Spice Farming: Purushottam Jhamaji Bhude set up a market for the farmers

Spice Farming | Farmers often have to face the problem of not getting the right price for their produce. In remote rural areas, the availability of the market is negligible. In such a situation, farmers have to compromise with the actual price of their produce. There is also a lack of agricultural produce markets in many states. In such a situation, the farmers have to depend on the traders, due to which the expectation of getting a fair price for the crops seems futile. Purushottam Jhamaji Bhude, a resident of Nagpur city of Maharashtra, found a solution to these problems of the farmers of his area. In a special conversation with Kisan of India, Purushottam Jhamaji Bhude shared his experiences with us.

Purushottam Jhamaji Bhude says that he sees many youths in his area who are not interested in farming. Such a situation is when he himself comes from a farming family. They go to big cities in search of work worth 8 to 10 thousand. They have the option can create employment opportunities by staying in their villages.

Set up a processing unit in 2017

Purushottam Bhude Jamaji said that he has been working in this direction since 2017. Before starting the processing unit, he regularly took training from Krishna Valley Advanced Agriculture Foundation under Agri-Clinic and Agri-Business Center (AC&ABC) scheme. During the training, he saw that spices can be processed without harming the quality and nutrients only by using indigenous techniques.

Buy produce directly from above 250 farmers

In 2017, Purushottam Bhude got a spice processing unit installed in the backyard of his house. Then the spice producers started buying the produce directly from the Spice Farmers. While doing this, the farmers of many villages kept joining them and the caravan was formed. Today, around 250 farmers are associated with him, from whom he directly buys the produce. Purushottam Bhude says that he started with spices, and now he also buys wheat, rice, and pulses from farmers. Due to this, the farmers no longer have to wander to sell their produce. They get a fair price for it.

He has this processing unit by the name of Saavi Natural Farming. In this, they process many spices like chili, turmeric, garlic, clove, fenugreek, coriander, and cumin and do their branding and packaging. Sometimes, when there is high demand, they also buy spices from farmers in other states. Let us inform you that in 2020-21, about 4.24 lakh tonnes of spices were produced on about 82 thousand hectares in Maharashtra.

Connect people in the area with your business

The processing unit employs 12 people on a permanent basis. Apart from this, around 10 people also work on a daily basis. Bhude said that in the coming time, he is working on the goal of connecting many more youths with him.

Farmers themselves become entrepreneurs

Purushottam Bhude says that it is the responsibility of all of us to work together for the development and upliftment of the food giver of the country. Along with this, he further said that the time has come for farmers to become entrepreneurs themselves. Whatever you are cultivating, make it your business i.e. add value to the produce and prepare by-products. Purushottam Jhamaji Bhude also provides consultancy related to agriculture.

The government is helping to open the processing unit

PM Formalization of the Micro Food Processing Enterprise Scheme (PMFME Scheme) is being promoted across the country under the Self-Reliant India Campaign. To take advantage of the PMFME Scheme, click on this link mofpi.nic.in the website of the Ministry of Food Processing Entrepreneurs, Government of India. Here you have to register yourself first. Then the applicant can log in with the login ID and apply as per the guidelines given on the website.

Spice Cultivation in India

India is the largest producer of spices in the world. Here 106.79 lakh tonnes of spices are produced on about 45.28 lakh hectares. Due to different types of soil and climate, a total of 63 types of spices are cultivated in the country. Out of these mainly 21 spices are commercially produced. They are black pepper, chili, ginger, turmeric, garlic, cardamom (small and large), coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, celery, dill seed, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, tamarind, saffron, vanilla, curry leaves, and mint. Garlic comes first in terms of maximum production among spices. Chilli in the second position, ginger in the third, and turmeric in the fourth position are produced in the country. On the other hand, cumin occupies the first place in terms of area, followed by spices like chili, coriander, garlic, etc.

Also Read: Capsicum grown in Polyhouse, using Plastic Mulching Technique

Contact us – If farmers want to share any valuable information or experiences related to farming, they can connect with us via phone or WhatsApp at 9599273766 or you can write to us at “kisanofindia.mail@gmail.com”. Through Kisan of India, we will convey your message to the people, because we believe that if the farmers are advanced then the country is happy.

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