Farmers openly acknowledge spraying liquor on vegetables to kill pests that are resistant to costly pesticide. They also say that spraying alcohol on the vegetables before harvest adds definite colour and sheen and that the crop may be better for humans than if it were sprayed with pesticide.

Take a tour of Pune’s hinterland, where horticulture farms are spread over thousands of acres, and almost all farmers say they use country liquor as a crop enhancer. Nobody knows where the practice started first, though. Some say it was in Shirur, in Pune district, and some say it was in the Marathawada and Vidarbha belts.

The economics works out well too. Says Dhananjay Raskar, who has just sprayed his two acre onion farm with desi daru, “I’ve been spraying my crop with liquor every 20 days. I need to buy 10 quarters of the stuff every time.”

One quarter (180 ml) of liquor costs Rs 24, while the illicit stuff comes at half the rate. Against this, bio-stimulants cost nearly Rs 90 for 20 ml.

Among the government authorities aware of the practice is P N Raut, director (extension & training) department of agriculture. “No legal action can be taken against such use of liquor,” he says. “We’ll be sending squads to these areas to tell farmers it does not really benefit the crop. However, it won’t cause any harm to those who consume the vegetables.”

And Dr V V Datar, Associate Dean and Principal of College of Agriculture, Latur, says people should wash the vegetables well before use for country liquor, especially illicit hooch, contains ammonium chloride.