In India, agriculture is an important occupation; around 50% of the population in the country engages in agriculture and its related activities. Farming in our nation is not only the livelihood of people, but also their way of life. Whenever we talk about our ancestors, it is most common that they were farmers, or their way of living connect with farms.
Nowadays, the cost of farming has increased so much. Thus, people with land are keeping it idle, as they feel ‘farming has become a tough and expensive occupation. But learning new ways of agriculture, adopting efficient farm machinery, investing in improved seeds, etc., can help you to reduce farming expenses. To know the answer to how to reduce the cost in farming, refer to the detailed guide below:
How to Save Money in Farming?
Any farmer can save their money in farming by following the new technology and techniques. In the article below, you will read about the complete step-by-step guide on how to prepare the land, selection of seeds, and the use of a tractor can give better returns on investment.
Proper Land Preparation Tips
The first step of farming is land preparation. The better the land is prepared, the more chances of healthy crops increase. To make the land ready, farmers need to plough their land deeply once. Then, they can continue with the leveling of the farm and soil aeration. These primary processes help the soil to hold the land’s moisture for a longer period of time.
Intelligent farmers have started using the new equipments and better tractors in farming. Usage of these technologies saves time and labour costs. Thus, New model tractor, like New Holland 360, are getting popular because of their strong performance, engine capacity, powerful performance, and affordable EMI options.
Prefer the good-quality seeds
A one-time investment in seeds will give you 2 to 3 times the benefits in crop production. It is true that the price of government-certified seeds is slightly higher. But the output of these seeds is scientifically more than that of the regular ones. These seeds came into the market after undergoing quality tests. The usage of these seeds in your land will also provide an even length of the crops.
Practice Crop Rotation
Growing one crop multiple times reduces the fertility in land. But if you grow wheat, rice, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane, and vegetables in different seasons at a same field. It will result in betterness of soil nutrients, breaking down pests, etc. One of the best examples of crop rotation is growing cotton/ pigeon pea in summer and potatoes in Spring.
The crop rotation involves rotating crop families, likewise heavy-feeding nitrogen users (corn) with nitrogen-fixing legumes (soybeans/beans) on a 3 to 4-year cycle.
New Techniques for Higher Yields
Check out the new technologies that digital farmers are adopting to save their money:
Hydroponic Farming: This is the new type of farming technique adopted by several small-scale farmers. In this technique, the nutrients required for the growth of crops are dissolved in the water solution. Then, it is directly supplied to the plants/ crops’ roots. Also, hydroponic farming cost differs according to the area of land.
Power Tiller: For small to big lands, the power tiller has become more productive, cost-efficient, and a good machine for thinning, weeding, soil turning, etc. The power tiller price ranges according to the horsepower of the engines.
Mulching Farming: Mulching is a simple and cost-saving farming practice. In this practice, farmers cover their lands with dry materials, like straw, dry leaves, grass, & plastic sheets. Then, this covering layer starts acting as a protective coating for the soil. Also, it helps improve crop growth by holding the moisturier of the soil. Resulted, the crops will need less irrigation.
Reduce Labour Dependency
The peak season of crop harvesting increases the wages of labours. Farmer can manage their expenses by planning out the days of sowing, using multi-purpose farm equipment, and other farm machinery. Also, the small-land farmers can take the help of equipment rental services and custom hiring centres for regulating their expenses.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
The regular use of pesticide spraying increases the costs of farming. Integrated Pest Management can help to reduce chemical use through these processes:
- Crop rotation
- Resistant varieties
- Biological predators
- Neem-based sprays
- Field monitoring
- This lowers pesticide expenses while protecting crop health.
Government Scheme and Services for Farmers
The government provides different types of schemes and services for farmers that aim at supporting farmers, improve the income, and boosting their agricultural productivity, among others. It includes initiatives related to irrigation, insurance, soil health, and crop diversification. Farmers can get these concessions and benefits of the schemes by going to the official website of the National Government Service Portal. Also, they can go to the authorised banks.
Summing Up
Reducing farming costs does not mean compromising the crop’s health and productivity. Investing wisely in quality seeds, adopting crop rotation, managing labour, and using suitable equipment from large tractors to small machine tools after evaluating factors like power tiller price helps improve long-term profits.
