheat even to Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan.”Black wheat is like ordinary wheat, but when ripe, its ears turn black. Its flour is greyish, similar to bajra (pearl millet) and unlike the regular off-white wheat. Interestingly, the grain has a longer shelf life. Its flour can be used to make food products made with whole wheat, such as breads, buns, biscuits, noodles, rotis, cakes and more. Despite its advantages, not all is well with this nutraceutical-rich grain, whose fame has been on the wane after the initial spike.Black wheat growing in the farm (Photo sourced by Hiren Kumar Bose, 101Reporters)Benefits aplenty“It took us seven years of research and development to come up with NABI MG. This is a cross of the Japanese variety EC866732 with the high-yielding cultivar of wheat, PBW621. It is rich in anthocyanins, protein, dietary fibre, iron and zinc,” Dr Monika Garg (49), NABI scientist and project head of black wheat, tells 101Reporters. “The coloured wheat provides more benefits without the risk of high blood sugar.”A doctorate holder from Japan’s Tottori University, Garg began working on the project in 2011 after NABI procured exotic genome plasma from Japan and the US before getting them adapted to India’s environmental conditions through plant breeding. This is a method of changing the genetic pattern of plants, including through crossbreeding, to increase their utility for humans.Dr Monica Garg (fourth from left in the first row) with NABL team which helped in developing black wheat (Photo sourced by Hiren Kumar Bose, 101Reporters)According to Garg, a pioneer in black, purple and blue wheat research in India, the colour of fruits, vegetables and grains becomes blue, purple or black due to an excess of anthocyanin, a natural antioxidant considered beneficial for health. A high quantity of anthocyanin is usually found in jamun, blueberries and blackberries. “In common wheat, anthocyanin content is only 5 ppm. But in black wheat, it is 100 to 200 ppm. There is a difference in the amount of zinc and iron, too. Black wheat contains 60% more iron than common wheat,” says the Punjab-based plant breeder, who has scores of papers published about her work in research journals worldwide.NABI scientists claim that black wheat can reduce the chances of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity. Bio-fortified with zinc, it can fight malnutrition among children, one of the health challenges in the country.“The productivity of black wheat, a self-pollinated crop, is about 20 quintals per acre compared to 24 quintals of the high-yielding white variant. The size of black wheat seed is also smaller,” says Garg. However, there is no difference in the agricultural practices adopted for normal and black varieties.Initially, NABI transferred the expertise to 10 companies by signing memorandums of understanding with them. However, it did not go well. Presently, the institution sells its F1 hybrid seeds grown on 10 acres of its Mohali campus to farmers who ask for it.Showing comparison between black and white wheat (Photo sourced by Hiren Kumar Bose, 101Reporters)Uttar Pradesh led the way In the last few years, villages in Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Pratapgad, Varanasi, Chandauli, Raebareli and Gorakhpur adopted black wheat cultivation. It slowly spread to almost all the districts in Uttar Pradesh.Last October, agriculture department officials in Uttarkashi district initiated a pilot project for black wheat cultivation in 20 villages of Dunda and Naugaon blocks to increase farmers’ income. Strangely, there is no policy in place to encourage black wheat from the Ministry of Agriculture or the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, which also translates into a lack of data regarding the acreage and the total number of households cultivating it. No incentive is given to farmers to grow this grain.Among those who initially took to the charm of black wheat was Ravi Prakash Maurya (40), a career journalist. Having returned to his village in 2016 following his father’s death, he has been cultivating black wheat from 2018 on one bigha in his farm at Mansoorpur in Prayagraj.Maurya, who also cultivates black rice, black tomato, niger seeds, black turmeric and black potato, is a regular invitee to the agricultural fairs held in different districts of Uttar Pradesh. He was also felicitated by the Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Department for popularising black wheat. “I am a regular black wheat grower and have so far sold 12 tonnes to farmers keen on growing it in Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and West Bengal,” he says. “My household has totally given up regular wheat. We consume rotis, dalia, suji and cakes made from black wheat.”  Like Maurya, Atul Singh Rajawat (35) of Urai village in Jalaun district has been growing black wheat on five bighas. His harvest has been around eight quintals per bigha. In the last five years, he sold 150 tonnes, having reached wannabe growers through Facebook and WhatsApp.  