Sunday, July 1, 2018 DECCAN

AN HERA
RALD 7

Spectrum statescan

Dragon fru
ruit, the
new favourite
EMERGING CROP Even as dragon fruit orchar ards aarre sprouting in different
par
arts of the State, Anitha Pailoor tak
akes a look at the prospects aan
nd chalallenges

F
armers in different parts of the
State seem to have taken a cue
from the fact that India im-
ports a considerable quantity
of dragon fruit to cater to those
who prefer low-sugar fruits. As a result,
this cactus species is grown as a crop in
different agro-climatic zones, albeit in
small areas. Even though the first dragon
fruit orchard in the State, developed by a
private firm, in Kodagu district, is over 10
years old, farmers and researchers got en-
thused by the fruit only recently.
Three years ago, Mahadev Kolekar, an
agri-entrepreneur based in Belagavi, saw
an opportunity ty in the exotic dragon fruits
that had begun to occupy fruit shelves in
city
ty supermarkets.Abitofonlineresearch
confirmed that this could be cultivated in
his less fertile land, with less water. Sub-
sequently, he visited dragon fruit farms
in Maharashtra and West Bengal to learn
the nuances of cultivation and eventually,
grew the crop in one acre. After getting
practical knowledge, he promoted the
crop and helped develop around 30 drag-
onfruitorchardsinKarnataka,Maharash-
tra and Andhra Pradesh.
Climbing cactus
In the State, dragon fruit plots have come
up in places such as Lakshmeshwara,
Bagalkot, Dakshina Kannada, Tumaku-
ru, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Shi-
vamogga, Mysuru, Bengaluru etc. While
retired engineer Jaffer Kutty ty has grown
this fruit in one acre in Hiriyuyur, farmer
Narayanaswamy of Chikkaballapura has
cultivated the crop in nine acres. Most of
these first-generation dragon fruit grow-
EXOTIC FRUIT: White-fleshed and red-fleshed dragon fruits (top) are cultivated in Karnataka; (above) views of dragon fruit orchards. PHOTOS BY AUTHOR & IRAPPA HALAKATTI
ers have harvested ttw
wice by now and are
convinced about its viability as a crop.
Many of these farmers have accessed in-
formation from the internet and growers
in other states. Less water requirement
and low-sugar content are the tw
two aspects
that have made the fruit appealing to both
farmers and consumers.
Understandingthepossibilities,Central
HorticulturalExperimentStation(CHES)
at Hirehalli in Tumakuru district has been
promoting the crop. “It is one of the four
crops — the other three being jackfruit,
avocado and tamarind — identified for
research and propagation in the region.
We have cultivated white-fl fleshed and
red-fl
fleshed dragon fruits in the centre’s
farm,” says Dr G Karunakaran, head of
the station. He sees better prospects for
red-fl
fleshed ones because of their colour
and taste. Karunakaran emphasises that
though it is popular as an easy- to-grow
crop, proper care and maintenance is es-
sential to get a good yield.
This low-maintenance crop requires
an initial investment of around Rs four
and five lakh per acre. The plants, which
are a ttyype of climbing cacti, are grown on
concreteorstonepillars.Differentty typesof
support frames and trellises are being ex-
perimented to ensure the proper growt wth
of branches. Around 1,800 plants can be
grown on 450 pillars in one acre.
AtCHES,itisgrownwithorganicinputs
and drip irrigation. Karunakaran spec-
ifies that this is a photosensitive species
and hence requires appropriate sunlight.
This sun-loving plant ffllowers during the
night. Even though it is a self-pollinating
plant, it is better to do assisted pollination
to ensure 100% fruit setting.
Dragon fruit, now cultivated as a mono-
crop, isnotfreefrompests ordiseases, but
the occurrence is said to be less. While
there are attempts to grow vegetables as
intercrops to ensure sustainability ty, CHES
is contemplatingthecombination of coco-
nut and dragon fruit.
Unlike other fruit crops, dragon fruit
starts yielding early. While the first har-
vest can be done after 15 months, optimal
productionhappensonlyafterthreeyears.
The harvest season is betw tween May and
September. The average yield per acre is
aroundfivetonnes.Almostallthegrowers
aremarketingtheproducedirectly,mainly
to supermarket chains, and are getting a
price of around Rs 80 to Rs 100 per kg.
Though now the entire harvest gets
consumed in nearby cities, the growers
are not yet sure about the market once the
production reachesitsfullpotential.Since
the home-grown dragon fruits are said to
be more sweet and tasty ty than imported
ones, they feel that there would not be a
need to import fruits once the required
quantity
ty is grown locally.
The road ahead
Though growers and scientists agree that
it is a beneficial crop, they are wary of
future market prospects. “This is one of
the most beautiful fruits in the world but
people may not consider it tasty. Right
now it is preferred only by a certain seg-
ment of people – those who are health
conscious and like low-sugar fruits. There
is no clear information about the market
requirement. So, until the market gets
stabilised it is better to avoid large-scale
production. The production should be de-
mand-driven and sustainability ty should be
the main concern. We should be cautious
that this doesn’t turn out to be another va-
nillacrisis,”saysDrSVHittalmani,former
additionaldirector(fruits),StateHorticul-
ture Department. He warns growers not
to fall prey to the false promises of nurs-
ery agents, who make money by selling
saplings.
He feels that there is a good potential
for this fruit, which is attractive and high-
ly nutritive, and efforts should be made to
tap it. Also, proper research in terms of
cultivation practices and value addition
would go a long way in establishing the
fruit as a crop. Until then, it is better if the
enthusiasts grow it in small patches.
Efforts like these underline the en-
thusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit of
farmers, which when pursued cautiously,
can make the occupation fulfilling and re-
warding.Formoredetails,onecancontact
Dr G Karunakaran on 9483233804.

