03 April,2011 08:45 AM IST | | Shrikant Khuperkar
Have you ever heard of someone who generates employment by farming on rented land? Ganesh Madhukar Deshmukh (37) from Wangani, a small village in Thane district, has been renting land for cultivation for the last 15 years. Deshmukh has taken over 20 acres of land for cultivation and pays rent amounting to Rs 40,000 over six months. Noting his effort, the Panchayat Samiti Krishi officer from Ambernath recommended Deshmukh for the Krishi Puraskar.
Deshmukh with a roll of paper mulch film that helps him save water by
reflecting sunlight and keeps the soil moist, at his farm in Wangani.
He credits Dilip Dhavle, agricultural officer from Ambernath taluka,u00a0 for his success. Dhavle helped him acquire funds from the state government for the Israeli method of farming that requires the purchase of paper mulch film that helps him save water by reflecting sunlight.
Deshmukh's farm provides employment to 35 women and 10 men from Wangani alone. On the 20-acre land, Deshmukh cultivates watermelon crops on five acres, Kharbuj (crop similar to watermelon) on one acre, and tomatoes, brinjal and cucumber on the remaining 14 acres. He, however, has to pay a steep electricity bill of Rs 15,000 due to the use of water pumps.
"Due to erratic rains, I sow watermelon seeds in the farm by January-end," he says. The watermelon seeds sowed on his farm have been imported from Taiwan, which Deshmukh purchases from Sagar Seeds Corporation in Baroda at the rate of Rs 36,000 per kg. He has successfully planted 25,000 seeds and is expecting a watermelon production of 75,000. Each watermelon will weigh anywhere between four to five kgs.
The techniques Deshmukh employs to keep insects at bay are interesting. "I took a water bottle half-filled with insecticide, bore a tiny hole through it in which a straw was inserted, topped with a cotton bud smeared in a methyl eugenol that attracts insects. This way pests stay away from the crop," he explains.
His successful cultivation of watermelons has become the talk of the town. Agents from Kalyan and Vashi markets have contacted Deshmukh to help sell his watermelon crop but Deshmukh has turned them down. "The cost goes up when middleman are involved. I have decided to take the crop to Kalyan, Dombivli, Thane and Dadar markets myself so that even the common man will be able to enjoy it at half the rate."
