JOIN USHundreds of yielding date palm trees in a farm in Saganahalli near Gauribidanur stand testimony to the innovative efforts of Diwakara Chennappa, a postgraduate from Begur village in Bengaluru Rural district.
Interestingly, Diwakara had not considered farming as a livelihood option until he stumbled upon the book One Straw Revolution authored by organic farming pioneer Masanobu Fukuoka. The book came as a revelation for a person who till then believed that it was impossible to make a living out of agriculture, and created an urge in him to experiment with farming. In 2010, he started working in the land his father had bought in Saganahalli.
“Though people discouraged me, I didn’t want to deviate from organic farming,” he says. He started off with maize and finger millet. But his dream was to grow something new to the region. A demonstration on date palm cultivation by Nizamuddin, a Tamil Nadu farmer, in the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, motivated him to experiment with the crop. He visited Nizamuddin’s farm in Dharmapuri and bought 150 saplings from there. People pitied his inexperience and felt that the effort will turn futile as the chances of cultivating dates in this region were remote.
But Diwakara was confident and followed organic methods to nurture the plants. Though Nizamuddin had suggested the use of chemical fertilisers for better yield, Diwakara decided to continue with organic farming. He planted 150 plants in 2.5 acres area of which 135 survived. While 15 date palms are male, the rest are female plants. The trees started yielding in the fourth year in Diwakara’s farm. While he got a yield of 1,120 kg in the first harvest, the yield was 1,580 kg in the second year. This year, the yield is around two tonnes.
Diwakara’s effort has burst the myth that dates can be grown only in desert land. Though date palms can withstand harsh weather and survive in drought conditions, they require irrigation. The water requirement is equal to that of coconut tree. Diwakara has found that soil moisture and warm weather are essential for date palm cultivation. Diwakara’s success indicates that the agro-climatic conditions of Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts are suitable for date palm cultivation.
Still Diwakara is not sure if date can be grown commercially in this region. “Though I have got a good harvest in the last three seasons, I will recommend it to fellow farmers only if the crop yields well for a few more years,” feels Diwakara. Though less, date palm is not free from pest and disease problems. Some trees in his farm were infested by red palm weevil. While there is no standard method to control this pest, Diwakara has been able to control the infestation organically.
He also cautions people to be careful about the source while buying plants. Around 15 male plants are sufficient for 100 female plants. One can identify the type of palm only when it starts flowering, after four years. According to him, though expensive (one plant costs around Rs 3,500) tissue culture plants are more reliable.
Innovative that he is, Diwakara organises harvest festivals in his farm when the trees are ready for harvest. People visit the farm, taste the fresh and nutritious fruit, and buy it from the source. The fruit is sold at a price of Rs 400 per kg. So far, he has been able to sell all the harvest at the farm itself. This year too, he had organised two harvest festivals recently. One can contact Diwakara on 9845063743.
Ravindra Bhat
(Translated by AP)