116. புது முயற்சி விவசாயம் + அக்ரி டூரிசம்

அன்பு அத்தை, மாமா இதை கொஞ்சம் பாருங்க, நம்ம ஊர்லயும் இது மாதிரி பண்ணமுடியுமா....

இது இன்றைய பூனெ டைம்ஸ் செய்தி

Sunil Bhosale, a farmer from Jogawadi village, Baramati taluka is on top of the world. A farmer whose annual income barely exceeds Rs 40,000, Bhosale was able to earn Rs 6,000 in just a day last Saturday. He has recently thrown open his 10-acre farm to tourists and on the very first day he was able to reap a profit of Rs 4,500.

Farmer Ghanshyam Kelkar is busy planning to turn Teteghar, a village near Pune with a population of 3,500, into an agri-tourism village. A handful of farmers in this village have already played host to tourists from Pune. More and more farmers near Pune as well as all over Maharashtra have found an ancillary activity, a profitable add-on to traditional farming in agri tourism. And, the credit goes to the Baramati-based Agri Tourism Development Corporation.

Started with a view to boost rural economy, ATDC became operational in 2006, says Pandurang Taware, sales and marketing director, ATDC. Agri-tourism involves attracting tourists to farms and allowing them to enjoy a handson experience with the rural way of living. Tourists can participate in farm activities or just chill out at the farms, eat home-cooked food, take a bullock cart ride or visit places of interest around the villages. Some farmers also plan to tieup with folk singers or dancers to present folk art forms to the tourists. Tourists can also buy vegetables or grains grown on the farm.


In order to gauge the potential for agri-tourism in Maharashtra, ATDC undertook a survey in Pune and Mumbai. The survey concluded that 43 per cent (12 lakh) people in urban areas did not have relatives in villages. “And these are our target customers” says Taware. Himself a farmer, Taware first experimented with agritourism through his pilot project in Baramati. The project is spread over 110 acres of land. The first tourist visited this project in October 2005 and so far, 19,000 tourists have visited Taware’s farm. Seeing the response, he initiated the setting up of ATDC and imparted training to farmers near Pune and other parts of Maharashtra on agri-tourism. According to a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) report, rural tourism in India is estimated at Rs 14,000 crore, says Taware.

So far, ATDC has trained 52 farmers from Pune, Ahmednagar, Karad, Sangli, Satara, Buldhana. It is a week-long training programme and costs a farmer Rs 5,000. The farmers are given a crash course in how and what attracts tourists, how to maintain a farm, hospitality management etc. The affordability factor too is high in the case of agritourism. The maximum tariff charged to a tourist for a room varies from Rs 200 to Rs 500 a night. The tariff is reasonable, says Taware as their target market is the educated class, be it middle or high-income.

The criterion in selecting a farmer and farm is based on two things, says Taware. The tourist must be able to participate in some farming or farmrelated activity and he should have something to buy at the farm, be it grain, fruit or vegetable. Moreover, only those people who are into farming already are trained by the ATDC. For, although agri-tourism can be a profit-making business, the intent is not to turn farmers away from traditional farming completely. “Agri-tourism cannot be an alternative to farming,” Taware states.

It can, however, be an alternative to costly and plastic tourism, says Ghanshyam Kelkar. As technology advances, he says, people want more and more to experience the old way of life.

Rohini Bansal, a tourist from Pune, agrees. She recently visited a farm near Jejuri. Meenakshi Moolani, president of Spectrum, a study group which visited Bhosale’s farm, reveals that she spent a major part of her life in urban areas. “So spending a whole day experiencing rural life is just what I was looking at,” she states.

AGRI-TOURISM DIRECTORY In order to facilitate tourists and farmers, ATDC has recently released a directory of farmers engaged in agri-tourism all over Maharashtra. The directory comprises basic information such as the farmers name and contact number, the farm’s location, what’s available at the farm and places of interest around the farm. The directory is available at the ATDC office on Fergusson College road, MTDC offices in Maharashtra, book stores, railway stations and airport. The cost of the directory is Rs 50. ATDC also plans to distribute the directory in schools and IT offices. “We want to do all that we can to sell agritourism,” says Taware. Tourists who wish to avail of agri-tourism can refer to the directory to book rooms in advance.