Farming is changing fast in Bihar's Chapra district. Growers here are no longer tied only to wheat, paddy or green vegetables; many are now earning well from fruit and flower cultivation. The real advantage of modern horticulture is that instead of planting a single crop in a field, farmers are using inter-cropping techniques to grow fruits, flowers and vegetables together. This easily covers the cost and labour of running an orchard, while the profit from selling the main fruit lands directly in the farmer's pocket.
One progressive farmer who has embraced this thinking, Narvadeshwar Giri, has become a role model for others in the area. A resident of Saidupur Mathiya village in Khaira block, Giri practises integrated agriculture using purely organic and natural methods. Through his impressive sweet lime orchard, he has shown that effort in the right direction can open up an entirely new source of income.
Losses From Traditional Farming Sparked a Rethink
Like most other farmers, Giri once grew wheat and paddy the conventional way. The costs were high and the returns low, and at times he even had to bear losses. To escape this cycle, he reached out to the scientists at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Manjhi. On their advice, he was sent for agricultural training, both within Chapra and in other states.
It was during this training that he first saw sweet lime cultivation up close and learned how it worked, and that is where the idea took root. After returning, he contacted an advanced nursery, ordered sweet lime saplings and planted them in his field. The result was striking: within just two to three years of planting, the trees were heavy with fruit.
The ‘New Seller Bari One’ Variety That Changed His Fortunes
On the soil of Saran, Narvadeshwar Giri grows the ‘New Seller Bari One’ variety of sweet lime entirely through organic methods. What makes this variety special is that it not only delivers a tremendous yield, but its fruit is also noticeably larger than ordinary sweet lime. Because it is grown naturally and organically, the fruit turns out exceptionally sweet and juicy. That is why both demand and price for this sweet lime in the market run far higher than for the common variety. Seeing Giri's success, more than half a dozen farmers in Chapra have now taken up cultivation of the same variety.
Started in 2016, First Fruit and First Earnings in 2018
Today Giri is not just a skilled farmer but also a master trainer in natural farming. Speaking about his journey, he said, “I started sweet lime cultivation in 2016 after completing my training. From 2018, the trees began bearing fruit. In the very first season I sold sweet limes worth ₹52,000, and after that both the yield and the income kept rising every year.”
Integrated Farming Makes Every Inch of Land Productive
Giri explains that under an integrated farming system he plants guava and drumstick trees in the empty spaces between his sweet lime trees, while also growing crops such as turmeric, ginger and elephant foot yam (ol) on the ground. The direct effect of this multi-layer farming is that no part of his field goes to waste and every inch of land earns money.
Today farmers travel from far and wide to learn this technique and receive training from him. Many even take saplings from him to plant in their own fields. Narvadeshwar Giri believes that if the right variety is chosen and horticulture is done in a scientific way, it can yield profits many times higher than traditional and cash crops.
