MBA farmer doubles income by shifting from sugarcane to custard apple farming; turnover at Rs6 lakh per acre

For two generations, Shridhar Divekar’s family had been cultivating sugarcane on their three acres of farmland in Daund taluka of Pune district of Maharashtra. The returns were average, just about enough to run the household. 

However, when Shridhar Divekar completed his graduation in agriculture, he realized the non-viability of continuing sugarcane farming. “I thought of shifting to a crop that gave good returns and required low maintenance,” he tells 30Stades.

After initial research, he found the NMK-01 Golden variety of custard apple, which is beneficial for farmers due to its high yield, fewer seeds, abundant pulp, and longer shelf life. 

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Lucrative farming

The growing demand for custard apples in the processed food industry, especially as pulp for ice cream and other products, makes its farming lucrative for farmers. 

India leads in custard apple exports, with Volza reporting over 4,100 shipments from October 2023 to September 2024. Popular destinations for Indian custard apples include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and various European nations. 

“It all translates into increased profitability for farmers. So in 2016, I went to a nursery in Barsi in Solapur to get the saplings,” says Shirkant, who completed his MBA in marketing from Pune University in 2022.

He purchased 1148 saplings, each priced at Rs 75. “Local nurseries now sell this variety at Rs30 per piece,” he points out. 

An acre can accommodate 350 to 400 saplings. “I keep a plant-to-plant gap of 8 feet and row-to-row gap of 14 feet. The saplings are planted in June,” he says.

Custard apple farming requires well-drained soil because water retention can damage the roots. “Since my farm has black cotton soil, so I made raised beds for planting the saplings. They ensure that extra water is drained away,” explains Shridhar.

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The pH of the soil should be between 6.5 and 8.5 and not more than that to ensure a good harvest. “The plant is not much prone to pests and diseases. The only care required is against fungus. Otherwise, good nutrition management is enough to ensure good yields of 20 kg to 30kg per plant,” he adds.

Production and profits

Once planted, custard apple starts fruiting in the fourth year. Shridhar harvested the fruits for the first time in 2020, in the fourth year, when the average yield per tree was around five kg. 

“The yield increases with each passing year. Last year, I harvested an average of 22 kg of fruits per tree and sold the produce from 1100 trees at an average of Rs80 per kg.”

His turnover last season was Rs18 lakh from three acres (Rs6 lakh per acre). This is double the income of Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs3 lakh from sugarcane farming. “After irrigation, labour and other maintenance costs, I made a profit of Rs14 lakh,” he points out. 

Shridhar gets better rates as his crops hit the market before other farmers. 

“Others wait for rain to harvest the fruit. But I use drip irrigation and don’t depend on rain. So I get higher rates at the beginning of the season,” he says.

Drip irrigation takes water and other nutrients directly to the root of the plant. The one-time cost for drip irrigation is around Rs 80,000 per acre and it is very effective. “If we have to drain excess rainwater manually, then the fertilizers are also drained away. Through drip, we can prevent that,” he adds.

Shridhar practices residue-free farming, which minimizes the use of chemicals. A crucial aspect of residue-free farming is ensuring a sufficient gap between the application of any allowed chemicals and the harvest to allow residues to degrade naturally before the produce reaches the consumers.

“I use organic manure and NPK. In April-May, I use NPK bulk fertilizers containing a blend of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium,” Shridhar says.

He says farmers must opt for the NMK-01 Golden variety of custard apples as it increases income and substantially cuts costs of other inputs.

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

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