How this Karnataka farmer harvests 50kg pomegranates per plant; sells at Rs200 a kg

When Ekanthraj joined his family farm after completing his studies, they grew areca nuts and coconut in the dry region of Kadur in Karnataka’s Chikmagalur district. Since the area falls in the rain shadow area of the Western Ghats, it was tough to grow very profitable crops, most of which also require high amounts of water.

“After seeing the lack of profitability in planting only these crops, I decided to venture into fruit farming,” Ekanthraj says. 

He chose pomegranate farming as it survives well in arid regions even with limited rainwater. Moreover, pomegranate is a profitable crop, with rising demand due to health benefits. 

India is the biggest pomegranate exporter, with 120,641 shipments in 2023-24, followed by Turkey with 56,310, and Afghanistan in third place with 6,857 shipments, according to APEDA. 

The biggest buyers from India are the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, and Nepal.

“Pomegranates are also a highly valued crop due to their high vitamin C content, fibre, and antioxidants, making them popular among health-conscious consumers. Additionally, the low rainfall here reduces the crop's vulnerability to pests and diseases,” he says.

Also Read: How organic fruit farming made Rajasthan’s Santosh Devi a millionaire

Finding the right saplings

Ekanthraj found about the Bhagwa variety of pomegranate that was released in 2003-04 by the Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri, after a research by ICAR-AICRP on Arid Zone Fruits. 

Bhagwa is a high-yielding variety of pomegranate that can produce 30 to 40 kg of fruit per tree.

“I bought 1,000 plants for Rs30 each though the rates now are between Rs40 and Rs50 per plant,” he says. He prepared the land by ploughing twice to make a fine tilth, harrowing, levelling and removing weeds. “I added about 22 tonnes of cow dung manure to three acres of land before planting the saplings,” he says.

Ekanthraju then made raised beds at a gap of 3 metres for planting and installed drip irrigation. “Across Karnataka, you will mostly see drip irrigation in pomegranate orchards. It is very useful in our area where water is scarce as drip cuts water requirements by around 60 percent,” he says.

He points out that drip also increases yield by up to 50 percent in pomegranates, improves quality and provides uniformity in fruit size. 

Most importantly, fertilisers can be applied through drip irrigation (fertigation), increasing efficiency and reducing nitrogen leaching. 

How to get high pomegranate yields

“The combination of drip and fertigation helped me reach a much higher output than the average of 35 to 40 kg per plant,” Ekanthraju says. He practices residue-free farming, which leaves no traces of chemicals by the time of harvest. 

“Residue-free farming leads to excellent yields and safeguards the environment,” he says. 

In 2012, he planted 1,000 plants over three acres, about 350 in one acre. He uses bamboo to support the plants.

“I applied neem cake, organic manure and nitrogen, phosphorous pentoxide and potassium oxide. The first crop was ready next year in 2013 and I harvested 22 kg of pomegranates per tree,” he says.

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Ekanthraju harvested a whopping 55 kg per plant in 2014 and there was no looking back. “I expanded the area under cultivation to 8.5 acres over time and have 2,375 plants in all.”

“Now the average yield per tree is 50kg annually and I get a spot rate of Rs180 to Rs200 per kg for pomegranates. Each tree brings an average income of Rs 9,000 to Rs10,000 annually,” he says. 

The annual production of around 118 tonnes (1,18,750 kg) results in an income of Rs2.2 crore. 

“My total annual cost is nearly Rs35 lakh to Rs40 lakh including organic manure, drip irrigation, fertigation, manual weed removal etc,” he says. That leaves an annual profit of around Rs1.8 crore.

He sells the fruits to wholesalers who come to the farm. “I also receive orders from Bangladesh. The market rate fluctuates but is mostly in the Rs180 to Rs200 range,” he says.

Ekanthraju also sells saplings of pomegranate at Rs48 per piece. “For farmers in arid areas, pomegranate is a very profitable crop,” he adds.

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories around human interest, environment and art and culture.)

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