How this Farmer Made 42 Lakhs from 5 Acres of Organic Pomegranate Farming: Fruit Cultivation Sucess Story in India

In this article, we will learn about a successful farmer who gained huge profits by cultivating pomegranates organically. Below we see the success story of Mr. Eshwarulu, the cultivation details of pomegranates in his words also the profits and investments involved in organic pomegranate cultivation. 

How this Farmer Made 42 Lakhs from 5 Acres of Organic Pomegranate Farming
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How this farmer made 42 lakhs from 5 acres of organic pomegranate farming

Is pomegranate farming profitable in India?

Pomegranate is a hardy plant that thrives in subtropical and Mediterranean climates found in many regions of India. While the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan are ideal for pomegranate farming, the fruit is also grown in fair quantity in other regions of the nation. Pomegranates have been successfully cultivated in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and even portions of Himachal Pradesh.

The ever-increasing demand for fresh and processed pomegranate makes it an orchard plantation that may provide significant income. Pomegranate juice is one of the most sought-after processed foods year-round. Because of its many health advantages, pomegranate is well appreciated in India and the rest of the globe.

The price of fruit remains relatively consistent due to high demand. You can expect to pay about 150 Rs per kg throughout the nation. The cost of fruit can go up or down somewhat, depending on factors including quality and availability. Prices for red varieties tend to be greater than those for pink ones.

What are the investment costs required in pomegranate farming?

Pomegranate farms are often built up like orchards, and the first few years of a plant’s life are not profitable. There is often a 5-year lag between the beginning of operations and the first year of profit for commercial farms. Most farmers find this an inordinate amount of time to tend to their land since there is no income during this period. Pomegranate plants are inexpensive, but you should cultivate only the most popular local type. Red pomegranate is the most popular, and larger fruits appeal to more consumers.

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Cut Pomegranate
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Despite its superiority in every manner, buyers choose to avoid pink types. Choose seedless options wherever possible. Although pomegranates don’t need much water, they will need it during the first three years. When watering pomegranate crops, drip irrigation is the way to go. Thankfully, pomegranate production requires relatively little water and produces a great return on investment in most regions. It is necessary to do annual pruning. This reduces expenses, but sloppy pruning leads to fewer branches and a lower yield.

The success of pomegranate growers relies heavily on annual trimming and plant upkeep during the first several years. To protect your pomegranate from pests, you must learn about the species that could eat it. This will be a great relief to you, particularly during the times of the year when your plants bloom and produce fruit. Spending less time and money on healthcare due to a greater understanding of diseases and their treatments.

Which soil is suitable for pomegranate farming?

It’s adaptable to many different types of soil. It thrived in the deep loamy and alluvial soils for maximum growth and output. It may thrive on soils that are somewhat alkaline or loamy. It’s also grown in places with poor soil. Pomegranates may be grown in various soil types, including medium and black. The Bhagwa variety has a larger fruit size, sweeter arils that are bold and appealing, and a glossy, highly attractive saffron-colored thick skin. This mid-October-ripening cultivar is resistant to fruit spots and thrips. It typically produces 14 kg per tree.

How to transplant pomegranate plants?

Most planting takes place between December and January. Different spacing recommendations may be made depending on the soil and weather conditions. A spacing of 4m x 4m is recommended if a square planting technique is used for pomegranates. To plant seeds, we dug About a month before planting, digging holes that measure 60 cm on both sides. For two weeks, leave the pits exposed to the sun. Then they used a mixture of topsoil, 20 kilograms of farmyard manure, and 1 kilogram of superphosphate to fill the holes. 

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Pomegranate Harvesting
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After the pit is full, you should spray water into it. In this way, the soil is treated. The transplant technique is implemented. The pomegranate is cultivated using air layering. In addition to the rainy season, November and December are ideal for air layering. Pick a mature shoot between 45 and 60 centimeters in length and has the thickness of a pencil if you plan on air layering it.

How to cultivate pomegranates in India?

The country’s central region and some of the southern part of India are where pomegranates are mostly grown in India. That’s the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Although pomegranates may be grown in Kerala, the climate is not ideal. Pomegranate is grown using both conventional agricultural methods and a small number of high-density methods. Depending on the kind of crop being grown and the size of the farm, spacing between rows might range from 3×3 meters to 4×4 or 4.5×3 meters.

An increase in the distance between trees facilitates the use of equipment and pesticide sprayers. Pomegranate usually bears fruit in around 7–9 months. However, depending on the variety, it can take as long as four years. To encourage the development of more stems and branches, removing some of the plant’s first fruit is standard practice. The plants will profit the next year greatly when they can produce even more delicious fruits. Thinning and pruning are carried out every year and occasionally twice a year.

The plants lose their leaves every year in the winter and then sprout again in the spring. Since it is a deciduous plant, cuttings are taken around two to three weeks after winter ends. The plant will grow stronger stems and produce more and healthier leaves and fruits. Pruning is done once fruiting begins, often a month after harvest. Pomegranates can survive with very little water, and the plant is very drought-resistant. Rather, it cannot stand moist soil or damp roots.

How many years does it take to grow a pomegranate?

