Kishore Rajput, a 35-year-old young farmer of Nawagarh village of Bemetara, 100 km from the capital, has been cultivating medicines for the last six years. They are cultivating Tulsi, Ashwagandha, Kalmegh (Chiraita), Giloy, Pashanbheda, Kevach, Black Turmeric, Sarpagandha, Satwar, Lemongrass etc. Every year about 30 quintals of pharmaceutical products are sold through local agents of Chhattisgarh to companies in Delhi, Gujarat and West Bengal.
Kishor is not only earning a net profit of Rs 10 to 12 lakh himself, but is also providing employment to many youths of the village. The young man has also set up his own firm Medicinal Farming Research Institute. Kisher Rajput says that the demand for medicinal farming has increased during the Corona period. In the year 2021-22, a turnover of Rs 1 crore has been kept.
This time during the Corona period, companies have urged for cultivation of khus, palmarose, geranium, vishukanta, vach, pipli. Now preparing for it. Kisher says that there has been an attachment to Ayurveda since childhood. The enthusiasm has also increased due to the increase in the demand for medicinal plants during the Corona period.
The journey that started from two acres has now reached 100 acres
Kishor says that he had two acres of his own land in which profit was not being made, there was financial constraint in the house, so it was felt that what would happen by producing paddy in two acres alone. Due to this thinking, the young man thought of making a change in agriculture. Tulsi was planted in the first two acres and when it was profitable, the young man started work by taking 70 acres of land on lease from the surroundings.
Now he has started cultivating medicine and black rice in 70 acres. Apart from this, he is also producing 56 stored varieties of rare variety of paddy. Now preparations are on to cultivate in 100 acres.
Seen 100 farmer families also joined
100 farmer families have joined Kishore Rajput. Farmers reach out to them to sell their produce and for technical help. A better network of teenagers has been formed with the farmers doing medicinal farming. Especially the farmers who produce basil are directly related to them. In the state itself, some firms make tulsi extract and take the saplings from them.
Have taken training from Agriculture University
Before taking up medicinal farming, Kishore Rajput had participated in a training workshop organized at Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Raipur. After this, the interest of doing medicinal farming arose within him. Dr. SK Patil, Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, says that the Agricultural University is continuously working to train such hardworking youth. Due to this, a radical change will be seen in the field of agriculture in the coming time.
This news has not been edited by Apni Kheti staff but has been published by various news feeds
Source: Nai Dunia
