Surguja/Surajpur: (Chhattisgarh): The Brinjal which is also known by the name of a ‘poor man’s vegetable' is one of the most preferred cash crops among marginal growers. Almost, every household in India has cooked this vegetable. India is the second-largest producer of Brinjal after China. Over 1.4 million small, marginal and resource-poor farmers grow the crop. Brinjal is grown in almost every part of the country as it can grow well even under drought conditions.
A youth from Chhattisgarh's Silphili village, Dinesh Roy who is a farming enthusiast has taken brinjal farming to a whole new level. Roy, using the Israeli method has grown Brinjal plants that grow up to 7 to 8 feet long.
Not only this, the age of this plant ranges from one year to one and a half years. In a year, one plant grows a crop of brinjal up to one quintal.
India adopted this Isreal method of growing vegetables in 2016. Using this technique, the root of the wild brinjal is grafted into the stem of the hybrid brinjal. With the necessary fertilizer, drip, medicine, mulch and good care, the plants yield more than one quintal of brinjal in a year.
One acre of grafted brinjal can be planted with 2500 saplings. Roy has planted brinjal in his 4.5-acre field and the profits are also high.
Roy has not only found means of livelihood for himself but also emerged as an inspiration for the youth.
