Mr. Pradyumna Sumant Athalye, Farmer and Professional Agricultural Consultant, Badlapur, Maharashtra, explains how to set up mango and cashew organic farming.
We, initially to start with, need to identify where we want to start, identify the market where we want to sell as the market is very much dependent on supply of fresh fruits, frozen fruit, processed fruits, and other products related to food. If we can fix the market, local or community market, Agri produce market, friends circle market, or any platform market like NGO, foundation, and other private market or mandis, we can start. In Konkan, though many places are hilly, farmers are still growing organic mango. We can have two plans for mango cultivation – one is to prepare early in December and the other one is to prepare in March. In the first plan, we can do the harvest from January or February. The fruits will get very good price, and in the second plan, the fruits are ready for harvest by April second week. At that time the market settles for specific mango fruits. In regular market, the cost shows upward and downward trend, while the organic market has no such fluctuation. If we want to take advantage of December season with flowering in November and December, the fruit will be available in February. It is difficult to harvest in February. In natural way, the land gets ready to produce flowers in December or January because the season for mango start in winter season. Very good winter season will produce good quantity of flowers in mango plant. With good rain, pure air, soil, and water, the circle starts from summer and ends in summer. So when we go organic, we need to think which market we look for.
When we go for second plan, the organic farming will get the produce for the market in the natural method. We have to think about natural conditions, plants environment, and many such things. When we produce organic way, market is the top one to consider, then availability of fruits for which we have to follow punctual practice. We have almost 8 months to practice mango farming. Monsoon starts in June, July has heavy rainfall, and in August, it settles down. So we have to start mango practices such as foliar and drenching. We have to take care of problems like water stagnation, labour issues, and others. We need to calculate the calendar for mango treatment. If not possible in August, at least from September we should start. We have to start spraying for fungicide and pesticide. But we have to start it early if we have to do organic way of farming. Mango is a seasonal fruit, and people are ready to buy it irrespective of the cost. The right season to harvest is April. We have to find out if the market will buy from us during the season.
It is easy to plant in hilly regions because the area will get sun light all through the day and make the plant healthy, proper photosynthesis period, and prevent pests and diseases. We can know about the distance for the plants from the universities locally, the grid, which variety to plant to suit the location etc. We can expect fruits from the fourth year onwards. If we do high density or ultra-high density plantation, or regular grid plantation, we can get good yield. We can use raw salt which is available in plenty in all places and spray the same on the open field. Salt goes deep into the earth, sucks energy from the air, and dilutes the soil. it works as the mediator for the land. It treats the soil easily. If we do not want to use salt, we can use ash that is easily available, especially home made ash. At the time of plantation or after plantation we can do the broadcasting every 15 days. Or we can use farm yard manure or natural compost or organic compost fortnightly. The compost will maximise the bacterial content in the soil and enrich it with nutrients. We can do this as per the location. We can manufacture compost in our farm using bacteria culture from Kissan centres, universities, or agriculture stores. We can get Jeevamruth and other bacteria culture. We can also use buttermilk which serves as good fungicide. We can also use cow urine for good culture. We may need 15 kg per one acre to maximise microbes and bacteria. For plantation purpose, we may need some extra fertiliser and compost as per doses suggested by universities and experts. We have to follow the protocol, and this will help us. After 15 days, we can start foliar spray on mango plant which is ready to produce.
WE can use turmeric powder which is a very good fungicide every 2 weeks. We should know that sun gives food for the plants, and moonlight helps the plants to grow. We can implement this technique in natural farming and organic farming. We can use Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Pseudomonas and others to spray on the plants. We can produce the natural ones in our kitchen itself which will save time, effort, and money. We can also use fresh lemon juice in flowering conditions to get good results. This is because of the natural content in lemon juice which is highly rated and is a tonic base for the flowers. Turmeric powder, cow dung ash, and neem are insecticides too.
