Boost Income, Soil Health: Balaghat Farmers Turn to Urad Cultivation

• Balaghat farmers are adopting Urad and sesame cultivation after paddy to increase income, supported by the Agriculture Department.
• Urad is a short-duration Zaid (summer) crop, best sown mid-March to mid-April, offering good returns in 60-70 days.
• Cultivation involves proper field preparation with farmyard manure, specific sowing distances (30-34 cm row-to-row), and irrigation 15-20 days after sowing.
• Urad, a Leguminosae crop, enhances soil fertility through nitrogen fixation by Rhizobium bacteria, benefiting subsequent crops like wheat or paddy.
• Subsidized Urad and sesame seeds are available from block-level Agriculture Department offices, with a target of 1000 hectares for Urad in Balaghat.