Farmers with the cauliflowers that they have grown at Chakwara village in Vaishali district on Monday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Hajipur, Nov. 28: For hundreds of residents at Chakwara, a village in Vaishali district, working in agriculture fields is a better option rather engaging themselves in jobs.

The reason is obvious — Chakwara, which is about 3km from the district headquarters, is best known for the production of good-quality cauliflower seeds.

The efforts of the farmers in the area are finally getting recognition from the state government on “Cauliflower Day”, which the villagers celebrate on November 29 every year. State agriculture minister Narendra Singh would lay the foundation on Tuesday for setting up a hi-tech vegetable seed processing plant. This would be a first-of-its-kind plant in Bihar.

The plant, to be set up at an estimated Rs 50 lakh, would process all kinds of vegetable seeds, including that of cauliflower.

The villagers used to sell seeds across the country under more than two dozen various brand names. “Green Seeds” is one such brand under which Sanjiv Kumar, a youth and progressive farmer of the village, sells his seeds across the country.

“We are happy that our effort is being recognised by the government. Chief minister Nitish Kumar had visited the village to get a first-hand experience of the famous cauliflower and seeds of this area. He had, during his Vikas Yatra in January 2009, announced that a seed processing plant would soon come up in the village. He has kept his words and the plant which will benefit about 1,000 farmers of the area directly,” Sanjiv told The Telegraph.

He added that the chief minister had asked the Rajendra Agriculture University, Pusa scientists to develop the seed and give a brand name to the cauliflower seed cultivated in the area so that the farmers could get better yield and return.

Dwarika Singh, another cauliflower seed grower, said, “The people of our village prefer cultivation of cauliflower seeds instead of engaging themselves in job because they earn about Rs 5 to 6 lakh per annum. Every farmer, on an average, sells 3-4 quintals of seeds throughout the country.