Request for your guidance

This is my first post. I am new to this forum. I see lots of community support. Thank you all and appreciate your valuable help to the community.

I am planning to start a farm for regular income. I have a land of approx 6 acres. I have free electricity with one dried well. The well do not have any water. If I drill I may get water. The land has red soil.

There was a community bore well in my land( part of some Swiss project) for people in my area, government drilled a bore well and manual pump.We get water regularly.

The Area map as follows
close up view (typo Pond not Pont)

View number 2

Area View

My childhood I was working in pady field. we had couple of cows at home. We had approximately 20 chickens (mainly for egg). So i grew up in a farming environment. My father was a govt teacher. So main source of income was his salary.

Now I am working in IT field. reaching nearly 50. My plan is going back and start farming and have some income from farm.

Option 1
Initially thought Banana, Murunga and pomegranate. But due to wind I was not sure this is practical.

Option 2
Mix of Egg farm and goat farm. corn, grass & azolla for feed.

Saw the following suitable for egg farm

Improved breeds of Desi bird
For meat purpose
Giriraja
Vanaraja
Nandanam

For Egg laying
Krishnapriya
Grampriya
Krishna J
CARI Gold

Giriraja: Improved variety of Desi bird in term of body weight & egg production (three times)

Any experts there for egg farm suggestion. Is this same as Nattu Koli? (country chicken) as country chicken egg fetches better price in local market.

Option 3

Integrated organic farming

  1. Not sure I can get organic certification. Past 10 years this land is empty. Near by yearly once some time farmers cultivate pady. So if anyone is doing farming adjacent can I still go for organic farming.

Entire 6 acres of land cows for organic fertilizer, grass & azolla for cows, mix of fruits, vegetables(shaded net using baboo) and flowers.

Looking forward for your guidance and inputs.

Thanks :slight_smile:

Dear Sriram,

First of all,let me know from ehich place you are and where you have all these

Dear Shesha

Thanks. This place is located in South India, in Radhapuram taluk in Tirunelveli district

See my comments inline.

Thank you padmanabhan Ganesan for the feedback on nattu Koli.

So far 133 views. Any guidance on which option I should choose for regular income generation?

Thanks

waiting for the doyens’ advise.

opine that you should first go for wind breaks for the farm.
in banana the G9 variety can be tried, better to have in staggered manner to achieve regular income and to get the best of the market variations.
regarding the pomegrande, in organic farming doubt whether we can have the fruits when the rates are good.
if you have facility to have vegetable cultivation go for mixed vegetables as you have good market nearby, kerala. Murungai we should have at good intervals through out the farm.
kindly share your progress so that we learn.
namaskaram.
r seshaadri

Dear Sri Sairam06, please let me know the answers for the following questions ,to give suitable and good suggestions.

  1. Are you a regular farmer, means, you want to stay in the farm itself or not.

  2. What is the land, is it elevated or low lying. Also type of soil .

3.What is the EC of your source of water and soil and its PH.

  1. What is your budget for your 6 acres land.

  2. Return of investments should be in short term or long term.

On getting clarifications, we may be in a position of advising yo, g.p.rao, farmeru.

All the best

Thank you Sir. Here are my reply

  1. Are you a regular farmer, means, you want to stay in the farm itself or not.
    I am now working in IT field. But I will become full time farmer and planning to stay in the farm or Just 3 Km from farm.

  2. What is the land, is it elevated or low lying. Also type of soil .
    Land is not elevated, not low lying. the land is same level as the road

3.What is the EC of your source of water and soil and its PH.
I suppose EC=Electricity. I have free Electricity. Not tested Soil and PH. I have red Soil. Since I am embarking for long term I do not mind investing a solar set.

  1. What is your budget for your 6 acres land.
    I can invest 15 Lakhs to begin. If required I can stretch to 20 Lakhs.

  2. Return of investments should be in short term or long term.
    I need regular income generation for my house expenses. So it is mixed. Partial land I can use for regular income and partial for long term.

Dear Sri Sairam06,

If you are not in a position to stay in the land and are depending on others, I suggest you to go for fruit crops and since your land,as you said, not much elevated, and with heavy rains, it may be water logged, pl prefer such crops, which loves water.

