During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years of public service, special emphasis has been placed on developing the agricultural sector, increasing farmers’ incomes, and promoting modern agricultural techniques. Benefiting from central and state government schemes, farmers in Mahasamund district are increasing their incomes by adopting horticultural crops and modern technologies alongside traditional farming. In this vein, Mr. Gaurav Kuthare, a farmer from Guljhar village in the Bagbahara development block, has earned a better income by cultivating grafted eggplant.
Farmer Mr. Gaurav Kuthare explains that by adopting horticultural crops alongside traditional paddy cultivation, he is cultivating crops like tomatoes, eggplant, beans, and marigold year-round on his 1.60 hectare farm. Using innovative technologies like drip irrigation and mulching has helped him control production costs and achieve better yields.
Mr. Kuthare explained that previously, he primarily cultivated paddy. Since switching to horticultural crops, he has found better opportunities for production and market value. In the year 2025-26, under the Grafted Eggplant and Tomato Seedling Demonstration component of the National Agricultural Development Scheme, he received a grant of ₹30,000 through DBT for growing grafted eggplant on one acre.
Farmer Mr. Gaurav explains that he produced approximately 23 tons of grafted eggplant, which he sold at approximately ₹20 per kilogram. This generated a gross income of approximately ₹265,000. The use of drip irrigation, mulching, and agricultural machinery also helped control production costs. This success is inspiring farmers in the surrounding area. He himself encourages other farmers to adopt vegetable and other horticultural crops in addition to traditional paddy cultivation.
