Bengaluru: Innovation is the key to success in life. Farming too is no different. A farmer from Gujarat stands testimony to this. 

Chetan, hailing from there, has resorted to crop cultivation. Earlier, he used to grow flowers and cucumbers. Then, he took up colored capsicum. With this cultivation, he earns really well. 

Chetan says, “Our land is close to the sea, but good. There is not as much salinity in the ground as there is more space. Earlier, I used to cultivate gerbera flowers and cucumber, but it was not well received. Later I thought of cultivating colored chilli in the Netherlands. However, this farming was very expensive. Apart from expensive seeds, it cost 30 lakh rupees to build a green house. In this, 50 percent subsidy from the government helped a lot”.

Moreover, Chetan cultivates these crops using organic methods. 

He adds, “We are doing 80% organic farming, which leads to good production. There is no risk of crop damage using organic cultivation”. 

With his success, he has been getting a lot of demands. He adds, “I have planted 5000 plants of Netherlands breed in a bigha land. The crop of red, yellow and green chillies is also coming up well. Traders from Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and many parts of the country are contacting us, but we are currently selling capsicum in the local market itself”.

Now that they grow diversified crops, they want more subsidies from the government. 

He says, “We want that the Central and State Government should give more subsidy to such progressive farmers, so that they can be encouraged for new experiments”. 

It is in this way that Chetan stands out when compared to others. By growing his own crops, he has been a living commentary on how to take risks in life and emerge victorious.