Farmers have to maintain our patience to get flowers, market, and soil is the media, and farmers are media based farmers. We cannot easily shift into soilless media. Plant life for mango is almost 30 to 40 years and productive plant. Cashew plant also has the same plant life. After 50 years, the plant will produce or generate some special flavours and taste. In organic and natural way, we can easily produce mango because it is not a tough task. Natural and organic farming are practices that nature helps, and so we need to be patient.
Cashew plant is a highly reliable cash crop. Maharashtra and Konkan region are growing cashew which is easy to grow and take care because the cultivation cost is very low compared to mango. Harvesting is easy, but collection of cashew seeds is tough. Theft is another problem with regard to cashews. Every year we can get the fruits. Since it is a sustainable crop, we can get produce every year. But the cashew is a sensitive crop as the season is a little earlier than mango. It starts from November and December and ends around March or April. If we get rain in February, cashew starts flowering again. So some farmers get double yield. From a well grown tree, we can easily get 60 fruits. Based on the soil, water, and environment, the yield increses. Cashew needs care when it starts flowering as insects attack them. Curing in organic method is better with preventive applications.
How do organic farming practices impact the quality and taste of mangoes and cashews? Can you explain the specific climatic and soil requirements necessary for successful organic and natural farming of mango and cashew?
When we do natural and organic farming, the taste of mangoes and flavour will get natural. We can see this in Alphonso, Kesar, Dusheri, and other mangoes are examples of this because of their taste and flavour due to organic farming. Well drained soil is important for both crops. Red soil and soil with some stones in the soil are good for producing mango and cashew. In arid regions, those plants depend on rainfall. When we plant them in other conditions, the soil and weather conditions should be suitable. In dry regions, the mango will not get good taste. In humid conditions, mango gets a good taste and flavour too. When we talk about soil, red soil and well-drained soil are very much helpful for both the crops.
How can farmers ensure pest and disease management in organic mango and cashew orchards?
We can find pests and diseases when there are fruits in the plants. It is a natural food cycle. we have to control them by organic method using preventive measures such as trap cropping. When we have mango or cashew farm, we can plant maize or sweetcorn in the border, olive plantation or we can plant marigold which is again used in trap cropping. Mustard and other oil seeds such as sunflower, soya bean, and sesame are used as crop trapping to control pests. We have natural and organic way to control and maintain pests and diseases from plants in methods like bio culture, bio produce, biological controls, trap cropping, cow urine, and cow dung. The home remedies will help to control and prevent pests and diseases. If we want to farm in a natural way, the whole food circle will come to our farm. Insects and birds will be part of biodiversity. So if we do trap cropping, insects and birds will not attack our fruit plants but will settle in other crops like oil seeds plants olive, neem, and floriculture crops. This is my suggestion for mango and cashew plants.
What organic fertiliser and composting techniques are recommended for promoting healthy mango and cashew growth?
Farmyard manure is the best compost. We can prepare it in our own farm, and we can cut grass in our farm and compost it. Culture is available everywhere to do bacterial culture for composting. If we go to markets, many companies are doing genuinely and selling the best compost. We have fertilisers, compost, and if we have farmyard manure, our cost will reduce, production cost will reduce. When we plan to do natural and organic way of farming, we need 30% more than the regular supply as we are going the manage the same content in organic way. We need to add some contents into the basic fertilisers. When we do regular farming, 100 kg of fertiliser will be enough for one acre, but in organic or natural way, we need to put 30 kg more, which will be 130 kgs we have to apply to the soil.
How do organic farming techniques contribute to the conservation of natural resources in mango and cashew cultivation? What measures should be taken to maintain the quality and purity of organic mangoes and cashews during harvesting and post harvesting processing?
