Hi friends, I am new to this forum but have thoroughly enjoyed reading contributions from Sanjay, Chandra, Brijesh, Agri_Exec and others. It is a good way to learn.
I am also wanting to start a farm of my own and have been looking at suitable lands to purchase. I live in Hyderabad and currently my sole and immediate focus is to buy the right kind of land - with good access to water, reasonable soils and access to a metro market. I want to buy land that can afford agriculture (certainly not real estate prices). I am willing to invest in technology, engage professionals for guidance, put in the hard work and be patient. I am not looking for quick returns and am quite happy to be doing tne right things and generally be on course.
I quite liked the idea of Brijesh and others about pooling in for buying the lands. Not necessarily as partners may be as neighbors. Please count me in if any one of you wishes to take this initiative forward.
Also those of you who managed to buy the land of your choice for your farm, please advise what (who is even better) kind of guidance have you found useful. I read about geologists, soil experts etc but are there any other options? Like most, our family also owns lands for generations and been engaged in agriculture but mostly in wet lands and limited to Paddy, Sugarcane, grams etc. Since what I am planning is a bit different I am wanting to see if professional help is better in getting the location of the site right.
i have found out that land advertised on the internet is always at a premium rate, if you are willing to do a lot of legwork and agree on managing issues like accesibility, labour etc (manaegable issues, not talking about a stonewall here), you will get land at a cheaper rate.
soil can be enriched, water can be harvested and used judiciously. it will be very difficult to find land that match all parameters, for me the parameters is simple, 100% legally clear ( not negotiable), water should be available (not necesarily in abundance), land should be favourable for watershed management, red soil or red/black mix (adequate depth)
if you are looking at a 5-10 year window to develop the land, then keeping the above parameters in mind, you will get land at reasonable rates (75000-1.2 lac/acre) in tamilnadu
alternatively you can get better lands at cheaper rate if you buy in bulk
if we can form a group, then we can take it forward
there is land available in sivagangai @1lac - 1.2lac an acre, sometimes even with fencing…see details below
73acers land near sivagangai red soil and good land water availability with 3phase electricity posts and 3bores
125 acers land near kalaiyarkovil red soil good water availability with full fencing and land is covered by three sides of tar road.
another one @80000 an acre (company owned land, ready to sell in blocks of 100 acres)
2000 acres of high fertile agricultural Red soil land is situated in Attikulam village, Thrichulli Taluk, Virudhunagar District.
This site is having Tar road approach on two sides with sub-soil water sources at a depth of 30 feet and the fresh water River (Rythu Mal Nadi) [Branches of VAIGAI River] is flowing very close to this site. This site is located at a distance of 30 km from Madurai city a well as International Airport, 4 km from NH-45B and 12 km from NH-49.
The surrounding areas of this site is completely cultivated with sugarcane, Banana, Coconut and all kind of Agriculture, Horticulture,any kind of industries,educational institutions and Aggro-forestry plantation etc.
What appears as Ad, most of them, I think are fraud. To draw the attention they put an ad like this. You can see in the ad section many buyers have sent their interest, but never ever they have got replies. In farm nest ad most are from a single guy
I think Savera Farms can give some insight. They have done a lot of home work and also leg work in their acquisition.
no ad’s have met and spoken with the brokers who came recommended from someone i know on location
in regular touch with savera farms on this, next time i travel down am planning to visit him as he also knows some good brokers
there is land available in theni for around 1.5 an acre, very good soil, water, fencing, planting etc etc etc but around 150. spoken direct to owner (and his daughter) who is a mallu based in dubai but he does not want to split it up
there seem to be many options but all involve huge chunk of money as acerage is high e.g. 33 acres of fully developed organic farm near nilgiris all fenced, irrigated, planned by agri scientist who is now deputed on long term with UN so wanted to sell the whole block …already producing and earning…but after hearing the price (which is quite reasonable considering the work done and infrastructure available) i think even if i sell my pants i wont be able to come up with that kind of money
Ha, Ha Ha, yes I have also heard some prices like that. That too for barren lands. Only if have my luck, I should strike gold underneath. Yeah that too processed one hidden by some Arab trader during those Indigo and Spice days ! or something like what they found in Thiruvananthapuram.
Well for the fun of it can you share the price ?? Lets hear the price May be I can donate my pants along with some lungis also
he is asking for 5.5 lac per acre, even if he is ready to give at 4 then it works out to 33*4 = 1.32 Cr. + stamp-duty + registration. then since it is a running enterprise, include the yearly cost of maintanence & salary to staff. at the moment there is a fixed revenue of around .5 to .75 / acre for around 15 acres of mango + other fruits. plus you can make money on the other short term crops etc, all completely organic but again will need working capital. it also has dairy shed, labour quarters and all the bells and whistles
To take the discussion further, Since around 80% of the Indian Population is dependent on agriculture, what is your gut feeling on this ?
There is a huge shortage of labor.
Stock and barrel they are all migrating to cities.
For the remaining ones left there, machinery is prohibitively expensive.
The new families have only one or two kids.
Emphasis is on their education.
Added to all these, the prices are regulated. No govt will ever allow rice or wheat to go to Rs 100/kg.
What do you think would be the way ahead. I have a feeling that a large chunks of lands will be up for sale. Some may be desperate sale at your prices.
