Spoiled soybean harvest pushes farmers towards horticulture

Indore: Acreage under horticulture crops in Indore division may edge up in the upcoming rabi season as the damage caused to the early sown varieties of soyabean due to lack of rains has prompted farmers to switch to garlic, peas and onion. Farmers in many pockets of Indore division have started preparing to harvest the spoiled soyabean crop and go for garlic, peas, onion, potato and green beans. The peak season for sowing of horticulture crops starts from October and extends until November. A farmer Raghuvir Yadav from Khandwa said, “I have lost most of my soyabean crop. There is nothing that can be done to this crop so I will harvest the crop and go for onion. If everything goes well, I might get some benefit of bringing the onion crop early to the market.” The acreage under horticulture crop in Indore division is around 3-3.5 lakh hectare, according to the state horticulture department. Horticulture crops include vegetables, fruits, spices and flowers. Another farmer Jahid Patel from Sanwer who lost more than 50 percent of standing soyabean crop said, “I am waiting for sunny weather to clear my farms and will sow garlic. Garlic gave good returns in the last months.” Farmers in many pockets of Indore division are going for early sowing of vegetables. D R Jadhav, joint director, Horticulture department, Indore division said, “Farmers in many areas of Indore division go for early sowing of horticulture crops and this may give a push to the acreage. The peak sowing season is October-November for horticulture crops but many go for early sowing to get benefits of early supplies in the market.”