Young 7th pass farmer earns huge profit:Cultivates marigold, supplies to MP and Maharashtra, inspiring other local farmers to start marigold farming

A young farmer, Sunil Alave, has become a successful cultivator despite passing only seventh grade. He earns around ₹4 lakh every year by growing marigold flowers and an additional ₹10 lakh by growing vegetables. Sunil supplies flowers not only in Madhya Pradesh but also in Maharashtra. In Dainik Bhaskar’s Smart Kisan series, we meet Sunil, a resident of Nawad Faliya, Chachariya, 35 km from Sendhwa. He cultivates flowers on four acres of land and receives orders from across the region. Here is his success story in his own words. Learned techniques from YouTube and other farmers
30-year-old farmer Sunil says that he dropped out of school after 7th grade. His family includes his parents, wife, and younger brother. Everyone helps out with farming. His father owns five acres of land. He used to cultivate traditional crops (cotton and soybean). Five years ago, he saw nearby farmers cultivating vegetables and flowers. After that, he tried his hand at this farming. He started farming in 2018. He was also cultivating vegetables. He paid more attention due to Corona. Initially, he bought seeds locally and planted about a thousand saplings. He did not get good production. He also incurred losses. Still, he did not give up. He gathered information from different nurseries. He learned farming techniques from farmers. 10,000 plants of the Dream Yellow variety were ordered from Pune, Maharashtra. Additionally, plants of the Kimko O Plus variety were ordered from Ratlam. After that, there was no looking back. Subsequently, farming using the mulching method was started. Drip irrigation was used for irrigation. Since 2020, they have been continuously cultivating flowers. They cultivate flowers on one acre throughout the year. Additionally, they cultivate other vegetables including watermelon, cucumber, and gourds. Considering the festive season, they increase flower cultivation. Before Navratri, marigolds are planted on about three acres, which yields good profit during Navratri, Dussehra, and Diwali. Supply to Madhya Pradesh including Maharashtra
Sunil said that currently, flowers are supplied to Khargone, Barwani, Indore, and also to Maharashtra. They send 40 to 50 kg of flowers daily to the Khargone district headquarters. During festivals like Diwali, orders are received from far and wide. Every year, they cultivate flowers on three to four acres, which costs about one lakh rupees. For cultivation, ready-made plants are brought from Maharashtra and transplanted. To protect the crop from pests, pesticides are sprayed two to three times. The marigold crop is ready in 90 days. Production starts in 60 days. Its production continues for about two months, which usually lasts from Navratri until after Diwali. Inspired by us, more than 20 farmers in the vicinity have also started floriculture. Marigolds grown in three acres of land in Maharashtra
Sunil Alave said that this year, he has rented about three acres of land near Dondaicha in Nandurbar district, about 150 km away. Only marigold cultivation has been done there. An production of over 30 to 40 quintals is expected from there, which will yield a profit of up to 4 lakh rupees. Over 20 quintals of production has already occurred during Diwali. A price of about 80 to 100 rupees per kg has been received. Challenge of protecting plants from fungus
Marigold plants are only affected by fungal diseases. This causes a white layer to form on their leaves. Additionally, a black disease starts inside the stem. However, this disease occurs occasionally. After the stem blackening disease sets in, crops start to fail, whereas white fungus occurs many times but is easily cured. Plants are planted in June-July
Marigold flower plants are planted in late June and early July, and they start flowering in late August. After this, flowers continue to be harvested from these plants for two and a half months. Flowers also continue to bloom for some days in September, October, and November. More flowers are picked in the initial days. Planted even in the month of August
The demand for flowers remains in the market for 12 months. Due to this, flower cultivation is done at an interval of two months. New plants were also planted in the month of August, which start giving flowers by October. As soon as the wedding season begins, the demand for flowers increases. In this, there is a demand for marigolds as well as many other types of flowers. Soil pH should be between 6.5 and 7.6
In the cold season, both the growth of marigold and the quality of its flowers are good. For this reason, this season is considered favorable for it. However, its cultivation can be done in all three seasons: monsoon, winter, and summer. Marigold cultivation can be done in all types of soil. For marigold, the soil pH should be between 6.5 and 7.6. The marigold crop needs a lot of sunlight. When grown in shade, its plants grow well, but they do not produce flowers, therefore, marigold should be cultivated in an open area.