: MBA Grad Turns 7.5 Acres of Barren Land Fertile; Grows Tonnes of Turmeric, Wheat #IndiaNEWS #Gujarat In 2015, Chintan Shah purchased a 10-acre land for organic farming in Deva Pura village in Gujarat.

MBA Grad Turns 7.5 Acres of Barren Land Fertile; Grows Tonnes of Turmeric, Wheat #IndiaNEWS #Gujarat
In 2015, Chintan Shah purchased a 10-acre land for organic farming in Deva Pura village in Gujarat. The only problem was that the land was barren, and Chintan had no agricultural experience. However, by 2020, not only had Chintan made the land fertile but he now also grows large amounts of ginger, turmeric and wheat — which are all unconventional crops in the traditional tobacco belt of the state.
After completing his MBA degree from Mumbai in 2011, the 33-year-old joined his family’s textile business. However, this venture did not interest him for too long, and Chintan decided to try farming.
“The textile business did not flourish as expected, so I decided to experiment with organic farming, considering its increasing demand in the market. My younger brother, Parth, is pursuing agriculture from the Netherlands, and told me he would help me connect with other farmers in the sector,??? Chintan says. With Parth’s help, he spoke to organic farmers on the phone, and would sometimes visit them, or join social media groups to absorb as much information as he could.
He joined organic farming groups to gain technical expertise and a better understanding of the method. However, despite all the help he was receiving, Chintan’s efforts to make his land suitable for agriculture were not easy. “I spent a year getting 7. 5 acres of the land levelled, which took longer than I expected. There were 20-foot tall hillocks and equally deep pits across the land. Moreover, in the process, whatever was remaining of the fertile layer of the soil for farming was also buried,??? he says.
An arduous journey
Turmeric powder
Chintan says he used a lot of cow dung, organic manure, jeevamrut and compost to increase soil fertility. He started by growing bananas, vegetables, millets and turmeric, but with little success.
“Tobacco, vegetables, rice and millets dominate agriculture in the area,??? he says, adding, “Some farmers doubted that bananas would grow, but I succeeded in my efforts, and reached an average produce of 25 kg. Millet and vegetables production did not meet my expectations, but growing something gave me confidence. ???
After two years of experimenting with and successfully growing turmeric, Chintan decided to also produce ginger and wheat. But the process took long, as he, as well as the labourers on his farm, had no professional organic farming experience. The labourers doubted if growing new crops using organic methods would work in the region. “Using so much organic matter in the soil enables weeds to grow. Using herbicides and chemicals is not allowed in organic farming. So we worked for four months to create manure compost, which reduced the weeds by 60%,??? he says.

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