Starting a large scale farm in Tamil nadu

Farm Questions
1

Hello everyone:
i will start with a brief introduction, i am 22 year old guy nri now living in toronto pursuing bsc kinesiology. Family background is all related to health sector but we do have experience of farming in Punjab. From the past six months i have picked up a lot of interest in agriculture and dairy farming, and based on my research i believe there is a lot of earning potential in this business. Now referring to my personal case we have 150 Acres of land and we still are buying more in Aruppokottai , Virdhunagar district near Madurai , Tamil Nadu. The climate of the region is semi-arid tropic with an average annual rainfall of 790 mm in 45 rainy days. Black soil, the depth ranging from 0.6 to 1.2 m. The soil group is vertisol with clay loam and underlying canker nodules. I have been following a this forum for the past 8 months and its been so helpful and encouraging for me to leave the " American dream " and do something i like i.e Agriculture and dairy farming. So i call for help from all you experienced people who have idea of what kind of troubles lie ahead of me and how can make this project really profitable and at the same time i ill build a business model where labors at my farm will be treated with respect and rewarded for there hard work, also in some of the land i ill open a community center with a gym and a basketball court for all the employes and local village kids. To run such an operation i will need a good cash flow, so anyone out there who can help me with designing a modern farm in these conditions?
Any reply will be deeply appreciated.
thanks

1 Like
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[quote=torontototn]
Hello everyone:
i will start with a brief introduction, i am 22 year old guy nri now living in toronto pursuing bsc kinesiology. Family background is all related to health sector but we do have experience of farming in Punjab. From the past six months i have picked up a lot of interest in agriculture and dairy farming, and based on my research i believe there is a lot of earning potential in this business. Now referring to my personal case we have 150 Acres of land and we still are buying more in Aruppokottai , Virdhunagar district near Madurai , Tamil Nadu. The climate of the region is semi-arid tropic with an average annual rainfall of 790 mm in 45 rainy days. Black soil, the depth ranging from 0.6 to 1.2 m. The soil group is vertisol with clay loam and underlying canker nodules. I have been following a this forum for the past 8 months and its been so helpful and encouraging for me to leave the " American dream " and do something i like i.e Agriculture and dairy farming. So i call for help from all you experienced people who have idea of what kind of troubles lie ahead of me and how can make this project really profitable and at the same time i ill build a business model where labors at my farm will be treated with respect and rewarded for there hard work, also in some of the land i ill open a community center with a gym and a basketball court for all the employes and local village kids. To run such an operation i will need a good cash flow, so anyone out there who can help me with designing a modern farm in these conditions?
Any reply will be deeply appreciated.
thanks
[/quote] Hi? Wellcome to Forum and you are trying to understand art of agriculture which is only one filed has got creativity power after GOD Bramha. Yes, You can create heaven in your land, Practical observation may essential for you to dream come true.
Try to leave for some time in where good agriculture is happening for one season (365 days year) if possible or you can start with your own knowledge for self experments, however the great guns in the Forum always will guide you. Wishing you all the best.

Can you have visit to agriculture happening places in Canada to learn any best practice which can be adapted here in our motherland.

3

yes i have been visiting places in canada to learn advanced techniques and new methods but when it comes to applying things in india everything cannot be applied in those conditions. Having said that i don’t want to live physically there all the time, i have a team of 10 15 people working there to get the land ready for sowing maize. Our last try was a fail because it did not rain much this year but i have heard of some success stories in horticulture, any advice on that?. I have my options open to use part of the land for dairy farming , poultry, a small farm house for farm tourism and a small atv track.

4

Please visit techie2aggie.blogspot.in/
if this is exactly what you wanted to do there are lot of people out there.

5

Still looking for some intel on what type of crops to grow in that particular region , hope i come across someone from madurai region who knows the area well. Also since tamilnadu gets the most sunshine in india , i was thinking a borewell run on solar enerrgy could reduce longterm electricity expenditure?