In Rajasthan, district-level award-winning farmer Kishan Singh (64) of Deoli village in Sirohi grows black wheat on two-and-a-half bighas. Ajay Singh (45) of Sikar district, who took to cultivating black wheat three years ago, gets a yield of 20 quintals from an acre. He has become a go-to seller after a YouTube channel featured him.Dayaram Chaudhary (64) of Sandera in Tonk district eschewed chemical fertilisers such as DAP and urea to sow 40 kg of black wheat seeds in one acre. In return, he got a yield of 20 quintals. However, there is more to it than what meets the eye.Disenchanted growersThe interest in sowing black wheat is slowly waning among the farmers as stocks remain unsold. Kishan Singh has an unsold stock of 17 quintals from last year’s harvest, while Dayaram Chaudhury had to launch a distress sale last year. Ravi Prakash Maurya has 15 tonnes of unsold stock in his home waiting for buyers. Normally, the price per quintal is between Rs 2,200 to 2,400, while the input cost is Rs 12,000 to 14,000 per acre.   “In villages of Prayagraj, farmers have either stopped growing it or reduced its acreage. Similar is the case in other districts,” says Indrajeet Yadav, who until recently was the District Krishi Sahay Adhikari of Prayagraj and now has been transferred to Kaushambi.“The sole reason is the lack of a market. No mandi [marketplace] accepts black wheat, mainly because the prospective consumer is unaware of such a product and its merits.”Only a handful of people market black wheat flour. Balkumari Agro Foods of Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad retails it under the brand name DR RBL’s black wheat flour for Rs 250 a kg. Unwilling to share its sales figures, GC Katiyar of the brand informs, “Black wheat is not very popular due to a lack of awareness. However, the market is growing as the first-hand experience of its use is getting shared.”In such a scenario, a farmer from Maharashtra is showing the way ahead — focusing on black wheat’s value-added products rather than plain flour. For the last three years, Akshay Jagtap (28) of Kinjal village in Satara district has been encouraging farmers to grow black wheat by giving them seeds that he had acquired from a farmer in Indore. “In Wai taluka, we have eight farmers who collectively grow black wheat on 10 acres. We buy the harvest, paying them an attractive rate. Our women's self-help groups make dalia, rawa and sewai, which we sell to the shops in Mahabaleshwar,” says Jagtap.Can an ecosystem be created for black wheat, so that farmers continue to grow it and the community at large benefits from it?“I would suggest that agricultural universities should be involved in popularising it. Food start-ups should be encouraged to invest in it as has happened in the case of millets. Chefs should be onboard to develop recipes,” Vinod Sharma, District Agriculture Officer, Raebareli, tells 101Reporters. “But most importantly, authorities need to fix the minimum support price of black wheat, introduce it in mid-day meals and distribute it through the public distribution system,” he says.Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Farmers in a wheat field (Representative image sourced from Flickr)

Farmers in six villages of Maharashtra’s Shirala ditch high-yielding varieties, switch to native paddy

They sourced 23 indigenous seeds during the COVID-19 period, formed six SHGs that would cultivate and market five to six of these varieties   Sangli, Maharashtra: “We have cultivated high-yielding varieties [HYVs] for decades, but now grow only folk rice varieties,” says farmer Dhanaji Patil (29) of Patwarun village in Sangli's Shirala taluka, off the State Highway 58. "Grown organically, the folk varieties have not only given us good yields but also assured us good returns."Patil began to grow 11 desi baan (folk varieties) in a three-acre plot at the peak of the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak. Soon others joined in. At present, rice growers spread in six villages of the taluka – five km from Chandoli National Park – grow only folk varieties. "We collectively grow 23 varieties during the kharif season. Some are scented and the rest have nutritional and medicinal properties,” says Sujay Deshpande (37), a farmer from Arla village growing Gobindobhog on 30 gunthas (0.75 acre) for three years now with a yield of 22 to 23 quintals per year. Most paddy cultivators in Sangli limit themselves to growing at most two to three varieties, of which HYV rice, namely Indrayani, Sonam and Kolam, are preferred, followed by Tulas, Bakasul, Varangala, Jondhala Jirga, Tak Pandhar, Masad Bhat and Shirala Jada — all indigenous varieties grown mainly for self-consumption.Shirala taluka was once home to 45 native rice varieties, of which Jirasal and Tamsal have become extinct. Besides being a part of the staple diet, they were used to prepare bhakri (rice chapati), poha (beaten rice), phuglela bhat (puffed rice), tandulacha kheer (sweetened rice) and murmure (rice bubbles).Folk varieties, adapted to local ecologies over centuries, have proven hardier against pests and droughts, unlike modern varieties designed for intensive agriculture and large doses of chemical fertilisers. In fact, in 2012, two researchers from Kolhapur-based DAB Naik Arts and Science College identified nine native varieties that are still grown in the villages of Shirala.