SANF GREENMENS PVT LTD- Growing And Selling Herbs Ensure Guaranteed Income All Year-Round

Farming is an important part of the economy in India that adds about 17 percent of the absolute GDP and gives employment to over 60 percent of the population. Farmers are a crucial part of the existence of our various societies because they provide food and fiber which gives us nutrition and cloth. Still, the condition of most farmers is far from good. Every day, we come across reports of Indian farmer suicides from the different parts of the country. The reason for farmers’ suicide can be attributed to

1. weather and climate issues (weather has become pretty unpredictable these days in India and it does not rain in the right time),
2. the scale of operation (the gap between small, big, and medium farmers are huge),
3. unsatisfactory realization of prices (a major problem facing farmers in India is about marketing, sometimes farmers are required to give their products to moneylenders for free), and
4. quality of seeds (farmers in India often have to do with poor quality seeds).

Income security for all farm households is important so that producers find dignity in their profession and are not forced to leave agriculture because of distress; ecologically sustainable farming systems, such as integrated farming systems, livestock-crop farming in particular, intercropping must be practiced to preserve productive natural resources so that livelihoods can be sustained, and lastly, people’s control over resources such as land, water, forests, seed, and knowledge should be protected for viable and sustainable livelihoods. These measures need to be taken to uplift farmers and ensure non-toxic, diverse, nutritious, and adequate food for all Indians. Income security is only possible when you practice natural farming.

SANF GREENMENS PVT LTD has always been a staunch supporter of natural farming methods, this method improves self‐sufficiency in an ecological way and also one gets to work closely with and “in harmony with” nature. Its time small and marginal farmers rejected chemical pesticides in favor of natural alternatives. It is important to work towards improving their economic condition to enable the farmers to cope with the challenges of agriculture in a market-oriented economy which is undergoing several changes in the wake of the process of globalization.

Intercropping:

Intercropping is a practice of cultivating two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land, a practice often associated with sustainable agriculture and natural farming. The main aim of intercropping is to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land due to better use of resources. Intercropping plays a huge role in decreasing the risk of crop failure by increasing the crop yield stability over time and across locations.

Let’s talk about intercropping in Melia Dubia plantation:

Truth be told, near about every kind of fruit and vegetable can be grown as an intercrop in Melia Dubia plantation, starting from ash gourd, eggplant, drumstick, ginger, papaya, turmeric, to mango, coconut, sugarcane, red gram, pomegranate, marigold. It is the best host, you can grow any crop in the Melia Dubia project as an intercrop, it helps other crops by increasing nitrogen content in the soil, secretes carbon, helps other roots in getting water, air, thus leading to the rapid growth of the plant. Melia Dubia or Malabar Neem is a perennial crop (long duration) and grows very tall in a short time. After 3-4 years when canopy enlarges, you can go for any shade-loving tree or can do herbs farming in the Melia Dubia project as an intercrop.

Herb Farming:

In herbs farming, you are basically dedicating your land to cultivate herbs for commercial purpose. Herbs are mainly used for medicinal purposes and also to procure the oils which are essential for mankind. Herbs are also used in their raw forms for the preparation of herbal products.

Types of Herbs:

Medicinal Herbs- Medicinal herbs which are grown commercially include Aloe Vera, Amla, Brahmi, Ashwagandha, Basil or Tulsi, Calendula, Lemon Balm, Jatropha, and Marsh Mallow.

The medicinal herb farming has been growing exponentially in India as people are adopting a more natural and healthy lifestyle, leading to growth in their demand. The medicinal herbal farming is the one which is highly profitable for farmers in the current scenario due to the proven benefits of the herbs as an alternative to medicines.

The aforementioned herbs are just some of the profitable medicinal herbs available. Grow and sell these favorites and you’ll be on your way to growing profits in the herbs business.

Perennial Herbs- The most popular herbs include Asparagus, Coriander, Chives, Mint, Rosemary, Oregano, Curry Leaves, and Terragon.

Biennial Herbs- Parsley, Evening Primrose, Caraway, Foxglove, and Angelica are some of the popular biennial herbs.

Culinary Herbs- Examples include Bay Tress, Parsley, and Peppermint.

Aromatic Herbs- The most popular aromatic herbs include Chamomile, Lemon Grass, Sage, Mint, Lavender, Tulsi, Rosemary, and Sweet Basil.

There is a huge opportunity for medicinal plants cultivation in view of the widespread use of alternative medicine, availability of markets (global and national), availability of high yielding varieties, preference for natural products and chemicals from botanical herbs, availability of agro-technologies, and most importantly, profitable returns on a sustainable basis.

Outlining the advantages of the cultivation of medicinal herbs:

1. Relatively higher net returns in comparison to agricultural or horticultural crops, and you can easily integrate it into existing cropping (in Melia Dubia plantation) or farming systems;
2. Fewer instances of pests and diseases;
3. You can effectively utilize the by-products to reduce cultivation cost and increase profits;
4. Foreign exchange earnings through exports;
5. The longer shelf life of end products;
6. There is no issue growing the crops in degraded, marginal, and problem soils;
7. Crops are not damaged by birds or eaten by animals;
8. Medicinal plants offer better returns in comparison to traditional crops;
9. Cater to the very high domestic and export demand, which will help you fetch better prices in the market;
10. There is no problem in storing the medicinal plants for a long time, which will enable you to sell at a time when better prices prevail in the market;
11. Minimum resources required, so the cost of cultivation is lower when compared with the traditional crops;
12. You can raise the crops as inter-crops alongside traditional crops, and also on degraded lands.

According to industry estimates, the market for herbal products is at Rs 50,000 crore, growing at a fast annual clip of 15%. Even more amazing are the farmers’ returns. A farmer growing a medicinal herb can easily earn Rs 2.5-3 lakh per acre. A lavender farmer may earn Rs 1.2-1.5 lakh returns per acre. Lavender flowers are harvested and processed for their oil, dry flowers, and other value-added products. There is a huge demand for oils from lavender and aromatic plants like rosemary, geranium, and clary sage from domestic companies dealing in perfumery and cosmetics.

Herbs and aromatic plants used for ayurvedic medicines and personal care products – sold by reputable companies like as Dabur, Himalaya, Natural Remedies, Patanjali – are the main components of this farm earnings boom.

Herbs and aromatic plants namely ateesh, kuth, kutki, karanja, kapikachhu, shankhapushpi- hardly mean anything to urban consumers, but they represent life-changing income opportunities for some farmers.

Reaping Dividends:

1. Lavender- Rs 100000 return/acre,

buyers- Body Shop, Himalaya, and Export Houses.

2. Atish- Rs 250000 return/acre,

buyers- Dabur, Himalaya.

3. Tulsi- Rs 100000 return/acre,

buyers- Tata Tea, Dabur, Himalaya.

4. Ashwagandha- Rs 100000 return/acre,

buyers- Patanjali, Dabur, Organic India, and Export Houses.

5. Brahmi- Rs 90000 return/acre,

buyers- Hamdard, Tata Tea, and Export Houses.

The biggest advantage of growing these crops for growers is you are not required to water the herbs too much or spray fertilizers on it, which means one can easily farm in areas where even one crop a year was tough on account of poor rainfall. Some high-value herbs like ateesh, kuth, kutki are currently more profitable due to dearth of supply. A farmer on an average can earn Rs 60,000 per acre by growing herbs, provided there is assured demand. India has plenty of potentials to grow this business, and there is high global and domestic demand.

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