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Turns farm into profit generating business with integrated farming
“Our ancestors were into horticulture farming so I thought of adding something new, I started dairy farming,” Mr. Narendra R Pete Gowder narrates. He has 60 cattle including local breeds. In his farm he grows ginger, arecanuts, pepper, cardamom, pineapple, papaya, paddy, urad, green grams, groundnuts in dry season from December to February. He maintains an apiculture unit as well. “Now it is a complete integrated farm where dependency is on the farm elements hence financially stable and well in control.”
“I grow 8-10 crops. In case if I lose money in one crop, I will gain in another. I am doing bee keeping for enhancing pollination. I get honey and it keeps the surrounding climate clean and cool. I rear red honey bees. It gives 15kg honey in jowar cultivation. It is sold around INR 300-500/kg,” he shares. Irrigation is done through drip irrigation facility. Farm has 8 borewell, 2 wells and river Varada for water source, “So no problem for water,” he informs.
Legumes are grown in about 10 acres of land. The yield obtained is 8-10 quintals per acre with less investment. It is grown as crop rotation after paddy in dry season. Peanuts are intercropped with legumes like urad and green grams. These helps in preventing diseases, facilitates pollination and improves yield of peanuts. “As we are growing legumes minerals are provided to the soil and hence manure required to grow paddy is less. When the legume plants starts drying, the shred leaves becomes manure on the ground,” Mr. Narendra explains.
After harvesting the legumes he prefers cultivating plants like arecanut, pineapple, ginger, paddy, and sugarcane. Going into some detail, he shares some of his farming practice, “After sowing paddy choloro 50 (2ml in 1L) is sprayed to avoid bacteria and white worms. Onophosphate (2ml in 1L) is sprayed monthly. While sowing, potash is used and subsequently urea complex and urea potash is used. We get 25-30quintals of paddy in 1acre.”
“We also cultivate jowar in 5 acres. Jowar produced is more than 30quintals/acre,” he shares. Pineapple is cultivated in 8 acres. The fruit yield is good as climate support the cultivation. Pineapple is mixed with DAP and sowed at a distance of 1ft. Rows of pineapple are separated by a distance of 2.5ft. For 12 months manure is mixed with water and sprayed. Acril is sprayed later on to help flowering. “After 3-4 years, we use this land for arecanut which is intercropped with plantain, papaya and pepper, cardamom,” he shares. “In pepper farming after 3-4 years, we get 1 kg/plant increase in production every year.”
Mr. Narendra buys seeds from the agriculture department. The seeds are also preserved for a later use by treating with ayurvedic medicines like neem leaves and militia pinnata (honge) leaves mixture and stored in dry place. “We use very less hybrid seeds as these are susceptible to diseases,” he asserts. Seeds are mixed with bavistin and sown which as protection from diseases. Cattle manures also help in safeguarding the farm from pest attack. Mulching is also done at the farm. “We do mulching around arecanut, pepper, cardamom.” Farm produce is sold in Sirsi market.
Cardamom is sold for INR 800/kg, pineapple for INR 15/kg, paddy for INR 1500-1600/quintal. “Last year I had got INR 5000/quintal on green grams and on urd dal INR 9-10,000/quintal. The rate varies year to year,” he says. The previous year he sold groundnuts at INR 6,000/quintal and ginger for INR 2-3,000/quintal.
“We want to include many more verticals of agriculture in the farm. We want to cultivate argu which is a bacterium grown on plants and then sell as it has high market value of Rs. 6, 000/kg. I do not know the use and importance of it,” Mr. Narendra shares his future plans. He has also started a value addition processing unit with jaggery production.
Integrated farming is must for every farmer, recommends Mr. Narendra and concludes, “Agriculture is profitable if done with inter-dependence of farming elements. Only mantra avoid slavery instead be independent then forever be on path of growth and prosperity.”
