Green House Farming Boosts Farming In Assam

The farmers of Kamrup are reaping a rich harvest after their decision to grow Spinach in the off-season in a green house paid rich dividends

- Kishore Talukdar

With the gradual warming of climate posing a peril to agriculture—the backbone of the Indian Economy— greenhouse cultivation is gaining ground. A few farmers of Assam’s Kamrup district have taken up cultivation of off-season vegetables in a green house to counter the effects of climate change. Green house or poly house farming regulates the temperature and humidity of the green house where farming is practiced. It helps farmers adopt high yielding vegetables throughout the year under controlled weather conditions.

Minimum Investment, High Yield

‘We have achieved an optimal level of success by farming spinach in the off-season because of the huge market demand of this leafy vegetable,’ says Minati Baishya, a 31-year-old farmer. Minati uses the hybrid seed of spinach, Hindustan, on her plot. An Arts graduate, Minati is now a fulltime farmer along with her two elder brothers. ‘We are genuinely proud of her of her unconventional decision of initiating this farming practice five years ago. She does everything, including the accounts, banking transactions for us. We do the spade work,’ says Harendra Baishya. ‘It is team work. While Sailen transports the produce, my 73-year-old mother binds the harvested vegetables. We have to continue our harvesting till 10 pm because of a tight schedule,’ Harendra adds.