Visakhapatnam: Barely 10 years ago gourds were being cultivated in just over 2,000 hectares in Visakhapatnam district, but now, the horticulture department has ensured that cropped area has increased three-fold to 6,000 hectares.Much of the acreage, where gourds are being cultivated are traditionally dry lands that were rainfed but have now been converted into partially irrigated lands, by drilling borewells to exploit groundwater.Sources in the horticulture department said there has been a concentrated effort to wean farmers from traditional summer crops such as oilseeds , green gram and black gram. They said though these crops are considered safe to cultivate, they are not very remunerative.Horticulture JD, K Sailaja said, “Gourds, in comparison, are more remunerative and once they start bearing fruit, the process goes on for months, bringing in a steady source of income. Small farmers benefit a lot from such horticulture crops in the summer, making as much as Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per acre, especially if the soil is irrigated.”Sources further added that horticulture crops such as gourds and green leafy vegetables could be grown on partially irrigated land and even plantation areas as mixed crops without depleting groundwater levels. Sailaja said, “Gourds should be grown in soils which are well drained, and the same for leafy vegetables. Water, if not drained properly, can actually cause crop rot. Hence, these crops are highly suitable for cultivation in well-drained soils with groundwater irrigation .”Ch Raju, a farmer from Nathavaram village, who cultivates vegetables throughout the year said, “I have a few plots of borewell-irrigated dry land and a mango plantation. I’m growing vegetables both as standalone crops as well as mixed crops on my land. My plots are well-drained and not so suitable for paddy.”

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