Organic farming techniques will help 100% natural resources because if we cut the grass, the roots will develop almost double and stop soil erosion. They can maintain biodiversity, prevent inset control. We are not killing them, but we are maintaining the plants and biodiversity. So nature will maintain us the organic and natural way. These techniques are certainly helping nature. We have to focus on post harvesting. We should not use any form of powder or other things to ripen the fruits or make the fruits matured. We need to focus when the fruits get naturally ripened and then harvest. Post harvest, in the natural way, the fruits’ shelf life is about 1 week maximum. So we need to calculate our market and fix the same. Then go for plantation. If we have plantations already, we can develop market locally. The natural way is to use local grass, green fodder or dry fodder to ripen the fruits. Natural farming or organic farming does not allow us to attach or use any powder or smoke for ripening. Quality of the soil is the first focus. If we take care of the soil, it will take care of all the other things.
What certifications should organic mango and cashew farmers get to market their produce?
We should get the certification to get good price for the produce. ECOCERT, National Agency, and government agencies are giving certificates. Organic certification on soil health, and plant health certification are needed. We need to follow the government guidelines to get the certification for organic farming. Each company has its own method for the certification. If we have to sell the produce at a good price, we have to get the certification.
What are the economic benefits of organic mango and cashew farming compared to conventional methods?
In conventional method, the plant reproduction life is 25 years. With organic farming, the life span goes up by another 15 years. It results in economic benefit for the farmer. The plant life and health are in good condition, and so production increases for many years. In conventional method, plant can produce up to 25 years, while in organic method, the plant can yield up to 50 years.
Please explain the role of community involvement and knowledge sharing in promoting organic mango farming and cashew farming practices.
There are many communities, NGOs, agencies which are doing good job in mango and cashew farming. Some people doing organic farming to do market business, work for farmers, and working on available farm practices such as machinery, ripening conditions, storages, transportation facilities, etc. Overall Mango Growers Association and Cashew Growers Association are working very good to make people aware of the benefits of natural and organic farming. We have to think, activate, and take actions now to prevent food becoming poison. Mango and cashew are the best cash crops in India, and people are working on betterment of the two and better market.
CONTACT : Mr. Pradyumna Sumant Athalye
Email psathalye@gmail.com
Phone 9960376746
We, initially to start with, need to identify where we want to start, identify the market where we want to sell as the market is very much dependent on supply of fresh fruits, frozen fruit, processed fruits, and other products related to food. If we can fix the market, local or community market, Agri produce market, friends circle market, or any platform market like NGO, foundation, and other private market or mandis, we can start. In Konkan, though many places are hilly, farmers are still growing organic mango. We can have two plans for mango cultivation – one is to prepare early in December and the other one is to prepare in March. In the first plan, we can do the harvest from January or February. The fruits will get very good price, and in the second plan, the fruits are ready for harvest by April second week. At that time the market settles for specific mango fruits. In regular market, the cost shows upward and downward trend, while the organic market has no such fluctuation. If we want to take advantage of December season with flowering in November and December, the fruit will be available in February. It is difficult to harvest in February. In natural way, the land gets ready to produce flowers in December or January because the season for mango start in winter season. Very good winter season will produce good quantity of flowers in mango plant. With good rain, pure air, soil, and water, the circle starts from summer and ends in summer. So when we go organic, we need to think which market we look for.
When we go for second plan, the organic farming will get the produce for the market in the natural method. We have to think about natural conditions, plants environment, and many such things. When we produce organic way, market is the top one to consider, then availability of fruits for which we have to follow punctual practice. We have almost 8 months to practice mango farming. Monsoon starts in June, July has heavy rainfall, and in August, it settles down. So we have to start mango practices such as foliar and drenching. We have to take care of problems like water stagnation, labour issues, and others. We need to calculate the calendar for mango treatment. If not possible in August, at least from September we should start. We have to start spraying for fungicide and pesticide. But we have to start it early if we have to do organic way of farming. Mango is a seasonal fruit, and people are ready to buy it irrespective of the cost. The right season to harvest is April. We have to find out if the market will buy from us during the season.