“Over the years and lured by HYVs, farmers have confined themselves to a handful of races and ceased cultivating folk or local varieties due to poor yield and lesser market demand, despite the scarce inputs needed to grow them,” Sudhir Mahajan, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology, Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, tells 101Reporters. “But farmers in Shirala are now bucking the trend with the folk varieties spread over 200 acres and involving over 2,000 households.A view of the harvested paddy field (Photo - Hiren Kumar Bose, 101Reporters)Humble beginningsWhen paddy seeds and chemical fertilisers were scarce during the second wave of COVID-19, the Sangli district agriculture department officials held a series of meetings with farmers elaborating on the benefits of growing indigenous varieties by adopting organic methods. At the end of the three months, farmers spread over six villages decided to embrace folk varieties. “Growing native varieties was new for us. We took up the challenge also because these varieties are nutritionally rich and can be grown with fewer inputs,” informs Deshpande.A lot has been written about the nutritional benefits of folk varieties. Antioxidant-rich Gobindobhog helps boost metabolism, keeps digestion smooth and supports good health. Rich in anthocyanin, Kala Namak rice contains 11% protein, which is almost double that of common rice varieties and has a low Glycemic Index (49% to 52%). Considered the first food for babies, Ghansal nourishes body tissues and is easy to digest. Shashtika Shali has proved its efficacy against muscular and neurological disorders.At present, farmer groups with 15 members each grow five to six varieties in plots ranging from 20 gunthas to three acres each. Besides paddy, they continue to grow sugarcane, millets and pulses. They have adopted cultivation techniques such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and the Saguna Regenerative Technique (SRT). The SRI uses fewer resources and reduces environmental impacts while increasing rice yield. The SRT is a zero-till method, under which rice and other rotation crops are cultivated without ploughing, puddling or transplanting.“A lot of logistics were involved. It took us close to three months to collect the native seeds. By the time sowing season dawned in June 2021, we had collected 23 varieties,” Shirala’s Agriculture Supervisor Ganesh Kshirsagar tells 101Reporters. He had motivated the farmers to take up cultivation of indigenous varieties and guided them through the entire process — from sourcing paddy seeds to marketing of the harvest. Elaborating on the process, he adds, “Kala Namak, a scented black rice variety, came from Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharth University. Also known as Buddha Rice, legend has it that Lord Buddha gifted the variety to the locals during his visit to Kapilavastu. We sourced Gobindobhog from Bardhaman in West Bengal, Champakali from Manipur, and Raktashali and Shashtika Shali from Kolhapur’s Kaneri Math. The GI-certified Ghansal also came from Kolhapur and Ambemohor from Maval in Pune. The improved rice varieties, Ratna 7 is from Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth and Madhuraj 55 is from Raipur-based Indira Gandhi Krishi Viswavidyalaya. We added nine local varieties to the list, which are grown by a handful of farmers.”Besides having medicinal and nutritional properties, they also possess several stress-tolerant properties, which act as positive factors in the retention of rice landraces in the face of increasing propaganda for cultivating HYVs. Traditional rice varieties therefore represent important genetic reservoirs with valuable traits.The participating farmers were introduced to organic agronomic practices popularised by Maharashtra’s agriculturists Subhash Palekar, PV Jadhav and Haridas Kousdikar. “We were instructed on making non-chemical fertiliser with composted cow dung and urine as its base. Also, we were taught the basics of vermicomposting and provided with earthworms,” says Deshpande.(Extreme Right) Shirala’s Agriculture Supervisor Ganesh Kshirsagar with the farmers (Photo - Hiren Kumar Bose, 101Reporters)From SHGs to own brandSix farmers' self-help groups (SHGs) have been formed to market the produce under the brand name Chirayu Healthstop. "We pool our resources. Be it preparing the field, sowing, harvesting the crop or removing the weeds, everything is done jointly. We do not hire any labour, which brings down our costs," says Deshpande.The first-of-its-kind rice festival was held in Patwarun village during the rabi season in December 2021. Two tonnes (20 quintals) of rice were sold at prices ranging between Rs 4,500 and Rs 10,000 per quintal, unlike in the past when HYVs like Sonam and Kolam fetched Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500 per quintal. The cost of growing HYVs is between Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per acre, while it is between Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per acre for native varieties. While the native varieties mature between 120 and 145 days and give a yield of 30 quintals per acre, the HYVs are short-duration, harvested within 90 days, and yielding a maximum of 40 quintals per acre. Purchasing new seeds each year is not mandatory for native varieties or open-pollinated ones. Seeds of HYVs cost Rs 30 to Rs 80 per kg, while native varieties