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Tell us more about this new variety of custard apple.

We have performed cross-pollination about 2 years back and we came up with a new variety. For this we had to analyse each custard apple variety because each variety has it’s own unique properties. The specialty about the variety we developed is

that: 1. It starts reaping yield after the local variety fruit gets over in the market. 2. It has lesser seeds and looks more attractive than the local variety 3. This variety doesn’t crack open like the local variety. It can stay on the plant for up to 15 days and we can harvest it anytime within these 15 days. The local variety doesn’t give you that much of time, it should be harvested within 2-3 days. Owing to this quality, the new variety can outlive transportation hassles and can be sold across the country. We had applied for a patent for this produce in 2014 and though it took a great deal of time, we have now finally received a patent for this product. Unfortunately, we now realize that getting product patents is not of much value in our country. These things are not valued like it is in many countries around the globe.

How many varieties of custard apple do you cultivate?

We have 42 varieties. I have planted a new batch of 2500 plants. Till date, the varieties I have come with can benefit farmers immensely. It has helped farmers to make profits in lakhs. There have been cases where people have made profits in crores.

What is it that pushes up their profit margins?

This variety’s characteristics itself! The local variety can fetch you about 5-6 tons of fruit during harvest, which gives you an approximate income of 1 Lakh. This new variety gives you an output of

Dr. Navanath Kaspate

Agriculturist

Owing to low family income, education after Std 11 may have remained a dream for Dr Navanath Kaspate; but, that did not stop him from scaling great heights. Today, he has done some path breaking work in agriculture by developing new varieties of custard apples like the NMK-1 Golden. Developing a new variety is generally undertaken either by universities or institutions like the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research. But in case of Dr N M Kaspate, it was his experience and the passion of a grower and the perseverance of a plant breeder that fetched him the Doctorate Degree. Along the journey, education alone wasn’t the sole point of hurdle. “Initially we had shortage of water at our farm. Then, we dug out a bore well to sort the water issue. We started with three crops. I did grape farming till about 2011. We used to export grapes as well.” In the Solapur district, Dr Navanath was the first to acquire the patent certification. He was greatly appreciated and recognized for his farming and export activities. “We were farming custard apples quite well. In 2011, I got a new variety of custard apple. We gave it 10 years to see how it would do. It went well and we launched a new variety called NMK1 Golden after 10 years.”

approximately 12 tons which can fetch you an income of about 12 Lakh because of its higher market value. You can sell this variety at the rate of Rs 200 per kg approximately. Last year the rate went up to Rs 300 per kg. The local variety is Rs 50 per kg approximately.

Is there any particular technique that is used to grow this crop?

There is not much fertilizers used. I use the grafting technique. Just like how the

off springs of a couple are not all the same, the plants grown from the seeds of a fruit are not the same. I have demonstrated this to the farmers by taking 10 seeds from a single fruit and shown them that all the 10 plants turned out to the different. Hence I strongly recommend grafting over the conventional method of using seeds for growing saplings. The variety we go for is much better than the local variety. We have such a huge demand for this produce that we have 7 managers working on our farm whom we have trained. There was a Ph.D student who once came and researched on

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this variety of custard apple.

What is your role/achievements in the All Indian Custard Apple Federation?

I have been a part of the institution from its inception. This association doesn’t have many members -just about 12 members. We have representatives from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, MP and Chhattisgarh. It is difficult to meet owing to the distance at which each of the members are. Farmers don’t want to spend too much on this.

What benefits have you reaped through this association?

Any demand is easier to be put forward through a federation. Earlier we were part of another federation which had more than 300 members. It is now much easier for us because of this new Federation .

Which are the main locations where custard apple is grown?

Any area where you get a hot and dry climate. It can’t be grown in places where it snows.

What is the total production of custard apple in India?

There has been a spike in production over the last two years. Maharashtra is the leading producer of custard apple in our country. I am not sure about the total production across the country. In the earlier days, this crop was not grown in the fields. There used to be wild varieties which grew by itself. Now, owing to the market demand people have started growing it on their farms.

What about its export market?

Yes, the fruit gets exported to the Gulf market. I export the fruit too; but, through a third party, located in Mumbai. I don’t do it by myself. I get a slightly higher rate if I give it to the middle men. I am not aware what profits they make.

How much produce do you export in a year/month?

It is a seasonal crop and it is there to sell for two months in a year. So I do how much I can - it depends on the demand.

