BATHINDA, Sept. 15 -- Farmers in the border villages of Ferozepur district are setting a new precedent in crop diversification by turning to lotus cultivation, increasing their income by nearly Rs.2 lakh per acre. The area, including Kunde and Barre Ke, located on Ferozepur's periphery is dotted with tracts of lotus fields, mainly irrigated by the tubewells. This has transformed the agricultural landscape in this region. Farmers convert their fields into temporary ponds, with water levels maintained at about one foot, allowing them to harvest three different products - lotus flowers, 'bhey' (stems) and kol dodda (seeds), which are processed into 'makhana' (fox nuts). According to horticulture officer Simranjit Singh, nearly 1,200 acres are under the aqua crop. "A group of farmers are into the novel initiative of growing lotus. They have found a market to sell the produce and it is gradually picking up in the last few years," he added. After harvesting twin lotus crops in a year, farmers sow the winter crop of potato. A 36-year-old farmer, Avtar Singh, from Kunde village is credited for pioneering lotus farming in the area in 2010. "We were facing difficulty in growing conventional crops in fields that generally remained waterlogged. I tried lotus farming on about 3 acres and the results were very encouraging. Now, I cultivate the water flower on 50 acres and earn well from it," he added. Cultivation of lotus on an acre costs around Rs.80,000 with the major component of labour and the area yields 50 to 60 quintals of stem. "Lotus stem is sold after grading and it fetches between Rs.20 and Rs.60 per kg. It is mainly used as a vegetable and pickle and we supply to big traders in Mumbai via train and road," added Avtar. As the harvest is underway, he is hoping for another good profitable season. Another lotus grower Hardeep Singh from Barre Ke said that a farmer can earn over Rs.2 lakh per acre from lotus stems and an additional Rs.35,000 from its seeds. "Farmers cultivate lotus for two seasons a year. It is highly remunerative and farmers are getting attracted towards lotus cultivation," he added. Major Singh, started growing the aqua crop in 2020 on five acres, has now expanded it to 25 acres, including 15 acres taken on lease. "Lotus is a three-month crop and it is grown twice. The first season starts in January and is harvested in March-April. Another season is parallel to paddy when the flower seeds are sown in June," he said. Encouraged by another good season, Major has decided to get diverse seeds from lotus ponds in Kashmir to experiment in his fields. "Lotus flowers have a demand during Diwali. Since there is no regular market for the flower or its storage facility, we allow labourers to harvest it for free as they sell it in Ludhiana. Lotus stem is a popular vegetable in Maharashtra and other states, but it is not commonly consumed in the state," he said. Major said that farmers can earn from if there are factories to process makhana from 'kol dodda.' "Removing seeds for makhana is a labour-intensive process. We sell the raw seeds to pansari or traditional provision stores in Amritsar," he added....