MISCELLANY
Committed to a calling Arround the world in a day
A
A n old Indian proverb says, “A healthy
person has a hundred wishes, but a
sick person has only one — to get back his
MINIATURE MARVELS
health.” But what if the sick person is too Ever wanted to see the
poor to get medical attention? What if he
or she is living in a remote village where famous sights of the
there is no medical facility ty whatsoever?
For many thousands of such underprivi-
world wwiithout travelling
leged patients, this doctor has taken the far and w
wiide? You
initiative to provide free medical check-up
and medicines, and give them a chance to can do this by vviisiting
fightdiseasesandlife-threateningmedical
conditions.
Ramaneeya Museum in
A committed restorer of their health, North Bengaluru, w wrrites
Padma Shri awardee Dr Ramana Rao,
a consultant physician and cardiologist Renuka Krishnaraja
based in Bengaluru, has been doing this
for the past 44 years. During this time,
Ramana Rao has treated over tw two million

rural poor at his village clinic in T Begur,
which is located 35 km from Bengaluru.
His clinic has the distinction of being the
world’s oldest and longest-serving free
clinic being run every Sunday without a
break. Despite having an elite patient list,
his deep empathy makes him reach out
to the rural poor. “My knee pain was so
severe that it was almost crippling. But
after getting treated here, I am able to
walk without pain and discomfort,” says
Srinivasa Gowda of Srinivasapura.
On August 15, 1973, Ramana Rao set up
his free clinic for the rural poor and since
then, there was no looking back for him.
He forged ahead with such deep com-
mitment that now he treats around 1,100
patients every Sunday. On this day, apart
from being given free medicine and treat-
ment, patients are also served hot food.
Additionally, children are treated with
dewormingtabletsandaregivennutrition
supplements.
The lack of proper medical facilities
and escalating costs of medical care have
brought people from over 350 surround-
ing villages to this clinic. Because of this
free healthcare delivery, many of them do
not experience any financial difficulties
when it comes to medical care. It has not
just helped them monetarily but also had
a positive effect on their emotional, social
and psychological well-being. Ramana
Rao is assisted by his wife and their tw two
MEDICAL CARE Along with his team, Dr Ramana Rao runs a free clinic for the under-
privileged every Sunday in T Begur, near Bengaluru.
doctor sons apart from his team of young
doctors. There is also a committed team
comprising of volunteers from these
villages.
Patients are segregated based on their
complaints and then, are led to the re-
spective areas to get assessed, treated and
counselled. He has tied up with hospitals
and institutions to get facilities like ECG.
“Our other healthcare services include
oral health and skin care too. The most
common problems we see are asthma,
arthritis, osteoporosis, backache, joint
pain, cough and cold, vitamin deficiencies
and infections due to the lack of hygiene.
These can be cured with basic medicine
and proper guidance,” says Ramana Rao.
It’s not just free healthcare that Ra-
mana Rao and his team provide but also
resources to ensure basic facilities in rural
areas. For instance, his team has installed
700 toilets for the underprivileged fami-
lies, ensured that 16 villages get proper
accessto drinkingwater, andassistedover
50 schools with basic infrastructure. “The
clinic incurs an expenditure of Rs 5 lakh
every month. The donations we receive,
go directly to the trust we have formed for
this purpose, Raj Prakash Trust,”says Ra-
mana Rao. His dedication to ensure that
basichealthcarefacilityty iseasilyaccessible
to everyone has not gone unnoticed as he
has received many awards.
Ambika Ananth
I
f someone wishes to see architectural
marvels, war gadgets, vintage cars,
ships and airplanes from across the
world, all under one roof, Ramaneeya
Museum in Shivakote village, North Ben-
galuru is the right place to visit. Started in
