Mananthavady ASI Saji K V with the exotic fruits harvested from his farm 

KALPETTA: A police officer from Wayanad is on the hunt – for exotic fruit varieties. Saji K V, a resident of Neervaram, near Pulpally, in Wayanad, has been planting and harvesting rare species from different parts of the world in his farm.

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Mananthavady station, 50-year-old Saji has planted around 100 exotic varieties, including jaboticaba, a Brazilian grape; the extremely rare lipote; Africa’s own miracle fruit mamey sapota; keppel, also known as perfume fruit; Australia’s macadamia, among many others.

He began as a kitchen gardener. “My first plants came up in my kitchen garden. The good yield that I was able to generate from a few trees further piqued my interest and I started planting more exotic varieties. After studying climatic and soil conditions, I realised that Wayanad is similar in many ways to South America. This gave me the courage to experiment with varieties from Brazil and other South American countries,” he said.

Saji started exotic fruit farming in 2017. “Many people ask me how I balance farming with my official responsibilities. I tell them that it’s all about managing time. When on special duty, I make sure to buy new varieties I find on my travels. My family is my biggest support. My father, Varghese K V, is also a farmer, and he looks after the trees when I’m travelling. He does not know the names or varieties, but his passion for farming is what makes him care for the trees even in his 70s,” he said.

“The rarest varieties in my farm are lipot and Australian macadamia. These belong to the endangered category and are rarely cultivated. I don’t use any chemical fertilisers. My farming is completely organic. That’s what makes my fruits natural and tasty,” says a proud Saji.

“I’ve been a police officer for 24 years. Farming is in a way my stress buster. People who are profit-oriented find it difficult to enjoy farming. A tree may take 7-8 years to yield fruit. People do not have that kind of patience. But my philosophy is different. I’m planting these trees for the next generation. It wouldn’t matter if I’m not able to taste the fruit of my labour. It’s all for my children,” adds Saji.

“Once you start farming, you will be amazed by the varieties of fruit trees in the world. I realised this when I came across Pakistani mulberry, Indonesian white papaya, South African matoa, and various varieties of dragon fruit. My department is also very supportive of my farming activity. I’ve inspired other officers to start planting fruit trees on their land,” he said.

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Have you made the leap to this source of healthy food yet or do you still have a lot of pesticides on your garden shelf?
Let’s take a look at how you can transform your regular garden into a delight of organic vegetables.
It doesn’t take much and you won’t have as many problems with insects or poor soil as you thought.

Organic gardens are different from regular gardens in the way that the plants are fertilized and in the way that pests
are controlled in the garden. True professionals use only natural products and materials and shy away from any synthetic
materials that could be harmful to the environment or to those who consume the produce.

Just like conventional gardens, and perhaps a bit more so, organic gardens take a great deal of work.
You may need to plan for a few healthy meals when the vegetable or fruit is in season and leave it at that.
On the other hand, an organic farmer may decide to can their vegetables or otherwise store them for when they
are longer in season. Clearly, a bigger garden is in store in that situation. Make sure your garden has a steady
water supply and that the soil drains well into the ground.

Remember that organic fertilizers and conditioners work more slowly than the synthetic variety so mix up the soil
with your fertilizer at least three weeks before you actually plant. Make sure you remove any organic materials that
haven’t rotted yet and any weeds or unwanted plants. Fertilizers usually mean using animal manures, plant manures,
compost or a mixture of different types of organic fertilizers. Some parts of the world rely on human waste but,
generally, that’s not recommended.

Your organic fertilizer will remove the hardness of the soil and improve its overall condition. The soil will be able
to hold both water and nutrients much better after fertilizing it. In addition, organic fertilizer buffers the soil so
it is more stable to extremes of acidity or alkalinity. In many cases, the microbiology of the soil improves and the
added nutrients will gradually release themselves as the plants grow.

Organic plant fertilizer will add healthy nitrogen to the soil in a process called “nitrification”. Nitrogen is a
necessary nutrient for the growth of most gardens—even conventional ones. Compost piles help organic gardens by
improving the usable nitrogen component of the soil.

Animal manures make for the best type of fertilizer for the average organic garden. It needs to have been aged for
at least 30 days to make the nitrogen more usable. The manure varies depending on the type of the animal, the way the
animal was fed and even the condition of the animal. After letting the soil rest with the animal manure, you’re ready
to plant and grow the healthiest garden possible.