Visit to Nabar’s Mango Orchard (Vengurla)

We visited Bhooshan Nabar’s mango orchard in Vengurla yesterday (22nd March) to understand how mangoes are made ready for the market once harvested. Below are photos from the visit.

Bhooshan Nabar (foreground) and Sajjan with the mango orchard in the background

Nabar prefers to keep the undergrowth in check for fear of fires during the dry months

Alphonso tree laden with fruit

Because the trees have been regularly pruned, they are short and bear fruit so low that you could crouch under the branches and pluck them. Walli takes a moment to capture some photos

Pheromone traps are a simple and effective way to attract and trap insects that may damage the mangoes. Similar pheromone traps are available at the ZAO's office or even at Ela Farm in Old Goa.

Mango trees need looking after. Nabar digs a ring around the base of the tree at a distance of approximately 30 feet from the trunk. This ring is used to fertilise the tree. He uses bonemeal, dolomite (lime with Calcium and Magnesium), cow-dung and super-phosphate. Keeping the ring mulched helps retain moisture.

Mangoes being harvested

Freshly harvested mangoes

Nabar shows us his new plantation (3 years old). A bore-well and a drip irrigation system ensures that the trees get the water the need. The land is rocky and undulating, much like portions of land on our island of Chorao. No reason why we can't make similar plantations on our lands

(From left to right) Kalangutkar, Santosh, Mahambare, Walli, Sajjan, Nabar, Abreu (back), Arjun, Ramesh (back), Prava

National Recognition for Chorao Farmer

Premanand Mahamabre felicitated by Ministry of Agriculture

Premanand Mahambare, the current President of our Club was among the 101 small and marginal farmers felicitated at the hands of the Union Minister for Agriculture, Shri Sharad Pawar, on the 26th of February 2010.

The Ministry of Agriculture has brought out a coffee table book titled “Harvest of Hope” that documents the role of small and marginal farmers in keeping the wheels of agriculture turning in India. 101 farmers from across the length and breadth of the country were identified and felicitated by the Minister at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi.

Needless to say, the Club is proud of his achievements.

Read the official press release about the event here.

And more about the book and event here.

Club Presentation at State Credit Seminar – NABARD

On the 16th of February NABARD conducted its annual State Credit Seminar. At this seminar NABARD outlines its plans for the coming financial year.

Like last year, members of the Chorao Farmers Club were asked to make a presentation of our activities. Presentations included experience sharing from the Club’s President, the Branch Manager of the Central Bank (to which we are linked) and from TERI (the organisation which we work with).

(click here for TERI’s presentation [PDF- 4.3MB] )

Following the presentation, officers from NABARD, the Central Bank Regional and Branch Office visited the Farmers Club. Discussions with the 11-Member Committee were followed by a visit to farms nearby where some farmers are involved in an experiment on growing exotic vegetables (broccoli, Chinese cabbage and capsicum).

NABARD and Central Bank officials visit Madel Fields

Tiswadi Krishi-Mela at Ela

On the 19th of January members of the Chorao Farmers Club participated in the taluka-level Krishi Mela organised by the Department of Agriculture at Ela, Old Goa.

Chorao Farmers Club stall at the Tiswadi Krishi Mela - Ela

This was an interesting opportunity for us to showcase our work and also directly sell produce to other farmers and residents from the taluka.

Thanks to the Department for organising an interactive session where we could address our concerns directly to the Directors of relevant departments, the ZAO and Ministers present (unfortunately, the Agriculture Minister was not present).

Farmers participating in the Q & A Sesion organised by the Department

We think such forums are an important space for farmers to raise issues of concern directly with authoroties. We hope the Department makes this an annual affair AND takes action on issues discussed.

