Subhash Chand hailing from Mandi district, sitting comfortably describes himself as an agriculturalist, working on 4 bigha of land, who has been in agri business for 20 years. Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur gave him good knowledge and they guided him to KVK (Krishi Vigyan Kendra), Sundar Nagar where the trainers and scientists have inspired him to build a successful business in farming. He said these KVKs opened across the country have educated the farmers and got rid of their ignorance.
Training from KVK has been very useful and he is able to perform better and produce more and better with training. Alongside crops, he grows vegetables including bottle gourd, peas, cauliflower, cabbage. The main crops they grow are wheat, rice, corn and barley. He also grows pulses and red kidney beans.
He has found natural and organic farming of great benefit and has replaced chemical heavy fertilizers with organic fertilizers. Locals along with him have brought lots of animals to their farm and they manufacture organic manure from their dung. They have built cowsheds so that they can farm with organic methods on a greater scale.
KVK, Sundar Nagar, gave him seeds for red kidney beans (rajmash) and maash pulses which have grown quite well. Few years ago the prices of pulses (daals) went up due to low production and the government started distributing pulses seeds to farmers so as to increase production so that pulses would be accessible to general public at low prices. He congratulates the government on their excellent work and said through their employment and other schemes they have benefitted the farmers financially and they are now relieved.
He also grows potatoes, capsicum and works in gardening too. In gardening, he produces different varieties of flowers and comments that this can be another way for the farmers to increase their earnings. He repeats that he has been trained in different fields of agriculture by these government institutions. He continues that to avoid droughts and crop failures we must follow organic farming. Government often sets up camps in rural areas to provide training to locals and those interested attend the classes and learn the useful information.
Dr. Lal of Shimla trained him in mushrooms farming. He experimented with mushrooms farming for a year and earned 20-25 thousand from 100 bags. He said high temperatures in low lying areas are not conducive for growing mushrooms all year long, however in mountainous terrain the temperature rarely goes above 25 degrees, hence you can grow mushrooms all year long. Also due to low availability and high demand, in summer season, you will get good rates for your mushrooms.
He also owns a beekeeping box. He said he has neglected beekeeping as he was busy with other things. He said local farmers can make a lot of money with beekeeping. He said poultry farming, can also be a good source of income, being one of the activities in animal husbandry. He owns two cows and two bulls. He said growing ayurvedic medicinal herbs can be another way to boost your income. The Punjab variety of coriander is very popular and is sold at good rates.
Dr. Akhilesh Sharma at the University in Palampur introduced him to new varieties of peas, namely SP22 and SP6. SP-22 is also known as Palam-1. He grew SP6 for a trial period and found the pod to contain 10-13 peas. This variety does not get diseases easily and grows as well as any other variety.
We have issues with irrigation at this high altitude. If the farmers are provided means for irrigation, they will produce more and earn more. He said if you make losses in your agri business don't be disheartened. Profit and loss are part of every business. He uses organic sprays to treat any suffering plants. The peas and other vegetables are susceptible to diseases. He said if you follow natural farming the chances of your crops, plants getting affected by pests, insects and diseases are very low. Because of this we can farm with full confidence and without worries.
Crops sprayed with pesticides and chemical rich fertilizers affected the quality of their crops and soil. As suggested by his guru, Subhash Palekar organic farming has proved to be very beneficial. Natural farming is something that needs to be encouraged. The government has been subsidizing farming businesses thus helping us financially.
Products grown naturally are very popular with customers and in high demand. They also grow red rice which are nutrients rich and have good taste. All his working life he has experimented with crops, methods and technology. He again thanked the KVK scientist for training him. Even small landholders are able to earn good income under the guidance of KVK. Their produce is not only high in quantity but also of excellent quality. He said those interested in farming can follow any branch of agriculture - horticulture, gardening, animal husbandry (poultry farming, fisheries, goat rearing, dairy farming) and others. Finally, he bids us goodbye with "Jai Hind". Please click here to see the video or yourself.