Despite excellent potential for large scale production, vegetable cultivation in Adilabad remains one of the most neglected areas. Progressive farmers producing vegetables in the district are confident of doing away with shortages if they receive government support for deploying relevant technology.
Commercial vegetable farming in Adilabad, as an alternative to cotton, is restricted to the mandals of Ichoda, Gudihatnoor, Indervelli, Utnoor and Kagaznagar. This would make it easier for concentrating efforts in making use of technology. Every mandal now has around 500 farmers cultivating different kinds of vegetables. More would follow suit if they are given the right kind of help, say observers.
“In Mannur, we can do wonders in vegetable production if we are able to get green houses in our fields,” says Githe Keshav, a pioneer in vegetable farming in Adilabad. He is also the Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency member from Gudihatnoor mandal. “Though Mannur is the ‘vegetable basket’ of the district, farmers here are not in a position to invest the required money on modern technology, including polyhouse cultivation,” he adds, making a case for the government to step in.
The village, located on the busy NH-44, about four km from the mandal headquarters, has farmers cultivating a diverse variety of vegetables this season.
There is tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, broad beans, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, lady’s finger, brinjal, coriander and more. These varieties will start arriving in the markets in a few week’s time, leading to a reduction in the high price of vegetables.
“The sheer variety of vegetables cultivated in our village and its impact on the lot of farmers warrant governmental help in this sector,” observes Kendre Venkat Rao, another progressive farmer and chairman of the local primary agriculture cooperative society. “The government can begin supplying polyhouses on subsidy starting from Mannur,” he suggests.