6

@torontototn
Can you please use a valid email id on the forum since topic replies to your id bounce?
Thanks.

7

Thanks for notifying i just did it!

8

The link I gave is in your area. they have Mango,Moringa,Melia Dubia and some seasonal crops like watermelon,vegetables, etc.

I suggest you: Mango,Annona(custard apple),Moringa(drumstick), Pomogranate,and watermelon. All are less water comsuming draught resistant plants. These needs initial three years of watering.

Better to go for 5 layer system of Sri.Palekar. with above choices.

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RESPECTED SIR,

WE ARE BASED IN MADURAI, WE HAVE 25 YRS IN AGRICULTIRE WE HAVE DONE MANY AGRICULTURE PROJECT LIKE LIVESTOCK MILLET CEREALS AND HORTICULTURE IN ORGANIC AND ALSO IN CHEMICAL, WE CAN FOR FOR YOU AND ALSO CAN ARRANGE LABOUR,DRIP SYTEM LAYING (CAN GET SUBSIDY ),IRRIGATION MAINTANENCE,FINDING GROUND WATER ,PLANTATION ,MACHINERIES THROUG SUBSIDY,LIVE STOCK PURCHASING AND ALL FARM PRACITICE, WE ARE NOT A CONSULTANT ,AND ALSO CAN WORK AS A FARM MANAGER TO YOU KINDLY SEND YOUR REPLY TO MY MAIL ID sundarsmnm@gmail.com 9788182399

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sri can you explain more about five layer system and i cant find an address of the place from there, i will in madurai in june for half a month so i can visit some successful project sites

11

Jus throwing another question out there ! How much revenue can be generated from 150 acres of land in this area by simple monocropping of maize by using the scattering method of sowing?

12

Toronton,
I have sent you a mail regarding large scale farm. Please send your contact info and we can take it forward.
Farm Lover.

13

It is a tricky question. the yeild depends on fertility of the soil, climate, quality of the water etc. In my area there are people harvested 40quintals of maze from 1 acre.
But average yeild is 28-30 quintals. rate is 1300 to 1450/quintal.

14

5 layer system:

Populating plants in a dense plantation. The plants are selected such that they dont compete for nutrients. Layer 1: Tall trees,2: Medium tall trees 3: Shrubs 4: Creepers 5: Tubers. The plants selected must form a symbiatic system.
This is designed so well most of the pests are avoided naturally.

The idea is to generate highest revenue and not to allow any weed to grow.

There is a thread on this forum see link farmnest.com/forum/natural-farmi … 3/#msg7433

15

Dear Author
We can advise you to get into medicinal plantation fields since it is a very lucrative business proposal with good futuristic scope for success.Our medicinal plants society is an NGO working on no profit no loss basis.Undersigned shall visit your farm land carry out appraisal of the farm soil and its pH factor along with availability of water,percolation quality of soil and the most successful crop expected in the area.We work on 20% sharing basis with any farmer who works with us under our guidance.In case you feel you require our services please contact undersigned on e mail;rcdixit@hotmail.com or come on the current site only as per your convenience.
with best wishes
rcdixit

16

Thanks for alll the replies and support till now , i will reply to all emails very soon. Anyone out there in this area doing farm tourism ( where people come and stay the night.

17

Dear friend,
As some one who went into farming about 10 years ago, I want to caution you about a few things.

  1. profitable farming is not a part time occupation.2. Labour costs are going up constantly and productivity is coming down. 3. Machinery use is required but it requires lot of money. 4. The prices quoted by the suppliers of seed or saplings are about 3 times of what you will realize because most of the wholesale medicinal plant and vegetable or fruit trade is a monopoly (no competition) 5. It is nearly impossible to hire a good farm manager.6. You need regular supply of water for most profitable opportunities, so find the availability and amount of water and power to pump it. 7. You can sow maize in all the 150 acres but regarding other crops please limit them to 5 acres to gain experience.8. Most agri scientists did not come from agri families and their estimates are not good basis for investment decisions. In other words they never made a living on farming. 9. All subsidies involve bribing officials and giving share to middlemen, so it is not worth counting on them for viability. 10. I have not seen a single agri scientist going into farming, inspite of all the enticing profit projections they make. One can make substantial profits,if farming is managed well. Visit a successful farm before investing heavily.
18

I like the points you bought up mbghanta and i appreciate that,
1 This wont be a part time occupation , a team of 3 people who has managed our farms and made us profit for years are now in living in Madurai.

