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Old 12th September 2011, 23:15   #16
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Re: Farming - Permissions, authorities, logistics & challenges expected

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Originally Posted by selfdrive View Post
Now, do I have it in me to be a farmer? I dont really know but I would like to find out.
I'm not a farmer (yet) but I belong to a family whose main occupation and income are from agriculture and I hope to follow the same line in the near future. Even though I come from a farming background, I'm yet to come to terms about the nitty gritties involved in agriculture. The points tsk1979 has made are very valid. The first point that he has made is right on the money.

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First of all, do not view India as one country when it comes to farming
Farming practices are different in different parts of the country. So, it would be prudent to first decide where you would want to have the farm.

Please keep in mind that agriculture is very much dependent on mother nature and you have to be ready to face all the vagaries dished out by her. It will be difficult for people to suddenly quit the relative luxury a city offers, to move to the countryside. Keeping in mind that you have no agricultural background, it will not be an easy ride. You may go to a University to learn about agriculture (which is good btw), but you will still miss the years of experience which the farming families have.

Coming to the selection of land, I would say that the main things I would look for are 1. Availability of water/irrigation 2. Accessibility 3. Availability of labour.

Atleast where I come from, the availability of labour is a very big problem. Usually, the people who come to work are from the older generation as the new lot of kids are generally educated and usually go off to cities to eke a living. Nobody wants to work on farms these days. People say, the solution is to mechanize your farming operations, but that can happen only to a certain extent.

I am not trying to discourage you here, but please think it over before taking the plunge. Try to speak to people you might know (friends and their families who might be into farming) and do consider their advice. Let us know how you go about it. Maybe, we can take some tips from your research too.
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Old 13th September 2011, 09:37   #17
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Re: Farming - Permissions, authorities, logistics & challenges expected

We have some land and they aren't very suitable for farming. Its dry with sand.

We have managed to plant an orchard of mangoes and would soon plant a lichi orchard too.

Some parts of our land do get cultivated, but we hire them out and get crops for our purpose as well as minuscule monetary benefit. The bargain is at-least the land gets cultivated.

Getting workers is a big problem, most have migrated to Haryana/Punjab.

On my mind was to start a fishery trade (not exactly farming) but due to non-availability of blokes to guard the pond, I am jittery at the prospect. We have two ponds now for our own use and fish repeatedly gets stolen.

I am trying to start farming of chilies/garlic etc, lets see how far do I go.
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Old 13th September 2011, 10:21   #18
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Re: Calling all Team-BHP Farmers : The Farming Thread!

I am not a farmer, but many relatives own and maintain some amount of land. And all I know is, its a money pit. Seriously. The return on investment (in form of efforts and resources) is very very poor. Especially for the small(ish) < 10 Acre jameens that my landed relatives maintain.
So much so, that I now call it as a rich man's hobby.
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Old 13th September 2011, 12:20   #19
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Re: Calling all Team-BHP Farmers : The Farming Thread!

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Originally Posted by addyhemmige View Post
Please keep in mind that agriculture is very much dependent on mother nature and you have to be ready to face all the vagaries dished out by her. It will be difficult for people to suddenly quit the relative luxury a city offers, to move to the countryside. Keeping in mind that you have no agricultural background, it will not be an easy ride. You may go to a University to learn about agriculture (which is good btw), but you will still miss the years of experience which the farming families have.

I am not trying to discourage you here, but please think it over before taking the plunge. Try to speak to people you might know (friends and their families who might be into farming) and do consider their advice. Let us know how you go about it. Maybe, we can take some tips from your research too.
Bang on the money addyhemmige. I know most of the learning is done as an apprentice observing experts for years and working under their 'guiding hand'. Unfortunately I dont have that luxury, but would still like to make it work. I may not become the best farmer around, but I dont want to let that prevent me from giving my best shot.

