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Bidar mangoes in demand in U.S.

Rishikesh Bahadur Desai

PROGRESSIVE FARMER: B.S. Kudre at his farm

BIDAR: Organic mangoes from Bidar are being stacked on dining tables in Las Vegas. The credit goes to farmer and exporter B.S. Kudre, who has increased his output and persuaded other farmers to go organic.

Mr. Kudre, who retired from a cooperative bank, took to agriculture as it always interested him. He bought 10 acres of barren land full of laterite rock. Earthmovers were called in after traditional ploughing proved difficult. This took months. "People thought we were mad," recalls Mr. Kudre's wife, Girija.

They went in for a borewell and also an open well. Drip irrigation minimised water use. Compost and vermi-compost were used to improve the topsoil. Niger plants were used as green manure. The 35-day crop was grown across the year. It was regularly trampled back into the soil to increase fertility. Soya bean was grown for nitrogen fixation. Neem cake and juice were used to fight diseases. No chemical fertilizers, insecticides or pesticides were used. Nearly 500 mango trees or various varieties were grown and a part of the produce was exported.

That was nine years ago. Now, the Kudre couple have bought an additional 40 acres of land. Over 6,300 mango trees have been planted here.

Organic farming continues, with some new techniques. "We are now dropping earthworms of the Eudrilus eugenia species at the root of every plant. They increase soil fertility and are more effective than vermin-compost," Ms. Kudre explains.

"We made some changes after attempts at export taught us a few lessons," Mr. Kudre says. Now, one variety of Kesar mangoes, which is demand in Western countries, has been planted. The fruits come in one size, shape and colour. It does not fall to the ground even after it is ripe. It also has a longer shelf life of over two weeks. It is more sought after by Westerners as it is not sweet as the other varieties. The plant begins to give fruits from the third year. Mr. Kudre said an average output of 100 fruits from each tree helps them to break even in five or six years. He plans to sell them in cartons made from recycled paper.

The couple has opened an organic farming training institute in their field in association with Pravarda, a non-governmental organisation. Progressive farmer and seer of the Tadola Mutt, Rajeshwar Shivacharya, inaugurated it recently and asked small and marginal farmers to adopt organic farming.

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Bidar mangoes in demand in U.S.

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