How this Himachal farmer earns Rs 21 lakh per acre with organic kiwi farming

When Pratap Bharnal considered diversifying beyond apple farming on his ancestral farm in Badkhor village of Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district, he did not know of any lucrative option. The increased competition from imported apples, their high supply in the market, and changing weather conditions left little room for profits from apple cultivation.

“To find a solution, I visited the university (Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry) in Nauni in 2017. I learned about kiwi farming there. They were providing kiwi saplings at Rs170 each and I purchased 100 of them,” Pratap tells 30Stades.

He planted them over 2.5 bighas (half an acre) of his farmland. In Himachal Pradesh, five bighas is one acre.

“You can put 40 plants in one bigha (Himachal) or 400 plants in 10 bighas (2 acres). I added a good amount of cow dung manure to the soil, and placed them at a plant-to-plant gap of 14 feet,” he says.

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After this, Pratap began adding 100 saplings of kiwi each year. “The first batch of 100 plants began yielding kiwis in the fourth year in 2021. I harvested 360 kg that fetched me revenues of Rs80,000 and knew I had cultivated the right crop,” he says.

Why is organic farming of Kiwi profitable?

Pratap’s orchard has three varieties of kiwi – Hayward, Alison, and Monty. In the last season, his 400 trees (planted over 1.9 acres or 10 bighas) yielded 21,600 kg of fruits. “I sold them between Rs200 and Rs250 per kg, earning Rs42 lakh in revenues,” he says.

Pratap’s success is due to the rising demand for kiwi in the Indian market, led by urbanization and awareness about health-boosting foods. Kiwi is a rich source of vitamin C, fibre, and antioxidants. 

According to export-import data firm Eximpedia, India imported 43,270 metric tonnes of kiwi from New Zealand, Iran, and Chile in 2023-24, valued at over 51 million dollars. 

The high demand and low supply of kiwis make it a very profitable crop for Indian farmers. Moreover, it is a low-maintenance tree requiring minimal inputs. 

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The global kiwi fruit market was valued at 7.8 billion dollars in 2024 and is projected to reach 9.98 billion dollars by 2030.

How to grow Kiwi organically and profitably

At Pratap’s orchard, the older trees produce around 60 to 70kg of kiwis every season, while the younger ones yield 30 to 40 kg following organic farming methods. 

“The average yield per tree was 52 kg. In the next season, I expect 8-year-old trees to yield around 80 to 100 kg because the production increases as the plant attains maturity.”

He packs the kiwis in boxes on the farm and sells them in the local mandis. “We get enquiries for online sales, but nothing is left after selling locally,” he says happily.

Pratap says his only inputs are water and cow dung manure. He uses drip irrigation, which takes water directly to the roots of the plant. “Lack of adequate irrigation can result in small-sized kiwis, which get only Rs60 per kg in the market. Cow dung is enough to meet the nutritional requirements of plants and they do not need any chemicals,” he says.

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The kiwi plant is sturdy and vigorous, not prone to pest attacks. It is not eaten by animals because kiwi leaves are tough and somewhat bitter. Being a climbing vine, it needs a strong support structure like a trellis due to its fast growth.

“Each plant requires an iron trellis, which costs Rs5,000. So the initial investment is Rs 5,000 for the trellis and Rs 200 for the kiwi sapling (the current market rate). A farmer can fully recover the investment in the first year when fruit production starts,” he says.

Pratap points out that the government provides subsidies for trellis construction, which can reduce the farmer's cost substantially.

A kiwi plant gives fruit for 30 to 40 years and requires only pruning (apart from water and cow dung manure). Pruning is done after January when plants are dormant. 

“Their stems have to go down for good fruiting and not go sideways. That is why pruning is essential,” says Pratap, who employs five people on the farm for pruning, packaging and maintenance of plants.

Farmers must first put up the iron trellis and then plant the saplings. “Otherwise, plants tend to bend, and it impacts productivity,” he says.

Farmers should not use a tiller in kiwi plantations as it can damage the roots. “Kiwi plants form a canopy over the trellis and block sunlight. So weed growth is naturally low,” he says.

Pratap has expanded to 1200 trees right now. Of this, 600 trees will yield fruits in the coming season. “I have also started making saplings for sale after receiving the necessary approvals. This will add to my income. Farmers can buy kiwi saplings from me,” he adds.

(Rashmi Pratap is a Mumbai-based journalist specialising in financial, business and socio-economic reporting)

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