Consultant

Dr. Nitin Bhore

30 years of experience is expertise from experience and a knowledge base that would go beyond elephant size.

“My childhood including college education was in Pune because my father was an HOD and Principal at the College of Agriculture, Pune. I was always attracted to fruits and vegetables cultivation and so plunged into the agricultural space. We are currently into commercial cultivation of fruits, flowers and vegetables.”

What service do you provide as an agrihorticulture expert and consultant? The important thing is the planning of the entire project. This includes the space you choose to grow the plant; the soil, water and climatic conditions of the place are highly important. The market should specifically be taken into consideration. We plan multiple crops which are in demand and are high-paying cash crops. We try to be different and choose crops that are normally not grown by a bulk of the farmers. Looking into the demand and supply, we give technical advice on cultivation of crops and aid selling it in the domestic and international markets. We also give a total consultancy package on technological inputs, organic farming, use of pesticides, use of highyielding varieties, etc.

Agri Horticulture Expert and Consultant Green Garden

We educate and train the managers and workers who work on our farm. We develop a micro climate on the farm because our target is quality, production, consistent supply, pricing and delivery.

Please give us an example of a process that you have handled. I have executed about 150 projects, till date, across 13 states in our country - Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. On 50 acres of land you can cultivate exclusive exotic vegetables. We have Green Tokri which is also into organic cultivation of exotic vegetables as well as we also have one progressive farmer who is into commercial cultivation of fruits, Indian and exotic vegetables. We grow 40-50 different types of vegetables - Indian and exotic on the same piece of land where the harvesting too happens simultaneously. We grow a lot of fruits like avocado, rose apple, star fruit, guava, pomegranates etc. as well. In Tamil Nadu we have developed P Mitthu lal Lalas and Sons project, which is into processing. They have huge land in Erode where we have done a lot of work on fruits, coconuts and spices.

How do you provide consultancy services? There are two projects: 1. Management of existing projects: We offer professional management services to the farms which are located in India. We take up the existing large-scale farms to increase their production quality, marketing and improve the economic value of the crop. 2. Developing new projects: There are people who come up with new projects as well. Some people want to go into floriculture where we do tube roses, orchids, anthurium, gladiolus, etc. Some come to us with the plan of venturing into exotic fruits. Some say they want their customers to be 5-star and 3-star hotels and flights etc, Chinese restaurants and door delivery. We go for exotic vegetables and regular vegetables as well. For both, we help right from scratch. Since we start from scratch, soil development is very important and so we take about 3 months for soil development where we grow green manure crops and mix different kinds of manures, compost, poultry manure, bio fertilizers, micro nutrients etc. First you have to really take care of the soil, irrigation system, nutrient management,

integrated pest management and then take care of production, quality to bring healthy crops and produce.

Do you cultivate crops or do you only offer consultancy services? We offer consultancy and cultivate crops as well on our own farm. For example, we grow broccoli, iceberg lettuce, cherry tomato, parsley, leeks, zucchini etc on a very large scale. There are 20-25 different types of exotic vegetables and 15-20 different types of fruits that we grow. The thing is that you grow anything in India - brinjal/cucumber/ tomato, etc. - please see that the quality is not tampered with. By quality I mean the fruit quality, color, nutrient value, flavor, shelf life, taste etc. should be top notch. The sensory aspect of the product should be top level. There is then a huge market that opens up for you. We are very particular about all the details right from the quality of the seeds, selection of the variety, growing the seedlings, spacing of the crops, etc. There is nothing that we do haphazardly. We should have a thorough knowledge of the growing stage of crops, what the crop demands at each stage, etc. One has to monitor the entire crop right from the nursery stage till when it is harvested. If these things are taken care of perfectly, then sky is the limit. What are some of the financially attractive horticulture products that you can suggest to the Maharashtra farmers? Every state has 50% poor and 50% good farming. In Maharashtra, the southern and western side of Maharashtra is doing extremely well, whilst there

is a lot of scope for improvement in the eastern side. There are high-yield cash crops; whether it is dry/heavy rainfall climatic conditions, there are crops that can be grown for various climatic factors. Asparagus, edible bamboo shoot is not very much available in the market and it is in great demand. Then, there is passion fruit, star fruit, dragon fruit etc. In flowers there is Marigold, Jasmine, Bird of paradise, helicona etc. When you take banana, most people grow the regular G9 variety, when there is a lot more varieties like the red banana, Elaichi banana, etc that are currently short in the Mumbai market. The choice is enormous. I realized that if I wanted to be healthy, I had to grow my own food. And so, I started terrace farming in Chennai, Pune and Mumbai but even then, I found that all this is not giving me the benefit of healthy living. That is when I decided to move to my native place. How do work towards building awareness among the farmers and the consumers? I conduct many seminars and workshops and give lectures. I take seminars in the urban and super cities. Awareness should be built everywhere. It is not just about eating food. Today when I teach the farmers, I educate them about concept farming because today there are many who suffer from diabetes, cancer, heart issues, paralysis, hypertension, etc. There are so many food materials which doctors prescribe that these people must eat. If you are very particular in growing crops effectively, there are many markets that you can target. You can chan

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nel your produce from your farm to the end consumer. At the farmer level, only 5-10% farmers are doing well and thinking out of the box. The rest of them continue with traditional farming and not ready to listen to scientists or experiment with technology. This is the space I try to bridge out the gap. Today there are crops for which they can get financial assistance and can grow their income. They should chalk out what are the cash crops instead of sticking to the same old sugarcane, bajra, wheat, etc. There are cash crops that render medicinal values for the end consumer. At the urban level, youngsters do not

really know what to eat. Safflower oil is one of the best oils; flax seed is one of the best seed, etc. But they would rather take in chemical tablets. So, at the urban level, they need to be educated about importance of, for instance, 70gms of broccoli which is a preventive against cancer, etc. At the urban level, we educate them about healthy food.