In karnataka, many youngsters have migrated to cities. Trend is to man the ATM’s as security guard. Cool, will fetch him Rs 4k to 5k. Some with small patches of lands have sold and are running meru taxis at Airport. Some have become cab drivers cum owners for BPO sector. Attaching a vehicle will fetch him 15 to 20 K per month. MGREA for poor and landless @ 100 days with Rs 120 / day for siting at home .
What is your take on this. Lands should become cheap or what ??
land will never become cheap, any natural resource that is finite will never become cheap e.g. land, petrol, diesel, steel, metals etc because you will eventually run out of resource, yes there may be spikes in between like the stock market but that will be for short duration only
for every person that is selling land there are X 10 investors who want to buy it as ‘investment’ i.e. to park black money or surplus income, what else better than a finite natural resource
for people like us we need to take what we can get at the best rate available today as tomorrow it will be out of reach
i am surprised that you think 1 lac is cheap, I have met brokers / landowners in tamil-nadu during my visits to the university and land searching but this is the range that i have come across generally 80-2.5 for red soil plain negotiable and slightly cheaper for red/black mix and cheaper for black
to be honest TN and AP are two states where we stand a chance today, but no saying for how long. kerala forget about it, Karnataka the land rules are not clear, same with maharashtra or you go north but that brings its own set of headaches
today the best place to buy land is north-east as it is cheap and lot of subsidies grants are available but risks attached
I agree with you on finite resources. But at the rate at which people are moving out, land will come up for sale. Small chunks are still there for throwaway prices like 1/2 acre to 1 acre, but it is not worth.
TN, Yes you are right. I have heard near madurai etc the going rate is still cheap. I am also told that a lot of guys from Kerala have bought lands for reselling at throw away prices.
In your endevour what was the lowest price you heard in TN. In karnataka I have heard the lowest offer was at 60k to 70k. But add another of same to make it fit for agriculture. There are lands still cheaper. But the nearest electric pole is a few km away. Now for IP sets electricity board has discontinued infrastructure. You need to pay for your own poles. 10k per pole and a pole for every 50 mtr Imagine the costs. So all in all the figure for ready to till land comes at a premium. Still more if it has road, near by village, power etc etc.
So at the rate of 1 to 2 L /acre is reasonable. What is opinion on this.
Brijesh, you are right TN and AP are best places for all new comers… with low capital investment and favorable laws. I brought a good 40 acres in karnataka… and concluded the transaction and got the khata also transferred to my dads name … but still the 79(a).(b) is haunting me and adding procrastination to my project start.
Started Looking in AP and surpised to see some lands nearer to bangalore i.e.in Rayalaseema dist red soil lands with water at 500-1000 ft depths( not sure if its economically feasible right away.)I ambanking on the fact that we can harvest rainwater or develop the watershed and increase the soil moisture and ultimately water levels.
for those who are looking in Karnataka ( and are eligibleto buy the land in Karnataka) , sira - hiriyur - chitra durga belt which is about 160km from Bangalore has lands in the price range of 1 lakh+/acre. Water level varies any where from150ft to 500 ft
Its the first step but … quiet frustrating one to start with …but once we buy the land and when you stand on your piece of land the feeling is worth lot more than all the frustration we experience …when we achieve our dreams i am sure u might forget all these small frustrations:) ( either you will have bigger frustrations which make these appear smaller or you have too many good things that you ignore these small frustrating moments)
Congrats on your purchase. Whats the plan? (for min lakh /acre)
TN seems to have better farmer support.
Saw quite few places at these area. Price was very high, brokers may be the reason. In one of the places i saw in hiriyour, water was present ( there is a dam nearby too) and the neighbour (dad of this person who i know) grows banana in 17 acres and does really good. So these places seems to be good to go. ( when i showed interest, i was told it sold the next day).
really really true, i am sure Murali, Arvind, Chandra and others who bought land in recent times share the same view.
Thanks natureworx.
Yes, procuring land is THE most frustrating and time taking step, especially if it is your first piece of land - most deals break in the very last stage. Once you have the land in your name, it is a huge relief that things have moved from the external domain to your own control. You may or may not be productive from day 1 of obtaining the land but you decide your pace and the what, when and how! As natureworx said, it is a nice feeling to walk over your OWN land.
Its true, getting the land is the most frustrating one. What you like are not for sale and what is for sale you dont like it.
I had my joy when I got the RTC in my name. Holding that computer print out and seeing my name on it was the real joy. I dont know, I must have read my name a 100 times. Not to mention, when you walk around the land, having that proud feeling that “Piece of Earth” belongs to you. Though it had existed 5 billion years before you and will do so for another few billion years. . Its only a mental feeling that you are the owner.
As chandra has pointed out. buying the land is half the victory. Even if you are not productive, It will be nature’s canvas. Something , some life grows on that with out a care for its owner, some animals roam around chomping on what is grown naturally without a care for lands owner
But one thing happens for sure, once you have the land in your name, for having struggled a lot, you really feel happy. 100% in agreement with Natureworx & Hegde. I had my joy simply roaming around the land with a stick in a hand poking and swinging on the wild plants that had grown there.
I was considering TN, for hassle free registration. Seen quite a lot of place in and around tumkur, chitradurga, nothing materialized for some or the other reason.
How about near Thali, denkanikoata, upto krishnagiri it would be ok. Reason being good roads infact NH with many lanes, Whats your take on beyond Hosur, till dharmapuri or near hogenakal falls.
…but once we buy the land and when you stand on your piece of land the feeling is worth lot more than all the frustration we experience 
What you like are not for sale and what is for sale you dont like it. 