It is easy to plant in hilly regions because the area will get sun light all through the day and make the plant healthy, proper photosynthesis period, and prevent pests and diseases. We can know about the distance for the plants from the universities locally, the grid, which variety to plant to suit the location etc. We can expect fruits from the fourth year onwards. If we do high density or ultra-high density plantation, or regular grid plantation, we can get good yield. We can use raw salt which is available in plenty in all places and spray the same on the open field. Salt goes deep into the earth, sucks energy from the air, and dilutes the soil. it works as the mediator for the land. It treats the soil easily. If we do not want to use salt, we can use ash that is easily available, especially home made ash. At the time of plantation or after plantation we can do the broadcasting every 15 days. Or we can use farm yard manure or natural compost or organic compost fortnightly. The compost will maximise the bacterial content in the soil and enrich it with nutrients. We can do this as per the location. We can manufacture compost in our farm using bacteria culture from Kissan centres, universities, or agriculture stores. We can get Jeevamruth and other bacteria culture. We can also use buttermilk which serves as good fungicide. We can also use cow urine for good culture. We may need 15 kg per one acre to maximise microbes and bacteria. For plantation purpose, we may need some extra fertiliser and compost as per doses suggested by universities and experts. We have to follow the protocol, and this will help us. After 15 days, we can start foliar spray on mango plant which is ready to produce.
WE can use turmeric powder which is a very good fungicide every 2 weeks. We should know that sun gives food for the plants, and moonlight helps the plants to grow. We can implement this technique in natural farming and organic farming. We can use Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Pseudomonas and others to spray on the plants. We can produce the natural ones in our kitchen itself which will save time, effort, and money. We can also use fresh lemon juice in flowering conditions to get good results. This is because of the natural content in lemon juice which is highly rated and is a tonic base for the flowers. Turmeric powder, cow dung ash, and neem are insecticides too.
Farmers have to maintain our patience to get flowers, market, and soil is the media, and farmers are media based farmers. We cannot easily shift into soilless media. Plant life for mango is almost 30 to 40 years and productive plant. Cashew plant also has the same plant life. After 50 years, the plant will produce or generate some special flavours and taste. In organic and natural way, we can easily produce mango because it is not a tough task. Natural and organic farming are practices that nature helps, and so we need to be patient.
Cashew plant is a highly reliable cash crop. Maharashtra and Konkan region are growing cashew which is easy to grow and take care because the cultivation cost is very low compared to mango. Harvesting is easy, but collection of cashew seeds is tough. Theft is another problem with regard to cashews. Every year we can get the fruits. Since it is a sustainable crop, we can get produce every year. But the cashew is a sensitive crop as the season is a little earlier than mango. It starts from November and December and ends around March or April. If we get rain in February, cashew starts flowering again. So some farmers get double yield. From a well grown tree, we can easily get 60 fruits. Based on the soil, water, and environment, the yield increses. Cashew needs care when it starts flowering as insects attack them. Curing in organic method is better with preventive applications.
How do organic farming practices impact the quality and taste of mangoes and cashews? Can you explain the specific climatic and soil requirements necessary for successful organic and natural farming of mango and cashew?
When we do natural and organic farming, the taste of mangoes and flavour will get natural. We can see this in Alphonso, Kesar, Dusheri, and other mangoes are examples of this because of their taste and flavour due to organic farming. Well drained soil is important for both crops. Red soil and soil with some stones in the soil are good for producing mango and cashew. In arid regions, those plants depend on rainfall. When we plant them in other conditions, the soil and weather conditions should be suitable. In dry regions, the mango will not get good taste. In humid conditions, mango gets a good taste and flavour too. When we talk about soil, red soil and well-drained soil are very much helpful for both the crops.
How can farmers ensure pest and disease management in organic mango and cashew orchards?