What is your advice to professionals from other walks of life showing interest in the agriculture space? I was working as a General Manager and National Head in Reliance Industries. I would always advice these people to be in touch with ground realities. People from the IT sector look for information on Google. Google will never have a 100% sure shot answer. The internet gives you the basic information. People should be consulting institutions for advice. In India these institutions have done an excellent research work. They need to get in touch with

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the scientists working there and follow their advice. That is the correct path they need to tread to have a successful career in agriculture. For this sector, marketing is not a big issue, it is the phase before it that they should work hard on. They should talk to people like me who have both academic and practical knowledge.

Which vegetable is grown in West

UP and how do you suggest they search for a potential market for any crop? Delhi, Mathura and Agra are nearby areas. So, the market is not an issue when it comes to agriculture. We participate in the International Agricultural Trade Fairs whether it is held in Mumbai/Delhi/Bangalore/Hyderabad, etc. We take a stall and demonstrate all fruits crops and vegetables that we grow on our farm and the services we provide. In 3 days there are approximately, 30,000-300000 people walking into an agriculture exhibition. Marketing effort is taken up by private as well as government organizations. Displaying your products there will fetch you at least 10 people who approach you who may end up dealing with you year-round. I think in UP you can grow broccoli, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, asparagus and have 3-4 harvests in a year and sell it at MP, UP and Delhi markets.

As an agriculture consultant, what are the difficulties you have faced when it comes to selling? To collect data on crops from Agriculture Universities is very difficult. Whenever I have approached these institutions to collect data on fertilizers or water requirement or crop productivity or technological applications, the answer that I always get is that it is in the pipeline. It is difficult to collect the right information - the data which relates to applications. It is frustrating that you have spent the money and time to go there, talk to the scientist, who may not be available or gives very little time, etc. Another difficulty is that in India you have seed companies, fertilizer companies, pesticide companies, etc. but the right seed variety, pesticide or fertilizer is not available to the farmer when he is in need. In exhibitions, you will see many companies displaying their products; but, at the point of need, it may not be available. So, if I am doing a project at Cuttak in Orissa or Jharkhand, I have to take products from Pune. There are many bogus products in the market. By bogus I mean, these products do not perform to the expected levels.

What are some of the requirements for a successful project? The first requirement is to have a knowledgeable person on the farm. All over India, there is a big gap between the old generation farmers and the new generation farmers, who in reality have nil knowledge in agriculture because they have majorly only taken a degree in agriculture with no pragmatic knowledge. The Delhi government recognized agencies have appointed me as an assessor to assess the students for agricultural knowledge for doubling farmers’ income. When we took the interviews, surprisingly, 80% of the people do not work on the farm. With just an agricultural degree, they will opt to become a police inspector, collector, director etc. That means, there is a dearth of farmers, which is an issue. To become a successful agriculturist, it is important to have a knowledgeable person on the farm who takes care of all 17-18 parameters of agriculture. This person must be on the farm, noting down their observations, visit all the exhibitions, collect data - they must have stock of all of that is required by the crop and things must be implemented. This is very easy. It is not complicated. But I am worried how we as a country are going to be in the agricultural path because of this lack of knowledgeable people. For example, in case of rice, there are varieties like basmati or any such rice which is sold at a rate of say Rs 60 to 120 per kg and yet farmers stick to growing the local variety. Local variety may fetch them just Rs 40/kg. The failure is in not diligently selecting your crop. It is not about growing just any crop on your farm. Farmers must grow high-paying crops which will fetch them good returns. When crops give good returns, your family sticks with you or else, your children will sought to venture out into the urban like Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, Australia, etc.

What crops do you recommend? There are two types of crops - crops that can be sold in the fresh form and the other is the ones that can be sold in the processed form. If you can market your produce in the fresh form to the elite class of people directly from your farm is the best form of marketing. Alternatively, you can process your produce on the farm itself and sell it via third party or directly sell it to the end consumer, online. In case of quality chilly and turmeric, for example is really not available in the market. If you grow residue-free varieties of turmeric and chilly, you can have a small unit on your farm wherein you process these produces into chilli powder and turmeric powder and sell it to the end consumer. You can specify the details of what your produce contains and how it stands unique to the ones available in the market. You can sell your products to any metro in the country. For crop examples, people can approach me directly for a discussion. For example, in case of banana - there are three types - raw banana, red banana, elaichi banana. People can opt to process banana into banana chips as well. If you

visit Mysore CFTRI, you will realise that you can have 10 different varieties of banana chips - pudina, black pepper, tomato, cheese, manchurian, etc. There are so many things to explore. We prepare asparagus soup and process soya sauce, tomato ketchup, tomato puree, juice, etc. Today the market is full of processed products. There is a huge demand for good quality ready-toeat products. Farmers should explore and catch upto concepts that are in demand such as these. Instead of selling peanuts in the market at throw away prices, they can consider processing them into peanut butter/chocolate peanut butter/cheese peanut butter. There is an Annapurna Exhibition in India, where I have seen drumstick powder with which one can directly prepare drumstick soup. This is a very good product which is not widely available in the market. Then there is bitter gourd/ bottle gourd powders. These products have a huge domestic and international market demand. Farmers, hence, need to select crops and think how they need to sell it such that they make a good profit out of it.