For example, comfortably you can go for G9 Tissue culture banana. Since you will not be in the land, go for regular plantation ;ie 6 ft x 6 ft and per acre 1200 plants will be accommodated. Even if you visit your land in twice or thrice a week, you can have good results. No much hurry/risky diseases are not there. If you plant this year, you can have a crop in around 11 months and ratoon crops also can be had comfortably, for so many years.Only caution is ,search for a good batch of plants from reputed tissue culture lab.

EC is electric conductivity of water and soil and it is not much important for your said banana crop.

As Far as budget is concerned, Tissue banana crop requires hardly 1.25 to 1.50 lakhs per acre and your budget is very much suitable.

You can grow Guava crop also, by providing 1.5 ft/2 ft height x 4 ft beds and/or on 2 ft height, 4 ft x 4 ft soil platforms also. This crop also requires your presence twice or thrice a week. From a reputed nursery, purchase Allahabad Saffeda/Luknow 49 and/ or VNR Bihi variety @ 18 ft x 18 ft distance, plant and grow with good amount of organic manures along with other mannures and you will get a good yield for a period of 15 years.

Much wind risk is not there for G9 banana and also now the tape fixing is doing well and on a whole, wind can not damage the entire crop, with considerable/moderate winds, as all the banana plants are inter linked with each other.

Pomegranate is a high risky crop and may not be much suitable also and Murunga has threats for heavy winds.

As far as live stock farming is concerned, it is not good to do in your absence.Once you come to the field after 3 years, you can think of it.

Likewise, organic vegetable cultivation needs your full time association in the field.

All the best and take a good decision. g.p.rao, farmer

Dear Sir

Thank you. I am planning to stay within the farm. If not I will be staying just 3 Km from the farm so that I can visit daily. Defnitely there will be someone to look after the farm and stationed within the farm.

  1. What sort of earnings I should expect per acre for G9 banana cultivation. Assume I spent 1.5 Lakhs per acre.
  2. How do I create windbreaker?
  3. Any Insurance available to protect my investment against any wind or Diseases?
  4. Any risk I should factor in ?
  5. Is this the correct method of Planting G9? (3 trees)

Thanks

this is what we are all expecting as I mentioned “waiting for Doyens’ advise”.
very perfect explanation.
namaskarams.
r seshaadri

Experts,

Please help me with your answers . Please Refer to the images I have posted above for planting.

Thanks

Hi Sriram,

Have you checked your inbox ? had sent a message. You may contact me 09916972394 or mail me - jkantharaj6@gmail.com

Dear Sri Sairam06, You can go for tissue cultured Banana Plantation in double row paired system, ie; 1.2 x 1.2 X 2 mtrs and/or 4 ft x 4 ft x 6 ft and ,around 2200/2400 plants can be accommodated .you can expect upto 60 tons yield, if all parameters are followed… ( several farmers crossed the above yield). profit depends on that days price.

You can plant fast growing tc teak plants, Silver oak plants and / or Bamboo plants as wind breakers.

If you have a bank loan, it can be insured for cost of investments,till that date.

Not much risks but there are, like winds/gales in heavy tune, shortage of water supply by unforeseen etc.

I had two nice crops in double row paired system of banana in 2 acres and got good profits. It is scientifically proved also and it was accepted in symposium on high density plantation of banana held in hyderabad and delhi during 2003,2004.

Hope you will be successful. g.p.rao, farmer,

Dear Sri Sairam06, Forgotten to mention, Never go for hogh density plantations either in banana or in any other crop, without experts/expert consultants supervision, since you are a beginer. As a well wisher only, i am informing you, as much financial investments will be incurred. Begin with normal density cropping, gain good experiance , with low investments.

With best wishes, g.p.rao, farmer

Thank you everyone for your encouragement and support. I am happy that found all positive minded energetic people in this forum.

Rao sir thanks million for your advise and help.

Hello,

Can you share more information on plantain banana… I have recently bought a farm in which I am going for coconut plantation… (Deejay hybrid 100 trees). I want to intercrop with banana as it will serve two purpose. one is some additional income by sale of vegetable banana and second is obtaining sizable biomass for mulching / preparation of compost for bed application… What is the duration / harvest time and the variety of plantain.

Thanks