Plum Farming: Uttarakhand farmer Neeraj Nagpal earning good money from improved varieties of plums

Plum farming, which is also called the fruit of the poor, its cultivation may not be very popular, but it can prove to be a profitable deal for farmers. Some improved varieties of plums not only give good production, but also start bearing fruits early. If you also want to do Plum Farming, then you can learn a lot from progressive farmer Neeraj Nagpal, who lives in Saijana village of Rudrapur, Uttarakhand.

Neeraj is producing horticultural crops apart from traditional crops like paddy, wheat. He has planted many improved varieties of plums in 3 acres of land. He discussed some important things related to Plum Farming with Kisan of India correspondent Sarvesh Bundeli.

When did it start? (When did it start?)

Neeraj Nagpal tells that in the year 2023, he started Plum Farming in 3 acres of area. In which he has planted improved varieties of plum like Bal Sundari, Miss India and Green Apple. Most of the trees are of Bal Sundari. He has planted 1300 trees in 10X10 in 3 acres. He tells that the advantage of planting plum crop is that good production starts from the first year itself, which covers the cost. Plum trees usually get ready in a year and start bearing fruits.

Provide fertilizer and water on time

Neeraj tells that although the plum tree does not require much care. Just keep giving fertilizer and water on time and spraying. He says that spraying is very important in this, only then a good crop is obtained.

It is important to plant good variety of plants

Neeraj says that the biggest problem for farmers is that they do not get good variety of plants and for good production, excellent quality plants are necessary. He bought plum plants from the agricultural fair in Kolkata. He says that he planted the plants in April, but the right time to plant it is February. Neeraj plans to plant 2000 new plants in February next year.

How much is the production?

Neeraj Nagpal says that he has sold 15 quintals of plum so far and there will be more crops. He says that about 25 quintals are produced in a year. Planting this kind of crop instead of paddy, wheat can give good profit. He says that he has sold plums in the market at the rate of Rs 80 per kg. Sometimes the price also goes down, usually he sells plums at the rate of Rs 60 per kg. He tells the farmers that Plum farming is easier than other crops and the profit is also good, so it is a good option for farmers.

Why choose Plum Farming?

Usually farmers do not want to do Plum Farming early, because its tree also has thorns. In such a situation, why did Neeraj Nagpal choose Plum instead of other horticultural crops? Regarding this, he tells that Plum farming is easier than other horticultural crops.

Not only this, he says that nowadays he has seen a problem in mango crop that one year the crop grows and the next year it does not, so he chose Plum. Its market is also good, that is, it is easily sold. The varieties of Plum that Neeraj has planted have very less thorns as compared to other Plums. He advises farmers to leave traditional crops and cultivate horticultural crops.

In which states is Plum cultivated? (In which states is Plum Farming done?)

Plum farming is usually done in dry areas. It is rich in protein, vitamin C, minerals etc. Plum farming is mainly done in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

What kind of soil is suitable?

Plum farming can be done in sandy and clay soil in addition to more and less deep soil. Plum can be grown even in barren and rainfed areas. Apart from this, plum farming can also be done in alkaline, saline and marshy soil. Sandy soil is considered the best for the best yield of plum, because it has high water absorption capacity, it is also important to have proper drainage system in the field.

How is a plum plant planted? (How to plant a plum tree?)

Plum saplings can be grown from seeds or cuttings. It takes a lot of time to grow saplings from seeds, so it is grown from cuttings and twigs only. For planting from cuttings, the cuttings are planted in poly bags and when the saplings are ready, they are planted in the field. 

Improved Varieties of Plum

Farmers can cultivate these improved varieties of plum for good yield.

Gola – The fruits of this variety of plum are round and shiny. This variety gives more yield in less time. It has more pulp and it is very sweet. Up to 80 kg of crop is obtained annually from one tree.

Thai RJ – This is a hybrid variety of plum, in which the fruit appears a little late. It is also known as Apple plum. This variety becomes ripe and ready 6 months after planting. Up to 100 kg of plum is produced annually from one tree. If it is taken care of properly, then fruit can be taken twice a year. The special thing is that its tree is thornless.

Kala Gora – This variety is planted for early yield. Its fruit is long and it contains up to 95% pulp. The fruit turns yellow when it ripens and tastes slightly sour and one tree produces about 80 kg in a year.

ZG 2 – This variety also gives high yield. Its fruits are oval and small in size and their colour remains green even when ripe.