Raigarh farmer earns 4.25 lakh rupees from grafted vegetable farming

Etwar Sai Paikra, a farmer from Jharama village in the Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh, has achieved significant success by cultivating grafted tomatoes and eggplants on previously barren land. Utilizing modern agricultural techniques and guidance from the Horticulture Department under the National Agriculture Development Scheme, Paikra produced 187 quintals of vegetables.

By employing drip irrigation and mulching methods on 0.400 hectares of land, the farmer overcame challenges related to the land's proximity to a forest and lack of irrigation. The tomato harvest yielded 87 quintals with sales totaling 175,000 rupees, while the eggplant harvest produced 100 quintals with sales of 250,000 rupees.

From a total revenue of 425,000 rupees, the farmer incurred costs of 145,000 rupees, resulting in a net profit of 280,000 rupees. The grafted plants, which use a wild eggplant rootstock combined with a hybrid scion, proved more resilient to drought, heavy rain, and diseases compared to traditional crops.