Raising a Vegetable Nursery – in photos

As a follow-up from our Workshop on Growing Exotic Vegetables in Goa (conducted in September this year), ICAR’s Program Coordinator, Dr. Rajnarayan demonstrated the setting up of a vegetable nursery for broccoli, capsicum and Chinese cabbage, on the 30th of November, 2009

Beds are made, approximately 1 meter wide. They can be as long a desired

A clear walking path between two beds is important to access beds on both sides. Vermicompost and well-decomposed cow-dung are mixed into the beds

The compost and dung are worked into the soil and large, hard chunks of soil are either broken down or removed so that the bed is fine and powdery. Using a stick, furrows are made along the with the of the bed, leaving a gap of approximately 5cm or as wide as four-fingers

Seeds are sprinkled in a straight line into the furrows

Farmers giving a hand at sowing seeds into the furrows. Once seeds are sown, the furrows look like in the photo above (right)

After sowing seeds, sprinkle a thin layer of soil and compsot mix on the seeds (traditionally, several women simply take a stick and mix the soil around in a random manner, thereby sending the seeds under a few layers of soil. Namita brings in the hay that will be used to mulch the beds

Straw is then used to cover the beds (mulch) to keep the seeds warm and allow them to germinate. The straw can be removed as soon as the seeds are seen to sprout.

The beds are then watered. Farmers are adept in using their hands to create a light sprinkle (else the seeds will scatter); Sometimes a water can is recommended for a similar effect

Given the stray-cattle menace in Goa, it is advisable to ensure cattle cannot reacht he beds, otherwise the tender shoots will make for tasty meals! Using sticks and branches, a fence is made to secure the beds.

Zonal Agricultural Officers Visit for Inspection

Officers from the ZAO had planned to inspect damaged crops and fields on the 1st of December, after coordinating time and date with the Village Talathi (Mr. Kedar Bhandari).

During the inspection farmers are expected to be present so that the officers can be taken to the fields in question. The Talathi put up a notice on the Village Panchayat bulletin board announcing the date and time. The Farmers Club informed the relevant members about the date.

Talathi's announcement on the Village Panchayat bulletin board and a gathering of farmers awaiting the Zonal Agricultural Officers at the appointed date and time for the inspection to commence

Besides the 22 farmers that submitted applications through the Farmers Club, the Mamlatdar bunched another 35 applications that were received individually, for inspection as well. All these applications were forwarded to the ZAO.

With a total of 57 applicants to deal with, a route was planned that made visiting the fields easy.

Collectively, a logical route is decided upon and everyone sets out for the inspection (by car, motorbikes, bicycles on foot....)

Each individual farmer was asked a few key questions (amount and variety of seed planted). Plots close to the roads were visually inspected, those with no accessible road were not. Yet, each applicant’s complaint was dealt with.

Next Steps
The ZAO will now compile a technical report with recommendations that will be sent off to the Mamlatdar. The Mamlatdar will eventually make the decision and the funds will be disbursed through him.

Stay tuned for progress on the matter.

Farmers Club Registers as a ‘Society’

Members of our Farmers Club met on the 2^nd of November 2009 to promulgate the Club into a Society under the Societies Act 1860.

Members gather to create their Society and elect the Governing Body

Founder members and the Governing Body

There are 56 founding members and we also elected our Governing Body consisting of 11 representatives.

The Governing Members are as below…

President:  Premanand Mahambare	Vice President: Shrikant Priolkar
Secretary: Shankar Chodankar	Joint Secretary: Namita Khandeparkar
Treasurer: Mukund Khandeparkar	Joint Treasurer: Samiksha Khandeparkar
Member: Gita Uskaikar	Member Sunita Khandolkar
Member: Lisa Noronha Dias-Noronha	Member: Manoj Sarnaik
Members: Mahadev Chondankar

ICAR's Dr. Prabhudesai administered the 'Oath of Office' to the elected members of the Governing Body

Growing Exotic Vegetables in Goa: A Workshop

Dr. Rajnarayan discussing importance of growing vegetables

The Club, in conjunction with TERI, organised a half-day workshop on Growing Exotic Vegetables in Goa, on the 14th of Sept. Faculty from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) spoke on the different kinds of non-traditional vegetables that have been successfully grown in Goa and how these can be grown safely, without the use of chemicals.

Dr. Rajnarayan, Program Coordinator at KVK spoke about the nutritional, medicinal and economic importance of growing vegetables.

He focused specially on 4 vegetables, broccoli, chinese cabbage, sweet corn and green capsicum, that he suggested the Club could consider growing on an experimental basis for the coming rabi season.

