Jamnagar farmers take to banana cultivation
Jamnagar - one of the formerly princely states on the West coast of Gujarat and well known for the petro refinery and brass part industry world over - will soon have farming of bananas too.
By RR Goswami, TNN |
AHMEDABAD: Jamnagar ��� one of the formerly princely states on the West coast of Gujarat and well known for the petro refinery and brass part industry world over ��� will soon have farming of bananas too. It is for the first time that bananas would be grown in this district of the Saurashtra region on an experimental basis as till now the district witnessed the farming of traditional crops like groundnut, wheat, cotton and sesame.
Balvirsinh Jetubha Jadeja, a farmer hailing from this district has undertaken the cultivation of bananas on a spacious farm land of 25 acres at village Dhrafa of Jamjodhpur taluka in Jamnagar district by planting more than 45,000 tissue culture plants. He brought 25,000 tissue culture plants (TCPs) from the Jain Irrigation Ltd, Jalgaon, 10,000 from Saheli Biotech, Anand and 10,000 TCPs from Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Ankleshwar.
With regard to investment, Mr Jadeja ��� a farmer by profession and also the owner of a hotel at Limbdi in Surendranagar district ��� said each TCP had cost him Rs 16. The TCPs which were planted on June 18, 2007 are likely to be ready by August 18, 2008 and the yield in term of volume would be somewhere around 15 tonne amounting to Rs 60 lakh.
It may be recalled that Mr Jadeja had earlier under the able technical guidance of Ahmedabad-based agro expert Jitubhai Patel had undertaken farming of Taiwanese Papaya at Limbdi in Surendranagar district for the first time in the history of the district.
The yield was to the tune of Rs 1.04 crore and thereafter many farmers in Surendranagar district followed Mr Jadeja and undertook farming of papaya and also American Maize. Impressed by his experiment in Surendranagar district, the Gujarat government had honoured Mr Jadeja for bringing in innovative farming in the state.
Simultaneously this progressive farmer has also undertaken the farming of pomegranate at Atalnagar in Bhuj taluka of Kutch district and also cashewnut in the adjoining villages purely on an experimental basis.
The district agriculture officer when contacted confirmed that the district, for the first time, would have farming of bananas which, till recently, had witnessed the farming of only traditional crops.
In fact the native of village Dhrafa, Mr Jadeja believes that agriculture land is an ideal laboratory for practical experiments and encouraged by his first agro venture at Limbdi in Surendranagar district, he decided to go in for banana farming in his own native village.
In fact now a days agro disease-free tissue culture plants for bananas are available in the market and they are sold only after rigorous R&D tests in the agro laboratories and therefore, farmers do not have to bother after plantation in their farm land, Mr Jadeja said.
Comparatively, bananas need more water but less maintenance (after plantation) and quantum of fertiliser but then yield and return on investments are much higher when compared to traditional crops, Jitendrasinh Jadeja, his younger brother clarified.
Balvirsinh Jetubha Jadeja, a farmer hailing from this district has undertaken the cultivation of bananas on a spacious farm land of 25 acres at village Dhrafa of Jamjodhpur taluka in Jamnagar district by planting more than 45,000 tissue culture plants. He brought 25,000 tissue culture plants (TCPs) from the Jain Irrigation Ltd, Jalgaon, 10,000 from Saheli Biotech, Anand and 10,000 TCPs from Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Ankleshwar.
With regard to investment, Mr Jadeja ��� a farmer by profession and also the owner of a hotel at Limbdi in Surendranagar district ��� said each TCP had cost him Rs 16. The TCPs which were planted on June 18, 2007 are likely to be ready by August 18, 2008 and the yield in term of volume would be somewhere around 15 tonne amounting to Rs 60 lakh.
It may be recalled that Mr Jadeja had earlier under the able technical guidance of Ahmedabad-based agro expert Jitubhai Patel had undertaken farming of Taiwanese Papaya at Limbdi in Surendranagar district for the first time in the history of the district.
The yield was to the tune of Rs 1.04 crore and thereafter many farmers in Surendranagar district followed Mr Jadeja and undertook farming of papaya and also American Maize. Impressed by his experiment in Surendranagar district, the Gujarat government had honoured Mr Jadeja for bringing in innovative farming in the state.
Simultaneously this progressive farmer has also undertaken the farming of pomegranate at Atalnagar in Bhuj taluka of Kutch district and also cashewnut in the adjoining villages purely on an experimental basis.
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The district agriculture officer when contacted confirmed that the district, for the first time, would have farming of bananas which, till recently, had witnessed the farming of only traditional crops.
In fact the native of village Dhrafa, Mr Jadeja believes that agriculture land is an ideal laboratory for practical experiments and encouraged by his first agro venture at Limbdi in Surendranagar district, he decided to go in for banana farming in his own native village.
In fact now a days agro disease-free tissue culture plants for bananas are available in the market and they are sold only after rigorous R&D tests in the agro laboratories and therefore, farmers do not have to bother after plantation in their farm land, Mr Jadeja said.
Comparatively, bananas need more water but less maintenance (after plantation) and quantum of fertiliser but then yield and return on investments are much higher when compared to traditional crops, Jitendrasinh Jadeja, his younger brother clarified.
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