The Hindu : Karnataka News : Profitable avenue for farmers

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Friday, Sep 14, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Profitable avenue for farmers

In the coming days, more farmers are expected to adopt capsicum farming

The capsicum farm of B. Srishilachar in Hiriyur taluk.

Slowly but steadily the drought-prone Chitradurga district is heading towards finding new agriculture avenues. Farmers are showing readiness to experiment with new crops which could help them reap profits with minimum usage of water.

B. Srishailachar and K. Rangaswamy of Hiriyur taluk are among such farmers who have adopted a new cropping pattern by cultivating colour capsicums.

The two began cultivating colour capsicums around two years ago. By making profit with their novel efforts, they are now encouraging others to adopt the crop.

Mr. Rangaswamy, who is now cultivating capsicum in around an acre of land, was forced to search for an alternative crop after incurring heavy loss with pomegranate crop. “When I happened to visit Doddaballapur, I got to know about colour capsicum cultivation. I gathered more information about it and began cultivating it,” he said. Enumerating about various aspects involved in cultivation, Mr. Srishailachar, who is cultivating the capsicum in one-and-a-half acre of land, said that for an acre, the initial investment would be around Rs. 5 lakh. “As the red and yellow capsicums are grown under shade, a major portion of the investment goes towards setting up of shade-nets,” he said.

The fruit-bearing period begins within four months and lasts for six months. With proper maintenance, a farmer could make a profit of over Rs. 3 lakh.

A healthy capsicum weighs between 250 grams and 300 grams. The market value varies between Rs. 30 a kg and Rs. 45 a kg, while green capsicum is sold at Rs. 15 a kg to Rs. 20 a kg. “We have not faced any difficulty in marketing the produce, as buyers themselves come to us from Bangalore, Hubli and Davangere. The red and yellow capsicums are mainly used in hotels and restaurants, and the demand for the produce is high,” Mr. Rangaswamy said.

On the difficulties a farmer might face, he said that as the crop is vulnerable to pest, immense care should be taken to prevent pest attack. Finding expert labour is also one of the hurdles. “Nevertheless, these difficulties have not prevented us from making profit,” he adds.

Mr. Rangaswamy said except the high initial investment, the crop gives good returns and it could be grown in black or red soil. Itneeds fewer quantity of water.

The Government, to encourage this horticulture crop, is giving 50 per cent subsidy to capsicum farmers growing it under shade-nets, said Deputy Director of the Horticulture Department Kadregowda.

At present, capsicum is being cultivated only in around 10 acres of land in the district. However, farmers and the department official feels that in the coming days more farmers would come forward to adopt capsicum farming.

Firoz Rozindar in Chitradurga

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