Fed up with losses, farmers find alternatives that bear fruit

HYDERABAD: Growers in Sindh are increasingly shifting towards planting fruit orchards to avoid losses they have to incur time and again, because of erratic weather, diseases, uncertain marketing mechanism, expensive inputs, unfair support prices, stuck payments, etc.

A large number of farmers seem reluctant to cultivate traditional crops and have grown fruit orchards at their lands.

Aslam Rajput, a farmer and owner of fruit nursery in Mirpurkhas district, said, “Landlords frequently visit nurseries and place orders for plants in large number, so they can develop fruit farms on their lands”.

Rajput claims to have millions of fruit plants at his nursery with different varieties, including indigenous and some being planted as high density orchards like mango, Chico, phalsa (Grewia asiatica), berry, guava, papaya, and other common fruits.

“This year, before the imposition of lockdown, following the outbreak of global novel coronavirus pandemic, they have sold hundreds of fruit plants to different growers in Sindh and Punjab provinces,” Rajput told The News.

Usually, the business of nurseries, especially selling fruit plants starts in February and continues till March and April, (the spring season) and then August and September, as these plants thrive in moderate weather.

Rajput owns 16 acres of land, out of which he has spared 2.5 acres for developing a nursery, where besides flowers and forest species, he has a huge section for fruits plants, which have more value in local market currently.

There are around 40 nurseries in Mirpurkhas district, where they mainly develop fruit plants. The prices of fruit saplings this year range from Rs40-100 per plant, depending on their variety. Some fruit varieties available at the local nursery market include high density fruit plants, which start bearing fruit within two-three years after planting.

Business-wise, this year has been great for some nurseries as they have sold a large number of precious plants before the lockdown in February and early March, while others could not get that lucky. Despite this business, around 95 percent plants are yet to be sold, the reports show.

Altaf Mahesar, who leads farmers’ network in Dadu district and owns a nursery in Hyderabad city neighbourhood, said, “Nursery is a flourishing industry in Pakistan, but the government has not offered any incentives to producers, despite the fact that it comes under agriculture and horticulture departments”. Otherwise, Mahesar said, a one-acre nursery can earn Rs1.2—1.5 million, depending on season and demand. “No crop can be so profitable for growers, compared to nurseries.”

Mahesar said fruit orchards had the resilience to survive any weather but the crops did not have any to stand rising temperatures, biting cold, strong winds, or heavy rains. “Therefore, farmers prefer to plant fruit orchards as they have natural resistance to survive in any harsh condition, like dryness, water scarcity, or heavy rains.”

He said growers from Punjab also travel to Sindh to buy these fruit plants for developing orchards there. Mahesar said Patoki area in Punjab was famous for nurseries of a variety of ornamental flowers and other plants across the country, but they did not have fruit plants, like mango, chico, papaya, phalsa, berry, and others.

Cotton growers faced loss previous year due to receiving unauthentic seeds, which could not grow in many areas, disrupting the set target of cotton product, he said adding that this year too, the farmers were experiencing the same problems especially the supply of unguaranteed seed for cultivating different crops.

Secondly, he said locusts has also created fears among farmers as reports those pests had damaged newly cultivated cotton plants at the growth stage, causing huge losses to growers in some areas. “In this situation, farmers do not have any option other than cultivating the crop again,” Mahesar said.

Increasing cost of crop cultivation and difficulties in marketing of products may be the reason of this change of replacing crops with fruit orchards. The fruit producers have one-time investment to plant and hire a small number of labourers to maintain the farm and then they give it to contractors to manage cost and do marketing.

It shows that landlords prefer to hire labour to take care of fruit orchards instead of engaging sharecroppers for crops, who themselves create problems for landlords.

Growers also let out fruit farms on contracts for two-three years to avoid any uncertainty like weather, natural disaster and marketing. They receive cash without taking any pains about marketing, input cost, and weather problems.

Mirpurkhas district is famous in producing variety of mangoes —famous among them include Sindhri, Saroli, Anwar Ratol, Neelam, Sham Sundar, Anmol, Zaafran, Almas, and Langro, among others, which are being exported to different countries, because of its taste, sweetness and specific fragrance.

The farmers, following high density mechanism, plant 150-180 plants per acre, depending on variety of fruits. These plants bear fruits within 2-3 years after planting.

Prof Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar of Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, talking about the changing patron in agriculture, said, “Many farmers are fed up with spending huge amounts on crop cultivation and not getting proper rates of their products in markets”.

“In some cases, farmers seem unable to sell their product timely or get low rates, in which they cannot recover the cost.” Kumbhar gave examples of sugarcane growers, who either did not receive proper rates or wait for a long time for recovery of arrears from sugar mills.

Similar case is vegetable products in which producers cannot receive proper rates because of monopoly in the market mechanism, depriving producers of their right.

There are many famous mango farms, which contribute more to earning the country fame through producing precious fruits, which are being exported to different countries. In fact, the fruits, mainly mango varieties are ready now and the government has announced leniency in lockdown. Now the contractors are bringing in technical staff for picking and packing mangoes from different parts of Sindh and Punjab, following strict standard operating procedures to avoid any risk.

Manzoor Kalhoro, who manages four nurseries in Hyderabad city neighbourhood, said, “Water is available in many canal areas and farmers are doing well, expecting to earn more through cultivation, but the arrival of locusts in different areas of the province may deplete greenery and cause the mercury to rise, triggering heat waves in the province”.

Kalhore said he had witnessed loss of a nursery quite recently in Hyderabad suburbs, because of locusts, so it’s important for other nursery managers to take care of their setups.

He feared the greenery of nurseries could attract locusts at any time, which would be a disaster.