Moving away from traditional crops, Hisar farmer transitions to horticulture profits

His journey with cultivating fruits — which then later transitioned to English vegetables — started in 2005, prior to which he cultivated traditional crops including paddy and cotton. Since then, he has continued expanding the area under fruits and vegetables.

Khowal, in 2005, began cultivating guava (amrud) on two acres of land, which earned him an impressive profit of Rs 2.5 lakh per acre. In the later years, he expanded guava cultivation to four acres. However, three years ago, he stopped cultivating guava altogether. He transitioned to other fruits, finding them more profitable than guava.

Through time he expanded his horticulture ventures to 21 acres. Currently, his 21-acre fruit farm includes kinnow, lemon, jujube, sweet lime and date palm, all supported by drip irrigation.

In 2020, Khowal purchased an additional five acres of land, with him owning 25 acres of land in total now, and significantly improved his financial condition.

In the same year he also began vegetable farming in the net house, which he expanded to four acres by 2021.

“I’ve also grown English vegetables like broccoli, lettuce, Chinese gobhi and leek through a net house and using drip irrigation,” he says, adding that these cultivations also brought good profits.

Khowal advises fellow farmers to undergo at least a month-long training at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) in Hisar or other reputed government institutes before venturing into vegetable and fruit cultivation.

Khowal’s decision to switch to fruit crops was influenced by Sarwan Kumar, an officer from the Haryana Horticulture Department. “He explained the benefits of the National Horticulture Policy including subsidies, guidance and technical support from government officials.”

Following Sarwan’s advice, Khowal was honoured nearly 60 times by various organisations and institutions. “The then President, Ram Nath Kovind, also presented me with the Haryana Krishi Ratan Award and ₹1 lakh in cash at Ganaur (Sonipat) in 2019,” he says.

“These fruit crops are ideal for farmers in Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa and Bhiwani, where the soil absorbs water quickly and doesn’t retain it for long,” Khowal explains, adding that standing water is harmful for citrus crops.

Sarwan Kumar, District Horticulture Officer in Fatehabad, adds, “This region has a strong canal network that supports citrus crops well. Farmers can adopt drip irrigation by constructing water tanks with government subsidies. Tubewell water is sufficient for crops such as guava, date palm, pomegranate and jujube — the use of drip irrigation and water storage system is recommended.”

Sarwan also says, “Besides kinnow, the Hisar Safeda variety of guava is also popular in this region. At Bhuna in Fatehabad, there are seven registered nurseries, with nearly 70% of their part comprising guava plants. These plants are regularly supplied to states like Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.”

From the homepage

US presses G7 countries to target India, China for ending Ukraine war

‘Guests will be sent to god’: Bomb threat sent to Delhi’s Taj Palace hotel; two hospitals get similar emails

Rape of Sikh woman in UK sparks outrage; ‘racially aggravated attack,’ say police