VILAS PATIL
SINNAR :
In times of when the coronavirus lockdown has slowed down rural economy forcing farmers to struggle for kharif season, while the youth for employment, a young farmer from Somthane in Sinnar taluka has crossed a new threshold of earning in lakhs by cultivating watermelon in just 25 gunthas of farm land.
This young farmer has achieved this feat by selling all his watermelon produce in the village in just 15 days adhering to the social distancing norms. Amid Covid-19 lockdown when there is a lack of proper transportation facility and poor demand for agricultural products in markets, the farmer used to load refreshing watermelons in his own tractor to sell it in different parts of the city daily.
Farmer Sandeep Narayan Dhokrat from Somthane village had bought watermelon seeds of Augusta variety of Syngenta company during February 15. He then used only organic fertilizers to grow the fruits and spent over Rs 16,000 in two and a half months for seeds and cultivation and in a short span of time watermelon flourished.
In the mean time, corona had made it difficult to sell harvested watermelons in the market. Even the trader was not willing to pay even Rs 10000 for the entire farm. When there are many examples of farmers throwing away watermelons, Sandeep loaded watermelons in his tractor and started selling it directly in the village. “It took time to sell the tractor-loaded fruits on the first day. However, at the end of the day, I could sell all the produce to earn Rs 7500,” he said about his first experience.
After that, tractor was being loaded with refreshing watermelon every day to sale the fruit in the village. On the 14th-15th day, the consolidated income exceeded Rs one lakh.
This young farmer has expressed feeling that this experiment of watermelon is worth more than planting sugarcane at the cost of lakhs of rupees — waiting for the workers to break the cane, begging the factory officials to take the cane, go round for payment etc.
To donate one-day’s profit to CM Relief Fund
With a great feeling in mind that the poor should also taste refreshing watermelon during this hot summer days to cool them down, and that they should also afford to buy this fleshy fruit, one day farmer Sandeep without wasting a time loaded a tractor with refreshing watermelons.
He had decided to earn as much money as the poor customers could afford to pay. On that day he earned Rs 7500 by selling this summer fruits at prices affordable for the poor and the needy customers without indulging in any bargaining. Now, Sandeep along with his friends, Sachin Kokate, Samadhan Dhokrat, Vilas Dhokrat, Gokush Gadekar and Akash Gaikwad will soon meet the tehsildar to donate this money towards the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to fight against COVID-19 pandemic.