  1. and 3. I am not looking to develop a system that is labour intensive, finances are pretty good so buying machinery is not a problem.

  2. Well in this case i will still buy it as long as there is considerable profit and i hope o reach where they are one day.

  3. Just throwing out a fact Tamil nadu has highest agriculture graduates and even post graduates who i suppose should have a good knowledge and scientific approach towards agriculture. So if i can it here in india there is no where to go and also as i said three people are there already who are farmers and trustworthy working for us for years but they dont have scientific approach towards agriculture which makes me want to do something.

  4. Water is one problem we are facing right now, 3 borewell connections have been approved so far but electricity remains a problem!
    ANY SAY ON IF I CAN USE SOLAR PANELS FOR Operating my borewells?

  5. Thanks for this one.

  6. We are not going to make living on this i am ready to wait for sometime to make sure everything is started properly and profits will follow i believe.

  7. Well i work with the system put it that way :wink:

  8. This is on my agenda when i am in Madurai in the month of June .Our Large scale investment here just not based on rich harvesting profits, land isn’t really cheaper than this in other parts of India and the way population is growing land price rises are inevitable and food consumers are growing too and land prices itself go up since the time we started buying it has gone up 20 percent in two years. Also i am counting on vision 2023 report which wants to make tamilnadu third most favorable investment destination in asia. And i beleive she is learning it how to get done from her buddy NARINDER MODI!

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IN ARUPULOTTAI AREA AVURI,MORINGA AND ALOVERA HAS BEEN CULTIVATING FOR SEVERAL YEARS BY FARMERS BUT YOU HAVE SON BUYBACK CONTRACT OTHER WISE IT IS NOT AN VIABLE PROJECT
SUNDARSMNM
9788182399

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Respected torontototn , Your area aruppokottai is a semi arid zone and as stated Sri Sir,you will get around 28 to 30 quintols of maize per crop and you may get more or less also depends on your management,soil and inputs you give and basing on the method you follow. That area is nearer to Oddana Chatram market,specially for Moringa olifera,ie; Drum sticks, you can plant your total acreage also after having tie-up with companies and proper study and also you can market successfully in canada also, as this crop is having business for leafs,dry, pods fresh and dry and seeds,fresh and dry,and BEN oil from dry seeds even . Upto my knowledge Pomegranate is started in that area Aruppokottai,theni etc in Tamilnadu.please see the existing pomegranate farms there locally and decide.I need not tell you about pomegranate especially Bhagwa variety and it may be equalent or even better than wonderful of USA. Further there is one more crop by name Custard Apple (Annona reticulata) seethaphal in local languages,is a good crop for that area provided you get good market.It is a very promising variety as far as rate is concerned.you can mint money, if you bag good buyer. There is one variety called Balanagar ( available with horticulture dept of Andhra Pradesh ) and one more Arka sahana, a variety released by IIHR,hasarghatta,bengaluru ( as recommended by Sri sir ) both can give you fruits of size 500 gms upto 1200 gms . Even the rate can reach upto even hundreds per kilo if they reach the metros in good shape and fresh. you can get high yields, but only hurdle is you should look after and do it timely . Like wise you choose one crop. Here i want to advise you that profits,developments in horticulture/agriculture mostly depends on our dedication on the crops or love on the crop and plants. if you come forward with specific requirements,i can do the posible to you. g.p.rao,farmer.