Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Oct 30: Mumbaru Dinakar Shetty from Kavarady village in the taluk goes to prove that a farmer who loves his profession can do wonders if he undertakes hard work. For people who pursue other professions, adoption of farming as a hobby can bring happiness in their lives. At a time when farmers are seen allowing their fertile land to go waste, interest taken by Dinakar Shetty and others who dream of raising crops in a small stretch of land that is not fertile and become successful at that, stand out.

Dinakar Shetty is a young agriculturist who has planted areca nut in a small area of 50 cents of hilly terrain. He planted 50 areca nut saplings, and followed systematic and organized way of farming. Within three and half years of planting, the first harvest of areca nut is ready. Shetty followed only organic method of agriculture. The first ever harvest in his plantation is ready to be harvested. He has been able to get 80 percent yield within three and half years and Shetty expects to get at least a thousand areca nuts in each tree.

Dinakar Shetty planned to raise areca nut trees in his half-acre land in . hilly area three and half years back. He levelled the land, dug four-feet deep pits, and planted different varieties of areca nut, hybrid coconut trees etc at specified gaps. He also planted hybrid coconut trees, sugarcane crop etc for impressing the rural populace of the need to maintain cleanliness and the need to maintain a system in farming. Shetty has found that maintaining the field clean reduces the chances of bacterial infection.

A visit to Shetty's farm surprises the people because of the level of cleanliness maintained there. He says that in such cases, bacterial infection chances are less. The fact that cleanliness improves performance of plants is proved by the farm of Shetty. The fact that cleanliness helps . trees to get better health is proved by his areca nut plants. The farmer will not be required to bring new soil from somewhere else for ten years as deep holes have been dug to plant trees. With the drip irrigation, he has been able to undertake additional cultivation of sugarcane,Papaya, banana, pineapple etc. Besides, water conservation is also achieved.

Shetty currently has created five small size nurseries. He plans to sell high quality areca nut breeds to the farmers. He has stock of a number of varieties of saplings and says he has not started nurseries for commercial purpose. Already thousands of saplings have been sold.

Shetty wants to expand nurseries, plant bush black pepper cultivation, providing encouragement to farmers by imparting knowledge etc towards augmenting their income.

He has many dreams for agriculture. Expansion of bush black pepper cultivation, expansion of nursery, educating farmers, encouraging farming etc are the immediate challenge she has been interested to tackle. His main aim is to confirm that farmers get good saplings.

For cultivating Sri Mangala and Inter C areca nut, before planting the saplings, minimum 2.5 feet, 2.5 feet wide and eight to nine feet deep pits have to be dug. A distance of ten feet should be maintained between pits. During their planting, 250 grams of neem oil cake, cattle shed manure and chicken manure should be provided to each of the pits. In the first year, fertilizer has to be provided three times. In the second year, leveling the space around the trees would be sufficient. If systematic method is followed and steps to conserve plants are taken, crops are ready in third year. during the year of yield, in the summer of the third year, as soon as shoots break out in the trees, lime should be painted around the trees. Otherwise, the wood might break during summer and pose dangers.

Dinakar Shetty says that the farmers mostly demand improved breeds of areca saplings. He can be contacted at 9449944344.