Onion does not bring tears to a farmer in Kushinagar district in UP

Lucknow: Onion brings tears. Not to all. It has brought smile to Indrajit who lives in Kusuma village in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh.

Earning as little as rupees thirty thousand a year, he had a hand- to -mouth existence as he had to feed a family of seven. He has more than doubled his income this year, much before the deadline of 2022 for doubling farmers' income fixed by the central government.

He could achieve this not-so-difficult feat by increasing coverage under onion crop and using high- yielding seeds. Use of proper and adequate fertiliser also helped.

A marginal farmer, owning less than 2.5 acres of land, he is a source of inspiration to farmers in nearby districts like Maharajganj and Deoria-- all affected by brain disease of encephalitis.

The crop is largely grown in Maharashtra but if it is adopted by many villages in states like Uttar Pradesh it may become a big source of income to farmers in these states. The result achieved by Indrajit has created at least a hope of change in the crop-pattern in these areas.

Kushinagar is one of 100 economically most backward districts in the country lived mostly by marginal and small farmers. Encephalitis and hunger still continue to haunt most of the villages in this eastern part of the state.