Prabhakar Kharat, a retired teacher from the city of Pune has undertaken a unique experiment in agriculture innovation. With the help of modern techniques, the teacher has quite successfully cultivated Himalayan apples in the Indapur area of Pune. Generally, when speaking of apples, everyone thinks of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh first as they are known for their fresh and sweet apples. But now these apples are being grown in Pune by the teacher which marks a noteworthy contribution to agriculture and this has left the entire district proud and happy.
Kharat is a retired teacher who has been into farming ever since his retirement. He decided to experiment with this farming technique and grow something different. For this, he placed an order for apple saplings from Darjeeling. Within 15 to 19 months of sowing these plants, he was able to harvest his first apple crop successfully.
It all began when Prabhakar’s son Kishore went to Jammu and Kashmir for a trip where he saw breathtaking apple orchards there. Kishore decided to seek detailed information regarding apple cultivation. He told his father Prabhakar and Kalidas about the environment in which it is grown, the medicines given and how it is cultivated.
This inspired the Kharat family to start apple cultivation in Pune’s Indapur. They got the saplings from Darjeeling and planted them in their 10 guntas (10890.0 sqft) land. However, growing the apples was not an easy task, so, his entire family helped and worked together in farming and cultivating.