Farmers are cultivating other crops in their fields besides paddy
Young farmer from Sarguja Division’s Pratappur started apple farming through innovation
More than 100 saplings planted, plants started reaping fruits within a year
- Manoj Singh, Assistant Director
Raipur, 10 April . Chhattisgarh is known as the “Dhan ka katora”. Until recently, the farmers of Chhattisgarh didn’t even think about growing other crops besides paddy. But because of the public welfare schemes started by the Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel, farmers of the state are embracing innovation. By benefitting from the schemes started by the state government for cultivating other crops instead of paddy, farmers are now growing apples in a warm state like Chhattisgarh.
A young farmer of Pratappur has tried to bust the myth that apples can only be grown in cold states. A farmer named Mukesh Garg has planted more than hundred saplings of different varieties of apples in a warm place like Pratappur in Surajpur district, and some plants have also started bearing fruits. in a few weeks, the fruits will ripen and become edible. It is being said that apples can be grown anywhere in Chhattisgarh and their farming can prove to be profitable for farmers.
Commonly, apple grows in states with lower temperatures, like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand. The weather in Chhattisgarh is warm, which is not favorable to the cultivation of apples. In fact, its farming is considered a dream in Chhattisgarh. However, now apple can be grown in warmer places as well.
Received knowledge about the crop’s maintenance from Agriculture and Horticulture Departments
According to the information obtained from Mukesh Garg, he has been connected to farming, and he always tries to achieve something different. He came to know that a certain variety of apple has been developed in Himachal Pradesh that can be grown in warmer states as well. Mukesh contacted the Agriculture and Horticulture Department for this and planted saplings of the new varieties of apple plants in Pratappur. He learned many techniques of their plantation and maintenance from the department, placed the order for these plants, and planted them. Within a period of one year, these plants have grown to 4-6 ft. in height, and some have also reaped fruits.
Talking about the maintenance and plantation methods of these plants, he said that their optimum time is from November to February. For this, he had dug pits measuring 2×2 ft. and had treated them with anti-termite medicine. He had filled the pits with water after putting cow dung, soil, and water inside them. These steps were taken to settle the pits to ensure that the fibers of the plants didn’t break after the saplings were planted. These plants don’t need a lot of water. Watering them once in 2-3 days in summer is sufficient. However, care should be taken that plants shouldn’t hold water to avoid the issue of the decay of roots.
Temperature of 50 degrees is favorable for the cultivation of this variety of apple
Mukesh Garg has said that apples are mostly grown in colder states, but the maximum temperature of 50 degrees is favorable for the cultivation of ‘Harman 99’. Along with Harman, varieties like ‘Anna’ and ‘Dorset’ are also favorable to the state’s temperature.
