Dinesh Kumar Dhaakad , son of Shri Amar Lal Dhaakad from Buranhedi village of Khairabad Panchayat Samiti in Kota, owns 9 hectares of land. His family was engaged in conventional farming of mustard, soybean and wheat. However the harvest and income from conventional farming was not turning out to be a profitable deal. Year by year due to some or the other reason such as pest attack, floods or drought, the yield was minimizing. This became an alarming topic for him that if the graph of productivity kept on descending like this, how would they survive and how will he raise his family?
One day he visited his cousin brother in Jhalawar who was cultivating ‘Ashwagandha’. He was absolutely clueless about this sort of cultivation. After learning about it, he realised that this is a simple farming that can harvest major produce on minimal investment and labour. As the productivity is higher hence the income automatically rises. This crop is not even consumed by stray animals and that counts as another beneficial point. Weighing all these points Dinesh decided to cultivate Ashwagandha. Agriculture supervisor from Horticulture department, Kota acknowledged him about the relevant subsidies offered by the government in cultivation of medicinal herbs. The Horticulture department also taught him about Neemuch mandi and farmers there who have been trading in Ashwagandha seeds for 20 years. After procuring the best quality seeds at the rate of 15- 20 kgs per hectare, he sowed them in 2 hectares.
Profit which he earned was not just the crop in the form of leaves but also the stem and roots. 5- 6 quintals of dried leaves and stem while 5 quintals from the roots per hectare were produced. His gross income from all the components was INR 1,42,500 out of which 30,000 was investment and the rest was profit.
This profitable return motivated him for further cultivation. Now he is cultivating Ashwagandha over a total land of 6 hectares and the Horticulture department has provided him a subsidy of INR 18,500 for the same. This is how medicinal crops are making him earn easy profit and simultaneously inspiring him to grow and expand in the same trade. He feels more than delighted by setting an example amongst his folks who are also getting into farming of Ashwagandha now.
About ‘Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet, Kota’ (GRAM):
‘GRAM’ at Jaipur was an international event held from 9 to 11 November in Jaipur. Jointly organized by the Government of Rajasthan and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the mega event was attended by around 50,000 farmers.
The primary objective of GRAM is to ensure economic empowerment of the farmers through accelerated yet sustainable growth in agriculture. In addition to farmers, the global event also showcases global best practices and best of technologies suited to the agro-climatic conditions of Rajasthan. It is also an important platform for investors, manufacturers, academicians and researchers.
GRAM Kota will celebrate farmers and farming in a visionary style. Learning about agriculture and horticulture would be an experience by being a part of the agribusiness development chain. Government considers the overall progress of farmers as an integral part of the growth process for which this platform will serve as an arena of opportunities, possibilities and prospects.