January 2016, the museum houses min-
iature models of iconic structures assem-
bled by Dr Latha Srinivas Tantry.
She has handcrafted most of the minia-
tureand3Dmodelsdisplayedatthemuse-
um.Themodelsaresetupusingimported
modelkits.Thekitconsistsofseveralsmall
parts that have to be assembled
like a 3D jigsaw puzzle and
then painted. The most
precise replicas are
made using expanda-
ble polysty
tyrene (ESP)
foam. Each section in
the museum is ded-
icated to different
models, ranging
from cars to build-
ings.
Clones of our carriers
The vintage car section showcases sev-
eral models of Mercedes Benz, Bugatti,
Duesenberg, Phantom, Jaguar, Cadillac,
Packard and Rolls Royce. What’s interest-
ing to see here are signboards that show
how the models have been assembled and
the number of parts used. For instance,
Pocher K90 1936 Mercedes Benz 540K
‘Rumble Seat’ model has 2,368 parts
and through 43 diagrams, it shows the
sequence of assembly. This is an instance
of how intricate and laborious the task
can be. “Building a model calls for great
patience, keen eye for detail and also im-
peccable eyesight,” states Latha.
Among the mighty ty ships, RMS Titan-
ic hogs the limelight. The Airfix 1:400
scale model commemorative kit took six
months for completion. The model brings
alive the imagery of the mighty
ship that sank on its maid-
en journey. Columbus,
HMS Victory, HMS Ark
Royal, Varyag, La San-
ta María, Mayflflower and
Queen Anne’s Revenge are
REPLICATING POPULAR MODELS Ramaneeya Museum in Shivakote village has models of (clockwise from left) the
1936 540K Rumble Seat; vintage airplanes; HMS Norfolk; (below) the Colosseum; RMS Titanic. PHOTOS BY AUTHOR
some of the other vintage ships that are
displayed in a cabinet.
Likewise, the airplane section is fasci-
natingtoo.WrightFlyer,apioneer
of aviation, is displayed
along with aircrafts
from the MiG series,
Saras, Hansa, and
manyotherairplanes
used in World Wars
I and II. BAE Har-
rier, which could
land and take off
vertically, Thun-
derbolt Warthog,
and F117A Stealth aircraft that cannot be
traced by radar are some of the airplanes
with special features here. Apart from
these, one can also see miniature rec-
reations of architectural wonders. This
section takes you around the world in a
matter of minutes through its models of
the Big Ben, Taj Mahal, Colosseum, Eiffel
Tower, and many more.
Paper and ESP foam are the most
commonly used materials for many
of the models displayed here. The
parts are usually numbered and
are printed in sheets. Since these
models use slot fitting, there is
no usage of glue.
Gentlehandlingisrequiredtopreventany
What’s in- damage to the delicate foam.
teresting Colourful curios
There are various scale models made
to see here are using wood and paper on display as well.
Soft wood and balsa wood are used to
the signboards make wooden models. The kit contains
wooden sheets on which parts are etched.
that show how Theyhavetoberemovedcarefullyandthe
edges are polished and fixixed into the slots.
the models Submarines, bicycles, seaplanes, and ani-
mal and bird figures are just a few wooden
have been figurines displayed. For those made of pa-
per,modelsfromsheetsofpaperthathave
assembled... the parts are printed on it are used. The
parts need to be cut out, marked, folded
and then glued together. Paper models
of animals, birds, cartoon characters and
dolls are also put up. Of these, it is the
colourful Chinese dragons and Japanese
dolls that attract one’s attention.
The museum also houses some craft-
work made with materials like terracotta
and also a few curios and antiques
from prized collections. Coins
from Shah Jahan’s time and cur-
rency notes of different nations are
worth seeing. There is a display of vin-
tage car monograms also.
With so much to grasp and
gather, Ramaneeya is a treas-
ure trove of miniature models.
Tovisitthemuseum,callLathaon
9164718678.
This column features heritage
museums of the State on alternate
weeks. Readers can suggest unique
collections, either private or
government.