Sivaganga may bring to mind a district known for its mutiny against the British and the prosperous merchant community of Karaikudi. But Muthiah Murugesan, a farmer in A. Karungulam, a village in Kalaiyar Kovil taluk, has built Brand Sivaganga -- an Alphonso mango variety that gives the Ratnagiri ones a run for their money in Mumbai markets. Traders in Mumbai wanted to market Murugesan’s Alphonsos as Ratnagiri mangoes, but Murugesan would have none of it and insisted on his own brand.
When Murugesan wanted to take up farming 25 years ago, after closing down his jewellery business, his more than 300 acres of red gravel land in his native village were full of scrubs, wild grass and cactus. The Tamil Nadu Agriculture University too was not receptive to his idea of cultivating the sensitive Alphonso mango there.
But Murugesan, not known to shy away from challenges, wanted to give it a try and has emerged successful. His 300 acres produce nearly 500 tonnes of the lip-smacking Alphonso every season. Some 250 tonnes of first quality fruits are hot property at the highly competitive markets of Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. The remaining produce goes to pulp makers in Dharmapuri.
Murugesan sells the mangoes under the brand name ‘MM Farm’. In Mumbai, the MM Farm fruits grown in the arid strips of A Karungalam are known for their colour, taste and other characteristics.
“Our brand has already found its niche in the Mumbai market”, he says. His son Madhi Balan has joined him in farming after finishing degrees in engineering and law. Thanks to Murugesan’s innovative marketing strategies, the fruits have been exported to European countries as well as Dubai. Murugesan grows only Alphonso mangoes and his farm boasts of nearly 10,000 fruit-bearing trees now. The trees thrive well in the red gravel earth. The secret to his success is organic manure, regular pruning and good water management, says Balan.
The farm has a dozen wells and four 500 ft deep bore wells. When it rains, every drop of water is harvested through trenches dug on all sides of his farm that covers more than 800 acres.
The rainwater is channeled to the wells and farm ponds. Drip irrigation ensures judicious use of water.
This year, farm ponds went dry after failure of monsoon but Murugesan managed with well and bore well water. He offers employment to more than 100 local people. Murugesan has also taken up cultivation of g9 bananas and red sanders in 40 acres.
Murugesan has proved farming can pay off, and his ambition is to start an agriculture college that would produce expert farmers.
When he is not busy tending to his mangoes, Murugesan hits the village lecture circuit, giving tips to farmers across the state on how to succeed.
