Nabarangpur,Jan, 06: Young people are increasingly being attracted towards agriculture, becoming self-reliant by earning lakhs of rupees every month. They are also playing a significant role in generating employment for others. One such successful young farmer is Sanjit Biswas, a resident of Chhatabeda village under Parua Panchayat of Raighar Block.
Through mixed vegetable cultivation, Sanjit earns an annual income of approximately Rs45 lakh.
Sanjit cultivates vegetables on 20 acres of land, including 10 acres of his own land and 10 acres taken on lease. He mainly grows cauliflower, cabbage, green chilli, and tomato. This year, he cultivated cauliflower and cabbage on about 12 acres of land.
Due to the favorable local climate for vegetable farming, the cauliflower and cabbage crops started yielding from July, maturing within just two months. He sold the produce at an average rate of Rs1.8 lakh per acre, earning Rs21.6 lakh from 12 acres.
In October, he planted a second crop of cauliflower and cabbage. Though market prices were lower, he still earned around Rs1.5 lakh per acre, generating nearly Rs18 lakh from the same 12 acres. Thus, from two crop cycles, his total income from these vegetables stood at approximately Rs39 lakh.
Against this, he incurred expenses of about Rs23 lakh on seeds, seedlings, chemical fertilizers, organic manure, and labor.
Additionally, Sanjit cultivated green chilli on 2 acres, earning a profit of Rs2 lakh within eight months, and peas on 2.5 acres, earning a profit of Rs1.8 lakh. He also grows maize and other crops, which together raise his total annual income to nearly Rs45 lakh.
Depending on the season and requirement, he employs 30 to 60 laborers, thereby creating employment opportunities in the area. For vermicompost, he spends around Rs45,000 annually. Along with this, he uses cow dung manure and a limited quantity of chemical fertilizers in his fields.
Sanjit further stated that he received government subsidies for installing a deep bore well and drip irrigation pipelines for 7 acres of land.