are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 150 a kg. Seed companies produce hybrids because they have to be replaced yearly, providing them with business. Moreover, the open-pollinated seeds do not have a significant market size.In Maharashtra, the market for exclusive hard-to-find varieties such as Ambemohar, Champakali, Ghansal and Jondhala Jirga is growing. Wealthy health-conscious urbanites living in Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Nagpur and other places are now willing to pay a hefty premium for desi varieties. These forgotten rice varieties —remnants of India’s rich agricultural heritage — have turned into premium food items and are sold in eye-catching packages for Rs 80 to Rs 200 a kg.As farmers from other districts queue up for native seeds, the endangered and ignored paddy varieties are getting a new lease of life. “We have sold around seven quintals of seeds to farmers belonging to Kolhapur and Satara, and have received queries from Nashik, Nagar, Konkan, Palghar and Vidarbha,” says Kshirsagar. "We have reached out to 20 more villages and will share the seeds of native varieties."  The farmers have established a demonstration plot in Arla village, which they address as a beej sangrahalya for it has all the 23 varieties growing on a 20-guntha plot.Hailing the role played by the farmers in bringing extant native varieties to the dining table, Kshirsagar adds, “Their efforts provide us with the opportunity to tap into its germplasm to develop new varieties that can mitigate climate change and address issues like erratic increase/decrease in temperature and humidity, resulting in the appearance of new pests and diseases.”Edited by Rekha Pulinnoli Cover Photo - A woman farmer with the harvest (Photo - Hiren Kumar Bose, 101Reporters)

Tupewadi embraces change, earns crores from vegetable seed business

Five years into the Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture, farmers of this Maharashtra village have nothing to regret. They still grow cotton, which is prone to pest attacks, but do not depend on the crop for a living   Jalna, Maharashtra: From cotton to high-value vegetables, the farmers of Tupewadi village in the drought-prone Jalna district of Maharashtra have come a long way. When cotton was their main crop, pest infestation gave them blighted harvests, which eventually forced them to migrate to the sugarcane belt of the state to work as cane cutters.That was five years ago. Now, they have reversed their fortunes by becoming vegetable seed growers under the Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture (PoCRA), implemented by the state agriculture department and the World Bank in 2018 to develop a drought-proof and climate-resilient strategy for agriculture. Farmers of Tupewadi made use of the PoCRA by becoming beneficiaries of the Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjeevani Yojana. Hundreds of shade net houses dot the fields of these small and marginal farmers, making the village with 600-plus households undergo a radical transformation — from being a parched and irrigation-constrained area to a thriving farming community. By regulating the entry of sunlight, moisture and air, greenhouses create an appropriate microclimate for the crops and protect them from heat, rain, storm and pest attack. Drip irrigation meets their water requirements.  Shade net houses dotting the landscape of Tupewadi (Photo - Taluka Agriculture office, Badnapur)Once the vegetables are harvested, seeds are extracted and processed. Seven top seed companies in the country — Mahyco, Syngenta, Nath Seeds, Monsanto, Bayer, Agro Biotech and Nirmal Seeds — buy from them and sell under their brand names.  Outsiders refer to Tupewadi as ‘shade-netchi gaon’ (shade net village). “Two decades ago, we began growing vegetables in bamboo shade nets provided by seed companies. However, bamboo poles had to be changed every season. Now we have permanent shade nets with galvanised iron frames and cladding material,” informs Arjun Sagaji More, whose family owns 17 acres and has shade net houses spread over one-and-a-half acres.Arjun More (left) with a friend (Photo sourced by Hiren Kumar Bose, 101Reporters)The idea of growing vegetables in bamboo shade net houses was picked up by an enterprising local farmer from neighbouring Tapovan village. Soon, it caught the fancy of Tupewadi residents with everyone raising a bamboo structure and entering into contracts with seed companies.  However, it was the PoCRA that transformed the village, located 18 km from Jalna town, into a state-of-the-art vegetable seed growing centre. Farmers got to know about the scheme through the media and WhatsApp groups, and from the extension workers who visited them.With time, they entered into buyback agreements with seed companies, ushering in economic prosperity that is visible in the pucca houses lining the village located in Badnapur taluka. Children of these households study in English medium schools and every male member rides a two-wheeler.Seeds of growthUnder the Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjeevani Yojana, every farmer beneficiary gets a 75% subsidy to raise a shade net house, which lasts for five to six years. “Farmers can choose the shade net’s size depending on the