The National Horticulture Mission has transformed the economic situation of farmer Dashrath Patel.

Mahasamund. Benefiting from the National Horticulture Mission’s vegetable cultivation expansion scheme, farmer Dashrath Patel, a resident of Kasahibahara village in Pithora block of Mahasamund district, has achieved inspiring success by transforming his farming practices. The 47-year-old Dashrath Patel, who is educated up to the 12th grade, previously cultivated paddy using traditional methods. Due to the sandy nature of his land, paddy cultivation was expensive, and the yield was relatively low. With limited land, his income was also low, making it difficult to improve his economic situation.

To improve his financial condition, Patel contacted the Horticulture Department and, with a grant under the National Horticulture Mission, adopted bitter gourd cultivation. He started cultivating bitter gourd on 0.60 hectares of land using modern techniques such as drip irrigation and mulching. This change led to a significant improvement in his farming.

During paddy cultivation, he obtained approximately 21 quintals of produce, which was sold at around Rs. 31 per kilogram. Due to high costs, his net income remained limited. However, with bitter gourd cultivation, he obtained approximately 100 quintals of produce, which was sold at an average rate of Rs. 30 per kilogram. In this way, Mr. Patel earned a total income of approximately Rs. 2 lakh, while the costs were relatively lower. As a result, he earned almost four times more net profit compared to paddy cultivation.

Bitter gourd cultivation has significantly improved Dashrath Patel’s economic condition. He is currently satisfied with his farming and is moving forward with confidence. Seeing his success, other farmers in Kasahibahara village and the surrounding areas are also being inspired to adopt horticultural crops.