Apart from India, in which other countries is this crop cultivated?

It grows well in Australia. I had been there with about 20 people and was there for about 12 days. It also grows well in China. But, ours is the best variety so far.

What challenges have you crossed in this journey so far?

We give ample training to farmers using PPT and photographs. Only 2 or 3 types of pests like mealy bug and fruit fly affects this crop. We can control these pests also quite effectively. We were not able to control fruit flies for three years. Then we consulted Vidyapeet and there we realized what its lifecycle is and how to control it. Now, we ace at it.

Any good-to-knows with respect to the cultivation of this product?

The best part about this crop is that you don’t need much water to grow it. In the initial 2 years you need to feed it with water for all 12 months. This gradually stops because you don’t need to supply the crop with water from Jan to June - not even a drop. You then need to water it only from June to Jan because by then the crop will start flowering. It needs no disturbance for a whole 6 months. In Maharashtra we don’t have much rains so we always suggest farmers to grow custard apple because they can make high profits with not much input. Custard apple is a crop that can fetch you great benefits. This comes from my experience. Whoever has come to us and started cultivating this crop is doing really well.

Are you open to give training to any farmer who approaches you?

Yes, absolutely!

CONTACT : Dr. Navanath Kaspate Company Madhuban Farm and Nursery. NMK Agro Farm Pvt. Ltd. A/P: Gormale, City - Barshi - 413404 State Maharashtra Phone-7350500000 E-Mail nmkaspate@gmail.com

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Mr Ravindhra Prasad

What are your thoughts around farming?

I am an agriculture graduate. I was taught the conventional system of agriculture encourages use of chemicals. It gives you a mindset that pesticides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers are essential to gather a great produce.

By practice and through experience, I have realized how futile it is to follow that system because soil is life. We are also using bio fertilizers, which is bacteria and life. Fertilizers are nothing but salt to the soil. Now, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, etc. are all salts. Salt has a property to kill life by means of dehydration. So when we apply tons and tons of fertilizers there is a huge reserve of salt. This way we are killing soil’s life.

Our first aim should be to rejuvenate the soil and this we can achieve by

Agric ulturist , S.Kota in Viziana garam , Andhra Pradesh

To feed nature natural things and expect the best natural produce in return is what natural farming is all about. For the output to be natural, input should also be the same. Add strategical farming into the frame and you get a sustainable model as well. “My farm is located near S. Kota in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh. It is a farm resembling a valley near a forest. After my graduation in ’82, I secured a barren land, leveled it and cultivated it. Currently, on my farm I have banana, guava, yam and coconut. I practice nature cultivation and so I do not use any chemicals. I used to employ tissue culture at one point in time in about 4 acres of land. That I did without the use of any chemicals. Even that gave me satisfactory yield - around 18 tons per acre.”

applying Jeevamrith to the soil. Using Jeevamrith, we rejuvenate the soil by supplying it with bacteria and giving it life.

This bacteria needs some conditions to flourish in the soil. And so, we should avoid chemical fertilizers and we should use green matter. Also, soil requires ample moisture, air and protection from sun. Hence we should go ahead with mulching and should ensure availability of air and moisture to the soil.

Given these conditions, the life in the soil multiplies and the soil gets fertile. Fertility means the amount of life available in the soil.

This is my thought and it has definitely worked in my favor. Today, inspite of not using fertilizer at all, I am able to get satisfactory results in banana plantation too. When we are able to reduce the cost, even dip in market prices seems bearable.

Even when it comes to plant protection, I use homeopathic methods for cultivation. We should treat the plant’s condition - not the symptom. For example, in Grand Nain, generally we face the problem of Sigatoka leafspot. The world over scientists feel there is inability. It is impossible to control this crop disease.

Sadly, we never seem to see the need to understand the root cause. The primary cause is the plant suffering from the lack of oxidation. The disease prevails in humid/water logged/rainy conditions. It is very similar to an asthmatic condition for the plant. The fungal infection attack is the secondary stage. The fungi infects the already weakened plant. So, we should treat the condition - not the symptom. If we keep treating symptoms, we will never be able to control diseases. We can only control it by aiming to rectify the conditions in which the plant gets weakened.

Is natural farming fetching you profits?

Yes, last year I made an income of 25 lakhs of gross amount from 15 acres of land. I could keep my farming expense to nearly < 10 lakhs. So, I got a surplus of nearly 15 lakhs. We should aim at reducing cost of cultivation to ensure high profits.