amount they can contribute. The subsidy component is available for structures covering up to 20 gunthas. A 10 guntha (10,000 sq ft) shade net house costs Rs 4 lakh and the farmer has to bear around Rs 1 lakh from it,” Venkat Thakke, Taluka Agriculture Officer, Badnapur, tells 101Reporters. As per Thakke’s estimate, each seed grower makes Rs 4 to 5 lakh annually. Hence, the business in Tupewadi is worth around Rs 20 crore. The year begins with cucumber and ends with chilli, with each variety of vegetable taking around four months to mature. “We grow chilli, cucumber, tomato and bitter gourd. The seed companies provide seeds or seedlings for cultivation. With every new crop, the mulching sheets are changed and the rows treated with fungicide and fertilisers,” says Pankaj Rathod, an agriculture graduate from Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, and owner of a shade net structure spread over half-an-acre plot. “Each year, the companies increase our earnings by 10 to 20%,” he beams.Farmer with his bitter gourd crop; (below) Tomatoes growing under shade net (Photos sourced by Hiren Kumar Bose, 101Reporters)Associated with Tupewadi’s seed growers for the last three years, Nath Seeds product in-charge Sanjay Shinde feels farmers who have mastered the art of growing high-quality seeds should include high-value crops such as marigold, capsicum and bell pepper in their bouquet of products. “It is time they formed their own farmer producer company to enter the market with their brand,” he says.The village has not only provided livelihood to its inhabitants, but also generated employment in places located within a 20 km radius, including Pimpalgaon, Pathalgaon, Jalna, Rajur, Asankheda, Mongaon and Chandhai. “Every day, close to 300 workers, the majority of them being women, are transported to Tupewadi in tempos and trucks arranged by our seed growers. At the end of the day, they are taken back to their villages,” informs Eknath More, a former village sarpanch.Not a beneficiary of the state’s irrigation schemes, Tupewadi takes water conservation very seriously. All irrigation activities are dependent on bore wells and shet tale (farm ponds), which are replenished by rainfall (around 700 mm usually) that the taluka receives.The residents have collectively dug up a 20-hectare-long continuous contour trench, raised two earthen and seven concrete dams, built a 700-hectare embankment and deepened 30 drains to catch the rainwater over the course of many years. Farm ponds laid beside shade net houses (Photo - Taluka Agriculture Office, Badnapur)Around 150 farm ponds ensure water for crops growing on the open fields. “Shet tale helped us double our income. When not busy in the shade net houses, we devote our time growing cotton, soybean, bajra (pearl millet), jowar (sorghum), tur (pigeon pea) and groundnut. We use either drip or sprinklers for irrigation. For harvesting, we engage workers from neighbouring villages,” says Arjun More.  Though erratic weather has been affecting their other crops, seed farming has been helping them tide over the crisis. Last year, particha paus (retreating monsoon) damaged kharif (June to November) crops in Maharashtra. The high-intensity rains, which are increasingly lasting longer, hit small and marginal farmers hard. The districts in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions were severely affected. On the other hand, bollworm attacks have emerged as the biggest problem for cotton farmers. Pink bollworms infested nearly 32 lakh hectares of cotton crop in the state last year.  Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Farmer Gajanan Bhikaji in his shade net house (Photo sourced by Hiren Kumar Bose, 101Reporters)

Blooms of despair for Sonchafa growers of Palghar

Rapid urbanisation and the effects of climate change pluck out yield and income, put floriculturists in a quandary Palghar Maharashtra: It is 5.30 am. Subhash Bhatte is already in his garden plucking the golden-coloured sonchafa flowers (Magnolia Champaca), a routine that he has been following for years together. By the time the sun settles over the coconut trees, he ends up with a vast heap. But not anymore, as the harvest has dipped to just a handful since September last. Subhash Bhatte preparing his day's harvest to sell in the market (Photo - Hiren Kumar Bose/101Reporters) Like Bhatte, 500-odd floriculturist families in 25 villages of Vasai-Virar municipality in Palghar district are battling the effects of climate change, which locals address as hawaman baddal. Unseasonal showers, sudden cloudy days accompanied by thunderstorms and fewer light hours are all part of it, adversely affecting the flower yield.While farmers growing cereal, grains and pulses are compensated under crop insurance schemes for climate exigencies and blighted harvests, flower growers have no such cover.  Additionally, they are denied bank loans under the Kisan Credit Card Scheme as floriculture is not applicable. Affordable and rapid transportation, along with easy market accessibility, had helped Vasai-Virar sub-regions (VVR) flower growers earn good returns. The sea-facing villages were earlier known for mogra (Jasminum sambac), which then attracted premium rates in Mumbai’s Dadar flower market. However, in the last two decades, sonchafa became the growers' favourite as it brought comparably better returns.  