Please tell us about the three-tier cropping system. To adopt the three-tier cropping system, one must know the crop’s duration, spread and geometry. In a threetier cropping system, one tier can be red radish/beetroot/carrot/radish/asparagus. In between you can grow basil as a cash crop which is sold at the rate of Rs 75 a kg and in between this you can grow cucurbitaceous crop as well. If you take this as an example, red radish gets harvested in about 40 days, iceberg lettuce also gets harvested at an interval of 45 - 50 days and basil starts getting harvested in about 5 months from the day it has been planted. Alternatively, I would suggest making a pandal to grow bitter gourd and grow iceberg lettuce or broccoli in between. Iceberg lettuce and broccoli requires very moderate climatic conditions and bitter gourd gives you a yield of 8 - 10 tons per acre, while iceberg lettuce gives 5-6 tons per acre and broccoli’s yield is about 4 tons per acre. The average price of broccoli is Rs 60 per kg, which in this case, amounts to Rs 2,40,000/-. Iceberg lettuce will fetch you 2 - 2.5 lakhs and bitter gourd will fetch you about 3lakhs. So, from the same piece of land you are making a total of about 7.5-10lakhs per acre from one single crop. If you really develop the skills, knowledge and technique, I think it is possible for one to adapt to the three-tier system and churn bigger profits. By now we realised that we are a creative marketing organisation with green hands. That was perhaps our only missing link from the rural ecosystem. Our packets clearly state that we are into residue free farming and we intend for certified organic. Any end consumer is empowered to come and audit our farming process. They are welcome to stay in the homes of these farmers and pay what you like. Any last piece of advice before we close? I would always say that the most important thing is to get into groups and get some NGOs to work with you so that issues can be sorted. It is good to have a scientist whom the group can reach out to when there is a need. What has happened in the recent times is that all over India, farmer’s children go stay in Mumbai, Australia, America, Dubai and Delhi and forget their villages and native places. These talented work as doctors, businessmen and are working in MNCs. Ideally, they can start a small unit wherever they are, employ a few people and start sourcing products from Kerala and Karnataka, India. In Dakshin Kannada, they grow pineapples and areca nuts, cocoa and so many other cash crops. I do not understand why these people living in the urban interact and start a

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small business in India which will benefit village farmers as well. I am doing this now. If I go to villages and work towards uplifting farmers; I ask how many people have migrated from the place and check for their post and positions they hold today. Once I get this information, I talk to these migrated people and query what they are doing

for their village? We should be responsible as a community. There are lot of MBA colleges across India. In these colleges there are students who are learning marketing, HR, etc. I teach BSc, MSc, MBA, Ph D Food Science and Technology students from Pune University from Symbiosis, MIT, etc. Without pay, I get a lot of students who come to these farms on a project. I assign many projects to them. I make them do market research on the product, its reach and its capacity to churn money, etc. These things can be achieved by paying them a stipend. You can use that data to foresee how you can do better in a variety of spaces. To get innovative results, we need to think innovatively. These youngsters are also in need of pocket money. It is a win-win situation. This is the way I work. This way we can bring a lot of land under cultivation because many more hands will get involved in the agricultural sector.

CONTACT - Mr. Nitin D Bhore, Green Garden Senapati Bapat Marg Pune - 411016, Maharashtra Phone-9822604275, Email-bhorenitin@rediffmail.com Whatsapp # 09421913040

Ms. Kalpana Manivannan Urban Farmer

Kalpavriksha Farms

During months of surplus, we pledge to buy organic produce and when our pockets run short we dismiss such thoughts and resolve to wash our fruits and vegetables well.

Let’s talk consistency. How about growing your own food? Faster than that thought pours down all possible excuses on why we couldn’t rather than why not?

Meet Ms. Kalpana Manivannan, an urban farmer from Chennai, who gave more weightage to the why not and is now going head on to cut any traces of chemicals that may enter her household.

“I grow all my vegetables and whatever I need on my farm and live a farm to table lifestyle. I am more of a weekend farmer owing to the fact that I reside in the city. Having said that, my farm is just 45 mins away and so I travel to my farm whenever

I want to or need to.”

Kalpana lives her life to keep being inspired to do more and also to inspire. Besides being an urban farmer, Kalpana does so much more.