Contact details:
Mr. Narendra R Pete Gowder
Kanthraji, Post Kudnapur, Taluk Sirsi,
Dist Karwar – 581401,
Karnataka
Phone: 9480211055
“Our ancestors were into horticulture farming so I thought of adding something new, I started dairy farming,” Mr. Narendra R Pete Gowder narrates. He has 60 cattle including local breeds. In his farm he grows ginger, arecanuts, pepper, cardamom, pineapple, papaya, paddy, urad, green grams, groundnuts in dry season from December to February. He maintains an apiculture unit as well. “Now it is a complete integrated farm where dependency is on the farm elements hence financially stable and well in control.”
“I grow 8-10 crops. In case if I lose money in one crop, I will gain in another. I am doing bee keeping for enhancing pollination. I get honey and it keeps the surrounding climate clean and cool. I rear red honey bees. It gives 15kg honey in jowar cultivation. It is sold around INR 300-500/kg,” he shares. Irrigation is done through drip irrigation facility. Farm has 8 borewell, 2 wells and river Varada for water source, “So no problem for water,” he informs.
Legumes are grown in about 10 acres of land. The yield obtained is 8-10 quintals per acre with less investment. It is grown as crop rotation after paddy in dry season. Peanuts are intercropped with legumes like urad and green grams. These helps in preventing diseases, facilitates pollination and improves yield of peanuts. “As we are growing legumes minerals are provided to the soil and hence manure required to grow paddy is less. When the legume plants starts drying, the shred leaves becomes manure on the ground,” Mr. Narendra explains.
After harvesting the legumes he prefers cultivating plants like arecanut, pineapple, ginger, paddy, and sugarcane. Going into some detail, he shares some of his farming practice, “After sowing paddy choloro 50 (2ml in 1L) is sprayed to avoid bacteria and white worms. Onophosphate (2ml in 1L) is sprayed monthly. While sowing, potash is used and subsequently urea complex and urea potash is used. We get 25-30quintals of paddy in 1acre.”
“We also cultivate jowar in 5 acres. Jowar produced is more than 30quintals/acre,” he shares. Pineapple is cultivated in 8 acres. The fruit yield is good as climate support the cultivation. Pineapple is mixed with DAP and sowed at a distance of 1ft. Rows of pineapple are separated by a distance of 2.5ft. For 12 months manure is mixed with water and sprayed. Acril is sprayed later on to help flowering. “After 3-4 years, we use this land for arecanut which is intercropped with plantain, papaya and pepper, cardamom,” he shares. “In pepper farming after 3-4 years, we get 1 kg/plant increase in production every year.”
Mr. Narendra buys seeds from the agriculture department. The seeds are also preserved for a later use by treating with ayurvedic medicines like neem leaves and militia pinnata (honge) leaves mixture and stored in dry place. “We use very less hybrid seeds as these are susceptible to diseases,” he asserts. Seeds are mixed with bavistin and sown which as protection from diseases. Cattle manures also help in safeguarding the farm from pest attack. Mulching is also done at the farm. “We do mulching around arecanut, pepper, cardamom.” Farm produce is sold in Sirsi market.
Cardamom is sold for INR 800/kg, pineapple for INR 15/kg, paddy for INR 1500-1600/quintal. “Last year I had got INR 5000/quintal on green grams and on urd dal INR 9-10,000/quintal. The rate varies year to year,” he says. The previous year he sold groundnuts at INR 6,000/quintal and ginger for INR 2-3,000/quintal.
“We want to include many more verticals of agriculture in the farm. We want to cultivate argu which is a bacterium grown on plants and then sell as it has high market value of Rs. 6, 000/kg. I do not know the use and importance of it,” Mr. Narendra shares his future plans. He has also started a value addition processing unit with jaggery production.
Integrated farming is must for every farmer, recommends Mr. Narendra and concludes, “Agriculture is profitable if done with inter-dependence of farming elements. Only mantra avoid slavery instead be independent then forever be on path of growth and prosperity.”
Contact details:
Mr. Narendra R Pete Gowder
Kanthraji, Post Kudnapur, Taluk Sirsi,
Dist Karwar – 581401,
Karnataka
Phone: 9480211055