Dragon fruits are being picked by a farm hand from Seetharamapuram village of Damera mandal in Hanamkonda district, Telangana.
The local Department of Horticulture and District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) support farmers from vulnerable sections who cultivate dragon fruit in many villages in Hanamkonda district due to its ever-increasing demand.
Agriculture promotes horticulture through the MGNREGS under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS); this has resulted into Raj Mohammed, a farmer from Seetharampuram village in Damera mandal cultivating dragon fruit on 20 guntas (half-acre) with financial assistance from DRDA so as to uplift lives of weaker sections.
His first-harvestable crop will be ready within one or two days. “We expect about three quintals of fruit as it is just above one year old farm,” said his son Md. Ramzan aged 39 years, profusely thanking the government and district administration.
Before these farmers grew vegetables
Ramzan, who had stopped attending university to help his father with farming, explained that they used to grow vegetables but switched crops to dragon fruits since this crop was more marketable than the former; besides they were also making losses while growing vegetables.
“We put about five lakhs rupees in place for developing our twenty gunta dragon fruit farm”, he noted. “The Government is giving us 2.63 lakh rupees.” He added saying that they invested enough money because they used methods that were natural. “Dragon fruits fetch us Rs 130/kg while retail price ranges between Rs 200 and Rs 220/kg” commented Ramzan.
Funding for growing dragon fruits at several other horticultural crops
“In twelve rural mandals of the district we are providing financial aid for fifty acres each towards cultivation of dragon fruit,” said DRDO Naga Padmaja. “We also provide financial assistance for other horticultural crops through specific provisions under MGNREGS, in a convergence of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare with the Department of Rural Development aimed at promoting horticulture”, she explained calling on the farmers to access this aid.
The Dragon fruit can be harvest between 30-35 days after flowering
Horticulture officials further added that farmer could expect their trees to yield them for 25 to 30 years, with the first significant harvest from three years after planting. During monsoons, dragon fruits flower and bear fruits while nocturnal pollinators such as bats and hawk moths are responsible for successful fertilization enabling proper fruit setting, size and total yield.
Typically, flowering and fruiting take place in three to five segments June-December with maturity occurring after 30-35 days post-flowering of these fruits. The weight of each fruit may vary between two hundred grams and seven hundred grams depending upon their care over time. Fruit orchards well managed can produce up to ten tons per acre generating an average income of eight-nine lakh rupees per acre annually over 25 years in minimum.
