Paresh Harivadan Patel of Vemar village in Karjan taluka started cultivating almonds to improve the farming environment. This Australian variety of almond trees grows to a height of 20 to 25 feet, benefiting the environment and increasing green spaces.
Not a traditionally grown crop, almonds are new for Gujarat. Some farmers have started using social media, including YouTube, to learn newer farming techniques. Paresh came to know about the cultivation of almonds, After scouting, he found a nursery in Gandhinagar that grew seedlings of this variety. Then, he bought about 700 plants and planted them as an experiment to start a new venture. According to him, “The cost of one plant is Rs.120 but with the cost of transportation to Vemar, it costs him around Rs.200.” He added that the signs until then were encouraging.
Informing that the almond plantation takes roughly three years to mature, Pareshbhai added that the new venture had a higher risk factor. Hence, he also sowed Pink Taiwanese Gooseberry alongside Almond to reduce the risk coefficient. As per him, almonds are extracted, dried thereafter, and then harvested. Eventually, like peanuts, the dry fruit is then peeled in a thresher. Later, the farmer can pack it, retail it themselves or even sell it to dry fruit traders. He added, “It is estimated that 30 to 40 kgs of nuts can be obtained from one plant.”
Paresh has 60 bighas, solely used for horticulture. For him, there were issues with arranging labor to farm traditional crops like cotton, hence, horticulture. He has grown Kesar mangoes, custard apple, pomegranate, and citrus as an experiment.
According to him, very few farmers in Gujarat had ventured to plant Australian almonds. Motivated by his attempts, fellow farmers around him have also gone on to grow 5 to 10 plants each. Not only inspiring his companions but his adventures have also been noticed by the Vadodara office of the Horticulture Department.
