Patna February 4 : One kilogram of this vegetable costs Rs 85000! The cultivation of the world’s costliest vegetable namely ‘hop-shoots’ has started on a trial basis in Bihar’s Aurangabad district.
Intermediate-pass from Hazaribagh’s St. Columbus College in 2012, Amresh Singh, 38, a farmer from Karamdih village under Navinagar block of Bihar’s Aurangabad district, is the first to start hop-shoots cultivation on 5 katha of his land.
It is sold for 1000 Euros per kg in international markets which comes roughly about Rs 85000. This crop is rarely seen in the Indian market and bought in only on special order.
“I am happy to say that more than 60 per cent of its cultivation has gone successfully,” Singh said.
He also said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes a special arrangement for the promotion of cultivation of ‘hop-shoots’, it will make the farmers earn 10 times more than other means of agriculture within a couple of years.
The cultivation of hop-shoots (humulus-lupulus) is going-on under the supervision of agricultural scientist Dr. Lal of the Indian Vegetable Research Institute at Varanasi.
“I have planted the saplings of this vegetable 2 months ago having brought it from the Indian Vegetable Research Institute at Varanasi. I hope it will be a grand success giving a mega turnaround in the agriculture of state like Bihar,” Singh said.
Speaking about its utility, he said that the hop-shoots’ fruit, flower, and stem – all are used in beverage making, beer making and medicinal usages like in making antibiotics. The medicine, which is made with the stem of this vegetable, has also been found to have a sharp curative effect in the treatment of Tuberculosis (TB).
“Its flower is called hop-cones or strobile, which is used as a stability agent in the making of beer. The rest of the twigs are used in food and medicine purposes,” he said.
The use of hop-shoot as an herb is also rampant in European countries for keeping skin gleaming and young as it is also a rich source of antioxidants.
Basically, the hop-shoot was discovered in the early 11th century and was used as flavouring agent in beer and then its use spread as herb medicines and vegetables gradually.
The shoots has an acid called humulones and lupulones in them which is found very effective in killing the cancer cells in the human body. The medicine improves digestive system, provide relaxation for those with depression, anxiety, analgesic and cure insomnia also.
Singh said that the farming of hop-shoots is done in European countries like Britain, Germany, and others. But in India, it was early done in Himachal Pradesh but stopped due to lack of platform for its marketing because of the high price.
Apart from this, Amresh Singh does the cultivation of many other medicinal and aromatic plants. “In the farming sector, taking a risk with the self-confidence ultimately helps the farmer to win. I have taken the risk for experimenting with the cultivation of hop-shoot in Bihar and hope, it will set a benchmark,” he exuded confidence.