Why is co-cropping farming best way to make profit?

Co-cropping farming | Traditional farming is the most responsible for the economic plight of the farmers in India. This is an established fact. Our farmers produce bumper crops like paddy-wheat-potato which are much more than their demand. That is why year after year they yearn to get the right price for their produce. This is the reason why the failure of the crop and giving less production does not cause as much destruction as it does when there is a good crop.

Due to the tremendous production, many times the farmers get such a low price that even the cost does not come out. They are forced to leave their standing crop in the field or destroy the crop themselves. That’s why farmers should choose such crops which are expected to get a good price in the market.

This is possible only when they give up their fascination with easily grown crops and make maximum use of techniques like co-cropping. No government scheme or help can be useful for those who ignore this rule. Now the question is how farmers should choose their crops. The simplest answer is that they should adopt the co-cropping technology of farming.

What is co-cropping farming? 

In this, farmers have to grow many other crops along with one main crop. When done wisely, the soil always remains fertile, and the need for chemical fertilizers or pesticides is greatly reduced. Because different crops get different types of nutrition from the soil, while in return they enrich it with different elements.

This richness of the soil produced by one crop acts as a tonic, that is, a power enhancer for other crops. Because just as each crop has different qualities, similarly different types of fertilizers are made from its residues.

However, it is important that the crops selected for co-cropping should be the right ones. Co-cropping can also be seen as a form of indirect insurance for the farmers, as the damage done to one crop can be compensated by another crop. Apart from this, there is also a chance to take two crops in one quantity of fertilizer. This reduces the cost of production of both the crops.

Grow fruits, vegetables and oilseeds along with grains 

Oilseeds and vegetables should be cultivated as co-crops of cereals. For example, mustard should be grown with wheat in the form of 9:1. There should also be a row of mustard in between the nine rows of wheat. Similarly, maize and cabbage should also be planted in the same field in 1:1 ratio. It is good to grow potato with wheat and mustard crop in the ratio of 3:1.

Horticulture should also be adopted in co-cropping farming. It takes two to three years to get the yield from horticulture farming. Vegetables or some grains can also be grown in the middle ground during the formation of its plants into big trees. This proves useful in the cultivation of less time consuming crops like papaya. Similarly, crops like brinjal and tomato should also be cultivated in the beds of creeper vegetables.

Commercial co-crops 

Those crops that are easily sold in the market are called cash-crops or commercial crops, which either play the role of raw material for other agro-based industries or which cannot be saved from rotting for a long time. That’s why, apart from crops having medicinal properties, sugarcane, vegetables, fruits and flowers should also be cultivated, so that the source of regular income from farming can always be there. Along with sugarcane, cultivation of peas and potatoes or vegetables and spices which can be prepared in less time must also be done. For example, onions and garlic can be grown with potatoes, while coriander can be grown with sugarcane.

Pulses are not an answer for co-cropping, because pulses increase the amount of nitrogen, the most important nutrient in the soil. Nitrogen and carbon are the biggest fertilizers of the soil. That is why the water that reaches the soil mixed with rain water and the use of organic fertilizers rich in carbon rejuvenates agriculture. This is the reason why the biggest desire of the soil is the cultivation of pulses.

Precautions related to co-cropping farming 

Before trying co-cropping farming, farmers must consult the expert of Krishi Vigyan Kendra of their area. Because no one else can give better and correct advice than him. Farmers should consider their Krishi Vigyan Kendra as a doctor for agriculture and the advice they get from there is a cure for their disease. Nevertheless, it is necessary to adopt some general precautions broadly. For example – co-crops should not be of the same species, their ripening time should be different and the development of each crop should be such that it does not lack sunlight.

Also Read: Why Hawthorn farming is green gold for farmers?

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 “[email protected]”. 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.

You can connect with Kisan of India on Facebook, Twitter, and Whatsapp and Subscribe to our YouTube channel.