Udupi farmer grows salt watermelons

TNN

Udupi, 13 Feb 2017: Yashodhar, 30, a farmer from Mattu, Kadpadi, proved that watermelon can flourish even in salt water. Mattu is a village known for Mattu Gulla (a special species of brinjal), the only crop which can be cultivated in salt water.

 

For him, planting watermelon seeds in saline water was a challenge at the initial stage. However, he believes technological advancement in the field of agriculture helped him to continue.

 

For the past three years, as a seasonal yield, he is growing watermelon which gave him the best result and inspired other farmers to follow in his footsteps. Yashodhar was in Mumbai for a long time and recently settled in his village. He said, "My family owns three acres of land on which we used to cultivate Mattu Gulla. I also take land on lease for growing watermelon. I invest Rs 25,000 per year for this crop and make Rs 1.2 lakh. With other expenses, I make a profit of Rs 80,000 in three months."

 

Yashodhar produces up to 6 tonne of yield per season, and gets Rs 10 to Rs 13 per kg, and makes his profit in just 90 days. Mattu is a place where farmers depend on river water and when summer is nearing, sea water mixes in, making it more salty.

 

"I have been growing watermelon for the past three years and it is giving me enough profit. Looking at my yield, seven friends from nearby areas planned to plant the same crop. Growing other vegetables is a challenge here. I market the product to Udupi dealers, and it is later exported to other places. One watermelon weighs 10-15kg, on an average," said Yashodhar.

 

"In my experience, farming always yields profits, provided technical advancements are utilized. I use mulching seeds brought from Bengaluru. I need labourers for planting for two days, after this I look after the watering and other small jobs myself," he added.