How this farmer’s profit increased 20 times after shifting from wheat to lemon farming

After working for 13 years in the corporate sector, Anand Mishra wanted to return home to the Kachnawan village in Raebareli district of Uttar Pradesh. His family was growing wheat and paddy over two acres and he thought of continuing that work.

“Since I was drawn towards farming from childhood, I quit my job in 2017 to fulfil my dream,” says Anand. Though the villagers were sceptical about a management graduate’s ability to toil in the fields, he decided to pursue his passion.

In the first year, he followed his family’s method of growing wheat and paddy using chemicals. “I used urea and potash. But my profit was only Rs 50,000 that year and I was in shock,” he recollects.

Today, he clocks an annual profit of Rs10 lakh on a turnover of Rs15 lakh.

The change in his fortunes came when Anand realised that the high costs of chemical fertilisers and pesticides ate into the profits, and the soil quality deteriorated due to their use.

The hardened soil required a lot more irrigation, increasing costs further.

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Shifting to organic lemon farming

“That’s when I researched organic farming and chose lemon to begin with because not many farmers were growing it in Raebareli at that time. I understood that finding a market would be easy,” he says.

He purchased 400 saplings of seven varieties of lemons and 50 saplings of mosambi (sweet lime) from a nursery in Nagpur and another in Varanasi. The lemon varieties included NRCC7, NRCC8, Sai Sharbati, and Thai lemon (from Varanasi). 

For preparing the land, after the wheat was harvested in March-April 2018, Anand sowed dhaincha (Sesbania aculeate) grass seeds for green manuring. Once the grass was 3 feet high, he cut it and mixed it in the soil using a rotavator.

“This green manure from dhaincha improves soil aeration by stimulating the activities of algae and bacteria, improves water retention capacity, and adds nitrogen,” he says.

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He then planted lemons at a plant-to-plant gap of 15 ft and a line-to-line gap of 20 ft. “This gap will vary depending on soil fertility, location and lemon variety. The more fertile the soil, the more space is required as trees grow faster,” he explains.

“I planted 200 lemon plants over two acres and 50 mosambi besides some jackfruit and guava plants in the same area,” Anand says. Though chemicals were used in Mishra’s family farm earlier, he shifted completely to organic farming and used only natural inputs. Organic manure has improved soil softness and its carbon content, which helps improve water-retention capacity, structure, and fertility.

Organic techniques for profitability 

“I make most of the inputs on the farm and buy some from the market. I use jeevamrut made with cow dung, cow urine and other ingredients. I also make a cow dung input, which I call Anandam. It improves soil quality by increasing the micronutrients,” says Mishra, who has received the Chaudhary Charan Singh Kisan Samman for highest productivity in the Raebareli district.

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“I have installed drip irrigation where water is carried through pipes and delivered directly to the root zone. This reduces costs,” says Anand, who also provides training in horticulture free of cost to farmers who visit his farm.

The fruiting in lemon starts in the fourth year, and the per-plant profit in the first year post-fruiting is Rs 1,000. “This per-plant profit increases each year for the next 30 years as lemon, guava, and most other fruit plants give better yields with time,” he says.

“About ten of my plants yield one quintal (100 kg) of lemons annually. For others, the yield ranges between 50kg and 75 kg per plant. The yield depends on the age of the plant and other factors,” he says.

While the demand for lemon peaks during summer, the two Navratris in a year and the month of Ramadan, lead to an increase in demand and prices. “Farmers can market lemons throughout the year although the maximum production is done between April and July,” Anand says.

Anand has an annual turnover of R15 lakh and a profit of Rs 10 lakh from just two acres of lemon plantation and his nursery. “I sell lemon saplings at Rs200 to Rs220 per plant. Last year, I sold 2500 saplings and this year, the target is to sell around 5,000 saplings,” he says.

“So lemon farming ensures continuous inflow of money in the hands of the farmers unlike traditional crops, where one has to wait for many months,” Mishra says.

Farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Chhattisgarh seek his nursery and consulting services. “If farmers come to my home, then I give consultation and training free of cost,” he says.

(Riya Singh is a Ranchi-based journalist who writes on environment, farming, sustainability, startups, & women empowerment)

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