Gandhinagar, Oct 7 (IANS) A 70-year-old farmer in Surendranagar district has turned turmeric cultivation on four acres into an annual income of around Rs 10-11 lakh by processing the crop into powder, pickle and other products instead of selling it as raw produce.
Kalubhai Patel of Vadod village in Wadhwan taluka owns 10 acres of land and has been practising natural farming on four acres for the past 13-14 years.
He was inspired to take up natural farming after seeing a farmer cultivate turmeric using natural methods at an agricultural fair in Kagvad. Patel initially cultivated turmeric on one acre of fallow land, gradually expanding it to four acres.
He later established a home-based processing unit at a cost of around Rs 5 lakh, equipped with a steam boiler, polishing machine and pulveriser.
The Horticulture Department provided him with assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh for the unit. Instead of boiling the turmeric in water, Patel steams it, saying this helps retain its beneficial and medicinal properties.
The turmeric is then dried for about a month before being cleaned and ground into powder. He also prepares green turmeric pickle and turmeric mouth freshener.
With the help of his family, the products are packed at home and sold under the brand name “Shakti Organic”.
While raw turmeric fetches around Rs 150 per kg in the market, Patel sells his turmeric powder at Rs 350 per kg and green turmeric pickle at Rs 440 per kg.
His GOPCA-certified organic products are sold largely through word-of-mouth rather than advertising.
Through this value addition, Patel earns around Rs 10-11 lakh annually from turmeric grown on four acres. He also follows crop diversification, cultivating short-duration crops such as moong, sesame and pearl millet after the eight-month turmeric crop.
On the remaining six acres, he grows cotton with pigeon pea as an intercrop. Pigeon pea helps add nitrogen to the soil, reducing the need for urea, while Patel uses a solution prepared from aak leaves as a source of potassium.
He said these natural farming practices have helped increase the organic carbon content of his soil to 0.94 per cent. “Natural farming is nature; nurturing soil with care is culture,” Patel said, while highlighting natural farming, soil conservation and value addition as ways to strengthen farmers’ incomes.
The state government has recognised Patel with Best Farmer Awards at the taluka, district and state levels.
He has also received honours from Junagadh Agricultural University and Dantiwada Agricultural University.
Recently, in the presence of Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, he received the state-level ‘Best ATMA Farmer Award’.
Patel has also developed an automatic sowing machine, combining traditional farming practices with innovation and scientific methods.
“The state government’s encouragement, inspiration and support had doubled farmers’ enthusiasm to work towards sustainable and productive agriculture,” officials said.
–IANS
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