How this Kerala HC advocate earns Rs12 lakh per acre from rambutan farming

Advocate Babu Joseph Painadath’s days are split between courtrooms of the Kerala High Court and his rambutan orchards in Mothirakkanni near Chalakudy. Spread across 10 acres, his rambutan farms are one of Kerala’s most successful examples of profitable organic fruit farming, as he earns a turnover of over Rs 12 lakh per acre, of which the profit is Rs 9 lakh.

“I am still practising as an advocate. But farming has taught me lessons beyond law books,” he tells 30Stades.

Babu’s journey began in 2010, when he visited a rambutan farm in Idukki owned by a farmer named Mathew, who had cultivated rambutan across 25 acres using local varieties. “That farm was simply marvellous. The sight of rambutan trees, laden with red fruits, stayed with me. I realised that the exotic fruit had immense potential in Kerala.”

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Inspired, he began studying rambutan cultivation in depth and visited many farms in the state. Kerala has the ideal ecological conditions for exotic fruits, including ample rainfall, high humidity, and fertile soils. “Kerala is not just paddy land. Rambutan fits well into our mixed farming culture,” he says.

Purchasing land and improving fertility

In 2010, Babu purchased 10 acres of land and began developing it specifically for rambutan cultivation. Unlike many first-time farmers, he focused on soil health and the planting materials.

“When we plan cultivation, land correction is the first step. I enriched the soil using cow dung, bone meal and neem cake. Without seeing the soil as a living system, you cannot succeed in farming,” he says.

He opted for the Malaysian rambutan variety and sourced two-year-old saplings from the National Plantation nursery in Thrissur. Each sapling cost around Rs 750 at the time.

“I bought 500 plants for five acres. Many thought it was expensive. But aged saplings give early flowering and fruiting, and that makes the farm profitable early on,” he explains.

Babu’s trees began flowering within 1.5 years and started fruiting in less than two years, far quicker than conventional plantations. “The yield increases as the tree becomes older. While young plants give 10 to 15 kg a year, the annual yields start doubling from the fifth year onwards,” he says.

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High-density farming to double yields

One of the important features of his farm is high-density planting. Traditionally, rambutan is planted at a spacing of 40 ft × 40 ft, accommodating 50 plants per acre. Babu Joseph reduced the spacing to 20 ft × 20 ft, allowing up to 100 plants per acre.

“With high-density farming, you get double benefits from the same land. When given adequate manure and water, trees do not compete. Their maintenance is important,” he says.

Each rambutan tree yields an average of 120 kg per season, resulting in a total production of about 12,000 kg per acre, though climate variations impact output.

“The core of this high production is organic farming practices. Rambutan responds extremely well to organic inputs. Chemical dependency is not necessary if you understand the crop’s biology,” Babu says.

He applies manure twice a year. An application of cow dung, bone meal and neem cake in June-July is followed by the second round in October-November. “Flowering starts in January, and that is the time when plants require good irrigation, he points out. Once the fruits are set, I apply organic potash biofertiliser to improve fruit size and sweetness,” he says.

“Organic matter improves soil structure, microbial life and water retention. That directly reflects in fruit quality. There is no correct season for planting rambutan. But a good water facility is a must,” he says.

Once flowering begins, water management becomes important. “Fruits develop fully within 1.5 months, and over the next two to three months, they mature for harvest. Within 18 to 20 days, fruit bunches can weigh up to one kilogram,” he explains.

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Good returns and profitability

Rambutan’s economics have made it one of the most lucrative fruit crops in Kerala’s tropical belt. Babu sells the fruits to wholesalers at an average market price of Rs 100 to Rs 150 per kg. Prices dip during the rainy harvest season due to higher arrivals, but summer harvests fetch premium rates due to scarcity, Babu points out.

“Traders come directly to the farm. We don’t struggle for markets. Quality sells itself,” he adds.

The costs are around Rs 30 per kg, resulting in a profitability of 75 percent. “Due to the rising demand and low maintenance, rambutan farming is expanding in Kerala and Karnataka,” he says.

Babu has also established a rambutan and mangosteen nursery, supplying fruiting-quality saplings to new farmers. “I realised that quality planting material is the foundation. If we want more farmers to succeed, we must support them from the nursery stage. Farming is not a gamble if you do it scientifically,” Babu says.

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

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