Bathinda, Sept. 14 -- Taking a cue from carrot growers in the adjoining Sriganganagar district in Rajasthan, progressive horticulturists in the Abohar area are earning well from rabi crop diversification.

According to estimations, nearly 2,500 acres of land in Haripura, Dharampura, Ghallu and about 8 other villages have adopted cultivation of the deep red-coloured carrot of various open-pollinated varieties and hybrids.

Farmers say they are reaping benefits from a gradual horticultural diversification.

Arvind Setia, who grows carrots at Tootwali village, said that farmers in the area switched to the winter vegetable in less than a decade.

"About 10-12 years ago, several villages in Sriganganagar district shifted to carrot cultivation....