There is a need to explore the possibilities of growing apples in Karnataka, according to Chiranjit Parmar, horticultural scientist from Himachal Pradesh.
Addressing a group of farmers on the ‘possibilities of cultivating apples in Karnataka’, he said he had sent 300 plants to Karnataka in January 2011, and they were planted in 18 different locations in the State.
He said some plants progressed well, grew incessantly and did not shed leaves during December- January when apple trees become leafless. Some plants have started flowering at some locations during the second year of their orchard life.
Observation of the plant growth trend indicates that there is a possibility of cultivating apple in Karnataka, he said.
“This, however, is the beginning, and the idea needs further testing on a larger scale,” Parmar said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, K. Krishna Shetty, a farmer from Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, said he led the initiative to cultivate apples on a trial basis two years ago.
In 2011, he planted 18 saplings. Of them, two survived. The failure of other saplings is because he could not concentrate much on their growth. However, he planted 20 saplings in 2012. Of them, two died. This time, he spent more time on those plants, Shetty said.
Stating that he is planning to plant 50 plants in his farm this year, he said he would grow them on a trial basis. He is not expecting any commercial benefits out of this cultivation.“I will absorb the failures, if any,” he said. Parmar said two-year-old plants of Tumkur-based farmer Gangadhara Murthy are showing good growth. Three of the plants have shown the signs of bearing fruits, he said.
Both Parmar and Shetty said that the idea of apple cultivation in Karnataka needs further studies. The farmers, who are cultivating them, are doing it out of interest and not for commercial purpose, they added.
Source: FKCCI
