editorialteam
New Member
Quinoa experiment turns into passion for businessman engaged in liaison of real estate properties
“We three friends started with quinoa farming as experiment on our half acre farmland. The results obtained left us spellbound and now we are determined to consistently increase the cultivation area. We found it as the most promising crop in today’s time,” says Mr. Satish K. Murthy. He is based at Hyderabad and the farm is located at the outskirts of the city.
Quinoa is a miracle crop for people suffering from ailments like diabetes and blood pressure. Further it is protein rich cereal that makes it a good alternative to rice and wheat. Hence the three gentlemen were motivated to grow the crop in their farmland on trial basis. “We didn’t hire any consultant instead did it all on our own through self-research. The seeds were sourced from USA through our friend,” he shares. It is 115-120 days crop making it worth a try for every farmer and farming enthusiast.
First and foremost the saplings were developed in the farm itself. One kg quinoa seeds are commonly needed to be sown in 4-5 acres. “We had sown 200 gms seeds in the open area to develop the saplings for our half acre land. Within two weeks the saplings germinated and grew to 4-5 inch in height. Then we transplanted it in the fields. The distance between row-row was 2 feet and plant-plant also 2 feet. We exclusively used cow dung based manure for the plants. As a result the soil quality was maintained very well throughout the cultivation process. We got very good results!” elaborates Mr. Murthy. Usually it is said from half an acre 400-500 quinoa seeds are obtained but Mr. Murthy got 300 kg finished quinoa seeds.
Processing is always assumed to be taxing step but Mr. Murthy made it look quite simple. “After the crop was matured we plucked the plants as a whole from the fields and dried it in an open yard. We then separated the seeds from the plants. Later we took the seeds to a threshing unit where the outer layer (husk) and seeds were separated. By and large 80% is the finished seeds while 20% is the waste. Best quality seed is 2.4mm in size. Our seeds on an average were 2.2 mm each. It is pale yellow in colour,” he explains.
When asked about the important factors to be considered for quinoa farming Mr. Murthy responds, “It is best grown in red soil. The land should not have any water logging issues as the crop needs less water. Water should be absorbed by the soil. Drip irrigation is the best solution for irrigation as it controls the weeding too. The pH of water should be 6-7. Presently there are no pest attacks therefore it should be grown 100% organically. Besides the seed has an outer coating that is bitter in taste therefore birds also never spoils the seeds.”
Sharing future plans he concludes, “This year again in month of September we will be growing quinoa. We will be using our own seeds from previous harvest. We are hopeful for still better returns! Presently quinoa is very expensive sold at rupees two thousand per kg. Telangana Horticulture Department is selling the seeds at subsidized rates. We are trying to bring down the cost by encouraging more farmers to grow quinoa. We wish to make it accessible to the masses.”
Contact details:
Mr. Satish Murthy
Medak Jilla, Thupran Mandalam, Koochaaram Gramam, Hyderabad
Mobile: 09533511222
Email: satishkmurthy@yahoo.com
“We three friends started with quinoa farming as experiment on our half acre farmland. The results obtained left us spellbound and now we are determined to consistently increase the cultivation area. We found it as the most promising crop in today’s time,” says Mr. Satish K. Murthy. He is based at Hyderabad and the farm is located at the outskirts of the city.
Quinoa is a miracle crop for people suffering from ailments like diabetes and blood pressure. Further it is protein rich cereal that makes it a good alternative to rice and wheat. Hence the three gentlemen were motivated to grow the crop in their farmland on trial basis. “We didn’t hire any consultant instead did it all on our own through self-research. The seeds were sourced from USA through our friend,” he shares. It is 115-120 days crop making it worth a try for every farmer and farming enthusiast.
First and foremost the saplings were developed in the farm itself. One kg quinoa seeds are commonly needed to be sown in 4-5 acres. “We had sown 200 gms seeds in the open area to develop the saplings for our half acre land. Within two weeks the saplings germinated and grew to 4-5 inch in height. Then we transplanted it in the fields. The distance between row-row was 2 feet and plant-plant also 2 feet. We exclusively used cow dung based manure for the plants. As a result the soil quality was maintained very well throughout the cultivation process. We got very good results!” elaborates Mr. Murthy. Usually it is said from half an acre 400-500 quinoa seeds are obtained but Mr. Murthy got 300 kg finished quinoa seeds.
Processing is always assumed to be taxing step but Mr. Murthy made it look quite simple. “After the crop was matured we plucked the plants as a whole from the fields and dried it in an open yard. We then separated the seeds from the plants. Later we took the seeds to a threshing unit where the outer layer (husk) and seeds were separated. By and large 80% is the finished seeds while 20% is the waste. Best quality seed is 2.4mm in size. Our seeds on an average were 2.2 mm each. It is pale yellow in colour,” he explains.
When asked about the important factors to be considered for quinoa farming Mr. Murthy responds, “It is best grown in red soil. The land should not have any water logging issues as the crop needs less water. Water should be absorbed by the soil. Drip irrigation is the best solution for irrigation as it controls the weeding too. The pH of water should be 6-7. Presently there are no pest attacks therefore it should be grown 100% organically. Besides the seed has an outer coating that is bitter in taste therefore birds also never spoils the seeds.”
Sharing future plans he concludes, “This year again in month of September we will be growing quinoa. We will be using our own seeds from previous harvest. We are hopeful for still better returns! Presently quinoa is very expensive sold at rupees two thousand per kg. Telangana Horticulture Department is selling the seeds at subsidized rates. We are trying to bring down the cost by encouraging more farmers to grow quinoa. We wish to make it accessible to the masses.”
Contact details:
Mr. Satish Murthy
Medak Jilla, Thupran Mandalam, Koochaaram Gramam, Hyderabad
Mobile: 09533511222
Email: satishkmurthy@yahoo.com