Dear Members,
Especially Mathew, Guru, Naren, Padmanabhan Ganesan and Upadhyaya for sharing their experience/knowledge, it’s valuable, priceless and inspirational to me and many people around here.
I wanted to start by saying that I am writing this sitting in my office desk on a Friday morning, just waiting for the clock to touch 4, so that I can run away from this corporate job to my home town for the weekend.
To begin with, I work in Bangalore as an analyst in a Biotech company. I came to Bangalore after completion of my Masters in 2006 seeking a good job, since then I have been working in this corporate job for almost 11 years. My home town is Mysore. I am a married and my family (wife, 1 year old daughter, Mother and my father) stays in Mysore. I travel to my hometown every Friday and return to Bangalore on Monday.
Even though I come from an agriculture family we don’t own any agriculture land anymore, as my father the only son had to sell his ancestral land for his sister’s marriages. Now my father has nothing left from the ancestral land.
My father and myself are very passionate about agriculture and like many others in this forum I don’t want to work in this corporate job.
Last year we decided to buy an agriculture land near Mysore. We have shortlisted the land which is 20 Km from Mysore City center. We have mortgaged the houses in Mysore to buy this land at 10L/Acres. Its 4.5 acers of paddy growing land close to the river.
Right now, its barren, I mean the earlier owner use to grow paddy hence they don’t have anything in that land. There is a water channel near to the land and the owner use to get water from the channel for 6 months to grow paddy.
I have taken 25 Lakh mortgage loan and for the remaining money we have used all our savings. I wanted to go for agriculture because not for the money but for the passion and a dream to make something that I always loved.
When I first told my dream of buying an agriculture land to my friends and relatives, they were very negative about it and they told me to buy an apartment in Bangalore instead of agriculture since there is no life in agriculture. They use to tell that I am the only one who is taking a mortgage loan on the house and buying a farm land where as others do the opposite (sells their agriculture land and buy house/apartment). But I don’t want to buy anything in Bangalore, I am willing to take the risk of my life to do what I always loved (agroforestry). But my father and mother supported my dream they told me to do what my heart says.
I was very nervous at the beginning and could not sleep at night thinking am making a bad decision, will I survive. Later I told myself what every decision I take I will stick to it, I must do whatever it takes to fulfill my dream, I want to live and do what I love. I don’t want to have any regrets later thinking that I should have done that, done this.
So finally, we have arranged all the money and we will get the land registered this month (Jan 2018). I have taken a small step forward towards my dream.
I wanted tell you what I want to do. I want to go for agroforestry based a farming. I don’t expect any results/returns for the next 5 years from the farm, I will continue my job for the next 5 years.
Since I want to go for agroforestry based a farming I have planned to do the following:
• Borewell: even though land gets water for 6 months, and we can’t depend on the govt, I will go for one or 2 borewells.
• Fencing: I would like to put the fencing around the farm. A simple stone pillar and barbed wire.
• Trees: I want to plant trees around the farm Melia Dubia, Agarwood, Teak. I would buy the saplings form the local forest department as they provide subsidized rate.
Please let me know how much trees can be grown on the periphery/perimeter of the land. The land is almost rectangular and has road on two sides?.
• Main plantations:
- Coconut: To plant good hybrid/dwarf variety of coconut.
Chandra Sankara (COD x WCT)
The palms come to bearing early when compared to tall palms. It is a heavy yielder and
produces 116 nuts/palm with a range of 100-150 nuts.
Is there any other fast growing coconut tree available please let me know. - Banana/papaya: as intercrop.
- Areca Nut
- Jackfruit: 4-5 jack fruit.
- Drumsticks
- Lemon
- Neem
This is what I am plaining to do. Please feel free to comment guide positive or negative. Or Am I stupid to do what I am proposing? Please guide me in my adventure.
Regards
Sudi.
