It wasn't the whiff of money but faith in the small, inconspicuous plant in his courtyard that nudged Kailash Nath Singh, now 87, to venture into something unheard of more than a decade ago.

When Organic India, then Indo-Israel Trading Corporation (IITC), asked him to take up organic cultivation (without the use of chemicals and fertilisers) of tulsi or Indian Basil, Kailash, bogged down by low yield from his farm and debts, was wary.

“Although the idea of cultivating tulsi sounded strange initially, I nonetheless accepted the offer. My scepticism changed to confidence once I saw how the firm operated,” Kailash says.

The risk taken by the 75-year-old did pay rich dividends. And as Kailash’s income rose, many farmers eagerly followed in his footsteps.

Now, over 10,000 farmers in the drought-hit districts of Bundelkhand, besides Azamgarh and Mau districts in the eastern UP, are cultivating tulsi as a cash crop in addition to their routine agricultural practices. They are producing more than 2,000 tonnes of tulsi annually from over 1,000 acres of land.

Motivating the farmers wasn’t difficult after my success story and when farmers came to know of the firm’s approach, says Kailash. The Lucknow-based firm decided to bear the cost of production as also the risks of crop failure and market volatility. Farmers were to only tend and harvest the crop. In short, each one contributes according to his ability. For the past ten years, in fact, the farmers have been paid even when the produce wasn’t good enough due to adverse climatic conditions or pest attack.

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