Advice Needed - 30 acre Mango Farm in Vizag, AP

Dear Forum Members

We purchased a 30 acre mango farm near Gajapathinagaram in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh in 2010(75 Kms from Vizag).

Brief overview of the Farm -

  • Of the 30 acres, 22 acres have mango trees and the rest is left unutilised
  • Approximately 500 trees
  • Mango varieties are Banginapalli, Suvarnareka, Pariya etc.
  • Average tree life is 30-35 years and yield is just ok, though i do not have the exact numbers
  • Soil is very good (red soil kind of) no borewell exists, just a small hand pump
  • Ground Water table is also good in that area
  • Me and my dad are currently employed and do not have the time to nurture our farm, hence the yearly crop is being outsourced for 1.5 to 2.5 Lakhs to a local buyer
  • Since my dad would be retiring in October 2016, we have decided invest our time and energy on this 30 acre farm to get decent returns

My Objective -

  • To produce high quality, tasty and fresh mangoes that are free from harmful chemicals
  • Plan to have only 1 variety of Mango - BANGINAPALLI (for ease of marketing)
  • Plan to go for tree grafting
  • Remaining 8 acres will be used for short term crops (vegetables)

I would sincerely request you to share your thoughts on what would be the best approach to this situation. Appreciate your time!!

Thank you
Pradeep Varma

See my comments inline.

Regards
Padmanabhan Ganesan
agricultureforeverybody.blogspot.com

Dear sir, Thank you very much for your response!!

  1. The farm is completely rain fed
  2. Yes we are considering drip irrigation
  3. Yes we plan to adopt organic practices on our farm going forward
  4. 8 acres of vegetables - Sorry i meant Sugarcane or Banana or other locally viable 8-12 month crops
  5. We have competent folks who work on a contract basis on such mango farms and graft with the desired variety. That should not be an issue

Few questions regarding Tree grafting -

  1. Do you think we should go for fresh plantation or grafting should be enough to give us decent yield?
  2. For new plantation, what is the average yield time vs yield via grafting?

We are willing to invest around 10 lakhs+ approximately for -

  1. 30 acres fencing
  2. Grafting
  3. Drip irrigation
  4. Miscellaneous like applying bio fertilizers etc.

Hi,

If the existing trees are good then don’t go for grafting, I haven’t any farmers doing grafting successfully only scientists claim it to be good (this is my personal observation).

Don’t rush to spend money on additional infrastructure, initially focus on improving the yield and quality of the fruit.

You can try these for Mango.

  1. Start with green manuring( Janumu preferably) in June and Horse gram after plowing Janumu.
  2. Apply Jeevarutham and spray it at least 3-4 time a year if you wish to go for ZBNF or you can use bio fertilizers as well as vermicompost.
  3. Having 2-3 varieties is good so don’t cut the trees if they yielding.
  4. Don’t expect to do everything at once, plan your pace.

I am cultivating 20 acres of (Coconut + cocoa and Palm oil + cocoa) using ZBNF and vermi compost, yields are very good. I also started with ZBNF + vermi compost in my Mango plantation this year and waiting for the results.

Thanks,
Hari Devarapalli
amruthafarms.blogspot.in/

Thank you Hari garu for the suggestions. Will take this back to my father and as you have rightly said - we need to be patient!!

See my comments inline.

Regards
Padmanabhan Ganesan
agricultureforeverybody.blogspot.com

Dear Hari,

If you don’t mind, could you please give more details as to the type of soil, availability of water, average yield per acre and average returns per year. I am interested in ZBNF methods and would like to implement the same in the near future too. I understand that the yield per acre will vary with regards to soil and climatic conditions and the returns would vary based on the local market rates. However, I am quite interested in knowing some ball park figures.

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance. :slight_smile:

Hi,

Pradeep varma . I am also Woking profession . I have 4 acres of land . But in different places near vizianagaram . I am also looking for 5 - 6 acres of land at one place having good water resources . If you have any idea please let me know .

Thanks
Narendra

Hello Narendra garu

Will surely let you know if i come across 5-6 acre land parcels in VZM district, around Gajapatinagaram specifically.

You may also consider speaking to Mr Ravi (9494925999) who is a reliable land broker in that region, we got our 30 acre plot via his contacts. If needed, please quote my father’s name (Varma from Bondapalli village).

Thank you
Pradeep

Hi Pradeep Varma Gaaru ,

thanks for your response . I will call him and let u knw .

Thanks
Narendra