Dryland Dragon Fruit and Exporter Farmers

Dear Reader,

Being a close observer of life offers many benefits. It enables you to spot opportunities early and act on them quickly. And action is the key to success.

This is the short story behind a young, successful farmer from drought-prone Akola in Maharashtra. Prasad Ramchaware first saw dragon fruit in a market in Mumbai in 2017. Curious, he began researching it and found it to be a profitable crop.

He connected with farmers in Vietnam to learn more about the exotic fruit and planted saplings over two acres in 2021 while pursuing his B.Pharma.

Prasad told me he earned Rs 25 lakh last year by selling the fruit and saplings. He practices high-density farming in the dryland region. The yield was 12 tonnes of dragon fruit per acre in the third year of plantation. It will increase annually until the plants are 10 to 12 years old.

He is pursuing his M. Pharma and remains passionate about farming.

From Odisha, my colleague Malay wrote about an interesting trend developing in the state’s hilly tribal regions – strawberry farming. Long known to be a crop of western India (Mahabaleshwar to be specific), the red, heart-shaped fruit is adding to the incomes of tribal farmers, especially women, in Koraput.

Farmers are turning to short-duration, high-value strawberries to supplement paddy and millet incomes. Supported by Odisha’s rural marketing agency ORMAS and the horticulture department, the crop is helping families utilise small land plots, which otherwise remain idle after paddy harvest.

The department purchased saplings from Mahabaleshwar for plantation in Koraput, and a group of 30 women farmers earned Rs 35 lakh last season. Hundreds of others have joined since then. The journey of the strawberry from the western to eastern India is one of empowerment and new economic possibilities for farmers.

To read our earlier Newsletters, click here

My colleague Chandhini put together a piece on five farmers who are exporting their crops as far as Japan, Spain, Europe and the US. Indian farmers are tapping into global markets and earning premium prices through exports. With high-quality standards and chemical-free produce, these agripreneurs are proving that Indian agriculture is ready for the world.

Continuing her series on indoor plants, my colleague Riya wrote about five air-purifying plants and how to grow them. Indoor air can contain dust, toxins and pollution, and some plants help improve this air quality naturally. She has provided details about five low-maintenance purifying plants that grow easily in small indoor spaces, making cleaner air easily available at home.

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi

Maharashtra farmer earns Rs12 lakh per acre from dragon fruit farming in drought-prone Akola

How strawberry farming is boosting tribal incomes in Koraput

Five farmers making crores by exporting their crops

Five indoor air-purifying plants and how to grow them