Vadodara farmer bets on Australian almonds Vadodara News – Times of India

Paresh Patel said that the trees are now 15 feet high and will bear fruit when they are 20-25 feet high.

VADODARA: A farmer from Vemar village in Karjan taluka has raised hope after his foray into almond cultivation, which is progressing satisfactorily on the projected trajectory. Horticulture farmer Paresh Patel decided to try his hand with dried fruits last year with not a dozen or 100, but 700 plants in his field.
Patel is fond of collecting information on various crops from the internet. While surfing, one day he found an Australian variety of almond that can grow in hot climates and even in temperatures of about 45 degrees. He took advantage of the opportunity and decided to try his hand at almond farming.
“I have a friend who has a nursery in Gandhinagar and I shared the idea with him. He identified a nursery in Andhra Pradesh that was supplying plants. We immediately procured saplings and I planted them in my field,” Patel told TOI.
Patel said that they planted saplings at a distance of 15 feet from each other. “I planted guava plants in between two almond plants,” he said. Patel said it has been one year and three months since he planted the saplings and the results have been encouraging.
“The trees are growing very well. They are about 15 feet tall right now. They are said to bear fruit when they are 20 to 25 feet tall. We hope to get the first crop in 2023,” said the farmer, who is not wary of the possibility of trees not bearing fruit.
“At the end of the day, I will have some wood if not fruit. I have also planted guava crop on the same land. Also, vegetables and other items in the available space between the trees,” said the optimistic tiller who claims he will not stop experimenting.
“I have planted pomegranate, custard apple, apple and even other crops which are not considered local,” Patel said. He said that experimenting is his passion and he will keep trying new things.
Patel said that after hearing about the cultivation of almonds, a farmer from Rajkot also planted more than 100 saplings in his field. Weimar and other farmers around it have also taken some trees and planted them in their fields.