I chop onions almost every day and never bother about its internal layers, the number of nodes it has to shoot sprouts from or even its outer covering. Yet, in an attempt to find the root cause of an onion crop spoilage problem, a farmer in Maharashtra developed his own variety of onions and named it after himself — Sandip Pyaaz.
“I always wanted to do things differently in life. It was ingrained in me during my childhood, and I practice it in all aspects of my life like sports, studies or any social activity,” says Sandip Ghole, adding, “When I took on the responsibility of the family farm in 2008, I decided to experiment with sugarcane and onion farming.”
An Arts graduate from Daund, which is about 90 km from Pune, Sandip started consulting experts in agriculture in an attempt to understand better farming practices. From uncontrolled use of manure, chemical fertilisers and water, he learned about sustainable farming practices and implemented them on his 12-acre…