Rs. 95,000 worth 16 pumpkin seed

One of the reasons that I am getting less time for my blog is due to my involvement in the agriculture field. You heard it right, we are into agriculture and believe me we just had our first vegetable and that was tori ko saag. It might have been a small offering from this huge field, nevertheless, we are enjoying it and that is what matters the most.

We had taken a 5 acre land on lease and have sowed tori (mustard), Anupama bean, and potato right now and in coming days we shall be into zinger and cardamom, while plans of integrated farming are also in the threshold.  

One of the motives we are into this area, where three of whom are associated partners is truly raw persons when it comes to farming. We are together; with our interest and for the support of Sikkim State’s mission of Organic State. With each passing day, we are learning and with each passing day our interests are also getting deep-rooted

We just plucked our mustard leaves (for vegetables) and it was a wonderful experience. I personally went to the field and plucked it off and it was fun and excitation above all.

Today (February 10), when I am writing these lines, I would like to narrate an interesting anecdote from a person I met today. I do not want to mention his name right now; well he is a simple farmer, a state awardee, and a powerhouse of knowledge about farming.

He shared his experiences about farming and one of his incidents really impressed me about his intuition to know more. In one of his accounts, he had visited Nepal with his son who was studying at Kathmandu. He had heard about a farm in Bhaktapur that he wanted to make a trip. Despite the distance from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur, he decided to make a visit. On the farm, he was very interested in a particular species of pumpkin that was growing like a papaya plant. He tried his best to know about the plant but no one was there to tell him. Just then, he came to know that there was a vacancy for a worker at the farm and he just enrolled his name at that farm.

The next morning at eight, in a half pant and shirt looking more like a person seeking a job he visited the farm. By noon, he had learned all the techniques of growing that pumpkin species and even where it could be bought. Immediately afternoon, he left for his hotel and packed up his goods, and left for Kathmandu. He searched for the shop from where the seeds were available and when he came back to Sikkim, he bought with him 16 seeds of that pumpkin species. In his word he said, thirteen seeds yielded him about 95,000 of profits in that year. The year then was 1995.

It was very interesting hearing him and I am sure, I will work out from the advice he had given to me.