“Mechanization Implemented in Pomegranate and Vegetable Crops…”

Kishorkumar Deshmukh from Atpadi (District Sangli) has successfully implemented mechanization in his pomegranate and vegetable cultivation. By utilizing equipment such as mulching paper applicators, rotavators, and bed makers, he has achieved significant savings in time, labour costs, and physical effort. Furthermore, he has created an additional source of income by renting out this machinery.

Atpadi, located in the Sangli district, falls within a drought-prone region. Considering the limitations imposed by the climate and water availability, many farmers in this area have successfully developed their agricultural practices. Kishorkumar Deshmukh is one such farmer. He owns a farm spanning 34 acres. Since 2010, he has cultivated a pomegranate orchard. The trees are planted at a spacing of 14 feet by 9 feet. He places particular emphasis on selecting the ‘Mrug Bahar’ season for his crop. Kishorkumar has been deeply immersed in farming since his early childhood. He places a strong emphasis on conducting new experiments. He is a pioneer in the organic cultivation of both pearl millet and pomegranates. His family consists of his father Vijaykumar, mother Vijayalakshmi, wife Rachana, son Lokendrasingh, and daughter Hirakani. At home, they possess a sowing machine, a tractor, a plough, and all other necessary farming implement. Previously, rainfall levels were low; however, with the arrival of water from the Tembhu Irrigation Scheme, the issue of agricultural water supply has been resolved. Consequently, sugarcane cultivation has also begun to flourish within the taluka.

Work Experience…

Kishorkumar served as a supervisor at the Sitasheti Project in Achegaon, located in the Solapur district. During this tenure, he gained valuable experience cultivating sugarcane and various other crops. He studied aspects such as soil quality, soil texture improvement, and yield enhancement, and observed the operation of various types of farm machinery. After leaving his job, Kishorkumar returned to his village and dedicated himself to full-time farming, putting the knowledge he had acquired to practical use. However, a shortage of labour was being felt in his family’s pomegranate orchards, which resulted in farm tasks not being completed on schedule and operational costs rising day by day. To find a solution to this challenge, Kishorekumar visited various agricultural exhibitions, where he came across several machines. He spent several lakhs of rupees to purchase them. Naturally, he placed a primary emphasis on mechanization in his farming operations.

Here is how he implemented mechanization…

Use of mulching paper:

Kishorkumar mentions that his one-acre pomegranate orchard is a new plantation. Last year, poly-mulching was implemented in this orchard. Saplings were planted after preparing raised beds approximately one and a half feet high. This prevented weed growth around the base of the trees. It facilitated the development of healthy white roots, reduced water consumption, and prevented plant mortality. Furthermore, the growth of the saplings was uniform. Using a machine, mulching paper can be laid over the beds across one acre in just four hours. The cost of this machine is ₹31,500. For bell peppers, seven bundles—totalling 1,200 meters—are required for one acre. Two labourers are sufficient to complete the work in four hours. Even if one accounts for their wages of ₹800, plus ₹1,500 for tractor fuel, the driver, and maintenance, the total cost comes to ₹2,500 per acre. Performing this same task manually incurs a cost of ₹5,500 per acre and takes two days to complete. Consequently, the use of machinery results in a 50 percent saving in costs.

Use of Reverse Forward Rotor:

This equipment is priced at ₹70,000. It can be utilized to prepare ‘beds’ in orchards that are two years old or older. Its operational efficiency is two hours per acre. By utilizing this machine, labour costs can be reduced by 50 to 60 percent. If this same task were to be performed manually, it would involve operations such as weeding, operating a hand-hoe, and levelling the ridges. Collectively, this would incur a minimum cost of six thousand rupees; however, the same work can be accomplished using the machine for just two thousand rupees.

A bed-making machine has been purchased for approximately ₹38,000. It can be utilized for cultivating capsicum, tomatoes, watermelons, and in newly established orchards. It has been one month since the planting of 11,000 capsicum saplings was completed, a process that involved the use of both mulching paper and the bed-making machine. Beds can be formed in widths ranging from four feet up to any desired dimension. The height of the bed can be set at 1.5 feet, while the width can be adjusted between 14 inches and two feet. The use of this equipment allows for potential savings of up to ₹4,000 per acre.

Use of Bann Side Rotor (For Tilling Pomegranate Orchards):

The cost of this machine is approximately ₹1,96,000. In addition to pomegranate orchards, it is also useful for mango, guava, and custard apple plantations. It serves the purpose of burying weeds and grass beneath the soil within the orchard. Running the rotor over the raised beds three times every six months ensures that the soil remains loose and friable. This facilitates proper aeration within the soil. Furthermore, it allows for the effective incorporation of farmyard manure and chemical fertilizers into the soil. This can result in potential savings of up to ₹70,000 per acre.

An Additional Source of Income…

“Implementing mechanization in farming certainly benefited me personally. Moreover, it enabled many other pomegranate growers to utilize machinery as well. This has generated an additional source of income and created employment opportunities,” stated by Kishorkumar.