Farmer from Savli taluka reap benefits from Grapefruit tress grown in unused land

 Believe in cow based farming he says the trees pay him rent

Believing in cow based farming, Dharmesh Patel, a farmer from Wankaner in Savli taluka planted seven vitamin-rich Grapefruit trees in the empty land which pays him regular rent. He says the fruits are a good source of boosting the immunity and can be beneficial for people amidst Coronavirus.

The present Governor of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat is a follower of cow based farming. The state government has implemented a scheme to encourage cow rearing for cow based farming which has boosted the enthusiasm of about 15 people from Bhadarwa of Savli taluka including Dharmeshbhai Patel of Wankaner area. He is doing various experiments of cow based farming and seems to have decided to make this area a school of cow based natural farming.

The main thing is how the seven Grapefruit trees grown in the field became tenant of Dharmesh Patel.

A guest from Bangalore brought these fruit to his house and he offered it to Lord Ganesha as Ganeshotsav was going on. He offered the fruit of this plant of large size like citrus and from the lemon family and sow the seeds inside his field. The seeds turned into gigantic trees and bear fruits from the onset of monsoon to winter.

It is strongly believed that amidst Coronavirus, the only cure for the disease is to boost the body’s immune system as no vaccine is yet available in the market. The farmer says, this fruit is in good demand as it enhances immunity.

They say that a tree bears an average of 250 pomelo fruits in a season, from the sale of which they earn more than Rs 15,000 per tree annually. Its cultivation has made it possible to use the unused land for income generation and the look of the farm has become greener. According to him, people from till Ahmedabad take this fruit and he sell it from home.

You can consider the fruit of this tree as lemon or citrus like coconut. The characteristic of this fruit is the juicy tissues like balls between the very thick plump bark. Its fruit and bark have various medicinal uses.

Dharmeshbhai’s have grown these trees in their fields as an experiment from the fruit received as a gift from his friend. He says, the unused land can be used for cultivation of these trees as it generates extra income and the consumption of this fruit can take care of the health of the family.

Curiosity about the fruit was aroused in the mind of the people when he welcomed the home minister by giving a basket of the fruit at an agricultural program at Savli recently.  Many people consider this fruit cultivation to be a cost-effective cultivation.

The fruit which is probably the size of a football is green or pale yellow when raw and is more yellow when ripe.

Dharmeshbhai and his friends Dasharath Singh, Jaideepbhai went to Vadtal and took training in cow based farming in the camp of Subhash Palekarji, an advocate of natural farming. All these friends are now dedicating themselves to the same and using cow dung and urine in various ways in their farming. There goal is to keep as many farms as possible free from chemicals and focus on pure cultivation.

Dharmeshbhai raises cows and his farm is full of drums carrying sour buttermilk made from cow urine and cow’s milk. He says, the cheapest alternative to expensive urea is a paste made from sour milk and cow urine. He even claim that cow-based farming may be the best way to prevent global warming at the local level.

Farmers in India and Gujarat have always been experimental and their experiments are proving to be mostly beneficial and instructive for the country and the state for agriculture and farmers. At the same time, it seems to be beneficial for other farmers to experiment cow based farming in their small plot of land like Dharmeshbhai and his fellow farmers are doing in the area.