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Grows 850 varieties of 250 different plants in 5 acres farmland
“I was always inclined towards farming since childhood,” says Mr. Prasad Rama Hegde, progressive farmer who has many varieties of a plant in his farm. “Mango is one plant that comes in different varieties. I have a passion to collect and grow these diverse varieties. I maintain 30varieties of mango (130 trees) in my farm. Similarly for other plants too I preserve and cultivate its’ various varieties.” Other attractions of his farm are 5 varieties of cinnamon (405 plants), 20 varieties of pepper, 5 varieties of guava, 3 varieties of sapota and 40 medicinal plants etc. Apiculture and cattle rearing are also intrinsic part of Mr. Hegde’s integrated farm. Farm is located at Kanakodlu, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka.
Apiculture
“Honey produced in my farm is the limited edition variety. It is produced from Miseli honey bee that produces only 250 gram honey per hive per year. It is sold at premium price of Rs.1200/kg, used for ayurvedic medicines. I also rear red and black honey bees in 22 boxes each,” he shares.
As flowering in the surrounding area is inadequate the bees has to be fed with top feed. “I prepare sugar syrup and put on sponge/coconut coir kept on a plate. Bees consume 100ml syrup in 4- 7days. Later to which it is re-filled. We differentiate the honey from its source. Honey obtained from coconut flower is red in colour. Honey from wild flower is yellow honey,” he explains. Honey is also produced from soapnut (antwala kai) flower. It is sold at Rs. 800/kg. It has slight bitter taste but largely used in ayurvedic medicines. Mr. Hegde also processes and sells the beeswax.
Spices
Farm has 4 varieties of arecanut grown in 2.5acres intercropped with pepper vines. Other spices cultivated are vanilla, cardamom and 6 kinds of amla and 5 varieties of beetle leaves. He finds pepper, arecanut, cinnamon and cardamom to be profitable crops.
Forest Trees
100 agarwood and 4 sandalwood trees are the grown on the farm boundary.
Horticulture
25 varieties of jackfruit and passion fruit are grown. “I have more than 90 fruits including wild and local fruits,” he claims. Wild fruits grown are endangered therefore, “I grow these fruits to safeguard from disappearance. Besides honey produced from these flowers is exclusive.”
Pisciculture
Mr. Hegde shares his unique strategy to solve the labor issues with fishing, “
I sell fishes to my farm labour at reduced rates so that they come and work for me. They would catch fish, weigh and give the money.”
Fishing is done on a small scale 25ft long, 10ft wide and 7ft depth pond. The fingerlings are bought from KVK, Fishery Department. “The department sells fishes for different layers in the pond viz top, middle and deep layer. Usually I start fish rearing in June month. 1000 plus fingerlings are purchased at Rs. 3,000-4,000 approximately. It takes 9-10 months for the fishes to mature. I will get 40-55kgs of fishes from the pond,” he adds. Fish pond water is nutrient rich hence is used in the farm along with organic manure. Fish feed is made in-house using groundnut and dicot pulse powders.
Dairy
“I have 9 hybrid breeds of Malnad cows and HF/Jersey. Milking is done twice a day. Close to 40 litre is everyday milk production,” he shares. The dung and urine is collected to produce the manure. Cow dung is also fed into bio gas unit.
Farming Inputs
Mr. Hegde had been throughout practising organic farming but recently he took up chemical farming only because his five different varieties of apple trees were not productive at all! In his words, “It was very difficult to get apple yield with only organic inputs so I had to use chemicals according to the scientist of Agriculture Department. I have American Badam trees that need chemical intervention!” he avers. The farm is still 75% organic for which the inputs are prepared in-house from vermicompost and biogas unit.
Value Added Products
“I have experimented to produce candy from the mix of jackfruit and passion fruit pulp. It has been submitted to KVK, Uttar Kannada,” he states. Jackfruits based value added products are also made at the farm such as chips, papad, pickle and so on.
Infrastructure
Farm is well equipped with farming amenities such as solar fence, solar lights and bio gas unit. “My house is in the middle of the jungle. Solar fence keeps us safe from the wild animals,” he informs.
Most of the spices are sold through Sahakari Sangha where as honey and value added jackfruit based products are sold in Kadamba market or Hopcoms in the vicinity. Price is fixed purely on the basis of quality, “I do not cheat by customers,” he emphasizes.
In future, Mr. Hegde plans to continue all his present avenues and desires to preserve wild fruits. “These are treasure of our state. I keep the grafts of these trees ready with me to share with other farmers. It is my attempt to safeguard it from extinction,” he states.
Farming is profitable without any doubt, “I have proved it! All it needs is interest and passion then money will come. And integrated farming is key to it! Every farmer must opt for it for sure then sky is the limit for the earning potential!” signs off Mr. Hegde.