A medium climbing shrub, the five-petalled sonchafa produces greenish flowers that fade to yellow as they mature. The highly fragrant flower needs minimal irrigation. When young, it grows like a regular shrub, but starts to vine around six ft. It is grown in farm plots varying between four gunthas (4,000 sq ft) and three acres in the 18 km radius from the coast of Arnala in Virar to Vasai. The place is home to lakes, ponds and bawkhals (traditional water ponds).A bawkhal is a waterbody that is an important part of their ecosystem as it holds rainwater.(Photo - Hiren Kumar Bose/101Reporters)Describing the local ecology, Marcus Dabre, a veteran trade unionist, environmentalist and editor of the weekly Vasai Times, tells 101Reporters that despite its closeness to the Arabian Sea, bawkhals in the area hold rainwater. Their subterranean linkages nourish each other and provide water to irrigate the fields.Development pangsGone are the vast stretches of fields where kharif paddy flourished. These farmlands with their edges ringed with coconut or palmyra palms have given way to high-rise apartments, gated residences, office complexes, shopping malls, cinema multiplexes and eateries.In 2009, Vasai town was joined administratively with neighbouring Virar (north) and a dozen other surrounding communities to form VVR, which soon became one of the most populous urban areas in the State. The marshy lands that held the water during high tide and the wetlands that welcomed migratory birds have all vanished, swallowed by the emerging city linked to the metropolitan Mumbai by local trains (40 km) and road (64 km). Though VVR receives approximately 1,586 mm (62.4 inches) of annual rainfall, waterlogging has become a regular feature as open fields that once absorbed rainwater are no longer present. This, in turn, inundates the flower gardens. Three-and-a-half decades ago, the farmers here specialised in growing betel leaves and velchi (a variety of miniature-sized bananas). Much before that sugarcane was grown in plenty. While betel leaf, which was exported to Pakistan, witnessed a slow death as the country’s relationship with its neighbour deteriorated, velchi was initially affected by banana blight and subsequently lost out to the Grand Nene, a tissue culture variety.Sometimes in the early 70s, farmers in large numbers shifted to floriculture by growing mogra. According to Kiran Patil of Arnala village, his grandfather Moreshwar Bhoir was the first to introduce sonchafa in his garden in the late 80s.A close-up of sonchafa flower (left): Bare sonchafa shrubs with no bloom (Photo - Hiren Kumar Bose/101Reporters)“It was just one among the many flowering plants. He did not realise that one day sonchafa would become our source of livelihood and prosperity,” says Patil, the chairman of the 1,100-member-strong Arnala Farmers’ Cooperative Society. "This Ganesh Chaturthi, we barely got any yield, which triggered flower shortage and price rise. The situation continues the same even in December.”Sonchafa shrub blooms throughout the year with each shrub offering 150 to 200 flowers a day. However, in winter, flowering witnesses a slight drop. Incidentally, the drop has been drastic this year, giving only half the yield of earlier times.A plastic box of 100 flowers normally fetches Rs 150 in the Dadar flower market. During the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival, the price goes up to a whopping Rs 700. The same happens during the wedding season and Navratri festival. “Both Ganpati festival and wedding season are the best time to get premium rates,” confirms veteran sonchafa grower Robert D'Britto (66).Sonchafa flowers packed in plastic bags (Photo - Hiren Kumar Bose/101Reporters)Either D’Britto or Bhatte, both recipients of the prestigious Vasantrao Naik Shetimitra Award for farmers, have mentored most of the floriculturists in the area. Incidentally, sonchafa shrubs flourishing in VVR originated in a Kudal-based nursery owned by Uday Gopinath Velankar and is known throughout the State as Velankar chafa.Sexagenarian Bhatte tends to the 400-odd plants standing on his one-acre plot at Satpale village along with his wife Sheela and half a dozen labourers. Once picked and packed in polybags or plastic boxes, the flowers are ready for the one-and-a-half-hour journey to Dadar market. On average, about 11,000 flowers used to leave his garden each day for the market, but it has come down to a few thousand now.He made close to Rs 75,000 a month from one acre and nearly Rs 9 lakh a year, post the expenses. However, adverse climatic conditions have affected his income immensely. So much so that he is considering axing the sonchafa shrubs and planting off-season jackfruit or turf grass. “Whatever we grow, we are unlikely to get as many returns as sonchafa offered. A couple of gunthas devoted to the flower could give us more than what the sugarcane growers of Solapur or the vineyard owners of Nashik made.”Dwelling on the characteristics of sonchafa, horticulturist Lahanu K Gabhale of Agricultural Research Station, Palghar, says the shrub needs a minimum of 10 light hours, but regular bouts of cloudy days are affecting this. "In September, sonchafa goes into a state of