Grow guava his way

Vishal Joshi in Jind

In the larger fruit family, weight and juiciness do matter. So, here you are: a guava weighing as heavy as a kilogram! There’s more: the desi variety of pulpier Thai guava with less seeds comes from the fields of Jind’s rural hinterland. 

The wonder-variety is the effort of software engineer-turned-progressive farmer, Neeraj Dhanda, 45. “One fruit is enough for a family. What tips the balance in its favour is its size, shelf life of more than 15 days, fewer seeds and its premium price. That’s why people buy it and farmers like me opt for it.” He also offers a buyer to choose the size of the fruit from his orchard.

Dhanda has planted 1,900 guava hybrid trees in three acres at his ancestral village Sangatpura, about 10-km from Jind. Market sources say the imported Thai guavas are priced Rs 280-350 a kg. Dhanda puts a price tag to Rs 300 per kg. Available online www.doornextfams.com, the fruit also has an ornamental value. “Ours is a fresher variety and priced less. Our team delivers about 50 boxes each containing 1.5 kg fruits, per day to Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Chandigarh. We also get orders from Goa and Karnataka,” says Dhanda.

Dr Atam Prakash, in charge of horticulture department’s Guava Demonstration Centre at Bhuna in Fatehabad district, said the claimed economics of the Thai guava was impressive.

Dr Atam Prakash, in charge of horticulture department’s guava demonstration centre at Bhuna in Fatehabad district, says Dhanda’s claims were impressive. “The tropical fruit’s Lucknow L-49 plant is a rugged root-variety and is open to grafting. Haryana’s climate is apt for guava farming. Unlike other citrus fruits, guava processing is easier because of the fruit’s ability to contain less seeds even as its taste remains free of bitterness. I will soon arrange field visit of experts and look into the scope of promotion of this variety among enterprising farmers,” says Prakash.

To ensure lucrative prices for the produce, Dhanda says he has formed a marketing company to directly sell the high-quality fruit. “We do not overload the branches. The weight of a particular branch should not be more than 2 kg. So, if one wants heavier guavas, they can keep only two best flowers and shed the rest on a particular branch. I prepare a tree to rear about 50 kg of guavas in a season and each guava weighs around a kg,” he said.

The software engineer discovered his new passion after he got fed up with a lifestyle disease linked to his profession. He moved back to his village. “Agriculture always attracted me because I was born in a farmers’ family. Initially, I faced opposition from my parents. First I ventured into traditional crops and later moved to horticulture. But the turning point came when I saw arthiyas trying to exploit me by offering a meagre amount for my Allahabadi Safeda variety of guavas,” he said.

The internet search took him to the VNR Nursery, located near Raipur in Chhattisgarh. “I came across this fascinating guava variety when I visited the place. After a few days of guidance, I prepared my farmland with drip irrigation by using canal water stored in a large pond because underground water in my village is saline. I was determined to cater to the high-end consumers. So, I gathered more information from various sources to make my land good enough for growing the fruit,” says Dhanda. 

His business partner Kamaljeet says the maiden harvesting season in the summer was an impressive experience where they got nearly 15 tons of the fruit.

“The top graders were sold online for Rs 555 a box of 1.5 kg. We spray a solution made from neem leaves right from the beginning. Guavas are covered with foam nets and paper covers to protect them from any harmful external touch, insects or excess moisture,” says Kamaljeet.