Cropping pattern enables Indian mango farmers to increase yields 3-fold
Several farmers in the Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri belt, which is famous for its varieties of mangoes, have started chopping their mango trees. Lack of rainfall and innovative technologies were their major concerns. Some said the trees were very old - they were planted nearly 30 years ago.
To help such farmers, a private company has been using ultra-high density farming, using drip irrigation. This method, developed by Jain Irrigation Systems Limited will help farmers grow nearly 500-674 mango trees in one acre against the current 40 trees in one acre. Moreover, lack of rainfall will not affect the yield as they propose the drip irrigation method. The company will procure the mangoes at the market rate and also plans to educate rural farmers across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh using training buses that will go around villages.
"The water requirement for each mango plant will not be more than 14-16 litres. Moreover, manure will also be supplied to the plant through drip irrigation, bringing down the cost drastically," said Narayanan. He added that in the past five years, nearly 22,000 farmers have been trained in Andhra Pradesh.
Read more at timesofindia.indiatimes.com
