A farmer in Bastar, Tulsi Kashyap, has turned cucumber cultivation into a reliable source of big earnings by growing the vegetable in every season instead of sticking to just one harvest a year. Cucumbers stay in steady demand throughout the year, though the crop performs especially well during the rainy season, and it rarely falls prey to major diseases, which keeps input costs low while returns stay high.
A Crop That Pays Off in Just Two to Three Months
The cucumber crop matures in roughly two to three months and still delivers a bumper yield in that short window. Demand from hotels and restaurants has been rising steadily because cucumbers are widely regarded as good for health. Farmers who follow the right cultivation method can earn anywhere between two and a half to three lakh rupees within this short cropping cycle.
From Ploughing the Field to Sowing the Seed
Kashyap explains that the process begins with ploughing the field, followed by a second round of ploughing using a rotavator to loosen the soil. Raised beds are then prepared, spaced four and a half feet apart, with individual plants placed one foot apart from each other. Farmers can either raise seedlings and transplant them or sow the seeds directly into the beds. Kashyap grows the VNR 212 variety of cucumber. For nutrients, he uses DAP, potash and super phosphate along with cow dung manure, applying about one trolley load of cow dung manure per acre.
Guarding Against Downy and Powdery Mildew
The crop remains vulnerable to downy mildew and powdery mildew, two diseases that require timely fungicide spraying to keep in check. The plants are typically ready for the first harvest within a month of sowing, and the entire picking period wraps up within one and a half months. Demand and prices both climb further around festival season, pushing up the overall profit for growers.
Managing Drainage and Mulching During the Rains
Early on, the plants are tied to a rope so the vine can climb upward properly. Farmers growing cucumbers during the monsoon need to pay close attention to drainage, since waterlogging can kill the plants outright. Using the high-tech mulching method offers an added advantage, helping retain soil moisture and keep weed growth down.
Rs 60,000-70,000 Investment, Up to Rs 3 Lakh in Profit Per Acre
According to Kashyap, cultivating cucumbers on one acre of land costs him around Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000. Against that investment, he expects a profit of two to three lakh rupees. With such a favourable cost-to-profit ratio, this low-investment, high-return crop is increasingly becoming a model that other farmers in the region are looking to follow.
