Can pineapple be taken up in Andhra Pradesh?
Yes Mr.Chandra. Pineapple can be cultivated in Andhra. It is being done from so many decades in the hilly tribal regions of Vizag, Vizianagaram & Srikakulam districts . Other than that, around 10-12 years back a farmer in Guntur district (somewhere near Bapatla I guess) did some trials and he got good results. Please make a note, this was 10-12 years back and I read it in Annadaata I believe.
If you are going for Commercial Pineapple cultivation, try to workout on KEW variety. This variety is best suited for canning & also table purpose. Its shelf life, firm flesh & brix are better than the local varieties.
If it is for personal use, try to procure some local variety plants from Chintapalli area (Vizag Dt.,). Its taste is very unique. The freshness you can feel is awesome. It’s almost 3-4 years since I ate it last and still I can feel that. But, be aware, it has very low shelf life and commercially not viable.
Regards,
Prakash.
Thanks Prakash. Any idea if it comes up well around Hyderabad too?
Hmmmm … I don’t know whether it would come up well or not. But, if I were in your shoes, I would surely do a trial. It’s worth giving a try.
Simple reason being - You have got land, already some work is going on and most importantly you have got Tons of zeal for Agriculture.
Do some research on the Package of practices to be followed, select 10-20 cents of suitable patch from your plot, procure planting material, plant them, take necessary care & wait eagerly for the result.
All the Best,
Prakash.
Yes, indeed. Just shortlisting the possible crops in the first run 
Ok. If you don’t mind me saying / sharing, see if you can try out with ICRISAT Groundnut, Barley and Sweet Potato (Orange Flesh).
*Jumbo Groundnut - This was developed by ICRISAT, Patancheru. Sorry to say, I forgot the name of the variety. Uniqueness of this is the SIZE. The nut is so big that we might mistake it to be Almond in the first glance. 5 years back the rate was Rs.100 a Kilo and 60 Kgs are required for 1 Acre (May be viceversa Rs.60 a Kilo & 100 Kgs required for an Acre). Loose soils with Good irrigation facility is the main requirement & I believe you have got that. I forgot the concerned person’s name. You can get it very easily though. Just contact their Genebank department and you can get the seeds. Regarding the marketing, my Idea was to supply to very limited NICHE stores dealing with high end consumers with SIZE being the USP. This will enable to increase the returns considerably.
*Barley - Taking into consideration the Agro-Climatic conditions around Hyderabad & most importantly your Zeal, I believe, you can get good yields of Barley in your land. It’s very easy to handle when compared to Wheat & Paddy. It just needs 4-6 waterings. Planting in september - october should give optimum results. For seed material, try with any of your friends in Delhi or surrounding areas. At that time, cost was Rs.40/- a kilo. A friend of mine bought a 100 Kg bag and transported it in a train. Health benefits of Barley makes it easy to market. Only thing I was not sure is the machinery required for hulling & pearling (Polishing as in paddy). Things would get much easier if the rice machinery can do these both. In addition to the grains, Barley grass is the Best Fodder.
*Orange Flesh Sweet Potato - Called as OFSP in short by the scientists. This was developed by CIP (International Potato Centre) in Peru, South America. Best part about it is, it has got all the Goodness of Carrot in it. This was developed to provide Betakerotene, Vitamin A and other vital nutrients which are sourced from carrots. Since poor tribals & underprivileged people cannot afford Carrot, they developed this alternative. To keep it simple, it’s like ECONOMICAL & CHEAP ALTERNATIVE to carrots. You can source the planting material from CIP Bhubaneshwar Office. At that time the centre’s incharge was a Telugu guy, moreover, avery nice & receptive guy. Sorry once again, I forgot his name too. I got this number from Google search 0674-2470768. Coming to the marketing, I was with same formula as for jumbo Groundnut. Niche Market - Promote it by showcasing the Health benefits & Uniqueness.[/ul]
Just got excited with our conversation and speaking out. Hope it’s not confusing & diverting you from your course.
Regards,
Prakash.
Thanks Prakash, this is good info, I will keep in mind.
However, do remember water is pretty scarce in my area.
Watch the below link:
Super Bondada.
What type of farming you are doing? Natural, Oragnic? When you say we can convert waste lands into fertile can you share some insight on how to go about and the turnaround time for the same.
Srinivas
Thanks Chandra for opening a thread on this topic.
Dear Hyderabad members,
kindly share information pertaining to the Fruit crops which are best suited to the climate of Hyderabad.
I did a little study for the coconut and cocoa fruit cultivation during the Horti expo. and was told that these 2 crops are not suitable for Hyderabad climate and are mostly grown on coastal areas.
During my various visits for the hunting of agri lands. I’ve noticed that Mango is the most common fruit grown here, followed by Papaya, banana, grapes, pomegranate etc…
I also did a little feasibility study for date plantation but again the temperature does not reach to the extent which is required for date fruit ripening.
regards,
Mohammed Muneeb
Hi Chandra it’s been pretty long you posted your doubts…iam keen knowing what crops did yield in these years and can you share your experience
Search for “Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Fruits” published by Govt of India. This will give state specific fruit crops. Use this link nhm.nic.in/Technolgy.htm.
Regards
Padmanabhan Ganesan
agricultureforeverybody.blogspot.com