My main challenge is that none of my friends & relatives are connected with farming. Yes, a few may have distant farmer cousins, but I cannot expect any assistance from them. The objective is to begin with no knowledge or experience and build it up going forward. I will of course share my experiences here if it is of any use to anyone

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I am not a farmer, but many relatives own and maintain some amount of land. And all I know is, its a money pit. Seriously. The return on investment (in form of efforts and resources) is very very poor. Especially for the small(ish) < 10 Acre jameens that my landed relatives maintain.
So much so, that I now call it as a rich man's hobby.
Well sajo, no offense meant but we all know how the farmer and the buyer are both looted by the middlemen.
Again, I have no option but to start small. Especially as a lot of land is now being treated as investment opportunities. Some of the prices have to be seen to be believed. It really has become a rich mans hobby.

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We have some land and they aren't very suitable for farming. Its dry with sand.
I am trying to start farming of chilies/garlic etc, lets see how far do I go.
Sheel, I wish you well in your efforts. Do keep us posted on how it pans out
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Old 13th September 2011, 16:15   #20
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Re: Farming - Permissions, authorities, logistics & challenges expected

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hi guys,
as per today's statistics there are 74,339 threads, 20,44,286 posts & 62,723 bhpians.

& i thought there must be some farmers or farm-owners here on teambhp, right?
so i am starting this thread specifically for farm pictures, details like what do you grow there, where it is & other queries if you have any.
Refreshing change! Thanks Nikhil for starting this thread. Deoni Bulls look impressive. Is that festival of ‘Pola’ in third pic?

Well, I am not a farmer but I come from a farming family in Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra (Sadly, the region is now known for the ongoing Farmer suicides)

We had 40 acres of farm land out of which 6 acres was irrigated. The non irrigated land was used to cultivate Cotton, Toor Dal, Jawar while irrigation helped in cultivating Groundnut, Sunflower and Chillies. The farm had Mango, Tamarind, Pipal and Teak wood trees along the boundary.

We sold the farm few years back but I keep visiting my uncle’s farms just to get out of the concrete jungle.


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Originally Posted by selfdrive View Post

I appreciate advice from all quarters to answer these questions and any others that we can think of.
My 2 cents

Pros:
- Honest and satisfying profession if you do well. I don’t think this can be explained. One has to experience it.
- With booming population and increasing inflation the prices of farm produce are only headed upwards.
- Entrepreneurship opportunities - you can upscale to start a small processing and packaging plant and market your products

Cons:
- Availability of quality Labour – I guess this is one of the biggest issues faced by farmers today. It’s hard to digest given that we are country of 1.2 Billion people. Solution is to use farm machinery and automation wherever possible

- Availability of resources such as Water and Electricity – Another big issue. Water levels are going down across the country and load shading is common in rural areas. Solution – Drip irrigation, water harvesting and usage of alternate energy sources wherever possible

- Availability of Seeds, Fertilisers, Pestisides – Traders will create artificial shortage to jack up the prices. Farmers had to agitate and riot to buy the BT Cotton seeds in some parts of Vidarbha region few years back

- Middlemen Lobby – Producing is one thing but going to the market and selling is another. Middlemen lobby will try to push down the prices as much as possible. Classic example is the Onion prices last year. Consumers were paying Rs 40-50 per Kg but the farmers got only Rs 10-20 in the wholesale market. Again, farmers had to agitate and riot in Nashik to get the fair price. Solution is to create your own market by directly going to the customer if possible

- Availability of Credit – It depends whether you are planning take a loan or not but any large scale expansion/irrigation would require readily available credit. Private banks hardly lend in rural areas and government institutions involve red tape

- Community issues such as Religion and Caste play a major role apart from your hard work and professional skills. Farming in Maharashtra is marred by local caste politics. So beware.

- All the above issues will have a significant impact on person’s mental and physical health. A combination of these is resulting in Farmer suicides across the country.

I don’t want to sound too pessimistic but be informed before venturing into farming. If possible work with a Farmer for a year or two and get the hands on experience.
It’s rewarding and satisfying if things fall in place.
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Old 13th September 2011, 17:30   #21
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Re: Calling all Team-BHP Farmers : The Farming Thread!

