Akola farmer experimenting with apple crop

District Correspondent

Innovative and experimenting minds always work wonders. A farmer from Akola district has tried hands on cultivating a fruit mainly grown in cold regions such as Himachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir.

Against the perception, an innovative farmer Santosh Narayan Wankhade from Deulgaon village in Patur taluka, took up cultivation of apples in a hot and dry region. He has planted 550 apple plants on his farm which is certainly a courageous move.

These plants are now one-year-old and have shown good growth. Speaking about his experimental decision, Santosh Wankhade said that he has been doing organic farming for a couple of years. He knew some farmers in Solapur, Sangli, Ahmednagar districts who had successfully cultivated apple crops. He came in contact with an apple grower Puran Singh Bunkar from Himachal Pradesh and learnt about apple farming. Wankhade did research on temperature required for the crop and its varieties Anna, Doorshed and Golden.

He planted saplings on his farm on January 22, 2021 and they have now grown 6 to 8 feet tall. Some plants have also reached floration. He has to harvest after three years and so he started pruning the trees.

Santosh Wankhade adopted complete organic farming and prepared plant nutrients by using traditional manure. He dug holes of two feets and soiled it with 1 kg cow dung before planting the saplings.

These plants are watered once a week by drip irrigation. These varieties do not need extra water, informed Wankhade. Santosh Wankhade, a tech savvy farmer, regularly participates in online meetings to seek guidance from farmers of Himachal Pradesh regarding apple cultivation.

He has also taken an intercrop of onion and gram. He has grown onion in kharif season and gram in rabi season. After completion of the third year, he expects 20 kg yield from one plant.

The flowering period of apple arrives in January and February and cultivation period could be upto May.

One tree can produce 20 kg of fruit, said Wankhade. The Agriculture Department also took note of this innovative farming. Divisional Agriculture Officer Ingle, Taluka Agriculture Officer Dhananjay Shete and District Superintendent of Agriculture Dr Kantappa Khot paid a visit to his farm. The Agriculture Department has been included in ATMA’s farmer group. So far, apple cultivation has been successful in Western Vidarbha and Santosh Wankhade patiently waits for organic apples.