[PGA]

I think the first stop can be the local Agri Univ, in your case Pant Nagar perhaps or even a ICAR Pusa, you may even like to contact Horti Institutes in Pune, Jaipur or Bangalore. These guys have done considerable work in the area and will give best advice. You must have checked out NHB site for Govt support as well. I can assist you with drip irrigation nitty gritties, have been using it for last 8 years and doing intensive cultivation of vegetable crops.

Just a point about UHDP farming and other intensive cultivation practices, these are more than 24 hours per day engaging kind of jobs and not plant, forget and harvest type of conventional farming, there is lack of expertise at local level so you will have train your labour in all aspects starting from pruning to pest identification and nutritional deficiencies aspects. Specific solutions are not locally available and have to be sourced from a distance and at times results in considerable damage to the crop due to delays. Such type of cropping systems need very regular foliar sprays which is another area of specialisation and you need equipment and trained manpower. Weather plays a huge part and if earlier you needed three years to understand the crop, it takes couple of more years due to climate change. Since these plantations have a high initial and maintenance costs, few farmers of the area go for it and farming by itself being a community based activity wherein you need support of locals, what they do to their fields impact yours too, things can become little tough unless one is willing to give in everything for it to succeed and then it is certainly well paying. It normally takes more than 5 years to get your head above the water.

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

Anyone here has first hand information or is into Ultra High Density Plantation (UHDP) for Mangoes?

Planning to plant a Mango orchard in Western UP and contemplating between traditional way of Mango orchard or the new UHDP way of planting trees. No one here in this area has done UHDP mango plantation so little help here. Most UHDP I have seen on internet are in MH, TS, AP etc.

I want to discuss few aspects like labor/manpower needed throughout the year, drip irrigation, pesticides, land preparation etc.

Though there is sufficient information on internet, still talking to few people and especially those who can point both pro & con will be helpful. Right now most information is about only the +ve side of UHDP and no one talks about the cons or failures in UHDP for Mangoes.

If someone knows of a UHDP farmer in UP area, please do help with connects or even in different states, where I can connect with an actual farmer and discuss.

[condor]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

Most UHDP I have seen on internet are in MH, TS, AP etc. .

Talking to people will help to some extent, but nothing like spending some time at such farms. If Mangoes will be the only crop, it will be easier compared to having multi-cropping pattern. However, returns not before 3 years.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by PGA

I think the first stop can be the local Agri Univ, in your case Pant Nagar perhaps or even a ICAR Pusa, you may even like to contact Horti Institutes in Pune, Jaipur or Bangalore. These guys have done considerable work in the area and will give best advice.

Good pointer. Had not thought about this. Will try and connect with Govt Institute's on this subject.

.... I can assist you with drip irrigation nitty gritties, have been using it for last 8 years and doing intensive cultivation of vegetable crops.

Thanks!! Will reach out to you on this.

... Just a point about UHDP farming and other intensive cultivation practices, these are more than 24 hours per day engaging kind of jobs and not plant, forget and harvest type of conventional farming, there is lack of expertise at local level so you will have train your labour in all aspects starting from pruning to pest identification and nutritional deficiencies aspects. Specific solutions are not locally available and have to be sourced from a distance and at times results in considerable damage to the crop due to delays. Such type of cropping systems need very regular foliar sprays which is another area of specialisation and you need equipment and trained manpower. ....

This is the kind of inputs I am looking for -- especially the involvement of manpower & trained labor etc. Thanks for these valuable inputs.

Originally Posted by condor

Talking to people will help to some extent, but nothing like spending some time at such farms. ...

That's also part of the plan.

[condor]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

This is the kind of inputs I am looking for -- especially the involvement of manpower & trained labor etc. .

It is very rare to find good farm hands, who will do their work well. I hope you are not planning to do remote farming.

Also, any reason to focus on one crop ? It's kind of putting all eggs in one basket.

[crashnburn_in]

A cousin of mine got training on the ZBNF- Zero Budget Natural Farming method and bought a land outside his city just explore a new avenue.

Urbans going agri..

[condor]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

This is the kind of inputs I am looking for -- especially the involvement of manpower & trained labor etc. .

Khan saab - to add to this point: getting non-trained labour and training them will not be easy. They are so used to doing things the conventional way, that every step /task they will try to go back to what they have always been doing. So you would need some one dedicated and expert person to supervise un-trained labour, till they change their ways.

And the point about turn-over in work force will always be there.

Do double check on the business plan. Investment, RoI, what you want from it and by when. And please be conservative on the time-lines + returns. Every single aspect is best done by personal full time involvement, especially at the start. Once things stabilize, then a bit of relaxation may be allowed.

