This story is from July 7, 2021

Maharashtra: Farmer grows apples in hot Osmanabad of Marathwada

Maharashtra: Farmer grows apples in hot Osmanabad of Marathwada
In an agricultural revolution of its sort, Nitin Sawant, a farmer from Jagaji village of Osmanabad, has successfully cultivated apples in the area that is known for dry and hot weather.
AURANGABAD: While apple growing is traditionally considered synonymous with Kashmir, an innovative farmer from Osmanabad district of Marathwada has succeeded in changing the notion.
In an agricultural revolution of its sort, Nitin Sawant, a farmer from Jagaji village of Osmanabad, has successfully cultivated apples in the area that is known for dry and hot weather.
Sawant, who has arranged the low-chilling apple variety from Vietnam, has cultivated 210 apple trees which have started bearing fruit.

“The apple variety requires only around 50 chilling hours. The fruits have the same characteristics as that of apples cultivated in Kashmir or other parts of north India,” said Sawant.
This sweet success has come to Sawant after a lot of patience and hard work of around three years.
“I started experimenting with apple-growing around 2018. To begin with, I carried out plantation on one-acre agricultural land. The saplings, during their growth, required certain care, including timely spraying of pesticides and insecticides. The planted trees gradually grew up to a height of eight feet and are bearing fruits of proper size,” said Sawant who holds a degree in teachers’ education.

With the first lot of his apples being out, Sawant is sending the harvested fruits to local markets fetching a price in the range of Rs 150 to Rs 200 per kilogram. Osmanabad district, which receives average annual rainfall of only 603 mm, is known for relatively hot weather and drought-prone conditions.
District superintending agricultural officer for Osmanabad Umesh Ghatge on Sunday said that the apple cultivation at Jagaji village was a novel experiment in Marathwada.
“All details of the agricultural experiment would be submitted to the Zonal Research Extension and Advisory of Committee of Parbhani-based Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University,”he said.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA