FARMER'S NOTEBOOK
Coconut, livestock integration fetches higher income for ryots
M.J. PRABU
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Recycling organic residues proves economically rewarding
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— Photo: CPCRI
PROGRESSIVE FARMER: P.V. Koran in his vermicompost yard at Kasaragod in Kerala.
INTEGRATED FARMING system (IFS) with diversified farming enterprises can be ideally taken up by coconut farmers in their gardens, according to Dr. V. Rajagopal, former Director, Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, Kerala.
Under this system "a variety of fodder grass, spice crops, cereals, millets, vegetable and fruit crops can be cultivated as intercrops in the interspaces between coconut trees and integrating animal enterprises such as dairy, poultry, duck rearing and aquaculture in them," he said.
Best Farmer award
"By effectively recycling all the organic residues of the plants and animals, the farming system would prove to be economically rewarding for the coconut farmers," said Dr. Rajagopal.
Mr. P.V. Koran is one such progressive farmer of Kasaragod district who has been practising the IFS concept in his 0.32 hectares coconut garden.
Mr. Koran has also won the best farmer award presented by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and Coconut Genetic Network (COGENT) for effectively practising integrated farming in his coconut garden.
About 56-west coast tall variety coconuts are grown as the main crop in his garden.
Surplus coconuts
"The average yield of coconut is 120 nuts from a tree every year. The surplus coconuts after meeting my domestic requirements are sold partly as raw nuts and copra, which fetch me a net income of about Rs.25,000 and Rs.26,250 respectively every year," said Mr. Koran.
About 100 cuttings of Panniyur-2 and Panniyur-5 pepper varieties are planted in the coconut basins in his garden. Turmeric is also grown as an intercrop in about 10 cents. "I have harvested about 8 kg of turmeric which was sold at the rate of Rs. 20 per kg," he said.
Fodder grass varieties such as congo signal, para grass, and hybrid napier are grown in about 50 cents in his land.
"I have harvested about 140 kg of fresh congo signal and about 60 kgs each of Co-3, para grass and hybrid napier grass," he said.
Soil conservation
Mr. Koran has adopted soil and water conservation measures such as mulching coconut basins, contour bunds and water harvesting pits in his garden. "I regularly mulch farm wastes in the coconut basins and apply farmyard manure at the rate of 50 kg for every palm," he said. He has started a vermicompost production unit using coconut leaves and other farm wastes.
Two milch animals
He has also started a small diary unit comprising five Jersey breed cows out of which two are milch animals. The cattle are fed with green fodder from his land in addition to concentrate feed available in the market.
On an average, he gets 10 litres of milk every day from a cow. The milk is sold at the rate of about Rs.15 in the market. the dung obtained is partly recycled as manure for the coconut palms and the rest is used for making vermicompost.
"The additional income from my animals and their waste is about Rs.29,625 every year," he said.
Intercropping varieties
He has also intercropped nhali poovan banana variety. "I am able to harvest about 25 kg of banana from every plant which I sell at a price of Rs.12 per kg", he said.
He is also maintaining a back yard poultry unit of about 8-10 gramalakshmi chicken breeds released by the Kerala Agricultural University.
For more information readers can contact Mr. P.V. Koran at Pallippuzha house, Pakkam post, Pallikkara, Kasaragod District, Kerala: 671 316, Phone: 0467-2410044
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