MBA reaps crop of success farming red, yellow bell pepper

Prayagraj: Inspired by state govt move of promoting profitable varieties of vegetables, farmers in neighbouring Kaushambi district are scripting success stories by cultivating capsicum (bell pepper) of different colours.Driven by growing market demand for agricultural and horticultural produce, Harsh Malhotra, resident of Prayagraj, who initially launched an event management company in 2019 after completing MBA, switched to ‘protected cultivation’.Malhotra said his event management business did not yield good results, after which he ventured into mushroom cultivation. In the Covid-induced lockdown, he faced losses again and decided to switch to protected cultivation.He said he leased a plot of land in a village under the Manjhanpur block of Kaushambi district and constructed a poly-house at a cost of Rs 19.68 lakh and began cultivating crops under controlled temperature and environmental conditions—varieties for which there is a strong demand in major hotels and supermarkets. He started growing red and yellow capsicum of the dubstep variety, a decision that completely changed his fortune. Dubstep variety is ideal for protected cultivation, producing firm fruit weighing 220–250g maturing from green to bright yellow, that serves long-distance transport durability.Farmers across North India are increasingly distressed by unpredictable weather and rising costs associated with cultivating traditional crops. Consequently, they are now shifting away from traditional farming practices to embrace commercial crops. The promise of higher profits from crops grown in controlled temperature and environmental settings—coupled with support extended by govt—is serving as a strong incentive for this transition.Kaushambi district horticulture officer Awadhesh Mishra, says , “There has been a rapid increase in farmers’ interest toward poly-house horticulture under the protected cultivation initiative within the district. To date, three poly-houses have been set up in the district, where activities such as floriculture and capsicum cultivation are underway.”Harsh Malhotra, the young entrepreneur who left his event management firm, is also among those who have successfully ventured into poly-house horticulture. The Horticulture department has provided them with a subsidy of Rs 17 lakh for the construction of a poly-house and for drip irrigation.