Avocado Accountant and Moringa Entrepreneur

Dear Reader,

Did you know that American missionaries first brought avocados to India in the early 20th century? In love with the fruit packed with healthy fats, fibre, and essential vitamins and minerals, the missionaries planted them wherever possible in Coorg, Ooty and other places in South India.

However, the locals mostly uprooted the exotic fruit trees because of its bland taste, which had no place in Indian kitchens.  After struggling for over a hundred years, avocado has found a premium position in the Indian market – the bland fruit now retails at upwards of Rs125 per piece and is used in dishes ranging from sandwiches and dips to juices and even chaat!

And that's why those involved in avocado farming and trading are raking in a moolah. Harshith BS has, however, found a third way to cash in on the avocado craze. He prepares avocado saplings in his nursery and sells them to farmers across India. 

Harshith, an accountant who quit during COVID-19, told me he made Rs50 lakh last year by selling 50,000 saplings. From a nursery spread over less than an acre, he hopes to clock a much higher turnover this year. His profit margin: 50%! 

My colleague Anu spoke to Amarjeet Singh, a horticulturist in Haryana. He planted moringa on the boundary of his farm on an experimental basis. However, as luck would have it, COVID came, demand for natural immunity-building foods increased, and his moringa powder began selling faster than he could ready it.

The crop has shifted from the fringes to his farm. Amarjeet earns Rs 8 lakh per acre by selling organic moringa powder and tablets across India. A seasoned entrepreneur, he does not sell through marketplaces, which squeeze the margins. He receives orders on WhatsApp and delivers products through India Post. 

Amarjeet's profit is Rs 7.5 lakh per acre because moringa doesn’t require much maintenance. His only inputs -- biogas slurry and compost -- come free of cost from his small biogas unit and farm waste.

My colleague Aruna wrote an interesting piece on coconut straws and pens. She spoke to Prof Saji Varghese, an associate professor at Christ University, Bengaluru, who set up Sunbird Straws in 2020. 

The startup makes biodegradable straws and pens from coconut leaves, providing livelihood to over 100 rural women in South India. It exports products to the Netherlands, Spain and Canada and has replaced over 20 lakh single-use plastic straws since its inception. The annual turnover was Rs 70 lakh last fiscal. 

Our Sunday piece is on Chakhao – the ancient black rice from Manipur. Once grown only for kings and hidden in sacred rituals, Chakhao is now gaining international recognition as a superfood. With a rich purple hue and a unique aroma, this GI-tagged heirloom rice is exported to the USA, UK, and Japan. 

Earlier, Chakhao seeds were secretly passed down from generation to generation. Today, the Manipur government is supporting its cultivation. Do look up this one!

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi

This Karnataka farmer clocks Rs 50 lakh per acre from avocado nursery business

How this Haryana farmer clocks Rs8 lakh per acre with organic moringa farming

English professor makes eco-friendly straws from coconut leaves; annual turnover at Rs 70 lakh

From royal kitchens to global shelves: The rise of Manipur’s black rice Chakhao