Cauliflower farming fast catching up with young farmers of Buxar

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Buxar: Aghast over soaring prices of fertilizers, seeds and other agriculture accessories and lack of irrigation facility, farmers of Buxar district are switching over cauliflower farming and earn over Rs 5 lakh per annum rasing the standard of living of their families.

Majority of the unemployed youth in the villages under Dumraon and Old Bhojpur blocks in Buxar districts have at least four to five bigha of land on which they grow vegetables particularly cauliflower. Earlier, the area was known for cultivation of wheat and other rabi crops. The youth learn method of cultivation from their elders. The youth of Dumraon and Old Bhojpur village deviated from traditional farming and opted for vegetable farming and thus made their own identity and earning  more for the family as well. The vegetables grown in the areas are in demand in different parts of North India. Earlier, the elders were engaged in the vegetable cultivation but now the unemployed youths and even some employed youths have opted for vegetable farming after leaving their job.

Young farmers Narendra Yadav, Rahul Kumar, Ragho Chandravanshi said Dumraon does not have any big vegetable market and so they supply the vegetables to Patna, Sasaram, Dehari-on-Sone, Jamshedpur, Bhojpur, Bokaro, Basti, Gorakhpur, Gazipur, Balia and Ranchi. They said once there is a big vegetable market at Dumraon, the area would become the main centre of vegetable cultivation. They also said the government provides several facilities for cultivation of foodgrains but does little for vegetables.

Fed up with pathetic condition of their family and non- profitable traditional farming, a number of youths had shifted to  Punjab, Delhi, Assam, West Bengal and other states of the country in search of jobs. They seldom came to their village even during festival time. The elders looked after cultivation at villages. But these elders advised them to work in their field instead of others’ and earn more living with their families. The youths agreed and returned  to their native villages and started vegetable farming.

Prabhu Kushwaha of Old Bhojpur in Buxar district had shifted to Assam to work in the tea factory and earned only Rs 96,000 in a year. On the pressure of his father, he returned and now earning Rs 3 lakh per annum by growing vegetables on three bighas of land. Satyendra Yadav of New Bhojpur worked in wool factory in Ludhiyana in Punjab at Rs 1,000 per month but now he is earning Rs 4 lakh a year by growing vegetables at his native village.

Vicky Kushwaha of Old Bhojpur worked at  private firm at Gurgaon at Rs 11,000 a month and could hardly save Rs 5000. He said that on his father’s command, he returned to his village and started vegetable farming and now earning  Rs4 lakh per annum.

Shauqat Ali, Block Agriculture Officer, said that agriculture scientists frequently impart training to the vegetable farmers and a number of government schemes are in operation to promote vegetable farming. He said the farmers  interested in vegetable farming may come to him or district agriculture officer or the scientist of the SCADA and they would tell inform them about latest methods and technology in vegetable farming.