Post written in June 2012 published in July 2013.
Hello Friends,
It has been a while since I have been able to make a post primarily as we were engaged round the clock literally in sourcing and planting on our new model following Natural Agricultural Practices. This meant we had to source open pollinated seeds and plant and fertilize them with Natural Fertilizers and observe and manage pest attacks with Natural Pesticides meaning extracts of leaves and natural substances.
It is only when one sets out to source seeds that one realizes the extent of monopolistic control that the multinational agri business houses have over agriculture in India. Open pollinated seeds are scarce to obtain and only branded hybrid seeds are available and seeds are sold and dispensed from retail shops. Gone are the days when farmers saved seeds from one crop for sowing during the next season as hybrid seeds do not produce seeds which can germinate in the next generation.
Glad to report that we started roll out of our new model from around March after the cool season and now plant a mixture of multiple crops maturing in multiple time frames in each of our farm units. We now plant crops which start maturing from 90 days onwards all the way to five years. The planned design covers short term, medium term and long term crops all grown with very low input costs and with open pollinated seeds collected from many different places in Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and .Maharashtra.
We did have our difficult phases trying to manage diseases with natural and biological means but we believe that our crops have now stabilized and soon should start producing Naturally Grown Fresh Produce which we can offer at prices on par with the market to consumers. We have just started harvesting some shallots which were inter cropped with our bananas and they have turned out fairly well I must say. Shallots mature in sixty days from planting and have to be harvested before the rains which should reach our part of the Country any time now.
Short term crop areas are small now but will be expanded soon and we are planning to make fresh and naturally grown vegetables available directly to consumers from our farms starting about the end of August 2012.We have a larger area now dedicated to an annual crop ie bananas and are also in the process of planting the long term orchard layouts consisting of a mixture of Mangoes and Chikkus along with inter crops and fruit trees like custard apples, pomegranates and so on.
We will be reporting progress more often from now as our model has finally stabilized on a low input multi tier, poly culture which provides a low input cost model with diversification of market price fluctuation risk across multiple produce coming to fruit round the year.
Bye till the next post.
Rajesh
