Chhindwara: While farmers might be complaining of poor returns from traditional crops, villagers growing sweet corn in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh are scripting success stories with rich dividends from the crop. The Shivraj government in MP may have failed to make farming a profitable business, but the farmers of Umreth Ridhaura Bijkwara village of Chhindwara district of the state are earning huge profits from the cultivation of sweet corn.
Sweetcorn production in Chhindwara district, which has been recognized as Corn City across the country, is now making farmers millionaires as per officials. Farmers Guruprasad Pawar and Umesh Pawar hailing from village Bijakwada in Umeth tehsil of the district are two such farmers reaping the benefits of the crop by growing the sweet corn on 55 acres and 6.5 acres of land respectively.
The Pawars said that earlier they used to plant ordinary maize, which failed to change their fortunes. However ever since they started planting sweet corn maize, the crop has now brightened the fortunes of the farmers of the area, they said. Locals said that the sweet corn is now being grown around 18 villages with the crop not only supplied locally, but exported to the US.
Also read: Maize exports rise 28.5 pc to USD 816.31 mn in Apr-Jan FY22
Deputy Director Agriculture Jitendra Kumar Singh said that maximum summer sweet corn is being produced in Chhindwara district in the state in an area of about 3000 hectares. Sowing of sweet corn crop has been done in the district in the month of April-May, whose harvesting will start till the month of August, Singh said.
Singh informed that the farmers of the district are earning a profit of Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 with an average production of 60-80 tonnes per acre of land. According to last year's statistics, the total agricultural area of Bijakwara village of Parasia development block of Chhindwara district is 436.254 hectares, in which 437 farmers are cultivating different crops.
Out of total agricultural area, 36 farmers had planted sweet corn crop in 160 hectare area producing 2400 metric tonnes of sweet corn worth Rs 3.60 crore. Seeing the benefits of the sweet corn crop of these farmers, and after being inspired by them, 125 farmers of about 18 villages around village Bijakwada are also switching to sweet corn crop in 3000 hectare area as per officials.
Sweet corn is rich in nutrients like iron, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium besides vitamin C, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate and vitamin A2. It works as an antioxidant, helps in controlling blood sugar besides helps in regularizing the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins in the body.
