Any specialized fruit farming business in India has to face the tight restraints of Indian consumers, particularly common folks, who prefer not to spend a high cost associated with fancy fruits like avocado, especially when many other tropical options are available throughout the year.
However, thanks to today’s health-conscious market, many experts believe that avocado farming in India will grow exponentially.
As the middle and upper classes gain more wealth, it is only a matter of time before this industry reaches its true potential. So, If you are somebody trying to acquire knowledge before you embark on the journey of starting your own avocado farm in India, let us guide you through the full process.
From cultivation to prominent disease handling. Here’s everything you need to know about the practice and business of avocado farming.
Preparing the Soil and Variety for perfection
First and foremost we have to start by ensuring proper condition of our soil. What determines the quality of the soil in the case of avocado farming is the value of pH, which is recommended to be between 5 to 7.
Other than this foundational step, you have to make sure that there are no water-logging or drainage issues. The reason for this is simply, avocados are extremely sensitive and intolerant to bad saline conditions.
Choosing The Right Variety for Indian Subcontinent
Alright, once you ensure you have proper space and right conditions, now it is time to choose the right variety of Avocado for your farm.
It is essential here to understand that avocados by their nature cannot survive the climate of India. To achieve its proper growth it needs similar conditions to tropical and subtropical climate and land. Meaning the temperature must be between 3 to 32 degree Celsius.
The condition of having the right temperature is the reason why most avocado production in India is concentrated in the southern part of the continent or near the Himalayan regions.
Okay, with all that in mind, Here are two most recommended avocado varieties for your avocado plant in India that can withstand the climate. Namely; Fuerte and Hass.
The former, Fuerte, is capable of producing perfect medium sized fruits which are quite popular to the Indian consumer. It has mind taste, smooth texture and most importantly unlike its counterpart it can survive the temperature difference to a good reasonable degree.
The latter, Hass, however, is recommended if you are seeking to use the Avocado as raw material or ingredients in other consumer products like cosmetics. The reason behind this is simply it produces more butter consistency and high oil.
Next step is to prepare the seeds. One has to keep in mind that avocado seeds have a limited lifespan, just around 2 to 3 weeks. Though depending on the type of the seeds they can survive the tropical warmer zone. However, it is still better to take precautions.
- First and foremost, Only choose a place with proper sunlight throughout the day.
- Then, make sure the root ball is on the same plane as the soil surface with a properly erect truck. Also make sure, base is covered in organic compost, to help water retention and moisture.
- Next, make sure the hole you excavate is deep enough. Recommended size is 60 cm.
- Okay, moving on placement, here you wanna ensure that you place the avocado at least 8 meters apart.
Care And Pest Management Of Avocado Orchards
Most crucial thing to keep in mind when it comes to pest and disease control of your avocado trees is that they are extremely sensitive to the condition of India. So, the right approach is to get the foundation right.
Utilizing IPM or Integrated Pest Management is the best approach.
If you are unaware, IPM is a strategy that helps you achieve long-term prevention of pests with established guidelines, and treatments. Now, that sounds like some high brow stock market strategy, but in reality, it is simply a farming approach where you combine practice of habitat manipulation, biological control and pesticides (if needed) to minimize the risk to both the plants and the pests.
Here are some crucial considerations to ensure at your plant.
Heavy Manuring
Nitrogen has been found most essential in the growth of Avocado. According to experts, for optimum growth a young avocado tree in India should receive nitrogen, P2O5, K20 in the proportion of 1:1:1.
That is why, Avocado plantations need to focus on ensuring heavy manuring that helps them achieve the recommended condition as well as keep the pH level below 7.
Inability to provide proper care, like the pH level going above 7, will directly cause iron deficiency. That in turn might cause a notable altercation in the natural taste of avocado, possibly affecting its sale potential with Indian consumers.
Effective Disease Management and Safe Chemical Options for Avocado Farming in India
The Prominent Diseases
There are prominently two diseases to look out for; Fruit spot disease and Anthracnose (accelerated softening). Here’s a brief overview;
- Fruit Spot Disease: Avocados with fruit spot disease often become deformed and cause the leaf to develop spots on them.
- Anthracnose Disease: Avocados with Anthracnose disease often rot faster and experience cupping of the leaves. Caused by a fungal infection, Avocado varieties like Fuerte are most affected by this disease.
- Root Rot: Arguably the most serious of all diseases affecting the life cycle and growth of the plant. Caused by phytophthora cinnamomi, a fungal pathogen, Avocados with this disease experience extreme rotting in the root leading to certain death.
The Prominent Cure
First and foremost, the grower should remove and destroy the disease plant and consult the license agronomist to properly inspect the avocados.
If all preparation fails and the agronomist determines the right approach to utilize the chemical then the most prominent option is utilizing, on an annual or biannual basis, the Phosphonate fungicides.
Pruning And Training
Last but not the least, the next thing to keep in mind is the practice of pruning. Here depending on the variety of choice, for example Fuerte (variety with shorter branches), plants might not need regular pruning.
If anything, As the crop is extremely sensitive, heavy pruning might indirectly promote excessive vegetative growth and affect the total possible yield of the plant.
The Organic Farming angle
Now, one thing you may have noticed in the guide is that we are focusing on avoiding relying on chemicals in our foundational approach.
While it’s true, utilizing chemicals from the get go, like mixing Metalaxyl (Ridomil) in the soil and applied as a soil drench can help avoid most prominent disease plaguing the fruit like rotting of the root.
But you have to keep in mind that avocado in the Indian market is considered a premium fruit. Meaning that it is not the first choice of the Indian consumer. The average consumer is not only surrounded by the abundance of choices, but actively prefers a more sweeter taste in their fruit option.
With all that in mind, utilizing chemicals even for the betterment or high yield, could affect the image of the brand and thus, actual sale potential of the business.
It is also wise to consider, given Indian proven track record of disliking the chemically altered fruits, only organic farmers in India, like renowned Harisharan Devgan, Owner of India biggest organic pomegranate farm in India, have been able to leave a mark with the Indian health conscious consumer.
Thus, opting for this method is logical, as it has proven its value and ensures a substantial return on your investment.
Conclusion
Armed with the knowledge above hopefully you are feeling more confident before you embark on the journey of starting your own avocado farming in India.
As long as you keep the targeted market segment, quality and price anchoring of your yield and most importantly ensure proper and healthy growth of the plant utilizing organic farming practice, you will be able reach full potential.
Also, Read: Sowing the Seeds of Success: The Rise of Greenhouse Farming in India