dormancy only to return to normal around January, resulting in low yields. However, it is a fact that high humidity is causing fungal attacks, leading to fewer blooms,” says Gabhale, who visited the flower-growing villages of Vasai-Virar in early September.He adds that farmers need to adopt climate mitigation measures like pruning the new branches regularly to maintain internodal distance, splitting the fertilizer dose into four rather than two annually and taking preventive steps in case of weather advisories. Vagaries of weatherIn early September, Palghar experienced 50 mm of rainfall on a single day. Though October is considered ‘clear’ in meteorological speak, Palghar had more dhakal (cloudy days) to be followed by showers. Similarly, in November, the area witnessed seven days of occasional showers. In mid-December, more dhakal marked the adverse effect of Cyclone Mandous over the Arabian Sea. Farmers believe it spiked humidity levels and caused fungal growth, which hampered bud formation.Weather expert and formerly of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, Uday Deolankar provides the appropriate perspective on the climate change crisis. “Unprecedented urbanisation and accompanying industrialisation in the VVR have affected the air quality index. Climatic aberrations like unseasonal showers and cloudy days add to this,” says the adviser of the Department of Agriculture, who also cultivates ginger on his farm at Aurangabad.“These patches of green in a predominantly urban zone will soon become unproductive,” he adds prophetically.Interestingly, there have been reports of Chrysanthemum growers in West Bengal and dragon fruit farmers in Telangana using LED lamps in their fields to increase light hours. "We too can attempt, but it needs a lot of investment. Plus there are the recurring costs of power consumption,” informs Bhatte. “If the government can provide subsidies for drip irrigation and farm ponds, why not for installation of LED lamps,” he asks.  Cover image by Hiren Kumar BoseEdited by Rekha Pulinnoli

Tangy dragon fruit tickles the taste buds of Maharashtra farmers

Rain-deficient districts increasingly adopt the exotic variety, which gives better yield for a longer duration than custard apple or pomegranateSolapur, Maharashtra: Rajendra Deshmukh (62) set his eyes on a dragon fruit sapling when a friend gifted one worth Rs 250 in 2012, in exchange for a bunch of freshly harvested dates. Hailing from Barshi village in Solapur, Deshmukh collected two stumps of the exotic variety again during a visit to Vietnam in 2018. Over the years, his dragon fruit plant collection multiplied, making him the proud owner of a farm spread over six acres in a rain shadow area with an average annual rainfall of 510 mm. He also runs a highly profitable nursery.Traverse the rain-deficient districts of Maharashtra, and you will come across farmlands with rows and rows of erect poles thick with ornamental climbing vines adorned with green-scaled and pink-skinned fruits.“Dragon fruit is cultivated in around 1,500 to 2,000 acres in Maharashtra. Its popularity is increasing in the semi-arid areas of Western Maharashtra, including Solapur, Sangli, Pune, Nashik and Kolhapur. Things are no different in Marathwada’s Latur, Beed, Aurangabad, Parbhani, Hingol and Osmanabad and most of Vidarbha, besides the dry land areas in the Konkan,” informs Dr Madhukar Potdar, who earlier worked with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and is the president of the newly-formed Maharashtra Dragon Fruit Association.The distinctive variety with a nutty taste was given a new name wherever it was adopted. For instance, the Chinese call it long guo, the Malayans buah naga, and the Indonesians buah mata naga. The colonial masters in the early 19th century introduced the fruit to Vietnam, where it is called thanh long. Incidentally, Vietnam is the world’s leading exporter of the fruit. In India, Gujarat pioneered its cultivation in the 1990s and named it kamalam.A cost-effective crop“Farmers in semi-arid zones have realised that dragon fruit is the fastest and easiest way to double their income. Though the initial input cost to set up an orchard is high, the investment can be recovered within three years,” says Dr G Karunkaran, Principal Scientist, ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru.Mohegaon-based Rajkumar Dynaoba Dadge was conferred Maharashtra’s Udyan Pandit Award in 2004 and the Best Regional Exporters Award in 2007 for grapes by the Ministry of Industry. He now grows residue-free dragon fruit (Photo: Sourced by Hiren Bose)Elaborating on its virtues, Dr Karunakaran, the lead author of a paper titled ‘Dragon fruit country report from India’, says, “Perennial fruits like custard apple or pomegranate take three to five years to give yield. However, dragon fruit is ready in the very first year. Moreover, the harvest period is for six months. The grower thus gets income for a longer duration, unlike cereals, pulses or vegetables.”It takes around Rs 5 lakh to initially prepare an acre of land for dragon fruit cultivation. A major chunk of this amount goes towards setting up concrete columns to support the climbing vines, besides a round/circular frame made of concrete or metal, which is seated on the top to help the vines