For 5 years I used jeevamrith extensively and now I decompose material - Waste decomposer. This keeps my

farming expense to a minimum.

Do you recommend waste decomposition methods to other farmers as well?

Absolutely! The thought that we won’t realize proper yield without fertilizers is a mere myth. I have banana (Karpura Chakkarakeli), for which I reaped my first harvest within 10 months of plantation itself. This was when I was using Jeevamrith. It fetched me very good revenue. The second crop also gave me very good yield. Now, I am about to reap my third harvest.

How do you prepare the waste decompost?

We got culture material from Gaziabad. if you get one bottle, we can multiply it without recurrent purchase. We mix it in 200 litres of water , apply jaggery. Every day we stir in this water mixture and within 5-6 days it is ready for application. Jaggery is the energy source here. Bacteria multiplies rapidly with jaggery.

What is the cost incurred in tissue culture banana vs. the revenue you have been generating?

I reduced the cost of cultivation drastically without applying a single grain of fertilizer. I definitely follow micro-irrigation in my entire 30 acres of land. I cultivated tissue culture banana on raised beds, which provides ample dryness and ventilation. I changed the spacing method to 8X5; i.e., reduced the population from 1400 to 1050; but the yield was superb. The cost I incur is mainly for procuring the seed material. Also, I use only homeo drugs to control pests. The Grand Nain banana is the only variety that faces the boron deficiency issue. That is an issue with the variety not the soil. We supply boron to the soil to control boron deficiency. I applied boron through homeopathy and regulated the deficiency. I also controlled Sigatoka Leaf Spot disease using homeopathy. This disorder occurs during the monsoons, or when the atmosphere is generally moody and cloudy and when the soil is high on water. This is when the Sigatoka Leaf spots multiply. I regulated this condition using homeopathic medicines.

All this also added to my reduction in cost of cultivation by about 50%. I sold the produce at the rate of Rs 15 per kg.

Being in the agricultural sector for a long time now, what are the risks that you have been facing?

Agriculture is a sector that we can’t afford to avoid. Everybody needs food. We should make it profitable and should help farmers survive. We should improve our technology and solve the problems. We should reduce the cost of cultivation. We should have a strategy in place for agriculture. Also, we should go for high-value crops. Banana can fetch upto 15-20 tons per acre. Even at a minimum rate of Rs 10 per kilo one can get 1.5-2 lakhs per acre - raw sales.

On the other hand, with paddy, for instance, you don’t get such yield - you get only 2-3 tons. One ton for around Rs 15000 that would only fetch you around Rs 40,000-50,000. We should be mindful of producing high-value crops. Having a strategy and reducing cost of cultivation is a must.

That way we can move towards building our own market and creating our own brand. That is the way to sustain in the market and make a sizable revenue.

Other than banana, what other crops do you suggest farmers can grow using the natural farming methodology?

I cultivate guava and yam as well. The guava I grow is branded - it is called Guava Sarmenium. The guavas I have cultivated previously known as Allahabad safeda variety was also totally organic, extremely good on flavor and taste as well. I created my own brand here in Vizianagaram The main advantage of ensuring natural farming products is that we can sustain it and be very relevant in competitive markets. I mean we can compete even in markets

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which is saturated with guavas and still make ample profit as well. If the produce has the quality and the identity, we can make revenue even in the worst conditions.

What do you think is the future of Indian farmers?

The government should have a strategy in place. In my opinion, it should have a special wing to work out things that will work in everyone’s favor.

Currently, the scenario is that government considers the agricultural sector to be a burden, which is a wrong approach. The Government should take advantage of the different agro-climatic conditions our country is blessed with and take advantage of a lot of foreign exchange.

We can grow edible oil seeds and manufacture oils here. We can focus on organic cultivation and we realize our export potential with produce like guavas, mangoes, basmati rice, bananas etc. If we shift from conventional cultivation to organic cultivation, there is tremendous opportunities ahead.

Government should map out each and every piece of cultivable land in India and scheme out in which part of India what should be grown in specific seasons and make optimum profits. Not just that, we can stop the import of products like edible oils and become even more self sustainable. But I don’t see enthusiasm for such holistic approach anywhere, at present.

CONTACT M.RAVINDRA PRASAD H.NO.2-114, T.BOWDARA S.KOTA MANDAL. VIZIANAGARAM DT. A.P. MOBILE NO.9441611222. EMAIL : Rpmallina.mrp@gmail.com.