Giant 1kg guavas bearing new agri fruit in S Gujarat

SURAT: While it is natural to see a water melon weighing more than 1kg a guava that weighs more than 1kg surely comes as a surprise. And it is organic and seedless.
A 41-year-old progressive farmer Pravin Desai from Navapura in Valiya Taluka of Bharuch district grows guavas that are not only giant but extremely sweet. He has planted nearly 1,300 guava trees in one hectare of land and each plant yields at least 5kg fruit every month.These high quality fruits are borne only on plants that have come up through grafting and are sold at Rs 125 per kg. Many people passing through Valiya road make it a point to stop at Pravin Desai's farm and buy his fruit.
Desai grows guava, pomegranate and berries in his farm. He said, "I took over the farm from my father some two-and-a-half years ago and planted guava and other fruits. I also decided to go the organic way. I have about 72 cattle with me."
Desai planted guava by grafting and bringing in sections from Raipur in Chhattisgarh. "In case of this particular variety, air layering is not suitable and mostly grafting is done to get original character of the fruit," said in-charge assistant director of horticulture at Bharuch Dinesh Padadiya.
He said that if the seeds are sown, they will not show the original character of the plant and fruit bearing becomes late when compared to the grafted one. Against an yearly expense of Rs 2,000-Rs 2,500, every plant earns a farmer almost double the amount.
Due to its size and sweetness, this variety of guava is fast becoming popular among many fruit growers in south Gujarat who have started cultivating giant guavas in their farms.