Jharkhand farmers take to tomato cultivation

By Girija Shankar Ojha

Chatra (Jharkhand), May 5 : Farmers in Jharkhand's Chatra district have taken to tomato cultivation which has made a big difference in their personal lives.

Farmers in Sonpur village are cultivating tomatoes in their fields and are deriving rich dividends.

They have realized that tomato cultivation requires less expense and delivers good benefits.

A tomato plant on an average survives between four to five months.

"One can get tomatoes two to four time a week. Thus, we can get tomatoes more than 20 times. This plant has a long life," said Ajay Singh, resident of Sonpur Village

Presently, several farmers of this village are giving preference to tomato cultivation than other harvests.

Everyday, killos of tomatoes are sent to the markets from this village. These farmers are earning a handsome amount and it has proved a profitable business for them. This has brought a ray of hope in their lives and now they are able to give their family a good life. "I started cultivating tomatoes on a small piece of land. This gives us good profit. We send these tomatoes to the markets," said Dhanraj Singh, one farmer in Sonpur Village.

Today, many people have got employment because of tomato cultivation.

These farmers hope to bring development to their village with their will power and toiling intelligently on the field.

Tomato is a warm season crop, it requires warm and cool climate. The plants cannot withstand frost and high humidity.

Also light intensity affects pigmentation, fruit colour, fruit set. The plant is highly affected by adverse climatic conditions. It requires different climatic range for seed germination, seedling growth, flower and fruit set, and fruit quality.

ANI