India: Bengal farmers start gherkin cultivation

Farmers in Jalpaiguri district of north Bengal first undertook the cultivation of gherkin—a highly sought after seedless vegetable—on commercial basis in 2004.

Efforts to sell the product fizzled out soon after mainly owing to grading and transportation problems. This time, the farmers have been encouraged to make an all-out effort by Bangalore-based processed food export company Calypso Foods Ltd.

Gherkin, a cucumber type of vegetable the size of a small finger (the crop will be disqualified if it becomes as big as a ring finger), is generally had with food and wine or alcohol. This delicate vegetable also helps neutralise the effects of excess drinking and thus has wide acceptance in the US and western countries.

The cultivation of gherkin in a number of blocks in Jalpaiguri district was initiated by Gopal Barma, agriculture development officer of Mainaguri block. He organised the farmers by convincing them to cultivate the unknown crop just after the harvesting of the winter crop in January, when land in the region lies unutilised.

Mr Barma would help farmers prepare the soil, make arrangements for the supply of proper seeds from a multinational seed dealer, Proagro Ltd, and give advice on irrigation and the use of organic fertilisers, among other things.

According to him, before going for commercial farming, trial cultivations were conducted on gherkin, baby corn, coloured capsicum and cherry tomato in October 2003.

Of these, gherkin and baby corn farming proved most successful and remunerative. While 1kg of cucumber was sold at around Rs 1- 2 in this locality, a kg of perfect-size gherkin (70-80 pieces weighing 1kg) fetched Rs 7.50. Slightly bigger gherkins (40-60 pieces weigh a kg) were sold at Rs 6.50 per kg.

In 2004, farmers had not faced any problems finding buyers since Keventer Agro Ltd (KAL), a Kolkata-based company, had agreed to absorb the entire production at good rates. But KAL failed to make any transport arrangements and supply grading equipment.

“We would send the product ungraded and hence receive lower returns. But growers would pay transport charges for the entire volume,” said Mr Barma.

He said high-ups from the agriculture, horticulture and commerce departments of both the Centre and the states and also from the Agriculture & Processed Food Export Development Authority (Apeda) and Nabard visited gherkin fields in Jalpaiguri frequently during 2004 and provided quite a bit of encouragement, but real problems were hardly addressed. No government department or agency offered any incentive or subsidy for the cultivation or marketing of the crop.

A few years ago, southern states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh began gherkin cultivation, all of it for export. Attempts to cultivate gherkin in Bihar and Jharkhand were also made, but without success.

Calypso Agro has come forward to start organised gherkin growing in Siliguri among pineapple farmers. They can cultivate this item in between two harvesting periods in the same field.

Shib Narayan Sen, director of the state food processing and horticulture department, said that since gherkin matures within a period of three months, pineapple growers can enjoy additional income from its cultivation.

According to Dr Sen, Calypso Agro will supply seeds and technology as well as other inputs. In return, they will buy the entire produce.

Calypso will also set up procurement centres in Mainaguri, Malbajar and elsewhere in Jalpaiguri, from where they will collect gherkins from growers.

Source