Seizing an Opportunity for Pumpkin Production
ODISHA, INDIA – EWS-KT’s Center of Excellence (CoE) learning farm in Odisha serves as a hub of knowledge for vegetable production. In 2023, a young farmer named Arjun Hansdah visited the CoE several times to learn vegetable farming techniques. Impressed by the production levels achieved at the CoE, he partnered with two friends to grow pumpkins.
From Planning to Harvest
The three men sought guidance from EWS-KT Technical Field Officer Sanu Kumar Behera. Sanu began with business planning, explaining how to choose a variety, identify market requirements, and calculate costs and expected returns. Based on the inputs, Arjun and his partners decided to establish a 30-acre pumpkin plot. The three men leased land, hired laborers, purchased seeds and supplies, and embarked on their pumpkin venture, with the guidance of Sanu.
Arjun and his friends learned and adopted the latest techniques, like raised beds, recommended spacing between plants, and appropriately calibrated fertilizer application. With a total investment of 400,000 rupees (US$4,800) for their farm, they made a net profit of 815,000 rupees (US$9,700)—a 204% return on investment—and divided the profits.
A New Season Brings Even Greater Success
In 2024, Arjun began pumpkin farming on his own, investing his profit from the previous year. Along with selecting a high-quality pumpkin variety, he used agronomic techniques like raised beds and integrated pest management (IPM) methods like pheromone traps in his pumpkin fields.
Cultivating 40 acres of land, he produced 271 tonnes of pumpkins. In just 4 months, he earned a net profit of 2,473,000 rupees (US$29,400), part of which he is planning to use to purchase a tractor.
With such good success in 2024, he plans to lease 100 acres for pumpkin production in the next kharif season (July to October 2025), while planting 4 acres of potato, 10 acres of pumpkin, and 20 acres of watermelon during the rabi season (December 2024 to April 2025).
From witnessing crops grown at the CoE to producing his own pumpkins at a large scale, Arjun’s transformative journey is an inspiration to fellow farmers in the region, demonstrating the potential for prosperity through strategic and informed agricultural practices.
