Keonjhar: Farming of holy basil, also called tulsi or tulasi, is now increasing income opportunities for non-traditional farmers who are earning more profits due to higher yields in less time and less cost.
One such farmer is Maheswar Mahant of Remal Sahi at Kaptipada village under Harichadanpur block in Keonjhar district who has planted over 2500 basil plants in his farm and is hopeful to benefit from its cultivation.
Maheshwar is an educated young man who had a strong interest in agriculture and chose farming as a career. He first started cultivating rice and vegetables on his ancestral land but after not earning much from it, he decided to do something new.
He trained in beekeeping from outside the State and started bee farming in his village, making good money from it. While he had gone to Telkoi to provide training on beekeeping he came to know about basil farming and brought saplings from there.
Subsequently, Maheshwar started basil farming and now has around 2500 plants in his farm. According to Maheshwar, the basil has a good market value due to its medicinal properties. One litre of juice is produced from 100 basil trees and it is sold at Rs 5,000 per litre.
Farming basil is easy as there is no need for chemical fertilizer and it uses water. It is harvested in about three months and can be harvested three times a year. Unemployed youth can make a good living by adopting basil farming, said Maheswar.
