Robin Bhuyan, a 35 year old farmer, took a risk and decided to grow colourful cauliflowers and it paid off. He feels that the more colourful the food, the better and he has a rainbow -coloured farm in Manjuli, the world’s largest river island in Assam. The island on the Brahmaputra river is known for the cultivation of magic rice called ‘Kumol Saul’. This magic rice needs no cooking.
During the pandemic, Bhuyan decided to cultivate yellow and purple cauliflowers instead of the regular white ones on his five-bigha land that is situated 6 kilometres off Garamur, the district headquarters. He got this bright idea when he visited a horticulture shop in Lakhimpur. He purchased 10 gram seeds of each variety and cultivated about 200 saplings of the valentine variety. According to Bhuyan, no one from his region has attempted to grow these colourful cauliflowers.
Bhuyan is an Arts graduate who chose to practice farming. He practices organic farming and has 25 youngsters who work for him. He has now started growing strawberries too. The purple cauliflower has a light, grassy smell and has a mild, sweet nutty flavour. It is an excellent source of Vitamin C and all parts of this cauliflower plant are edible. It is a favourite among chefs because of it’s distinct colour and flavour. Bhuyan earns between Rs 15-20 lakhs per year and is currently focusing on the local markets. He is unable to supply his produce outside the district due to lack of connectivity.