How did I miss this thread.
Anyway,looks like most of you have some connection with farming.Well I am an actual farmer.I have a considerable land holding in vidarbha region (yes suicide belt) of maharashtra.
I grow cotton and soyabean as the main crops.Alongwith tur and chana in rabi season.Almost 60-70% of my land is irrigated.I have kept a full time manager at the farm,since I live in the city 110km away.
I have a Mahindra 595di turbo 55hp tractor.I am gradually turning to mechanised farming in every which way I can,since farm labour is getting costly and scarce.
If anyone needs any technical know how feel free to throw questions at me.As someone said earlier,its a very satisfying profession.
Happy farming
Oh btw I am Computer engineer.

Last edited by inder : 13th September 2011 at 17:35.
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Old 13th September 2011, 20:01   #22
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Re: Farming - Permissions, authorities, logistics & challenges expected

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Refreshing change! Thanks Nikhil for starting this thread. Deoni Bulls look impressive. Is that festival of ‘Pola’ in third pic?

yes , our bulls are mixed Deoni bulls.

but i have plans to start a breed research & preservation center for the Deoni bulls/cows at a 300Acre farm which i have just rented for next 30years.

will provide the details soon. (have to complete some legal issues)

rgds,
Nikhil
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Old 13th September 2011, 22:31   #23
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Re: Farming - Permissions, authorities, logistics & challenges expected

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Originally Posted by tsk1979 View Post
since I come from a family of farmers, let me help you there.
First of all, do not view India as one country when it comes to farming.
And last but not the least, you will have to leave your regular job if you really want to do farming, and not just rent out your farming land to some farmer on "theka".

Very interesting points you make here esp WRT lineage etc. I hail from a family that used to be domiciled in the rural areas around Ludhiana. For a while I have been contemplating acquiring a small "agricultural land" holding of 5 odd acres or so in the village from where our family moved out to the cities, as a "back to roots" kind of thing for myself and my children. So given that I am not a jat , do you think practical implementation of such a plan of action will prove to be a problem?
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Old 14th September 2011, 06:00   #24
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Re: Farming - Permissions, authorities, logistics & challenges expected

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Originally Posted by jeepster View Post
yes , our bulls are mixed Deoni bulls.

but i have plans to start a breed research & preservation center for the Deoni bulls/cows at a 300Acre farm which i have just rented for next 30years.

will provide the details soon. (have to complete some legal issues)

rgds,
Nikhil
Great going Nikhil. So is it the corporate farming that you do on 300acre farm? How does it work?
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Old 14th September 2011, 08:37   #25
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Re: Farming - Permissions, authorities, logistics & challenges expected

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Great going Nikhil. So is it the corporate farming that you do on 300acre farm? How does it work?
Yes,I have formed a privet limited company through which whole work will be done. Like plantation, labours, even selling the final products by the brand names.

The leased land is near our farms so managing them will be easy. For the water there are two reservoir dams so have to do some serious piping to bring the water. (will cost 15L+)

The project is very big, as we need many workers , fleet of tractors & other equipments, & building fence to farm, drip system, bringing water from the dams, etc.

So need around 50L . (so need loan from bank). Even have to pay revenue which is evaluated around 10L just for the contact.

So according to the plan, it will take around 3~5 years to fully develop the land. I hope you get the idea.

rgds,
Nikhil

EDIT:see this thread

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ny-name-2.html
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Last edited by GTO : 15th September 2011 at 13:03. Reason: Please use CAPS where necessary, and also paragraphs to improve readability. Thanks
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Old 16th September 2011, 14:22   #26
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Re: Calling all Team-BHP Farmers : The Farming Thread!

Hey guys interesting thread.

I have an orange farm in the outskirts of Nagpur around 25 acres, somewhere near Katol.

We (me and dad) just came into this field of business 4-5 years ago, so we are newbies in this. My Dad was always interested in owning a farm, so hence we took a plunge.

Our objective was to revive the Nagpur Oranges to its former glory using completely organic methods, maybe for export or domestic selling, we are now contemplating for a juice pulp factory.

We have had major setbacks initially:

1. We were duped in the land, i.e. we had paid 1/3rd more for the market value of the land because we had bought through a close friend. Needless to say that do your own research before investing anywhere.

2. The land we bought was full of rock and hence we had to hire a JCB to clear it all out and smoothen it.

3. Water shortage was another major problem hence we had to use pipe irrigation process. Also, we made a small opening for rain water to be collected and drain into the soil.