[dailydriver]

The annual GKVK KRISHI MELA starts today. Hope Bengaluru Bhpian farming enthusiasts will make use of the opportunity.

[condor]

Folks,

A good friend has a 1.4 acre farm at Kappadvanj, about 60km from Amdavad. They are looking to sell this.

In case anyone is interested, please let me know so I can connect both sides.

[condor]

The pursuit of paradise

When we dropped anchor on a small patch of parched earth over three-and-a-half years ago, we were unprepared for what was to unfold....


https://www.deccanherald.com/sunday-...e-1049875.html


no, not me at all. Just came across this nice column in DH today.

[condor]

Another reference came from a fellow-groupie:

3-5 acre for sale/rent about 12km from Nanjangud. With farm house, servant quarters, borewells, pond, and fruit trees.

[saurabh2711]

Didn't knew that this topic is also is discussed here.

Have 10 Acres of land at Mandsaur MP. Purchased before last year.
Have taken up farming actively during Covid. Had sown Soyabean during Kharif and the yield is with me waiting for good price. Which is rising everyday these days.

Recently planted 23 Jackfruit & 14 Mango saplings on the periphery of the land. Its three years wait from now till they both start yielding. Will plant few more of both every year for next few years based on the growth of current plant, especially Jackfruit.

Apart from this - I am also into Mushroom Farming. Currently Oyster Mushrooms, Spawns of which are purchased from Indore Agriculture collage. Started this last year in my garage. Tried this in my a clean area in our garage. Registering my firm & will apply for FSSAI licenses to take this to large scale.

Applied for training from National Mushroom Research Centre, Solan (HP) when they clear the current queue & let me in.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by saurabh2711

Didn't knew that this topic is also is discussed here.

Have 10 Acres of land at Mandsaur MP. Purchased before last year.
Have taken up farming actively during Covid. Had sown Soyabean during Kharif and the yield is with me waiting for good price. Which is rising everyday these days.

Recently planted 23 Jackfruit & 14 Mango saplings on the periphery of the land. Its three years wait from now till they both start yielding. Will plant few more of both every year for next few years based on the growth of current plant, especially Jackfruit.

Apart from this - I am also into Mushroom Farming. Currently Oyster Mushrooms, Spawns of which are purchased from Indore Agriculture collage. Started this last year in my garage. Tried this in my a clean area in our garage. Registering my firm & will apply for FSSAI licenses to take this to large scale.

Applied for training from National Mushroom Research Centre, Solan (HP) when they clear the current queue & let me in.

You my friend are living a dream of many folks. A day job in IT coupled with a side gig in Farming on a decent scale

Would be nice to meet you next time I am in Indore - I am there 2-3 times a year. No harm in picking up your brains for what I dream to do but have never ventured into

[saurabh2711]

Originally Posted by sunilch

You my friend are living a dream of many folks. A day job in IT coupled with a side gig in Farming on a decent scale

Sir, I will be more than happy to host you & provide all the help to you, I can as a novice.
I will eagerly wait to meet you.

I was never an IT guy to start off, its just the need to survive with no other alternate of income and build a platform.
You know my next target is a garage.

My IT carrier is breathing its last. I am done as soon as I am asked to return to office. But yes, I am not cheating my Employer by any means. Entire weekend & Weekday Mornings 7-10 is dedicated to my farm & then after 11 its all IT, till laptop is shut down - with typical IT EOD.
I need to manage things like mad, as this will be my livelihood soon after my last day email. Have to learn a lot with exponential learning curve.

Leaving IT after 12-15 of years was always a target. Covid gave me an opportunity, which I grabbed with both arms. I can assume I was at right place at right time.

[earthian]

We own a small farm house scheme where we are building a new house along with some quarters for support staff. At present we have some Chickoo, Mango, Gooseberry, and Jamun trees- along with lemon and some other trees and shrubs. We would be planting banana, coconut, gwava and a couple of mango trees more along with a vegetable garden. There is a small pond with fish and a large lawn.

We have some live in support staff to help maintain the farm, but i also plan to work on the garden, since it relaxes me and i enjoy doing so. Question is: What are the equipments that are a must buy? i tried making my own compost with the Nitrogen (freshly cut grass) and the Carbon ( dried leaves), using fresh cow dung as a medium. But it had mixed results.

So what equipments to maintain the farm properly? Thank you.

[condor]

Originally Posted by earthian

So what equipments to maintain the farm properly? Thank you.

Apart from general hand tools, you can look at battery powered knapsack sprayers, and petrol based power tillers and weeders. Check the ones with Honda 4-stroke engines. Diesel based stuff vibrate a lot.

Regarding compost etc, check Gopal Bhai Sutaria / Gir Bansi Gaushala - they provide a base culture, which you can use to make more. And use this for cultured FYM.