Mrs. Kumari Chandrakar, wife of Mr. Daulatlal Chandrakar, a farmer from Bhadarsi village in the Bagbahara development block of the district, has increased her agricultural income by adopting horticultural crops alongside traditional farming. Mrs. Chandrakar explains that due to the high cost and relatively low yield of paddy cultivation, she gradually shifted her interest towards horticultural crops. Subsequently, she incorporated vegetable and flower cultivation into her regular agricultural activities. Currently, she cultivates various horticultural crops, including coriander, onion, eggplant, radish, and spinach.
In 2025-26, Mrs. Kumari Chandrakar cultivated marigold flowers under the Flower Area Expansion component of the National Horticulture Mission. She owns a total of 0.64 hectares of irrigated agricultural land, on which she planted marigold. Under the government scheme, she received a grant of Rs. 12,800 through DBT for the marigold crop on her 0.64 hectare area. This support from the government scheme encouraged her to expand her horticultural crops. She is also using new technologies like drip irrigation and agricultural machinery in farming.
Mrs. Kumari Chandrakar says that marigold cultivation has proved to be very profitable for her financially. She obtained a production of about 20 quintals of marigold per acre, which she sold at the rate of about Rs. 31 per kilogram. After bearing other expenses of production, she got a net income of about Rs. 2 lakh 7 thousand per acre. This better income has further increased her enthusiasm for farming and now, along with traditional crops, she is also giving priority to horticultural crops as per the market demand. Seeing the vegetable and flower crops in her fields, relatives and nearby farmers are also getting attracted towards horticultural farming.
