Spring gone sour

Posted by NITYIN in Farming on April 5th, 2008 | 4 responses | 19 views

I have done the inevitable. Missing from the blog for a very long time. The only one to blame is my “little devil”. Into her 16th month the child is turning out to be a real brat. The better half being busy with the daily chores, I am the one facing her brunt. The kid has started now exploring the house. No cupboard and any piece of paper is left out from her curious examination. I have tried to be her friend, philosopher and guide but right now she prefers me to be her horse!!. She loves to ride on my back.

With a perfect winter this year was looking forward to the spring season at my apple farm. The flowers had bloomed perfectly on time and there were enough bees around for the pollination process to start.

But the weather god had something different in store. The third day the weather suddenly changed and it starting raining and the temperature touched 5 degrees. It was cruel to see the flowers fading away and the bees not coming out of the hive because of the cold. Almost entire crop has failed this season. This is the third consecutive year when the crop has failed leaving me worried for the year ahead. The economics of running the farm and household is getting tighter day by day.

There is a sense of doom in the Kotgarh area at the prospect of yet another failed crop this year. With the average household holding being very less, it is going to be very tough managing through what ever savings are left for the third consecutive year.

The scenario reminds me of the story, A Painted House, by John Grisham. The similarities of farming all across the globe are similar. I wonder whether the climax of that story will be replicated in our real lives.

manu

I was wondering if you have tried to diversify into other crops. Is there enough know how with goverment agencies about what can be grown and the historic prices compared to apple. I think it is really risky to put all you eggs ( apples ) in one basket. I am in Japan right now but I am from Himachal too and dream of doing what you are doing right now .
manu

I was wondering if you have tried to diversify into other crops. Is there enough know how with goverment agencies about what can be grown and the historic prices compared to apple. I think it is really risky to put all you eggs ( apples ) in one basket. I am in Japan right now but I am from Himachal too and dream of doing what you are doing right now .
http://nityin.tripod.com/ NITYIN

@Manu

Reading all about farming may sound a little romantic but practically it’s an hell of a job. The govt here has no clue about any alternates. We have a horticulture university at Nauni, Solan but I have hardly seen them visiting the field areas. The problems have grown many fold. New plantation is not surviving because of scarcity of water and lack of irrigation. The rain gods have turned away since the daming of Satluj by the Nathpa-Jhakri projects as there is hardly any water in the river which earlier used to take care of the rains by maintaining the required moisture. Then with the peace returnin in Nepal, the Gurkhas have stopped coming leading to massive labour problem.

I left a good career earlier to look after the orchards but now have an uneasy feeling if throwing the career away was a good move!
http://nityin.tripod.com NITYIN

@Manu

Reading all about farming may sound a little romantic but practically it’s an hell of a job. The govt here has no clue about any alternates. We have a horticulture university at Nauni, Solan but I have hardly seen them visiting the field areas. The problems have grown many fold. New plantation is not surviving because of scarcity of water and lack of irrigation. The rain gods have turned away since the daming of Satluj by the Nathpa-Jhakri projects as there is hardly any water in the river which earlier used to take care of the rains by maintaining the required moisture. Then with the peace returnin in Nepal, the Gurkhas have stopped coming leading to massive labour problem.

I left a good career earlier to look after the orchards but now have an uneasy feeling if throwing the career away was a good move!