“I also teach farming at schools and conduct workshops aiming at people to understand a chemical-free lifestyle - essentially helping people eliminate all chemical usages from their homes. Being an urban farmer, I try encouraging food safety and advantages of organic farming so that we understand how chemical farming rips us off good food and resources. ”

A sustainability coach, a social entrepreneur, an aspiring homesteader, a blogger, a home chef – is Ms Kalpana Manivannan

What nudged you into this line of profession without an agriculture background? Sometimes things get personal. It comes down to understand what kind of food we consume. Though, for a very long time I have been trying to procure organic produce for my family, I have realized that the word organic also has been abused. We are not living a dream? Everything starts with a dream, does it not? ing and what I was feeding my family. That was my turning point to begin organic farming. What crops do you cultivate on your farm? I cultivate all kinds of seasonal and local vegetables. I grow whatever we can grow in the given climatic conditions of Chennai and, locally and whatever it is that best grows in the soil on my piece of land. very sure how organic is the organic produce we procure. I grow around 60-70 types of vegetables on my farm, We hardly know about the produce’s life cycle. At some which is not even the whole of my half acre. Besides the point, I got rather concerned about what we were consumvegetables section, I also grow a lot of fruit trees. I have

some the native mangoes,guavas, papaya, 25 coconut trees etc. So, all my coconut needs are met by my farm including the coconut oil I process from my produce. I get it done at a wood-press place I know.

I believe in making my things myself instead of buying it from the stores because there are a lot of things I began questioning after I gathered interest in organic farming. I make my own soaps, body butters etc too. I bake my own bread, make my jams, sauces, pastas etc. The coconut oil that I process from my coconut trees is used for my cooking and for my soap making as well.

I am also a social entrepreneur catering to made-to-order business. Whoever approaches me personally, I supply skincare products that I make.

Is the produce from your farm used only for your consumption or do you sell them too?

Whenever there is an excess produce of crops, I give it away to my neighbors - there are a certain group of people who are very interested in my farm produce. I was previously into a full-time job but I have quit and am focused completely on this. Right now, I am focused around living a self-sustainable life.

I am not looking forward to becoming a supplier. In fact, I aim at teaching and encouraging people to grow their own produce. People do ask me if I can sell the home-made cleaners etc that I make.

But I keep reverting offering to teach them to make it themselves. Whether it is gardening or making things to switch to a natural living, I would rather teach people that skill than adorning the role of a supplier.

Through my journey, I would like to showcase how people can live the life of a producer and be as self sustainable as possible. In fact, you don’t even need to own a piece of land. You can do it on your terrace or balcony or any small space that you may have.

What is the minimum requirements to start one’s own small vegetable garden and how did you prepare yours?

I have attended couple of workshops initially because I do not have an agricultural background. When I started growing, I started learning much in depth and I realise now that once we start we begin doing things that work for us, rather than following a set template.

When I procured the land that I have, it wasn’t actually employed for cultivation in a long time. Also, we cannot be sure what kind of treatment the soil was subjected to earlier. So, I had to start from making the ground fertile.

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I have strong faith in soil. I believe that if you invest time and effort into making soil fertile, everything else is taken care of. Everything grows beautifully in good soil and the plant that grows in such soil is capable of fighting its own evils.

Also, it is highly essential that one spends time in ensuring soil fertility because if we were to plunge into sowing etc and that gets to be a failure, the encouragement and drive to do these things gets thrown out of the window.

The first thing I did to prepare the soil was sowed it with urad dal. All lentils are nitrogen fixers. So, I tilled the small area that I was planning on cultivating to loosen the soil and I scattered some organic urad seeds, watered it and let it grow for around 3 months. At the end of 2.5-3 months, the seeds began sprouting. Once that happened, I harvested a few of the pods, post which I tilled the rest of the plant and roots back into the soil. That was my first step. I didn’t add any manure of anything to my soil. Of course, the first produce wasn’t great. From the 1 kg urad dal seeds I sowed, I probably would have received 1 kg of ural dal in return. But the intention then was not the harvest, it was the fertility of the land. I understand that the roots of

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lentils is what fixes the nitrogen in the soil.

Then I moved to the second step of fertilizing the soil. This took at least 30-40 days. The three most important things for a good soil is: 1. The Physical component of the soil - Soil should be well aerated. 2. The Biological component of the soil - It should be rich in microbes, earth worms etc. Their presence tells you if your soil is alive or not. 3. The Chemical component of the soil - is the soil mineral richness. This ensures that the soil can support plant growth.

To make sure all this was facilitated, I tried a raised garden method. I did rows of raise garden so that I could have patches for different crops. I procured some sugar cane waste - you need a dry plant waste; so the sugar cane should be well dried so that it doesn’t attract ants. Choose components that are available in your vicinity. You can even use dry leaves or grass, hay etc.. Another thing you need is cow dung manure or an equivalent. It can be any animal waste. The third is the garden soil - the soil that you are planning to grow your crops in.

I layered these components - a thin layer of sugar cane waste under a thin layer of cow dung manure under a thin layer of garden soil. Repeat this three times.

The reason for the above steps is: 1. The cow dung manure attracts a lot of earthworms in the soil. 2. The worms need something to eat in order to thrive and that is where the dry leaves and dry waste comes to use. 3. These earthworms decompose the leaves. When this decomposition happens your soil is getting recharged.

Remember, compost and manure, when it is in the process of conversion generates a lot of heat. So, use the manure only when it is all done and the heat is all dissipated.

Now, leave this raised bed for 30-40 days untouched for nature to take its course. If you take some time to prepare your land then you are set for life and in a sense your garden gets automated for future. The misconception that agriculture doesn’t reap benefits arises from human beings’ impatience - our need to see instant results without any preparation.

Of course, you need to fertilize your soil after every crop because each crop will take minerals from the soil. But that is like a top up. Add some manure every other season.

How do you manage the pest issues?

