Rs 20-25 lakh from one acre: How a Gulf engineer and an Army veteran build dragon fruit empires

And four years down, Saini on his four acres developed a diversified farming model, generating more than Rs 2 million annually, with dragon fruit as its backbone.

Karamjit, on the other hand, took up farming a few years ago and decided to experiment with dragon fruits. “My family’s 10 acres were under traditional wheat and paddy farming, but after seeing the potential of horticulture, I decided to experiment with dragon fruits and installed 450 poles. I planted 14-15 varieties, selecting them according to their performance under different temperature conditions,” said Karamjit, who completed his graduation while serving the Army.

Karamjit Singh took up farming a few years ago and decided to experiment with dragon fruits (Express)

Karamjit expects to harvest around six tonnes this year.

Saini said he was earning well abroad, but “I don’t feel I earn less from farming”.

Saini established his one-acre dragon fruit orchard, “Saini dragon fruit farm,” in 2022 and has around 478 concrete poles, with each pole supporting four plants. The ultra-high-density plantation has about 11 feet by 7 feet spacing between rows and plants, yielding more than 1,900 plants per acre.

The first fruiting began in August 2023. In the fourth year, Saini expects to harvest 6-7 tonnes of fruit worth Rs 12-15 lakh at wholesale prices of Rs 200-250 per kg. He has already harvested more than two tonnes this season, with several pickings to continue till February.

By the fifth year, he expects the orchard to reach full production, yielding around 25 kg per pole, or 10-11 tonnes per acre, worth Rs 22-25 lakh, depending on weather and crop management. He factors in a plant mortality rate of around 4 per cent.

The initial investment, however, is significant. Both farmers estimate that establishing the permanent dragon fruit structure and plantation costs around Rs 6.5 lakh per acre. Drip and sprinkler irrigation systems increase investment, although government assistance reduces farmers’ share.

Dharampal Singh Saini worked as a civil engineer for nearly 15 years before returning to his native village to pursue farming. (Express)

Once the dragon fruit orchard is ready, the annual maintenance costs fall considerably. Saini estimates that he spends around Rs1.5 lakh per acre each year on labour, pruning, weed management, plant maintenance and other operations. With drip irrigation, water consumption is negligible compared with wheat and paddy.

Wife Parwinder Kaur and father Mohan Lal Saini are a big support for Saini, who grows petha (ash gourd) on two acres in summer, followed by seasonal vegetables in winter, cultivating nearly 20-25 varieties over the year. Another half-acre has guava, while the remaining half-acre provides fodder for his three cattle. Together, these crops add Rs 8-9 lakh to his annual income.

Saini follows natural and biological farming practices, though he says they can sometimes be more expensive than chemical cultivation.

Karamjit received recognition for his farming efforts at a Kisan Mela. “Whatever I earn from one acre of dragon fruits is more than what I earn from the remaining nine acres under wheat and paddy,” he said.

After accounting for cultivation expenses, wheat and paddy can generate only around Rs 90,000 to Rs 1 lakh per acre, said Karamjit, who has planted several fruit crops on a trial basis, including avocado, to bring more area under diversification.

Having joined the Indian Railways recently under the ex-servicemen re-employment scheme, Singh will now balance his government job with farming.

Both farmers have built direct farmer-to-consumer networks and are offering free home delivery to hundreds of buyers.

However, their message is the same: “Small and marginal farmers may not need more land to earn more; they may simply need to rethink what they grow.”