Latest trends in Vegetable farming in India

Vegetable farming sector was evolving from old farming concepts to new technology driven concepts in last 30 years.During last 10 years we witnessed that Indian agriculture sector completely changed to new concepts and methods of farming.There is huge evolution in the mindset of consumers also.People are more aware of the issues of pesticides and are willing to pay more for Organic products.Farmers give more priority to Customer's Need and good efforts are done to achieve good quality products.

• One of the main trend is its evolution from farming using chemicals and pesticides to Organic farming which yields environmental friendly farming and products.
• Formation of Organic farmers associations in various parts of India.This enables them to form quality guidlines and branding their products.
• Introduction of new machinery and equipments brought high yield and profitability.Human efforts reduced considerably.
• Evolution from single common farmer to farming cooperative groups and companies
• Introduction of new marketing techniques and researches.
• Application of latest technologies to produce new high yield varieties of vegetable plants.
• Storage facilities improved considerably
• popularity of vegetarianism increasing day by day...
• Introduction of latest farming methods like Greenhouse farming,Hydroponic farming,SPIN farming etc changed Vegetable farming to a developing high profitable business area.

 These trends are demand driven and are based on the market condition.It is very important that we know about these trends and shape our business accordingly...

  

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Specialization in Vegetable farming

 

Importance of specialization is very high especially in Vegetable farming as bulk production is the key to be successful vegetable farmer.If you are an Organic farmer,then better you use diversified farming as it will help you to protect your farm Organically.We were discussing general aspect of Vegetable farming in previous posts and understood our capability to go for vegetable farming.Now we are going for analysing the chances for specialization.Specialization is suitable for farmers doing large scale production.For those who do farming for non-commercial reasons can adopt some points from this post and utilize in your own way.

Advantages of Specialization

• Large scale production:since we are concentrating in some specific vegetables,we can utilize industrial techniques for mass production.
• Less equipments and labour: Different types of equipments and labour skills needed for producing different varieties of vegetables.But by concentrating on specific breeds we can reduce such costs.
• Less operating costs
• Market dominance: Large production of specific items always attract market as we can ensure continuous supply of vegetables we are farming.
• Chance to excel in our own way

 Disadvantages

• Market risk:As we are concentrating only in some specific vegetables,if anything bad happens in market,the impact will be high.
• Climate and diseases: Climate and disease impact will be higher in specialized farms

So specialization should be done very carefully....

 
While we go for specialization,we should have a reason to do it.We can combine below points while specializing...

Based on Price: Some of the vegetables are highly priced in market.By analysing these price with production costs,we can calculate the profitability of production of such items.The prices may vary -Some variations are seasonal and some are occasional.So careful analysis is required before specialization.

Based on demand: This is almost related to price but still different from price.By carefully analysing the market demand,we can reach in a conclusion.Remember in some occasions demand may be high,but price won"t go up after a certain limit.

Based on climate condition: We all have varying climate in our country.Some climatic conditions are suitable for some vegetables.By analysing the relationship between the climate and vegetables,we can choose suitable vegetables for our current climate and go for farming it.

Based on our soil: The soil,its pH value,nutrients and some other related factors are favourable for some vegetables and not favourable for some others.So carefully analysing our soil,we can select vegetables suitable to us.

Based on personal Interest: The readiness of you to cultivate a specific vegetable and some other factors related to you comes under this category.

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Suitable pH range of your Vegetables

       pH value is a scale of 1 to 14.Value 7 is considered as neutral , below 7 acidic and above 7 alkaline.Ideal pH value for a Vegetable garden is a value 6 to 6.5.Most of the vegetable are best suited for this value.So do a soil test and determine the pH value of your soil.To increase pH value of an acidic soil,use lime.To decrease pH value of your soil(alkaline),use Sulphur.However a slightly acidic soil is more suitable for overall plant growth.Below table lists vegetables and their favourable range of pH values.

pH range between 7 and 6

•    Asparagus
•    Beets
•    Cauliflower
•    Cabbage
•    Muskmelons
•    Onions
•    Peanuts
•    Spinach
•    Swiss Chard

pH range between 7 and 5.5

• Bean
• Carrots
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Kohlrabi
• Peppers
• Pumpkins
• Radishes
• Soybeans
• Sunflowers
• Tomatoes
• Turnips

pH range between 7 and 5

•  Potatoes

• Watermelons

    Hope above list help you to choose vegetables suitable to your soil...

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7 basic things to know before starting a vegetable farm

  Some Basic things which you should think and understand before starting a vegetable farm are..

1*Know your soil: You should be knowing about the pH value  and nutrition level of your soil before preparing for farming.Then only you can do the treatments to bring the pH value and nutrition level to the desired level.A pH value of 7 is neutral and below 7 is Acidic and above 7 Alkaline.Comfortable pH and Nutrition level yields good production.So test your soil at the nearest soil testing center.

2*Know your Land and surroundings:Bright and sunny area always yield good result.For most of the vegetables,an average 6 hours of sunlight required.The more the sunlight the more production.The farming land should be well protected from wild animals..

3*Know your climate: Some plants grow very well in hot climates and some are not.So before choosing vegetables to plant,know about your climate conditions and choose suitable vegetables.

4*Know about you:This is the important thing you should consider.You should know your Budget,Available time,your Interest on farming ,Your capacity to be flexible when needed etc before starting farming.

5*Know about your vegetables:You should have the basic knowledge about the vegetables you are going to plant-Their growing habit,planting seeds,maturity time,production time ,lifespan etc are important things you should consider.

6*Know the equipments:You should have the basic knowledge of the equipments you are using. Mishandling of equipments may harm you,equipment or vegetables or all.

7*Know your market:Always have an idea about your market.Marketing is an important part and the success of the farming depends on the success of our marketing.

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