Here coffee too is grown in organic way

We have heard of the farmers using organic farming methods for fruit and vegetable cultivation, but has anyone heard of growing coffee through organic farming?

Well, for those who have not heard of it, the example is available at Vatiganahalli Estate of K C Manjunath on Handi-Baskal road.

When most of us believe that it is impossible to grow disease-free coffee without using chemical fertilisers and pesticides, Manjunath experimented with techniques to grow healthy, disease-free coffee plantation using organic manure. It worked in his favour and today his plantation stands as a model for those who wish to follow the similar path.

Though, he started off his experiment on a small piece of plantation land, the success he received, motivated him to expand the method and now the three and half acres of coffee plantation is cultivated based on organic farming methods. The remaining part of his plantation is nurtured with both organic and chemical fertilisers.

Along with it, he has invented a special organic pesticide which he has used against ‘Soragu Roga’ in chilly plants. This too has yielded positive outcome.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, he said with most of the growers shifting from the organic farming to chemical fertilisers, the soil is losing its fertility to a large extent.

The planters and farmers have ignored this fact and have been blindly following the chemical farming techniques.Giving out a few suggestions to the planters he says, shade is very important for the Arabica coffee plants. They get the first phase of shade from the wild trees, where as the second phase of shade is available at its best from the manure plant varieties.

The leaves of ‘Haluvana’ plants and other manure plant varieties could be the best organic manure for coffee plants. They also prevent the growth of weeds, he said.
After failing to control ‘Elechukki Roga’ through Bordeaux, Manjunath experimented with the organic pesticide that worked out so well in two acres plantation that the disease has completely come under control within two days.