Dewas (MP) : Farmers from a village cultivate medicinal plants

Cultivation of medicinal plants yields profit

The Central and State Governments should assist the farmers in cultivating such crops. It will increase the availability of Ayurvedic medicines at a low rate in adverse times.

Dewas (MP) – Some farmers from Dewas District have started cultivating medicinal crops helpful in Ayurveda instead of traditional crops. A young farmer Rakesh Jaat, from Kamalapur village, created awareness among the farmers regarding the medicinal crops. As a result, more than 50 farmers have begun cultivating medicinal crops. They are planting Tulsi and Ashwagandha crops. Before this, these farmers used to produce soya beans. However, shortage of water supply, crop diseases, etc. was leading to a loss. Hence, they stopped cultivating soya beans.

1. Rakesh Jaat stated that he started cultivating medicinal crops in 2015-16. He initially bought one bigha (21,780 sq. ft) of land for cultivating medicinal crops. Now, he has planted medicinal crops on ten bigha land. Agricultural experts from Jabalpur are guiding the farmers.
2. The production of the crops like Tulsi and Ashwagandha does not require much water. The crops also remain unaffected by the pests. These crops also do not require chemical fertilizers. They grow on organic fertilizers. An investment of Rs. 1,500 for the cultivation of Tulsi on 20 guntha (0.5 acres) land can yield a profit of up to Rs. 15,000 to 18,000.