Coming to pests, I was very particular not to use any kind of chemicals. So, there are a few things that I did. Once I prepare the land, I grew castor on the periphery of my farm. Castor is a plant that generates castor oil seeds and these are natural pest controllers. The pest naturally attacks the castor rather than your core crop. I think that is the logic behind the castor. So, every 7 ft in the peripheral area, I have castor plants. I also planted sesbania grandiflora - a smallsized tree, which is a crop that is absolutely healthy and is fed to the cows for its highly nutritious greens. This is also planted in the peripheral area. Another thing I did was intercropping and used natural pest control methods. In between the vegetable crops we also sowed marigold, tulsi, and such flowers and herbs which are all biological pest control methods. These flowering plants masks the smell of the vegetables and confuses the pests thereby protecting the plants from the pests. Some plants also attract these pests towards them, thereby helping the crops. Also, natural pollination happens on your farm. Hence, your farm attracts butterflies. With the coming of butterflies, your vegetable flowers also get pollinated.

Now, bear in mind, that these being natural methods, is not a 100% preventive. It reduces the pests. So, apart from all this we may need to do a little bit of pest control. So, there are two things I religiously followed: 1. The 3G spray - This is also

called the agni astra. It consists of garlic, green chilly and ginger. You can prepare this by yourself. Take all three components in equal proportions, grind it and filter it - dilute it in water in the ratio 1:30 and spray your plants. And the filtered pulp can of course go into your composting unit. This spray being highly pungent and strong. and so deters the pests and can be used as a prevention and cure. 2. Another thing that I use is neem-oil emulsion. It is highly common with agriculturists. You need to use a few drops of this emulsion with soap. Instead of using the detergent, I use the soap nut solution. I add the soap nut solution to emulsify the oil, dilute it to about 500 times with water and shake well before spraying it on your plants. That is again very effective in controlling the pests.

What core gardening advice would you like to give our readers?

Starting a small garden is an answer to a lot of questions. As a community we are all turning into a consumer-oriented society, which is the gateway for a lot of adulterated produce. Once you start a garden, a lot of issues that we face today get sorted.

But there are a few things to keep in mind. 1. When you start - start small. 2. Start with seasonal and local variety crops rather than exotic plant variety. Once you succeed with simple local crops, build your farm gradually.

What are some of the challenges you have faced?

For me, the biggest issue was the commute to my farm and me not being in the vicinity posed some problems which I had to figure out. Pests were also not of a major concern because I was prepared for it. I wanted my eco-system to be natural and so that includes pests as well. It is all part of the natural cycle. Another important thing for me was succession planting. For instance, you grow tomatoes and by the time you are ready to harvest the crop, you should have the next batch of tomato plantation ready. That is how you can make sure you get produce from your land through out the year. So, planning is very crucial. And that took time for me to figure out. I do seed harvesting from my earlier crop so that I do not have to keep

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buying seeds.

So, seed saving is of equal importance. So, in terms of succession cropping, I will have a batch of seeds that is just sown, another batch will be almost ready to flower and then there will be a third batch which will be in the fruiting stages. So, that way when you harvest the fruiting batch, I will have a next batch which will reach the fruiting stage. So, that continuity should be met. So, you need to be careful to sow the seeds at the right time to keep up this balance.

So, plan your garden farming as per your family’s needs.

CONTACT – Ms.Kalpana Manivannan Founder & CEO Kalpavriksha Farms Chennai-600119 Tamil Nadu Phone - 9789867598 Email - kalpana@kalpavrikshafarms.com

Terrace Farmer

M s . U sha

P i nn ama r a j u N utritionist & T errace Farmer

What types of plants do people usually grow?

Most women are more into floral plants, bonsai, etc. With these constant workshops and with the rising concept of grow your own food, more people are adding leafy and other vegetables to their cultivation list.

A dietician by profession who cared to give her profession an edge by not just prescribing what food is good for one’s health but also to show them how to grow their own food. Ms. Usha has beem working as a consultant dietician, the first of her kind, across Vishakapatanam, for the last 27 years. “Initially I started catering to the needs of the diabetic children in and around Vishakapatnam in terms of raising funds and providing insulin, etc. for the lower socio economic belt. After that, I have moved on to providing proper food at our house for families by growing vegetables.” Usha began growing leafy vegetables and gradually moved on to others as well. Today, she even has fruits on her farm. Later on, a public demand began stirring in asking her for tips to build terrace gardens. “I have associated myself with a software company and as part of their CSR program, I conduct a lot of workshops in and around Vishakapatnam about composting, urban gardening, segregation of waste etc. I have had Greater Vishakapatanam Municipal Corporation approaching me to do videos on composting, etc. These videos are distributed widely across Vishakapatanam as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign.” Besides all this, Ms Usha, along with a bunch of like-minded friends opened a venture called Rythu Mithra Foundation to help people establish their own kitchen/balcony/terrace gardens. “We train people by conducting workshops etc. and teach them how to go about it and give them saplings, seeds, etc.” Do people usually grow vegetables for themselves or is there a tendency to cultivate and sell the produce as well?

The weather at Vishakapatanam is quite tricky and it is tough to manage individual gardens itself. The humidity is really high during summer. Even for me, I have noticed that from July to Feb-March, we get good produce from our terrace garden. During other times, April - June it is scorching heat and so it is tough for your garden to flourish. Few people manage it by using shade nets. I don’t like using shade nets because it stops the flow of birds that come into my garden.

What would the approximate cost be for setting up an approximate 800 sq feet terrace garden?

