Hira Lal
Protected Cultivation: A Path to Prosperity
Village- Doli, District- Jodhpur, State- Rajasthan
INTRODUCTION :
Mr. Hira Lal (32 years) is a dynamic young agripreneur from Doli village, Jodhpur district, Rajasthan, with limited landholding. Located in the peri-urban region of Jodhpur city, his family was traditionally dependent on conventional agriculture with modest returns. Driven by a strong desire to enhance farm profitability and modernize agriculture through advanced technologies, he visited ICAR–Central Arid Zone Research Institute. After understanding the potential of protected cultivation and interacting with scientists, he convinced his family to make a modest investment and established a self-financed nethouse of 3,000 sqm, marking the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey in modern agriculture.
TRAINING :
Mr. Patel received a 10-day EDP training on protected cultivation from the ABI Centre, ICAR–CAZRI in 2023. After training, he established a 3,000 sqm nethouse. The structured training further strengthened his technical knowledge and practical skills through classroom sessions and hands-on exposure.
ACHIEVEMENTS :
From a single 3,000 sqm nethouse unit, Mr. Hira Lal has significantly enhanced his family income, achieving double-digit lakh annual turnover. Through disciplined management and scientific practices, he consistently harvests over 30 tonnes of produce per crop, earning a net profit of ₹3.5–4.0 lakh per crop, with two crops annually. In addition to protected cultivation, he also manages a small dairy unit, further diversifying and stabilizing his family income.
IMPORTANCE FOR FARMERS :
Mr. Hira Lal’s success demonstrates how scientific interventions and entrepreneurial training can substantially enhance farm income even for farmers with limited resources in arid regions. His enterprise has emerged as a model farm in the locality, inspiring other rural youth and small farmers to adopt high-value vegetable cultivation under protected structures and view agriculture as a viable and profitable career option.
RECOGNITION :
Mr. Hira Lal has emerged as a role-model agripreneur, inspiring rural youth to build sustainable careers in agriculture through enterprise-driven adoption of modern technologies such as protected cultivation. His success has directly influenced several youths, notably Mr. Nar Singh Choudhary, who was motivated to establish a 10,000 sqm nethouse initially and subsequently expanded by adding another 6,000 sqm nethouse, highlighting the strong demonstration and multiplier effect of his achievements.