We can find pests and diseases when there are fruits in the plants. It is a natural food cycle. we have to control them by organic method using preventive measures such as trap cropping. When we have mango or cashew farm, we can plant maize or sweetcorn in the border, olive plantation or we can plant marigold which is again used in trap cropping. Mustard and other oil seeds such as sunflower, soya bean, and sesame are used as crop trapping to control pests. We have natural and organic way to control and maintain pests and diseases from plants in methods like bio culture, bio produce, biological controls, trap cropping, cow urine, and cow dung. The home remedies will help to control and prevent pests and diseases. If we want to farm in a natural way, the whole food circle will come to our farm. Insects and birds will be part of biodiversity. So if we do trap cropping, insects and birds will not attack our fruit plants but will settle in other crops like oil seeds plants olive, neem, and floriculture crops. This is my suggestion for mango and cashew plants.
What organic fertiliser and composting techniques are recommended for promoting healthy mango and cashew growth?
Farmyard manure is the best compost. We can prepare it in our own farm, and we can cut grass in our farm and compost it. Culture is available everywhere to do bacterial culture for composting. If we go to markets, many companies are doing genuinely and selling the best compost. We have fertilisers, compost, and if we have farmyard manure, our cost will reduce, production cost will reduce. When we plan to do natural and organic way of farming, we need 30% more than the regular supply as we are going the manage the same content in organic way. We need to add some contents into the basic fertilisers. When we do regular farming, 100 kg of fertiliser will be enough for one acre, but in organic or natural way, we need to put 30 kg more, which will be 130 kgs we have to apply to the soil.
How do organic farming techniques contribute to the conservation of natural resources in mango and cashew cultivation? What measures should be taken to maintain the quality and purity of organic mangoes and cashews during harvesting and post harvesting processing?
Organic farming techniques will help 100% natural resources because if we cut the grass, the roots will develop almost double and stop soil erosion. They can maintain biodiversity, prevent inset control. We are not killing them, but we are maintaining the plants and biodiversity. So nature will maintain us the organic and natural way. These techniques are certainly helping nature. We have to focus on post harvesting. We should not use any form of powder or other things to ripen the fruits or make the fruits matured. We need to focus when the fruits get naturally ripened and then harvest. Post harvest, in the natural way, the fruits’ shelf life is about 1 week maximum. So we need to calculate our market and fix the same. Then go for plantation. If we have plantations already, we can develop market locally. The natural way is to use local grass, green fodder or dry fodder to ripen the fruits. Natural farming or organic farming does not allow us to attach or use any powder or smoke for ripening. Quality of the soil is the first focus. If we take care of the soil, it will take care of all the other things.
What certifications should organic mango and cashew farmers get to market their produce?
We should get the certification to get good price for the produce. ECOCERT, National Agency, and government agencies are giving certificates. Organic certification on soil health, and plant health certification are needed. We need to follow the government guidelines to get the certification for organic farming. Each company has its own method for the certification. If we have to sell the produce at a good price, we have to get the certification.
What are the economic benefits of organic mango and cashew farming compared to conventional methods?
In conventional method, the plant reproduction life is 25 years. With organic farming, the life span goes up by another 15 years. It results in economic benefit for the farmer. The plant life and health are in good condition, and so production increases for many years. In conventional method, plant can produce up to 25 years, while in organic method, the plant can yield up to 50 years.
Please explain the role of community involvement and knowledge sharing in promoting organic mango farming and cashew farming practices.
There are many communities, NGOs, agencies which are doing good job in mango and cashew farming. Some people doing organic farming to do market business, work for farmers, and working on available farm practices such as machinery, ripening conditions, storages, transportation facilities, etc. Overall Mango Growers Association and Cashew Growers Association are working very good to make people aware of the benefits of natural and organic farming. We have to think, activate, and take actions now to prevent food becoming poison. Mango and cashew are the best cash crops in India, and people are working on betterment of the two and better market.
CONTACT : Mr. Pradyumna Sumant Athalye
Email psathalye@gmail.com
Phone 9960376746
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