
Tribal rancher harvests lass apple crop
Four years of tough work of a immature genealogical rancher in Telangana have literally borne fruit. Balaji Kendre has valid that with innovative thinking, integrity and tough work any idea can be achieved. Growing apples in a dull lands of Telangana is no meant achievement.
The 37-year-old knew that a hilly imperishable turf of Komaram Bheem Asifabad district is no Kashmir Valley though he was dynamic to infer that anything can be grown in a dirt of Telangana.
After 4 years of unrelenting efforts, Balaji has succeeded in replicating famed apple orchards of Kashmir on a 3 hactare margin in a remote encampment of Dhanora in Kerameri area of K.M. Asifabad district, progressing a partial of Adilabad district adjacent Maharashtra.
Balaji, whose relatives had migrated to Telangana from a beside state, is not a normal farmer. A Class 12 dropout, he always wants to try new things.
“Four years ago, a suspicion came to my mind. Why not grow apples here. People laughed during me though we started operative on it and found that a accumulation of apples is grown in a segment in Himachal Pradesh where a limit heat touches 40 degrees,” pronounced Balaji, who also perceived a best rancher endowment from a Telangana supervision in 2017.
He started with few plants and speedy by a formula got in hold with farmers in Himachal Pradesh. He was assured that he could grow apples in Keriameri, located during an altitude of 220 m above sea level. He found that with a hilly terrain, cooler climes and streams, a segment is suitable to favour apples.
The rancher placed an sequence of 50 saplings and after transporting it to Dhanora, he began severely posterior his dreams with organic farming. As a saplings grew and gimlet a flowers and afterwards fruits, he sensitive a officials in a Agriculture Department.
The experts told him to wait for a integrate of years and suggested him to grow some other trees in a closeness for a right meridian and insurance of a apple crop.
He also perceived a assistance and superintendence from cultivation scientists of Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB).
Meanwhile, a series of trees grew to 400 and this year he had his initial stand of HR-99 accumulation apples.
He is penetrating to benefaction fruits from a initial stand to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao who is tender with his feat and has invited him for a meeting.
Minister for Forests and Environment Indrakaran Reddy on Tuesday visited Balaji’s margin and interacted with him about a crop. The apportion praised a farmers for his innovative approach.
Balaji’s success has lifted hopes among many farmers in Dhanora and surrounding villages. Some have even started cultivation and are holding a assistance from Balaji.
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