Telangana: Innovative farmer boosts profits through multi-layer vegetable cultivation

Yada Chandu, a 30-year-old farmer from Banjerupally village in Narayanraopet Mandal, has adopted a novel two-layer vegetable cultivation technique on his one-and-a-half-acre plot. This approach has helped him to enhance the profitability of his farming.

Siddipet: To enhance the profitability of farming, an enterprising farmer embraced a novel approach to cultivation in Banjerupally village of Narayanraopet Mandal. Yada Chandu, a 30-year-old farmer, has ingeniously adopted a two-layer vegetable cultivation technique on his one-and-a-half-acre plot. By strategically employing mulching, he has successfully cultivated Beans, Bitter Gourd and Coriander in tandem.

Chandu introduced an additional layer to this cultivation tapestry by interspersing Coriander plants in close proximity to these climbing vegetable varieties. Capitalizing on the distinct growth rates of these crops, Chandu is poised to harvest the Coriander ahead of the Beans and Bitter Gourd, which are due to yield their produce approximately two months after the initial planting.

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In a conversation with Telangana Today, Chandu disclosed that his innovative approach has significantly boosted his earnings. The cultivation of Coriander alone fetched him an extra income of Rs 20,000 per acre. Notably, this boost in revenue comes without a substantial increase in the utilization of pesticides and fertilizers, as both crops efficiently share these resources. Chandu emphasized that the major financial investment was limited to procuring Coriander seeds, making the endeavor economically viable.

He anticipates a continued harvest of Beans and Bitter Gourd over the next three to five months. Looking even further ahead, Chandu is planning a three-layer cropping system with introduction of ginger or turmeric plants, interspersed between the climbing vegetables and Coriander.

Narayanraopet’s Agriculture Extension Officer, T Nagarjuna, was all appreciative of the two-layer or even three-layer cultivation strategy. He pointed out that such methods hold immense promise in bolstering farmers’ income manifold while maximizing the utilization of water resources. To promote these ingenious techniques, Nagarjuna encouraged fellow farmers to visit Chandu’s farm. A firsthand experience, he believes, would bestow a comprehensive understanding of the multi-layer cultivation’s practical applications.