Water for Fruits – Why the Abohar and Ganganagar Citrus Revolution Needs Encouragement

What I see is that the pear tree is about to reach the ground by the weight of the fruit: in this 50-year-old garden, each tree grows 50-100 kilograms. Then my view shifts to Guava, plum, peach and miles Kinnov and other citrus. And, of course, it was a palm tree.

No, I have not visited Israel in the last two weeks. I was in Abohar, on the border with Pakistan, in the Pun Najab Fazilka district, and then in Rajasthan to Sri Lanka. This is the region of Rajasthan, also known as Irara Gandhi Nahar.

It was amazing to see how water changes the earth. And to learn about motivation, scientific knowledge, and the dangers of greening the desert. Indira Gandhi Nahar It stretches for about 400 miles[400 km]from the water of the Suttle and the seas to Beacon and Jaysmarmer.

But as the water travels longer, demand increases. Along with prosperity, the canal brings conflict and competition over rising water. But instead of working to build a water-efficient economy, the swing pad is now growing in the canal.

Talking about agricultural diversity, breaking off the pad-wheat cycle, and moving to water-wise crops is not all about land. How can this precious water be put to good use?

This is where gardening – horticulture – plays an important role. Provides high-value agriculture; Drip irrigation reduces the efficient use of water.

Above all, it can be the basis for economic growth and employment: fruit trees have great potential not only for food supply but also in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Then there’s the palm tree – it grows in salty groundwater, so it doesn’t even need expensive canal water.

But my visit told me that the fruit revolution was still a work in progress. My first stop was Dr. Jessie Bakshi, a regional research fellow at the University of Agriculture in Punjab, Punjab, where scientists are working hard to improve the productivity of fruit trees. They use tissue culture to obtain salty and pest-tolerant species.

This is where I had a disturbing vision of pear-shaped fruit trees in the desert. I saw a palm tree that grew from a surplus culture, as each tree seedling produces 4,500 rubles, but there is a two-year waiting period for farmers to get one.

Due to high demand in Rajasthan, the regional government was forced to limit the number of seedlings a farmer could buy. Extreme hunger and potential for change appeared.

Then, in the 1960’s, when I reached the canal, I visited the back of Cartar Sin Naruula, which led to the dry Siri Gangangar Road.

Jawaharlal Nehru was so inspired by this idea that he had a strong desire to visit the Naurula Lilpar farms but had to reduce his travels due to the death of President Rajindra Prasad. Today, run by the Narula family, the farm is filled with every kind of lemon you can think of.

In the desert it is a symbolic wilderness. It was during this time that Balaram Jachar, known to all of us as a strong politician, started farming in Anohar.

These people had a vision of this valuable citrus crop, not rice that would shake the water. They want sustainable productivity. They understand the benefits of water-sensing, high-value products.

Today, Jakar’s farms are run by his grandson, farmer Aja Jakar. Here, I saw some amazing technological interventions to develop high-quality citrus plants – Jakar Kindergarten alone produces more than 100,000 soup sprouts a year. And there is more demand.

Transformation is huge and the potential for change is huge: we know the world needs to move towards natural solutions; We need to build resources from sustainable use of natural resources, including water, and we need to develop trees to identify carbon dioxide. And we have to build livelihoods.

But I came back with unanswered questions – the fruit of the fruit revolution seems to have disappeared along the way. We saw fruit trees, but no effort was made to add value to the produce. Not even in the production of juice.

There are no signs of any further efforts to rebuild the fruit economy. Instead, we have seen and heard that paddy fields are still growing in this arid region.

Then there is the question of sustainability. We know that fruit trees grow abundantly with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. So, what can be done and done differently?

Questions Side by side, my visit to the Abohar and Sri Ganganger farms is a source of great joy for the future. That’s why the new economy has to go – it’s about nature, nutrition and farmers first.