Many people in the district of Kutch, which is located in the northwestern region of Gujarat, rely on agriculture. It is the primary source of their incoming which employs about 38% of the district's population, according to the census report of 2011.
Back Story of VeljiBhai Bhudia
A Gujrat-based farmer renowned the scenario of farming in his village by growing large varieties of organic fruits such as dates, kiwi, dates, mango, etc. The name of that farmer is Veljibhai Bhudia. According to the data from the central government, 500 lakh metric tonnes of chemical fertilizers were consumed by farmers in India, over the past decade. He witnessed this firsthand on his farm in Madhapur village, Kutch district. He quit school due to poor financial conditions in his household started farming at the age of 13 with his father. They had a 13-acre farm on which they grew sugarcane and made jaggery from it. His father used to carry jaggery to the market on a bullock cart and sell it at the cost of 75 paise per kilo. Veljibhaii and his family somehow made did with the little money they earned and kept doing this until the year 1970.
From 1971 and 1975, his family started cultivating bajra, wheat, grains, and cotton. They used up more of their land to grow other varieties of vegetables such as brinjals, tomatoes, chilies, etc. After some time, they started cultivating mustard, castor, and groundnut.
How did Veljibhai start organic farming?
In his later farming days, Veljibhai started visiting various places and began understanding better farming practices. Organic farming was the one that caught his attention the most, and he decided to practice it. Organic farming prohibits the use of agrochemicals. Instead, cow manure and other organic farming matters are used in it. He was a little skeptical about the outcome of organic farming, however, he still decided to go for it.
Veljibhai’s Current Income
In 2001, he entered into the field of horticulture and started cultivating Kesar mangoes by the means of organic farming. Almost after 4 years of hard work, his organic-based farm was ready. He tested the soil quality of his first harvest and found no chemical residues in it. He saved 15000 rupees per crop on giving up the usage of chemicals, which was amounted to 3 lakh rupees annually.
Today, he grows 47 different varieties of fruits. He also sells pulps, juices, syrups, and shakes. All of them are entirely chemical-free. He earns a total of 21 lakh rupees annually.
