: A Field of 8000 Sunflowers Gives Farmer ‘Golden Yield’ of Rs 10 Lakh Profit #IndiaNEWS #Farming When Sujith Swami Nikarthil first sounded the idea of growing sunflowers on his two-acre farm at

A Field of 8000 Sunflowers Gives Farmer ‘Golden Yield’ of Rs 10 Lakh Profit #IndiaNEWS #Farming
When Sujith Swami Nikarthil first sounded the idea of growing sunflowers on his two-acre farm at Kanjikkuzhi, Alappuzha district, people were sceptical. They said sunflowers don’t grow well in Kerala and mockingly asked him what he planned to do with so many sunflowers? But Sujith wasn’t one to give up on his resolutions. He was no ordinary farmer, and in the past year, he had successfully cultivated a series of crops considered unsuitable for the sandy soil of Alappuzha — shallots, basmati rice and even a floating marigold farm on the Vembanad lake. The floating marigolds grew on patches of decomposed water hyacinths and attracted visitors from all over, again a first in the state.
Not only did Sujith prove the sceptics wrong with the sunflowers, but he has also become a ‘sunflower ambassador’ of sorts, inspiring many others to follow in his footsteps. There were 6,000-8,000 sunflowers in full bloom on his farm in 60 days in the first season itself.
The profits he reaped were not from selling the flowers but from ‘sunflower tourism’.
Sujith with his farming assistant, Sunil Kumar KM
The sight of thousands of golden sunflowers in the tiny village of Kanjikuzhi spread like wildfire on social media, and people started pouring in from all over the state to catch a glimpse of the field, click selfies and organise photoshoots. They had seen such a sight only in the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu or Karnataka.
When the crowds started growing, Sujith enclosed his field with a makeshift fence using saris and nets and put up a ticket paywall for a nominal fee of Rs 10. People didn’t mind paying, and nearly 1 lakh people visited the farm in 2020. This is his third season growing sunflowers at a bigger farm, which borders the National Highway at Alappuzha. “Vehicles passing by can now stop to take a tour,�? he says.
So how did he manage such a ‘golden’ yield? “I didn’t do anything extraordinary. We have preconceived notions that certain crops won’t do well in certain areas, and the purpose of these experiments was to show they would,�? says Sujith. “I procured hybrid sunflower seeds suitable for sunflower oil from outside Kerala and first grew them into saplings. Once the saplings were 10-12 days old, I planted them in rows. �?
He uses a fresh set of seeds and saplings for each new season, as the ones harvested from the flowers wouldn’t have the same quality.
Sujith has also used the technique of open precision farming, wherein the saplings are grown using mulching sheets. “Water and fertilisers seep too fast in sandy soil. The sheets keep the earth cool, and you need to do only minimal watering.

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