Cost of cultivation of Casuarina junghuhniana

Dear farmer friends,

I have given here below cultivation cost figures and yield estimates for Casuarina Junghuhniana (Tamil : Indonesian Savukku) which is becoming more popular among the farmers of southern India particularly Tamilnadu. Please note that the cost figures and yield estimates are only symbolic and sketchy. The calculations may vary depending upon the fertility of the soil, spacing, dosage of fertilizer, irrigation schedule; proper and timely pruning and other related Good Agriculture Practices.

Cost of cultivation of Casuarina Junghuhniana in 1 Acre for 4 years:

*

Sl. No.	Particulars	Cost
		I year	II year	III year	IV year
A	Material Cost
1	Cost of male sterile hybrid plants raised in polybags or in protrays @ Rs.3.00 x 3600 plants (4’ X 3’ Spacing)	10800	0	0	0
2	Transportation cost	2700	0	0	0
B	Operation and Labour
1	Ploughing 3 times and forming of ridges and furrows using tractor	1200	0	0	0
2	Cost of digging pits, Filling with Neem cake ,FYM & Phorate and Planting @ Rs.1.00 / plant	3600	0	0	0
3	Labour charges for gap filling, Irrigation. pump maintenance plant protection and pruning	3500	3000	3000	3000
4	De weeding (I yr 8, ii yr 3, iii & iv yr 2) @ Rs.600 per acre (Use power weeder)	4800	1800	1200	1200
C	Fertilizer
1	FYM (Initial as basal)	2000	0	0		0
2	N:P:K as recommended	1000	2000	2500		3000
D	Pesticide / Fungicide
1	To control borer,stem canker, die back and wilt	200	300	300		400
E	Miscellaneous
1	Live hedge (not considered)
2	Drip irrigation (not considered)
3	Unforeseen expenditure					1000
F	Harvesting cost
1	Price of logs given here below is exclusive of cutting and transportation. Cost will be borne by the buyer.	0	0	0		0
G	Interest
1	Interest on Bank borrowings ( approx )					2500
H	TOTAL cultivation cost (A+B+C+D+E+F+G) Rs. 55,000
I	Yield in fertile soil with GAP: 65 Tons / Acre @ Rs 2000 Rs. 1,30,000 Sale of pruned material on II & III years Rs, 3,000 Sale of stem tips that are below 1.25” thickness and normally left behind by the buyer after harvest on IV yr alone will fetch Rs, 7,000 Sub Total Rs. 1,40,000
	Net income after IV year (I – H) Rs. 85,000

• Please note that a small fraction of farmers were getting a yield of even 80Tons and above in an acre at the end of 4th year and majority were able to get only 50 Tons – 70Tons from 4 years to even after 5th year will explain many questions on the yield front. So a realistic,achievable target of (Average yield ) 65 tons / Acre was taken for the estimates.

• A high dosage of fertilizers than the recommended NPK dosage has been arrived for the estimates.
  

• The cost of removing the basal left out cut portion of the stem after harvest and its adjoining root system were not considered since the farmer will naturally go for the ratoon crop.
  

• In the ratoon crop farmers will get more income because expenditure on planting, cost of planting material and gap filling are NIL.
  

• Casuarina Junghuhniana, its genetic mutants and other related hybrid varieties can be had from Forest Extension Division, The Forest Dept., Tamil Nadu free of cost under TCPL (Tree Crops on Patta Lands) Scheme.
  

I heartily welcome any kind of criticisms, doubts and suggestions to improve on this subject. An extract of this report was also posted in:

http://www.agricultureinformation.com/forums/questions-answers/18528-casurina-cultivation-help-required-3.html

Regards.
Vishnu Sankar

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