Mumbai, India (CU) _ Amresh Singh, a farmer from India, was the first to cultivate hop shoots without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The farmer from Aurangabad district of Bihar state is making waves on social media grounds for the reasons that would surprise you. The young farmer involved in the cultivation of a special vegetable known as hop shoots, which costs about INR 1 lakh, has created quite a stir on social media.
The production of hop shoots, considered as the most expensive vegetable ever, began on a trial basis, and over 60% of the work has already been completed successfully. The farmer had so far spent INR 2.5 lakh for the cultivation of hop shoots. This crop is rare in Indian markets and is new to Indian farmers. Amresh Singh was the first farmer in India to plant hop shoots on 5 kathas of land. The special thing about his cultivation is that he grew it without using any artificial fertilizers or pesticides.
Supriya Sahu, a senior bureaucrat, took the story to Twitter, which garnered a huge attention. She mentioned that the farmer’s new attempt could be a game changer for the Indian farmers and markets. The IAS took to Twitter and appreciated the farmer. She wrote, “One kilogram of this vegetable costs about Rs 1 lakh! The world’s costliest vegetable, ‘hop shoots’ is being cultivated by Amresh Singh an enterprising farmer from Bihar, the first one in India. Can be a game-changer for Indian farmers.”
Hop shoots is mainly grown in America and Europe. However, it was first trialed in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul, but marketing was hampered by the expensive price. According to Amresh Singh, if Prime Minister Modi takes some special initiatives to encourage the production of hop shoots in India, farmers will be benefitted with profit ten times more than that of the income by other means of agriculture in a few years.
The high costs of planting and harvesting and duration of the cultivation makes the vegetable more expensive. Moreover, it takes three long years to become a fruit. Furthermore, the hop plant’s tiny green tips must be plucked individually by hand during the harvest, which necessitates a great deal of effort and patience. Hop-shoots’ fruit and stem are used in the manufacture of beverages, beer, and pharmaceuticals, such as antibiotics. This medicine is used in the treatment of tuberculosis and have a high curative effect too.
