Organic farming has opened new doors for farmers. Some farmers are experimenting with new techniques and reaping fantastic yields at negligible cost, inspiring others. As people start preferring chemical free products, they show readiness to pay extra bucks for organic products. In India traditionally farming was an activity carried out mostly by less educated farmers. However, as the country progresses, more and more people who are highly educated and qualified are taking to organic farming as a full time profession or hobby, bringing a substantial change in net agriculture earnings scenario. An Indian dentist not only left practice for full-time farming, but also achieved big success with his new technique and created new opportunities for traditional farmers.
Dr Ramesh Pipariya, a resident of Rajkot in Gujarat is a qualified dentist. After completing education he started practicing as a consulting dentist, but his heart was for farming. So in 2014 he finally decided to quit medical practice and start organic farming at his farm on the outskirts of Rajkot city.
According to Pipariya, "some of the main reasons for taking up farming was his hobby of farming and increased competitiveness in dentistry. After studying on the internet I zeroed in on growing dry dates (Kharek) as it required minimum efforts, water and farming cost. I used a tissue culture technique in which the mother plant of all the saplings in the farm is the same. This maintained uniformity in taste, flavour, and look of the fruit same across the farm."
Very few people are aware that unlike other plants, dry dates are special trees where powder made from male trees have to be sprayed on female trees to get the yield. Pipariya started getting yield in 2018. However, last season he got a bumper yield of crops. In the last season Pipariya's farm has generated 14,000 kg of dry dates. The yield gave a profit of over Rs 1 million (£10,000) from dates only. Dates from a single tree generates Rs 5,000-7,000 (£50-70) with a yield of 50-60 kg, as per rates prevailing in India. According to Pipariya, date trees are grown at a distance of 25 feet. In between these trees other trees like mango could be planted, which would give additional profits.
In growing dates, the main cost is the cost of saplings which is available at Rs 1,400 (£14) after using the government's subsidy. Irrigation water is a challenge in India, if there is a drought. Hence, the yield depends largely on rainfall. Date crop's advantage is that it also gets yield in a drought year as it requires no water for 8 months. Similarly heavy rains also destroy farmers' crops. As dry date farming is not much affected by weather there are more chances of getting good crops even in times of drought, heavy rainfall etc.
Pipariya says that dry date farming is most suitable for small farmers whose earnings would be enhanced and more predictable. Unlike most other farmers, Pipariya has adopted a farm-to-table model where instead of selling produce to a wholesaler, Pipariya's word of mouth has made clients directly visit the farm and buy products. This generates better margins on sales.
This year the dentist farmer is geared up to take his organic farm and earnings to the next level. In addition to growing dates, he has also experimented with growing dense mangoes and avocados. He is confident that this year as Covid has slowed down, his products will command better prices.