I follow a low-cost model. I try to get people to replicate my model because most of us are always cost-sensitive when we try doing things for the first time. I use a lot of reusable plastic containers which are usually thrown into dump yards. We can make best use of it - saves the environment and our money. I procure material, for instance 20 litre water cans, from different sources. After a few months of use, these cans cannot be reused for water storage. 10 litre is a good size for tomatoes, brinjal etc. I make good use of anything that can hold soil to grow something in it. I have only employed structures for the creeper plants. Those are outline structure of iron rods which can be placed all around the terrace for creepers. But I use only reusable containers. So, for this iron set up it had cost me Rs 20,000/-. Also, gardens are best started slowly with few plants and then it should be gradually expanded. You can expand as and when you have the confidence. Initially if you do not have the experience of growing vegetables, it would be hard to face certain realities. Last Sept - Oct we had heavy rains due to which harvest was very poor. So, it is best to start small with around 5-10 pots - understand

plants, boost your confidence level and work upwards. Right now I have around 200 pots on my terrace. Again, investment is a personal choices. If people plan to start the garden only to complete their own household needs, then their investment will be a few 1000s. It will be slightly lower if they choose to use reusable containers. If they are planning to do it on a large scale, then sky is the limit. It purely depends on the capacity of the investor/planter.

What do you do for soil enrichment? I add compost which I make at home - like vermi-composting and aerobic composting. I also sometimes source cow dung manure from elsewhere. Also, you should have the right potting soil that needs to be mixed into your pot. It should be one portion of soil, one portion of compost and one portion of cocoa peat. Sometimes we may have to increase the cocoa peat content or add little river soil to grow root vegetables.

Do you keep changing the soil time and again?

My soil has been the same since 15 years. I keep adding the manure, compost and cocoa peat; i.e. every time I do re potting the same soil is used but we nourish it.

How do you go about aiding someone, who approaches you, to build a terrace garden of their own?

I always advise to start with leafy vegetables, for which I supply them with seeds and maybe a small pot of pudina if they want. So, the idea is that they start enjoying the process, relish in small successes and then venture forward.

What are the difficulties that you have overcome in the process of all these ventures?

I started with florals initially, wherein I encountered a lot of pest issues like bugs on the hibiscus etc. At that time, I used to employ some pesticides. But

once I moved to the vegetable space, I completely eliminated the use of pesticides. Now, I grow everything naturally, Honestly, I don’t interfere much except for regular watering and other amendments like liquid nutrition that the plants may require like Jeevamrutham or compost etc. I see natural sources like ladybirds etc that help me in pest management. But, I know that first timers are bound to face a lot of pest issues mainly because their soil may not be ready. If the nutritional level of the soil is good, the crops are bound to take care of itself.

What type of soil is best suited for terrace garden cultivation?

In Vishakapatanam, we get red soil which is suitable for most plants. I believe that red soil is the best as much I know. I have experienced black soil at my native place as well. I find red soil at Vishakapatanam perfect for growing vegetables, fruits and any other crop for that matter. Black soil tends to get very soggy and gets compact. That is my observation about the soil that I have had since childhood. I can’t vouch much for other places.

Do you sell your produce as well?

No, I don’t get enough produce to sell. I have enough to feed my household. Now, for instance some plants like tomatoes i harvest in surplus, at times. In those instance, I distribute it to the neighbours, watchman etc.

Do you have plans to expand?

I began terrace gardening out of passion. But besides that I love promoting terrace gardening itself. Ultimately we are what we eat. So, the buying part needs to stop and as a race we should look ahead to being self sustainable. We promote lot of urban gardening. We urge people to start with 4 pots and 4 leafy vegetables and feel the difference. Even while cooking you feel the difference when you have them literally garden fresh and devoid of pesticides. It is all about making a start. All of us can do it.

Terrace Farmer

How effective a garden can people with balconies without much sunshine achieve?

Leafy vegetables can be grown under such conditions as well. But brinjal, tomatoes, gourds etc.requires at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. For effective balcony gardening you should have a garden that welcomes a lot of sunlight.

Did you undergo any training before you started with your terrace gardening?

No, my terrace garden is a result of absolute trial and error.I spend at least 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening approximately on my terrace garden.

What do you suggest to people who are new to terrace gardening?

The right tips for starting a terrace garden is to be meticulous with soilcompost-cocoa peat proportions. Also sowing of seeds should be followed with sufficient time for the seeds to germinate. Water the plants regularly as per climatic conditions. Be careful not to over water it.

Read full interview @ https://bit. ly/303GEPD

CONTACT - Ms.Usha Pinnamaraju, Visakhapatnam E-Mail: ushapraju@gmail.com

Residue-free farming

Mr Navdeep Golecha Natura Farms

Some people make the right decisions and some take decisions and make it right.

Mr. Navdeep Golecha, topped his university level examinations in the UK, secured a job at Royal Bank of Scotland and a few weeks later decided to get back to India. To make his decision right, one would think he would slip into his family’s real estate business. But, his research landed him in a space alien to him and his family.

“I was just checking how our business functions etc. In due course, I found this 150 acre idle piece of land in our portfolio. I came back with the intention of doing something on my own. So, I thought I would develop this

piece of land into a resort because it was strategically at a very good location for tourism.

