Karnataka’s millionaire farmer harvests 100 kg rambutan and mangosteen per tree; sells at Rs350 per kg

After completing his studies, when Lohith Shetty joined his father, he was cultivating areca nuts and rubber at Peradka village in the Dakshin Kannad District of Karnataka. The year was 2006 and Lohith realised that the labour and maintenance costs involved in rubber and areca nut farming were very high, eating into the profits. 

“I considered diversifying to new crops and began travelling to nearby states. In 2006, during a trip to Kerala, I came across rambutan and mangosteen fruits. The market rate for rambutan at that time was around Rs150 per kg, much higher than all other fruits I had known,” recollects Lohith. 

Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are the world’s largest producers of rambutan and the exotic fruit is said to have reached India via Malaysia and Sri Lanka in the 1980s.

“The life span of both rambutan and mangosteen trees is over 100 years. I figured out that I could earn more profit from exotic fruit farming than rubber,” he says.

Both rambutan and mangosteen are economically viable for farmers as the cost of production isn’t very high. “They hardly require pesticides and can start bearing fruits from the third year with regular manuring and pruning. They are hardy plants and can fight most diseases,” he says. 

Starting exotic fruit farming

So he bought saplings of the two fruits for plantation in Karnataka. “In 2006, I bought 500 saplings of rambutan at Rs 350 per plant while mangosteen cost Rs450. The rate of rambutan saplings is still Rs350 after almost 18 years,” he says with a laugh.

Also Read: Kerala farmer harvests 6000 kg rambutan per acre with high-density farming

Lohith had an early mover advantage. He realised the potential of exotic fruits in the Indian market and went ahead with the plantation. India is the world’s second-largest importer of exotic fruits after China and is followed by the United Arab Emirates, according to Volza, which tracks import-export data.

Lohith prepared the land by adding manure made using cow dung and goat droppings. “I planted the rambutan saplings at a gap of 25 feet though the recommended distance is 35 to 40 feet. The reduced distance helped to achieve higher yields per acre. I later cut down some of the trees to create space for sunlight,” he says.

The first harvest for rambutan is after three years when the plants are not very mature. “The first harvest is around 25 kg per plant which goes up to 40 kg per plant from the fourth year onwards,” Lohith points out.

Also Read: Father-son trio reaps bumper mangosteen harvest; older trees yield 300 kg per season

Grafting for expansion

He then began creating more plants using grafting. Grafted rambutan plants are transplanted after three years and yield fruits from the third year after plantation. 

“Today, I have 2700 rambutan plants over 8 acres and the 800 mangosteen plants are intercropped with areca nut,” Lohith says.

Mangosteen saplings are nurtured for four years and then planted. “After another four years, mangosteen starts giving fruit. Initially, it is 5 kg per season but after 15 years, every mangosteen tree yields 100 kg every season,” he says.

With most of his rambutan and mangosteen plants being older than 12 years, the yield is about 80kg to 100kg per plant every season. The harvest season for rambutan lasts from June to October. 

“In the current season, I am selling rambutan at Rs300 per kg. I sold mangosteen at Rs700 per kg in April and May and the rate has now come down to Rs350 per kg as we are nearing the end of the season now,” he points out. 

At this rate, the rambutan trees in his farm are bringing a minimum income of Rs24,000 (if the yield is 80 kg per season) and higher for mangosteen. Wholesalers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu come to his farm to buy the produce and some of them even export it. “I don’t take the fruits to any market,” he says.

Also Read: How this farmer created an evergreen farm of exotic fruits in Karnataka's dry lands

Farming techniques

Lohith uses a mix of organic manures and fertigation to get high yields. He has installed drip irrigation to take the water directly to the plant roots and cut water wastage. He says young mangosteen plants require 16 litres of water daily while the figure for older plants is 25 litres.

Fertigation involves providing water-soluble or liquid fertilisers through the drip irrigation system, which increases plant growth,” he says. He uses potash and factamfos through fertigation.

“I give weekly fertigation and use foliar every 20 days,” he says.

Lohith uses cow dung, goat droppings and chicken faeces as manure for the plants. He also puts neem cake, which builds plant immunity. “I combine organic inputs with fertigation to ensure maximum output,” he says.

He also runs a nursery to sell saplings of rambutan, mangosteen, dragon fruit, sweet santol, coconut, peanut butter, areca nut, beautyberry, and some spices. “The saplings are bought by customers from across South India,” he says.

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

Also Read: This MBA quit his job to grow organic figs; harvests 4500 kg per acre

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