Young farmers from Bhatinda’s Bhainibagha village in Mansa district are paving the way to increase their agriculture income by adopting crop diversification gradually.
Bhainibagha is a part of the semi-arid region of Punjab and it has created a niche for itself by shifting to capsicum cultivation as a rabi crop, replacing the traditional rabi crop of wheat.
Horticulture department officials have stated that Bhainibagha is attributed with producing the highest quantity in the Malwa region. The village is located on Bhatinda-Mansa road and is approximately 600 acres wide. Growers estimate to yield more than one lakh quintals of green capsicums as the harvesting begins from March 15. The growers said that every household has a minimum of one-acre land for cultivating green bell peppers.
Farmers also said that although the crop is labor-intensive, it is also highly lucrative. To grow the crop, low cost and low tunnel structures are used to grow the crop that is highly demanded across several states.
A second-generation horticulturist Hardeep Singh says capsicum cultivation costs approximately Rs. 60-64 lakh per acre including seeds, tunnels, suggested farm chemicals, and labor. Singh also said that the best farm practices ensure 230-300 quintals of harvest from an acre and the best saving of a farmer may be up to 1 crore per acre in the six-month crop. It is ideal for water conversation and putting less stress on the soil. Singh has been growing capsicum for over 15 years and his father Kaur Singh was among the first farmers to grow capsicum on 6.5 acres of land back in 2002.
Singh said his father and uncle got the inspiration to grow capsicum from Beas-based Radha Soami Satsang for cultivating capsicum. They face initial challenges, however, they put more effort and in the end, it paid off. After 2002, more farmers from the village started shifting towards horticulture to improve their financial condition. Mansa district horticulture officer Parmesh Kumar said that Jhanda Kalan village and the sub-urban town of Sardulgarh were also producing green bell peppers on 100 and 70 acres of land respectively.
However, Kumar added, Bhainibagha is a unique village where the farmers have set an example in the field of diversification. The quality of their products is why buyers from Delhi, Rajasthan, and other districts of Punjab come to the village for farm gate purchases.