Initially, I divided the land with the idea of developing 50 acres of it into self-maintained resorts wherein you can buy a 1 acre of land. I reserved the rest of the 100-acres for farming. Hence, whatever revenue coming in from the farming activities could be utilized for the resorts.

My family being in the real estate business, construction wasn’t an issue for us. But developing farms was an issue because we hardly had any idea about farming. So, I decided to tackle the farming part first. When I ventured into agriculture to develop the 100 acre land, I realised how unorganized this sector is in India. No one knows anything much and there are many who are bent on cheating you at every step you take. I had people selling me the same variety plants for Rs 30 and Rs 300 as well. My research showed about 70% of India’s population is directly or indirectly connected to agriculture. The Indian Government pumps in thousands of crores every year into this sector but even then the image of farmers of the country is always poor. That is when I sensed there is a huge gap somewhere and I decided to explore opportunities. That is how I plunged into agriculture. It has only been a four and a half year stint so far.”

Did you undergo any kind of training initially? After doing some survey, we decided on planting pomegranates. Discussions with some scientists and researchers enlightened me that a thorough 1-2 years of research is a must before I take the plunge. The problem with horticulture plants is that the harvest takes 2 years for pomegranate. So, it looked like I had to research for two years and then after that again wait another couple of years, before I start seeing results. So, I decided to hire the best consultants available in the country and under their guidance I created my plantation. The two years prior to my harvest, I made sure I got trained under this consultant. That is how I saved my time and I got trained as well.

What challenges did you face in the initial stages? I had a lot many challenges. The biggest problem I had at that point in time was my degree. I did MSc in Financial Economics, topped my University and secured a scholarship as well. Hence, my move to agriculture attracted a lot of criticism. People couldn’t understand why I had to leave all that and plunge into farming. So, at one point in time criticism shadowed me everywhere. Gradually, with the results beginning to surface, I started attracting appreciation. Last year, I secured the Mahindra Samridhi Award for my pomegranate plantation.

How big is your farm? The total land area is 150 acres; I grow pomegranate, papaya, lemon, drumsticks and custard apple in 40 acres currently with 12 people employed on this 40-acre farm. I wanted to make sure that if I ventured into agriculture, I wanted to do it differently. Whatever possible technology we have available for agriculture, I have tried using them; it is a modern farm.

Is residue-free farming the same as organic farming? No, there is a big difference. People are often confused about it. Residue-free means that even if I do use any kind of chemical sprays over my fruits or chem

Residue-free farming

ical fertilizers in my trees, there will be no chemical effect on the fruit. No matter what I use, when I harvest the fruit, there will be no chemicals on the fruit. That is why it is called residue free. In organic farming, no chemicals are used. My custard apple, lemon , drumsticks and papaya are 100% organic. But, my pomegranate plantation does employ some chemicals; but they do not have any harmful effect on the fruit.

Does residue-free farming attract higher prices for your produce in the market? Oh yes, it does - 100%. You get at least 30-50% extra revenue. Residue-free farming is a very popular concept. If you want to export your fruit to the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc. you have to secure the residue-free certification.

How would you advice someone wanting to venture into something similar and is new to the field? Agriculture is a space wherein if you want to be successful, you will need to step out of your comfort zone. So, you can’t expect to achieve results at the click of a button or manage things sitting indoors. You must be ready to work under the scorching heat of perhaps 50 degrees or 5 degrees of cold weather. There will be lots of physical challenges and many a times you may get disappointed because of unexpected weather/ market conditions. But, the drive that will pull against all odds is the passion that you nurture. There may be 1000 pit stops where you will feel may be it is worth quitting. So, if you lack the passion, you are bound to quit. So, venture into it only if you are 100% sure. I would also advice people venturing newly, to work at an existing farm for a few weeks to understand if you like the process or not before investing anything into agriculture. I do believe that agriculture has the maximum scope in India till date. It is the best business opportunity available provided it is done in the right manner.

When I approached a consultant in the beginning, the first question asked was if I would be able to manage a paradigm shift in my lifestyle as a result of agriculture. Agriculture is a very different space. If you are associated with the corporate or

Residue-free farming

business world, this world is totally in contrast. So, gaining clarity before you take the plunge is highly recommended. Sometimes things look very fascinating when we are at a distance from it; but that thought perhaps may wear off when you get hands-on. Nothing in this world is easy but farming is tougher.

For about 1 acre of land, what would be the minimum investment? That depends on the crop that gets chosen. For example, when I started, this plot which I have cultivated now was a thick jungle of babool, also known as acacia. It was a place where you couldn’t even take a walk in. There was no shelter or fencing and so I had to start from scratch - clearing and leveling the land, fencing, electric connections, labour quarters, storage rooms, warehouses, tube wells, motors, mulching paper, drip irrigation facilities, farm pond etc. Then, comes the plant, taking care of it, tractors and such equipment. Everything put together it costed me around Rs 650-Rs700 per plant. I always do my revenue and costing per plant basis so that I have an exact account of how the inflow and outflow fares.

What about your farm profit? Profit is something you can think about after 2 years. The cost I mentioned about was the set up cost. After setting it up, you will also need to maintain it for the number of years before which you will see a harvest. For the years before my harvest, the cost came up to about Rs 250-Rs300 per plant. After 2 years, when you get your first harvest, it will be between 8-10 kg. The prices for these fruits are very random. Talking about the recent past, people were selling pomegranates at the rate of Rs 30-35 per kg. In about 2 weeks after that the prices shot up to Rs 60/- per kg. So, profits depend on market prices and the quality of your produce. Nevertheless, I always vouch for farmers creating their own market. If you have good quality fruits, profits will pave their way to you.