4. Time/patience needed, as we thought we would use this project as a side business.

5. Insects can be a Bi***.

6. Labour, still facing this problem.

Some hints for future farmers:

1. It takes 5 years for a orange tree to be fruit bearing.

2. Initial care must be taken, you must oversee the project yourself in the starting stage.

3. Have a sturdy fence around the perimeter of the farm as to not let other animals/people to enter. If a cow eats a tree sapling half way through, the whole sapling is spoilt. 25, 1 year old trees of mine were destroyed this way.

4. Introduce yourself to the local agricultural authority and tell them your plans, in my case they were very helpful.

5. You have no control over mother nature, so be prepared for the worst

6. On un-used or during the initial stages of planting trees you can grow crops at the same time.


Unfortunately after 4 years into this project I am still facing a loss, sometimes mother nature has spoilt the crops or the buyers are not giving a good rate.

The other thing I noticed is that all the local buyers are bonded, i.e. they control the rate at which they want to buy.

If any one can suggest me a profitable way selling the oranges, please do let me know.

Overall this can be the most satisfying and the most frustrating business you can do. If any information is required from my side, do let me know, I will try and answer them.
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Old 16th September 2011, 15:45   #27
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Re: Calling all Team-BHP Farmers : The Farming Thread!

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6. Labour, still facing this problem.
Labour has become a major issue for all the farmers in the country. People are not ready to work on a farm even if we agree to pay higher than normal wages. Most of the young rural workforce migrate to cities to work as construction labourers. Nobody wants to live in the villages anymore

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3. Have a sturdy fence around the perimeter of the farm as to not let other animals/people to enter. If a cow eats a tree sapling half way through, the whole sapling is spoilt. 25, 1 year old trees of mine were destroyed this way.
What kind of fencing are you using in your farm? Stray cattle moving into the farm is a major problem. In our coffee estate, we have wild elephants breaking the fences and trampling the plants along with the cattle (both stray & domesticated) who have taken a liking to eat coffee leaves.

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Originally Posted by xtremeshock View Post
Overall this can be the most satisfying and the most frustrating business you can do
+100

Btw, the pictures look good xtremeshock. Even we had oranges in our estate long back, but it was wiped out due to some disease and they have never managed to grow back again. Apart from a stray tree here and there, there are no orange trees in our area.
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Old 16th September 2011, 16:06   #28
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Re: Calling all Team-BHP Farmers : The Farming Thread!

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Our objective was to revive the Nagpur Oranges to its former glory using completely organic methods, maybe for export or domestic selling, we are now contemplating for a juice pulp factory.

If any one can suggest me a profitable way selling the oranges, please do let me know.
A great initiative xtremeshock. It is commendable that you are using organic methods. these days it is very rare (and expensive) to find organic food.

You could perhaps tie up with some of the organic food chains to sell your produce. Alternately, some of the food processors are known to enter into contracts (though this maybe similar to the bonds that your neighbours are into), maybe some may interest you?

Have you thought of selling direct to buyers? A little work maybe involved, but you could also get a better price

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Originally Posted by addyhemmige View Post
Labour has become a major issue for all the farmers in the country. People are not ready to work on a farm even if we agree to pay higher than normal wages. Most of the young rural workforce migrate to cities to work as construction labourers. Nobody wants to live in the villages anymore
tell me about it. I asked a colleague at work if I could work on his farm as an apprentice. Once the surprise reduced, he was overjoyed and could not stop talking about it
I guess in a selfish manner, it is good for me to learn that way. Of course, I told him point blank about my objectives and he is happy with it.
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Old 17th September 2011, 13:17   #29
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Re: Calling all Team-BHP Farmers : The Farming Thread!

Xtremeshock your location seems chennai,so how do you manage your farm near katol? Btw I stay in Nagpur.
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Old 17th September 2011, 15:50   #30
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Re: Calling all Team-BHP Farmers : The Farming Thread!

Can all the people who have farms, and produce food articles, tell me which brand/company product is used in your farms?

1) Pesticides
2) fertilizers
3) tractors/agri cultural equipments (if possible)

Thanks.
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