A young farmer in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district has found a profitable alternative to the traditional green lady finger by switching to the red variety. Ramsagar, who farms on roughly one bigha of land, turned his very first crop of red okra into a solid profit, and his experiment is now becoming an example for other farmers in the area who enjoy trying new things in farming.
The idea came from YouTube, seeds ordered from Delhi
Ramsagar has always liked experimenting with new methods in farming. He gathered information about red lady finger cultivation on an online video platform, and after reading about its benefits, decided to take it up. He then ordered improved-variety seeds directly from Delhi. He sowed red okra on close to one bigha of land near his farm. His total cost for the entire process came to around ₹6,000 to ₹7,000. In his very first attempt, Ramsagar earned a profit of about ₹20,000, a result he counts as a major win.
Why red okra holds its price better than green
Ramsagar says red lady finger has a much stronger hold on the market than the green variety. Usually, when green okra production is high, its price in the mandi drops sharply, leaving farmers with losses. Red okra does not behave the same way, its price stays high and rarely falls significantly. According to Ramsagar, red okra is as visually appealing as it is nutritious, and it also tastes good. That is why it sells quickly at a premium price in the market, giving farmers a good and comparatively safe profit in a short span of time.
What other farmers can learn
For farmers in Uttar Pradesh struggling with low profits from green okra, Ramsagar's advice is to try growing the red variety at least once. He says the cultivation process is not complicated and it can be grown just like green okra. The only requirement is that farmers need to order seeds from outside the first time. After that, they can leave a few red okra plants in their own field to develop seeds, and prepare their own seed stock going forward, which also brings down costs over time.
