Mission
The IYF program should benefit everyone in its efforts and witness the growth of agricultural practices and horticultural production
Specific objectives of the
Igrow India
- Provide scientific consulting services to implement Good Agricultural Practices through IPM and Residue-Free Farming.
- Bridging the gap between farmers and exporters.
- Develop a sustainable model of horticultural cultivation through the flagship ‘Young Indian Farmers' program in Pomegranate and Papaya.
- Organise farmers in groups and offer GLOBAL GAP certifications for the international marketplace.
- Provide consumers with the best and most nutritious options in a wide variety of fruits.
Socio-Economic and Technological Relevance of the Entrepreneurship
- Direct impact by disseminating knowledge, improving skills and changing attitudes toward agriculture by raising farmers' awareness of the agricultural economy, making the horticultural production system a viable and sustainable business model.
- Development of the Igrow mobile app to connect farmers digitally across the entire horticulture value chain
The Methodology used for Horticulture Advisory Services
- Through a system of training and visits to individual farms, I provide a consultation that works at all stages of production, from the selection of planting material to the link to the market. The value chain model includes the agricultural economy, zero residue management, crop advice and ICT tools, quality standards and market support.
The impact of the Advisory Services on the Production, Productivity, Profitability & Sustainability of the Horticulture Production Systems
- Disease-free planting materials with increased productivity up to 25 percent
- Higher volume and good quality of pomegranate (export grade)
- Higher price for accepted products, at least 10% compared with the market price.
- Farmers' investments are significantly reduced, preventing farmers from committing suicide as a result of their debts.
- Linking to the market through on-farm supply and waste reduction at pre-harvest and post-harvest levels which transmits though modern technical knowledge, cultural practices and capacity building.
- Introducing the latest agri-tech technologies like custom fertilizers, drip irrigation, mulching, bird nets and mite nets to all farmers.
- Igrow preserves fruits and arils without residues.
The Diffusion of the Project Impact on the Neighbors of the Direct Contacties
- The direct contact neighbours adopted the technology components of IPM, which were implemented by our farmers through consultations. Moreover, neighbouring farmers have a direct influence on the decisions made by our farmers.
Problems encountered and Solutions given
- Extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has been reduced to 3-4 applications per crop life cycle in Pomegranate and Papaya.
- Technical knowledge of the farmers towards Good Agricultural Practices is significantly enhanced from conventional unscientific farming.
- Selection of disease free planting materials, IPM practices and isolated site selection processes reduced disease incidences under the consultation.
- We have increased the shelf-life of pomegranate arils and figs by adopting patented packaging solutions and MAPs through our dedicated R & D.
Own Horticulture Farming Experience
- I started cultivating Papaya in 20acres at my own far in the year 2006. I had invested around 30 lakhs in which net profit boosted up to 15 lakhs after the cost production reduction
- Right now I have been growing Pomegranate in 100 acres and Papaya in 50 acres, with the help of 150 direct labour employments and we have generated through 150 acres of horticulture production.
- I have identified 10 poor families from the surrounding areas and have deployed them for my farm management giving them 1 % of net income from the production apart from their base pay.
Government Affiliated On-Going Projects
- Undertaking PPP-IHD project on “Safe Pomegranate Arils and Fresh Fruit” at Bellary District in association with Horticulture Department, Government of Karnataka. (2017-2020).
- Undertaking PPP- Extension programme at Bellary, Raichur, Koppal, Yadgiri in association with Horticulture Department, Government of Karnataka. (2017-2020)
Srinivas Raju is recognized as the best consultant who has worked tirelessly and onstantly to enhance the agriculture community.
SR
Contact Me
- Udaya Sai Agri Clinic, Beside Essar Petrol Bunk, Badanahatti, Main Road, Kurugodu - 583116, Ballari District, Karnataka.
- srinivasaraju@igrowindia.com
- +91 94827 52727