Meet the ‘12th Fail’ Farmer Who Created a Turmeric Variety Powering 500+ Farms
Celebrating the New Indian Farmer This Kisan Diwas
Celebrating the New Indian Farmer This Kisan Diwas
Sachin Karekar from Abloli village in Maharashtra revolutionised turmeric farming by developing SK-4, a high-yielding variety.
Calling himself ‘12th Fail’, the 48-year-old has grown turmeric since age 22 — with one goal: to create a stronger-better variant that gives farmers a real edge.
In 1998, Karekar planted local Kadja turmeric and noticed a few plants that were healthier and disease-free.
He cultivated and experimented with these select plants for 10 years, and in 2008, developed a superior variety named SK-4.
The turmeric cultivar was named SK-4, after the initials of fellow farmer Shendge Kaka, his own name, and Special Konkan.
It outperformed 28 turmeric varieties in yield per hectare and has 4% curcumin, which gives turmeric its colour and medicinal value.
Popular turmeric seeds, like Rajendra Sona variety, are costly and often unavailable. SK-4 offers a reliable alternative and is well-suited to Konkan’s high-rainfall conditions.
500 farmers in Sindhudurg, Raigad, and Ratnagiri grow this variety. A Guhagar farmer harvested 8.15 kg from a single turmeric plant. Farmers from 13 states bought SK-4 tubers at an NIF event
Sachin Karekar was honoured by President Droupadi Murmu at the 11th Biennial National Grassroots Innovation and Outstanding Traditional Knowledge Awards.
Karekar advises spice farmers to start small and avoid cultivating the crop on large plots. “Start with one guntha (each guntha is equal to 1000 sq. ft.), and now I have 10 gunthas, which can accommodate 3,000 saplings.”
Sachin Karekar embodies the New India Farmer — passionate and focused on impact. He is proving that farmer-led innovation can strengthen rural economies.
Read more about him here