Contact details:
Mr. Prasad Rama Hegde
Kanakodlu, Post: Hemmadi (Sirsi Market), Yellapur Taluka, District Uttara Kannada – 581402, Karnataka
Phone: 08419-257815, 9448239372
“I was always inclined towards farming since childhood,” says Mr. Prasad Rama Hegde, progressive farmer who has many varieties of a plant in his farm. “Mango is one plant that comes in different varieties. I have a passion to collect and grow these diverse varieties. I maintain 30varieties of mango (130 trees) in my farm. Similarly for other plants too I preserve and cultivate its’ various varieties.” Other attractions of his farm are 5 varieties of cinnamon (405 plants), 20 varieties of pepper, 5 varieties of guava, 3 varieties of sapota and 40 medicinal plants etc. Apiculture and cattle rearing are also intrinsic part of Mr. Hegde’s integrated farm. Farm is located at Kanakodlu, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka.
Apiculture
“Honey produced in my farm is the limited edition variety. It is produced from Miseli honey bee that produces only 250 gram honey per hive per year. It is sold at premium price of Rs.1200/kg, used for ayurvedic medicines. I also rear red and black honey bees in 22 boxes each,” he shares.
As flowering in the surrounding area is inadequate the bees has to be fed with top feed. “I prepare sugar syrup and put on sponge/coconut coir kept on a plate. Bees consume 100ml syrup in 4- 7days. Later to which it is re-filled. We differentiate the honey from its source. Honey obtained from coconut flower is red in colour. Honey from wild flower is yellow honey,” he explains. Honey is also produced from soapnut (antwala kai) flower. It is sold at Rs. 800/kg. It has slight bitter taste but largely used in ayurvedic medicines. Mr. Hegde also processes and sells the beeswax.
Spices
Farm has 4 varieties of arecanut grown in 2.5acres intercropped with pepper vines. Other spices cultivated are vanilla, cardamom and 6 kinds of amla and 5 varieties of beetle leaves. He finds pepper, arecanut, cinnamon and cardamom to be profitable crops.
Forest Trees
100 agarwood and 4 sandalwood trees are the grown on the farm boundary.
Horticulture
25 varieties of jackfruit and passion fruit are grown. “I have more than 90 fruits including wild and local fruits,” he claims. Wild fruits grown are endangered therefore, “I grow these fruits to safeguard from disappearance. Besides honey produced from these flowers is exclusive.”
Pisciculture
Mr. Hegde shares his unique strategy to solve the labor issues with fishing, “
I sell fishes to my farm labour at reduced rates so that they come and work for me. They would catch fish, weigh and give the money.”
Fishing is done on a small scale 25ft long, 10ft wide and 7ft depth pond. The fingerlings are bought from KVK, Fishery Department. “The department sells fishes for different layers in the pond viz top, middle and deep layer. Usually I start fish rearing in June month. 1000 plus fingerlings are purchased at Rs. 3,000-4,000 approximately. It takes 9-10 months for the fishes to mature. I will get 40-55kgs of fishes from the pond,” he adds. Fish pond water is nutrient rich hence is used in the farm along with organic manure. Fish feed is made in-house using groundnut and dicot pulse powders.
Dairy
“I have 9 hybrid breeds of Malnad cows and HF/Jersey. Milking is done twice a day. Close to 40 litre is everyday milk production,” he shares. The dung and urine is collected to produce the manure. Cow dung is also fed into bio gas unit.
Farming Inputs
Mr. Hegde had been throughout practising organic farming but recently he took up chemical farming only because his five different varieties of apple trees were not productive at all! In his words, “It was very difficult to get apple yield with only organic inputs so I had to use chemicals according to the scientist of Agriculture Department. I have American Badam trees that need chemical intervention!” he avers. The farm is still 75% organic for which the inputs are prepared in-house from vermicompost and biogas unit.
Value Added Products
“I have experimented to produce candy from the mix of jackfruit and passion fruit pulp. It has been submitted to KVK, Uttar Kannada,” he states. Jackfruits based value added products are also made at the farm such as chips, papad, pickle and so on.
Infrastructure
Farm is well equipped with farming amenities such as solar fence, solar lights and bio gas unit. “My house is in the middle of the jungle. Solar fence keeps us safe from the wild animals,” he informs.
Most of the spices are sold through Sahakari Sangha where as honey and value added jackfruit based products are sold in Kadamba market or Hopcoms in the vicinity. Price is fixed purely on the basis of quality, “I do not cheat by customers,” he emphasizes.
In future, Mr. Hegde plans to continue all his present avenues and desires to preserve wild fruits. “These are treasure of our state. I keep the grafts of these trees ready with me to share with other farmers. It is my attempt to safeguard it from extinction,” he states.
Farming is profitable without any doubt, “I have proved it! All it needs is interest and passion then money will come. And integrated farming is key to it! Every farmer must opt for it for sure then sky is the limit for the earning potential!” signs off Mr. Hegde.
Contact details:
Mr. Prasad Rama Hegde
Kanakodlu, Post: Hemmadi (Sirsi Market), Yellapur Taluka, District Uttara Kannada – 581402, Karnataka
Phone: 08419-257815, 9448239372