move downwards facilitating fruiting.Around 2,000 vines can be planted on an acre of land. As each vine gives two to five fruits, a farmer gets four to five tonne in the first year. It touches 12 to 15 tonne by the third year. The fruit fetches Rs 80 to 150 per kg. “While Rs 1,000 is needed for maintenance of a grape or pomegranate plant, it is just Rs 50 for dragon fruit,” explains Dr Karunakaran.Shambhaji Kodag(47), Avandi village, Sangli, Maharashtra (Photo: Sourced by Hiren Bose)No doubt, it is a boon to farmers living in arid and semi-arid zones, and even those with non-productive and less fertile land. “Dragon fruit is highly drought-tolerant and climate-smart, with a high water use efficiency rate. It grows with 10 to 20% water when compared with rice and sugarcane,” elaborates Dr Potdar.According to him, Gujarat grows the fruit on 2,500 acres. In Maharashtra, its acreage is between 1,500 and 2,000 acres. “While the farms in Gujarat are big, some of them covering 100-plus acres, the largest in Maharashtra is on a 30-acre plot,” he informs.Pioneers in the fieldIf there is one individual who has done the most to popularise dragon fruit among farmers, it is Shambhaji Kodag (47) of Sangli’s Avandi village. After planting the variety on two acres in 2011-2012, he realised there were hardly any takers for it.Kodag then printed 25,000 copies of a pamphlet extolling the virtues of dragon fruit farming and elaborating on its wellness quotient. “Whenever I attended a farmers’ meet or visited a doctor’s clinic, I distributed my pamphlets there,” he says. “A free seminar that I organised brought in 1,000-odd farmers. And when a local daily wrote about my novel crop, some 10,000 farmers turned up at my farm.”Dragon fruit is highly drought-tolerant and climate-smart crop, with a high water use efficiency rate. It grows with 10 to 20% water when compared with rice and sugarcane (Photo: Hiren Bose)In order to attract the attention of the State’s agriculture department, he shot off a representation signed by vice-chancellors of agricultural universities and 10,000-odd farmers, which paved the way for the introduction of government subsidy to prospective dragon fruit farmers last year.A Class 9 dropout, Anil Salunkhe of Bamni in Solapur took to the crop in 2011, at the age of 26. “My elder brother Sunil is a wrestler. He visited China in 2009 and came across this fruit in the market. When he told me about it, I decided to get some stumps,” reminisces Salunkhe, whose 26-acre farm gave 200 tonne of the fruit last year. He also runs a nursery that sells around 10 lakh saplings a year.Of the several marginal farmers, Nilesh Parjare (31), an engineering graduate hailing from Khalapuri village in Beed, stands apart. In 2019, he abandoned cotton, tur dal and urad dal crops to take the bold step of converting the family’s two-and-a-half acre plot into an entirely drip-irrigated dragon fruit farm. “Wherever I am likely to get a good price, I go there — be it Pune, located 135 km from my village, or Aurangabad, at a distance of 250 km. Last year, I harvested seven tonne and made a lot of money,” he beams.In India, Gujarat pioneered the cultivation of dragon fruit in the 1990s and named it kamalam (Photo: Hiren Bose)Vijaya Ghule (55) of Kelsangvi village in Beed saw an opportunity in the vacant space of 12 ft left between the rows of dragon fruit vines totalling 800. She planted 240 apple, 80 date palm and 300 guava trees in that space — all prospering well now. Latur, known for its export quality grapes, is witnessing a major shift. Mohegaon-based Rajkumar Dynaoba Dadge (57), who was conferred Maharashtra’s Udyan Pandit Award in 2004 and the Best Regional Exporters Award in 2007 for grapes by the Ministry of Industry, now grows residue-free dragon fruit, a novel concept, in his two-and-a-half acre plot.“Latur has around 75 hectares devoted to the fruit and the same is growing by 100 acres each year,” says Dadge, who has taken the lead to form a farmer-producer company with 55 growers.A super fruitThanks to its nutritional qualities, this super fruit has become popular among the health-conscious, with its consumption increasing after the pandemic. "In the last couple of years, Indians have been consuming more fruits and nuts, which has benefited farmers," says Dr Karunakaran.The Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare categorises dragon fruit as a foreign fruit, along with kiwi and passion fruit. To encourage their cultivation, it has so far provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs 164.38 crore to Maharashtra.Farmers here believe the State government needs to do more and point to the disparity: neighbouring Gujarat offers financial assistance up to Rs 4.5 lakh per hectare, while Maharashtra offers a measly Rs 1.60 lakh.As price drop due to a supply glut is highly likely in near future, Dr Karunkaran suggests that farmers should become entrepreneurs to make value-added products. "Making ready-to-serve products — be it jam, squash, freeze-dried cube, spray-dried powder or jelly — available throughout the year will create new markets and ensure continuous demand for the fruit," he adds.Edited by Rekha PulinnoliThe cover image is of dragon fruit vines, planted in rows in rural Maharashtra, clicked by Hiren Bose.