In Hakumat Singh Wala village of Ferozepur, Shamsher Singh, 41, a marginal farmer with 2.5 acres, has turned his destiny by shifting from conventional wheat farming to chilli cultivation.
Over the previous decade, Shamsher not solely improved his monetary standing however can also be part of a gaggle of 20 chilli growers together with small and marginal who’re buying the chilli crop from a number of farmers in Punjab at a Minimal Help Value (MSP), a value usually not provided by the federal government for crops apart from wheat and paddy. He ensures that the small scale farmers are usually not disregarded within the risky market.
Shamsher has vegetable nurseries, together with a chilli nursery, on 1-acre of his land, which helps the plantation of chillies throughout 275 acres. To broaden his operations, he leases 10 acres at Rs 64,000 per acre yearly, the place he focuses on chilli farming. He and his group purchase chillies from small-scale farmers who wrestle to discover a market, guaranteeing they obtain a good value equal to MSP. Singh’s group purchases chillies from farmers at a assured charge. The chilli farming course of begins in early October, when the nursery is planted. After 40 to 45 days, the seedlings are transplanted into the primary area. To guard the seedlings from winter, farmers cowl them with polythene sheets supported by iron wire in 4-foot-high tunnels, which is known as low tunnel farming. These tunnels assist preserve optimum temperatures and the sheets are eliminated by mid-February. The primary harvest takes place by March finish, and farmers can take as much as six pickings of inexperienced Chilli till July. For crimson chillies, farmers can take two pickings in April and June.
He explains that rising chillies nursery requires an preliminary funding of 18 to twenty kg of seed per acre, costing between Rs 27,000 and Rs 45,000 per kg. Labour prices for rising chilli nursery in a single acre is round Rs 1 lakh. Regardless of the excessive upfront prices, the returns are rewarding. A farmer can promote 40-45 days outdated chilli nurseries for Rs 18 to Rs 20 lakh and earn Rs 9 to Rs 10 lakh inside the brief interval.
An acre of inexperienced chilli cultivation can produce round 250 quintals, whereas crimson chilli yields 80 to 120 quintals per acre. Final 12 months, inexperienced chilli costs ranged between Rs 10 and Rs 11 per kg, which was on the decrease aspect, whereas crimson chilli fetched Rs 28 to Rs 30 per kg. After deducting all bills, he provides that farmers can earn about Rs 1.5 lakh per acre from chilli farming — excess of the Rs 50,000 per acre they make from wheat, even when rising on their very own land. As Shamsher takes two crops in a 12 months the land hire prices him Rs 32,000 per acre per crop and even after that he can save multiple lakh per acre from chilli crop.
Balwinder Singh Mahalam of Mahalam village in Ferozepur, a fellow farmer in the identical group, grows chillies on 20 acres, together with 7 acres of his personal and grows chilli nursery on lower than one acre land to provide to chilli cultivation on 200 acres. He says their group units the MSP primarily based on the prevailing charges in main chilli markets similar to Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, guaranteeing farmers in Punjab obtain a good deal. The group helps small-scale chilli farmers, who typically wrestle to search out consumers, by buying their produce at MSP, offering stability and safety. Balwinder mentioned that they’re within the technique of forming an organisation as at present they’re additionally offering seedlings to the farmers.
He says that there are 4 promoting choices for chillies — promoting inexperienced chillies early if market charges are favorable, ready for the chillies to show crimson if charges are low, dry chilli, the speed of which is Rs 130 to Rs 170 per kg or they’ll retailer it if market shouldn’t be favorable and promote it when the charges enhance. “These many choices are usually not accessible in another horticulture crop, Balwinder says.
This flexibility is among the main benefits of chilli farming, making it a beautiful possibility for farmers trying to diversify, he says, including that in Ferozepur and surrounding areas a number of farmers at the moment are rising chillies and the talks of its export are additionally happening because the samples of our chilli acquired handed. “Our chilli has no dangerous chemical substances as we use the advisable fertilises and pesticides in a really small quantity,” he says, including that director Horticulture division Shailender Kaur has been supporting the chilli farmers in all attainable method in order that farmers can earn a good value from it.
Simran Singh, officer of Ferozepur Horticulture Growth, says that in Ferozepur round 10,000 acres are devoted to chilli farming, with farmers cultivating the crop on plots starting from 1 acre to even 100 acres. “The pattern is shifting, with extra farmers preferring to carry crimson chillies to the market because it saves on labour prices. Purple chillies require solely two pickings, whereas inexperienced chillies want extra frequent harvesting, resulting in greater labor bills. Moreover, crimson chillies fetch a greater value. Even in a foul season, farmers can earn as much as Rs 1 lakh per acre after masking all bills,” he says, including that they’re in talks with senior authorities to discover export alternatives for inexperienced chillies.