Chinese Cabbage, Broccoli, Green Capsicum and Sweet Corn have successfully been grown in Goa

This was followed by Dr. Prabhudesai touching on the importance of growing food “safely”. He explained how chemicals used to grow food end up in our body systems and can even be found in cows and mothers’ milk!! He said it was possible to make bio-inputs using EM, Neem and other natural ingredients so as to reduce farmers dependency on chemicals like urea and pesticides.

Five farmers have volunteered a portion of their fields to grow the 4 crops shown above. As part of this exercise KVK will guide the farmers in raising nurseries for these vegetables, land preparation and transplantation, making bio-inputs and timly harvesting. They will also guide farmers to gather data for scientific purposes.

Pre-monsoon Paddy Clinic

The KVK held a special Paddy Clinic for the Club members. Besides distributing some basic farm inputs like lime, seeds and trichoderma, discussions were held regarding paddy sowing techniques, land preparation etc. Some highlights are presented below:

Collecting farm inputs at KVK, Goa

Tips for paddy cultivation:

• Goan soil tends to be acidic (naturally as well as due to the use of chemical fertilisers and urea). Thus, to neutralise this acidity chuna/lime should be incorporated in to the soil at the time of land preparation. For every 300sq. mtrs, 8kg of lime should be ploughed into the soil

• Use Trichoderma to treat seeds before planting them – trichoderma is a variety of fungus, common in soil and root systems. The chemicals released by these fungi have a strong local effect and assist in the control of plant disease, increase root growth and development, crop productivity, resistance to abiotic stresses, and uptake and use of nutrients.
• Bokashi (made from EM and rice husk) is also very good for land preparation. Its main function is to enrich soil with microbes. These eventually help fix nitrogen for plants. Bokashi must be added 10 days before planting of seeds. Due to its high level of acidity, it can potentially harm seedlings. Therefore a gap of 10 days after addition of bokashi to soil is important. 1 sq. mt of land needs approximately 30-40 gms of bokashi (i.e. 30-40 kgs per 1000 sq. mts or 120kg-160kg/acre of land)
• EM-5 – can be used as a natural repellent for ants. EM 5 is a non-toxic chemical free insect repellant used to repel pests and diseases in crops.
  • Ingredients:
    • Water
    • Molasses
    • Natural Vinegar
    • Distilled Spirit/Ethyl Alcohol/Whisky
    • EM
  • Method: Mix the five ingredients in the ratio 6:1:1:1:1
    Seal the container. Release gas at regular intervals and re-seal till the formation of gas has subsided. Store in a cool and dark place.
  • Use:
    Spray EM5 diluted in water 1/500-1/1000 to wet the crop.
    Start spraying after germination, before pests and diseases appear.
    Spray in the morning or after heavy rains.
    Apply EM5 regularly.
• Phosphorus Solubalising Bacteria (PSB)[1] : Goan soil contains phosphorus but it is contained within aluminium and iron molecules. These bind the phosphorus in such a way that it is not possible for the plant to assimilate it for its needs. (Phosphorus is essential for plants to fight disease). KVK provides farmers Phosphate Solubalising Bacteria (PSB). This needs to be added to cow-dung (1 packet can be used for 2 gadaas of dung). After adding, it is mixed and kept covered by a plastic sheet for 2-6 days. After a couple of days it can be opened to mix and stir. After a period of about 6 days it can be mixed in the soil. This will assist the plant to uptake phosphorus from the soil.

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[1] Phosphate Solubalising Bacteria: Some bacteria like Aspergillus awamori have the capacity to solubalise the phosphates fixed in soil. It must be recalled here that most of applied phosphorus is fixed in soil, and a small part of it is available to plants every year as labile phosphorous. When such bacteria are grown in large quantity in soil during the plant growth they release large quantities of phosphorus from fixed sources and make it available to crop roots. Recently such bacterial fertilizers are also made available in the market. Phosphate solubalising bacteria have potentiality to solubalise 10 – 20kg phosphorus per hectare – there by avoiding the necessity to apply phosphatic fertilizers.