Inspired by video, Sirsa graduate earns profit from cultivation of organic fennel

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, May 6

Since time immemorial, farmers have usually stuck to the cultivation of crops like wheat, cotton, millet and rice. With changing times and exposure to online platforms, new crops and farming techniques are piquing the interest of growers.

YouTube played key role

• Satbir Dehru is one such farmer from Jorkian village in Sirsa district, who is earning a profit of lakhs of rupees per year from cultivating organic fennel.
• It all started from a YouTube video, which sparked his interest in fennel. He then searched about it more and gathered detailed information regarding its cultivation. Finally, in October 2023, he started fennel cultivation.

Satbir Dehru is one such farmer from Jorkian village in Sirsa district, who is earning a profit of lakhs of rupees per year from cultivating organic fennel.

It all started from a YouTube video, which sparked his interest in fennel. He then searched about it more and gathered detailed information regarding its cultivation. Finally, in October 2023, he started fennel cultivation.

“About 800 gm of seeds are required per acre. It takes about 150-180 days for the crop to be ready for harvesting,” he says. Notably, Satbir, who is a graduate in arts, is the only farmer in Sirsa district who is cultivating fennel.

He says there is a good demand for fennel in the market. “Approximately 8 to 10 quintals of the crop is produced per acre and its market price usually ranges from Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 per quintal. One can earn up to Rs 2 lakh from one acre, he says. Satbir brought fennel seeds from Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

“Fennel cultivation is profitable, but most farmers do not have much information about it, so they rely on traditional farming,” he says. He explains that the crop requires sweet water, for which he has constructed a tank in his field.

The farmer says the fennel crop is ready for harvest after three irrigation cycles. Its harvest usually takes place in April.

Satbir says fennel cultivation is done organically. There is no need for any kind of fertiliser or pesticide and the yield is also good. “People are interested in organic food products these days and fennel is not only organically grown, it is also beneficial for people’s health,” he says.

Satbir says although the yield of fennel is good, due to the lack of market in nearby areas, he has to take the produce to Jodhpur. This results in additional expenses for transportation. He says the government should provide subsidies to encourage farmers to switch from traditional to modern farming. Additionally, if there are markets for such crops nearby, transportation costs can be cut.

Satbir says if the government pays attention to this issue, fennel farming, which is not very common, can become a profitable option for farmers.

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