Cultivation of Arrowhead plant : A lucrative venture

Nandini Chongtham / H Ramananda Singh / MA Salam *

Challenge

Shri Ngangom Rajen Singh is a resident of Uyumpok Nongshum Makha Leikai, Imphal East District of Manipur. He is the head of a seven member family with no earning member. The family subsides on their 0.75 ha farm land area where they grow paddy in kharif and seasonal vegetables in rabi season.

Moreover, out of the 0.75 ha area, 0.25 ha was a low-lying area where paddy crop was destroyed by flood very frequently in this area. And the farmer wanted a permanent solution of his field, so that he could earn something from his unproductive land of 0.25 ha. area.

Initiative

Few years back, the farmer was listening to a programme broadcast by AIR, Imphal on “Cultivation of Arrow Head Plant”. Actually, arrowhead is an aquatic plant growing wildly in the valley area of Manipur, particularly in muddy bottom, in shallow water of lakes, rivers, ponds and paddy fields. The edible plant is the tuber, which is greatly relished by the local people and fetch good price.

From that time, he wanted to cultivate arrowhead in his field but could not take up due to some problem or other. However, during 2018, due to heavy rainfall during kharif season, his paddy field of 0.25 ha area got flooded and paddy crop was totally destroyed. He was at a loss, as resowing of paddy was already late.

But after recession of flood, he saw some arrow head plants growing up in his field area and decided to keep the arrow head plants and wait for its maturity. After maturity, he dug up his field and harvested the arrow head tubers, sold it and it fetched Rs 20,000/- (Rupees Twenty thousand) without incurring any cultivation cost.

And the idea struck why not I grow arrowhead from next year in my low lying unproductive paddy land of 0.25 ha where crop is always destroyed by flood.

As decided, in the year 2020 with the onset of monsoon rain, the farmer ploughed his field, puddled it and after levelling, he kept the field maintaining some water to subside weed infestation. In a few days, arrow head plants start germinating in his field.

The farmer prepared his main field just the same as paddy, uprooted the arrow head plants and transplanted it in his already prepared field maintaining a spacing of 30 cm between row to row and pant to plant.

The best time for planting arrow head is June-July and latest by August. The crop requires no maintenance cost except one weeding at 30 days after transplanting. Due to unavailability of seedlings at one time transplanting was started from June and continued up to August.

As the quantity of germinated arrowhead seedlings in his field was not enough to cover his field, the farmer collected wildly growing seedlings from nearby places and planted it.

Results

The arrow head plants mature in 5 to 6 months and ready for harvest during December as the leaves dried up. It is better to harvest the crop when there is no water in the field.

Economic Analysis for 0.25 ha area

A. Cost of cultivation
a) Cot ploughing and field preparation = Rs. 2,500.00
b) Cost of transplanting = 300x 5 man-days (i.e. Rs. 1,500.00)
c) weeding cost = Rs. 1,500.00
d) Harvesting cost - 400 man-days @ 250 (i.e. Rs. 1,00000.00)
e) total cost of cultivation = Rs. 1,05,500.00

B. Return
f) Yield of arrow head tubers = 2000 kg from 0.25 ha
g) Gross Return = 2000 kg x 130 per kg (i.e. Rs. 2,60,000.00)
h) Net Return (Rs. 260000-1,05,500) = Rs. 1,54,500.00 from 0.25 ha
i) Net Return for 1 ha area = Rs. 6,18,000/ha
j) B:C ratio 2.46

Impact

The farmer was earning on an average Rs. 1,00,000.00 (Rupees One lakh) per annum from his 0.75 ha area from rabi crops in addition to his paddy harvest of 40 quintals. Now after introducing arrow root plants in his 0.25 ha area, the farmer has become an inspiration to other farmers of the area.

Moreover, arrow head tubers have a great demand in the market and we can see shortage in supply in spite of its high cost. More farmers are going to plant arrow head in this kharif season 2021.

Lesson Learnt

Rice is the staple food for the people of Manipur and switching over from the rice cultivation to a new crop is itself a challenge faced by the farmer. However, from his success, we can proudly conclude that such unproductive low lying flood prone areas should be diversified to suitable wet land crops like Arrowhead.

Cultivation of such crops should be popularised that not only generate income but also create employment and also help in conservation of wetlands and paddy fields which are no more productive.


For further details contact: -
Public Relations& Media Management Cell,
CAU, Imphal.
Email: [email protected]