Neeraj Kumar, a farmer in Begusarai district of Bihar, is among the many farmers who have started cultivating papaya on a large scale. According to the farmers, growing papaya is more profitable, regardless of the weather conditions. Vedanand Jha, a farmer from Bachhwara in Begusarai district, has switched from traditional farming to papaya cultivation and is earning up to 10 lakh rupees annually. He has planted 2100 papaya plants in two acres of land and uses drip irrigation techniques for farming.
Ram Babu Chaudhary, a former village head, introduced Vedanand Jha to the idea and techniques of papaya cultivation five years ago. Since then, Jha has gradually increased the scale of his papaya farming. Currently, he is growing papaya in two acres of land and plans to venture into banana cultivation as well. The cost of cultivating papaya in two acres is around one lakh rupees, but the profit is more than ten lakh rupees, even without government subsidies.
Despite the unpredictable weather conditions, papaya farming remains profitable. Vedanand Jha mentioned that while other crops may suffer due to adverse weather, papaya farming still yields double the income. When nature favors them, the profits can even increase up to ten times. Traders often visit the farms to purchase papaya directly from the farmers, as the fruit quality is superior. Jha has also encouraged other farmers to take up papaya cultivation.
बिहार के बेगूसराय जिले में खेती-किसानी का ट्रेंड बदल रहा है। नीरज कुमार, बेगूसराय के एक किसान, अब पपीता की खेती कर रहा है जिससे उन्हें अधिक फायदा हो रहा है। उन्होंने बताया कि पपीता की खेती में लागत से दोगुना आमदनी होती है। उन्होंने बछवाड़ा के रहने वाले किसान वेदानंद झा परंपरागत खेती छोड़कर पपीता की खेती करनी शुरू की है और सालाना 10 लाख रुपए तक कमा रहे हैं। पपीता की खेती में मौसम का साथ ना देने पर भी दोगुनी कमाई हो रही है। इससे प्रेरित होकर अन्य किसान भी पपीता की खेती करने की सलाह ले रहे हैं।
