The traditional landscape of agriculture in rural Rajasthan is undergoing a massive transformation. Farmers in the state are no longer limiting themselves to conventional crops like wheat, barley, gram, and mustard. Instead, they are integrating modern agricultural technologies to turn farming into a highly profitable business enterprise. Sonaram, a progressive farmer from Lamia village in Sikar district, stands out as a prime example of this paradigm shift. In 2017, alongside his traditional farming practices, he ventured into cultivating cucumbers inside a controlled polyhouse environment. By successfully implementing drip irrigation, solar power systems, and rainwater harvesting, he is now generating a substantial annual income of 20 to 25 lakh rupees from his agricultural business.
Setting Up the Polyhouse with Government Assistance
Located approximately 55 kilometers away from the Sikar district headquarters, Lamia village is home to Sonaram, who owns 14 bighas of agricultural land. While he continues to cultivate seasonal staple crops like wheat, barley, gram, and mustard on this land, the primary driver of his commercial success is a modern polyhouse spread across an area of 4000 square meters. Sonaram took the step to construct this polyhouse in 2017, which required an initial capital investment of around 32 lakh rupees. However, thanks to government subsidies, his actual out-of-pocket expenditure was reduced to just about 10 lakh rupees. This substantial financial assistance from the government made transitioning to high-tech farming highly accessible for him.
Financial Progress and Increasing Annual Profits
When Sonaram first experimented with growing cucumbers in his newly built polyhouse, his initial input cost was approximately 2 lakh rupees. Right from the very first harvest, he managed to secure a net profit of over 2 lakh rupees, which boosted his confidence to continue investing in technology. Since then, he has consistently upgraded his production methods and technical infrastructure. According to Sonaram, his combined income from cucumber farming and traditional agriculture yielded a net profit of over 12 lakh rupees in 2023. This profit figure climbed further to approximately 16 lakh rupees in 2024. In the first season of 2025, his earnings were already hovering around 7 lakh rupees in profit. By 2026, his profitability reached new heights, with a single season generating a net profit exceeding 10 lakh rupees.
The Mechanics of Cucumber Yield
Inside his 4000-square-meter polyhouse, Sonaram plants about 7000 cucumber saplings. Due to the controlled and favorable atmospheric conditions inside the structure, the plants begin to bear fruit in just about 40 days. Sonaram notes that a single plant yields roughly 60 to 70 kilograms of cucumbers in a single season. Consequently, the total harvest from the polyhouse reaches between 40 and 45 tonnes per season. He runs two crop cycles annually to maximize his returns. The first season begins in February and concludes in May, while the second cultivation cycle starts in July and runs through October. This schedule allows him to keep production steady throughout most of the year.
In-House Organic Manure and Water Conservation
To ensure high-quality produce and reduce dependence on chemical inputs, Sonaram relies entirely on natural organic fertilizers. He received specialized training from the Durgapura Research Center to master this preparation process. On his own farm, he creates a potent organic mixture using cow urine, cow dung, and local wild plants like aak, dhatura, and kheemp. These raw materials are packed into large drums and left to ferment for about 3 to 4 months. Once the fermentation process is complete, the nutrient-rich organic manure is applied to the crops.
Sonaram has been a pioneer in adopting agricultural technology for decades. He installed a sprinkler irrigation system on his farm as early as 1980. Later, when drip technology became available, he upgraded his entire farm with a drip irrigation network. To tackle the persistent water scarcity in Rajasthan, he excavated a massive pond on his land to collect and store rainwater. Furthermore, he installed a solar power system to counter the erratic electricity supply in rural areas. Sonaram asserts that by combining modern technology with efficient farm management, farmers can easily scale up production even with limited water resources, successfully converting agriculture into a lucrative business venture.