Are there any Government support that people can avail of? Yes, I have taken a 40% subsidy from the National Horticulture Board for my pomegranate. For all the other crops, I am availing State Government subsidies. We always keep improving. In December, we have this person who comes from Israel and stays with us for 3 months. He helps us in improving our field and farm practices. If not we will only be left with limited knowledge.

At any point in time, did you regret taking the decision to come back to India for good? Not at all. To be honest, my family and I believes that we should do what you love. If you don’t like it just leave it. I am not here for any hidden commercial motive, I am here because of passion. I see this as contributing to the social and economic welfare of farmers as well. That is what I am focusing on.

Do other planters seek your help? I get a lot of calls. My phone starts ringing from 7:00 a.m. I

don’t say no to anyone. I am 100% for helping if anyone needs a hand and I do it free of cost. I have learned all that I know from the farming community and it is my duty to pay back. So, my farm is open to anyone and I am open to answering any kind of questions that one may have. Ours is the first farm in Rajasthan that is approved by APEDA.

What core gardening advice would you like to give our readers? Follow Advisroy. Avoid Chemicals and if you have to use them, use them wisely. Don’t over do it. Visit Farms as much as you can, because only farmers have years of practical knowledge. Another thing that I use is neem-oil emulsion. It is highly common with agriculturists. You need to use a few drops of this emulsion with soap. Instead of using the detergent, I use the soap nut solution. I add the soap nut solution to emulsify the oil and 1 litre of water to this and shake well before spraying it on your plants. That is again very effective in controlling the pests. To what extent would you be able to help farmers? I would say, like a consultancy - I can clear whatever doubt they may have; I can connect them to the right people if they want to buy quality plants, seeds, fertilizers etc.

How did you manage to run this farm without any agricultural background? For the first two years I was only focused on learning from the consultant that I had entrusted my farm with. To be honest, whatever we learn in college or school is hardly used in practical life. But, studying trains you to grasp new concepts quicker and in depth. Albeit I did my M.Sc in Financial Economics, I was able to grasp agricultural concepts and understand things real quick. With that, if you have the passion for the work driving you then nothing can stop you. This is true for any job.

How do you market your produce? I have a different path for every fruit. I have a yearly contract

for papaya. That way the market prices of papaya doesn’t matter to me for they are fixed at Rs. 10/kg. As per economics per acreage it is the most profitable crop. For pomegranate you have multiple options. I sell it to Big Bazaar, Reliance Fresh and to exporters as well. I havent ventured into direct exports yet. So, people come to my farm and buy produce from there itself. I do not wish to get into retail sales because my everyday harvest is too much. When I begin harvesting my pomegranate it amounts to 12-15 tones a day, which is too much for detail to manage.

How can people reach out to you to get trained under you? That is my future plan. Currently, I can be contacted over the phone. I am on social media as well - my farming page is Natura Farms India. So, I can be, at present, contacted over email, phone or chat. I am open to people setting up time with me and come over to my farm, in Rajasthan, as well.

With all the dynamics changing so quickly, like drones to spray fertilizers etc. how do we keep up? Yes, technology has gotten things to be very dynamic. Having said that, everything seems very jazzy on the outside. But it is highly different when you are on the ground and doing things hands on. Drones are good for agriculture crops but they are not advisable for horticulture crops because drones can only spray from above; they do not have the facility of going into the tree or spraying sideways. For horticulture, we use power sprayers. Likewise for every crop there is a different best practice to follow. So, in all the dynamics, one should be able to cope up.

Do you have plans to extend beyond the crops that you cultivate now? In the long term we plan on developing an agriculture tourism center. At that time, I will be introducing a lot of activities. But, I do not plan to start a dairy farm with, for instance, 5-10 cows. I have to start with about 50-100 cows. Thanks to the acreage, I can have everything in house - the doctor, cold

Residue-free farming

storage etc. Also, I am not very stringent about my plans. If I have a better plan in the next two years, I may tweak it. One must be sensitive to the dynamic world and should be agile to adapt smartly. Rigidity cannot be a must.

Is your farming activity financially viable? Oh yes, absolutely! I am not for sticking on to something that would reap only losses. Again, that is another reason for not being rigid; if you try a crop and you see that it ends in losses for you - move on. But, it is highly important to understand when to quit. Quitting after seeing one year of losses may be a foolish thing to do because talking in industrial language, we should ideally wait for a 1000 days. This is the same for agriculture. One month or one or two years is too soon to tell. It takes more time than that.

Any last piece of advice for our readers? Travel! Travel to different farms, meet different people and learn new ideas; understand how differently people do things, read blogs etc. It is highly important not to be a frog in a well. We should keep abreast of what is happening in the industry we work in. Collaboration is highly important. The person who comes from Israel and stays with us once a year, teaches us techniques which we would never even think of otherwise. These things makes our lives and work so much more easier. So, keep exploration of the industry as a mandate. The world is moving very fast.

CONTACT Mr Navdeep Golecha Natura Farms NH14, opposite Reliance Petrol Pump, Palri M, Rajasthan 307043 Tel : 7742222229 Email : Navdeep@adeshwar.org

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