As the Rabi season gains momentum across India, farmers are looking beyond traditional cereals and pulses to explore high-value vegetable crops like tomatoes. Leveraging scientific advancements and protected cultivation technologies, farmers can now achieve substantial profits even with small landholdings.
Among the most promising options are tomato varieties developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, including Pusa Rakshit, Pusa Tomato Hybrid-1, Pusa Cherry-1, and Pusa Golden Cherry Tomato-2. These high-yielding and disease-tolerant varieties have shown exceptional potential under protected cultivation, enabling farmers to generate a net profit of up to ₹1.3 lakh from just 1000 square meters of land.
Protected cultivation, often using polyhouses or net houses, offers major advantages such as extended crop life, year-round production, and market-linked pricing. Unlike conventional tomato farming which typically lasts for only 3 to 4 months, these improved varieties grown under protected structures can bear fruit for as long as 10 to 11 months. This allows farmers to undertake continuous harvesting, reduce weather-related risks, and capitalize on high market demand during off-season periods.
Among these, Pusa Rakshit is a widely preferred hybrid tomato variety known for its robust growth, indeterminate nature, and high disease resistance, making it ideal for long-term cultivation in protected structures. Pusa Tomato Hybrid-1, often referred to as Protected-1, bears attractive, round fruits in clusters and is especially suited for premium markets due to its uniform size and bright red appearance.
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