Within a year after planting, your pomegranates will produce fruit. Don’t worry if the fruits you harvest in the first few years ripen slowly or fall off the tree. It will take the tree about 5–6 years to grow fully and start yielding substantial crops. Once the skin of a fruit becomes a mature color, it is ready to be picked because it is weighty and metallic-sounding when tapped. 

They will rot if left on the tree for too long and can rot if it rains during harvest. Still harvestable and edible but won’t keep in its original condition if something occurs to your fruit. Pruning shears, not bare hands, are recommended for picking fruit. They will stay in the fridge for up to three months or weeks in the cold.

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Pomegranate Tree
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The success story of Mr. Eshwarulu

Mr. Eshwarulu owns 5 acres of land and belongs to the Prakasham district of Andhra Pradesh state. In the past, Mr. Eshwarulu used to cultivate vegetables on his land. As vegetables need constant management and the market prices fluctuate often, he decided to switch to a long-term crop. He didn’t want to cultivate paddy or maize as they are risky options. He was confused as he could not decide what crop to cultivate on his farm.

At this time, his son told him about pomegranate fruit cultivation. He initially hesitated to consider his son’s decision as he didn’t know much about fruit cultivation. But upon knowing the profit potential, he decided to give it a try. Mr. Eshwarulu took two months gap and studied pomegranate cultivation and how the plants are raised, and he even visited a few pomegranate farms. Before starting, he was cautious about marketing; he picked up a few dealers and made deals with them. 

After sorting everything out, he decided to start his pomegranate venture. He even decided to grow the crops organically without using any chemicals. He started the pomegranate venture, and soon he saw huge profits. Below we will learn about Mr. Eshwarulu’s pomegranate farm, pomegranate cultivation details in his words, and the investments and profits involved in starting this pomegranate farm. 

Why Mr. Eshwarulu chose to cultivate organic pomegranates?

Organic pomegranate orchards are now growing in every part of India to meet the needs of both Indian and foreign markets, says Mr. Eshwarulu. Per acre, orchard owners make money from their businesses. He added that pomegranate is considered one of India’s most popular fruits.

He added that pomegranates grown organically are both environmentally friendly and healthy for consumers. Also, from the fourth year onwards, these fruit orchards give a huge yield compared to other fruit trees. By observing this demand, yield, and the potential to make huge profits, Mr. Eshwarulu chose to cultivate organic pomegranates on his farm.

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Pomegranate Farming
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Organic Pomegranate cultivation details, according to Mr. Eshwarulu

Mr. Eshwarulu started his pomegranate farm on 5 acres of land. He chose the Bhagwa variety pomegranate to grow on his farm. The Bhagwa type of pomegranate is a high-yielding cultivar (30–35 kilogram fruits/tree) with excellent fruit quality that ripens in about 180–190 days, says Mr. Eshwarulu. He planted saplings in January 2018 month, on his 5 acres, at 400 plants per acre. He chose high-density planting in his field. He bought these saplings from Jain company, Jalgaon, Maharashtra.

On the first harvest (2nd year of planting), he got only 3 tons. This is common for a pomegranate farm as its yield will start from the fourth year. The next year he got 20 tons for the next harvest; this time (on the fourth year of planting: the third harvest), he expects nearly 50 to 60 tons of harvest, says Mr. Eshwarulu. Soon after buying these, the saplings are carefully transported to his farm. After one month of buying the saplings, he planned the measurements for his farm.

He chose to keep a 13 ft distance between rows and an 8 ft distance between the plants in each row. This is high-density planting, says Mr. Eshwarulu. This planting distance may not be suitable for every farm, he added. The ideal distance for pomegranate plants on any farm is 15 ft between the rows and 10 ft between the plants. As fertilizers, Mr. Eshwarulu chose neem cake, cotton seed cake, sugar cake, castor cake, Fish Amino acid (given by fertigation), and a mixture of milk, jaggery, and eggs to plants (through the fertigation process).

Mr. Eshwarulu says drip irrigation is ideal for watering as it involves less water wastage and effective watering for plants. Only one drip pipe per row is installed in the first two years. From the third year, they added two drip lines and six drippers for each plant (3 drippers per pipe). Fertilization is also done by the fertigation process, meaning that the fertilizers are given through drip pipes only.

Major fertilizers on his farm are liquid fertilizers and sold fertilizers such as neem cake, castor cake, and sugar cake are all added directly to the soil when planting the saplings. He buys sugar cane waste from a nearby factory and uses it as a fertilizer on his farm. He buys this waste at 4,000 rupees per ton, which is cheap. The whole farm, including the top, is covered with a net.

This helps their plants keep away from parrots and squirrels. This netting also keeps the plants away from fruit-sucking moth, which is active in October and November. This is a major pest that can affect pomegranate yield. To prevent the other pests, little pesticides are used on his farm. The wooden poles and net take nearly 33,000 rupees, says Mr. Eshwarulu. These nets are removed when flowering as the plants will attract the beneficial insects, aiding in pollination. 

Investment and profit analysis of Mr. Eshwarulu’s pomegranate farm

Regarding expenditure, it takes nearly 1.2 lakh per acre as a running investment, says Mr. Eshwarulu. This year Mr. Eshwarulu was confident that he would get at least 50 tons from his whole pomegranate farm. When calculating the investment for the present year, it took Mr. Eshwarulu 7 lakh rupees for the whole year, including labor and miscellaneous costs. This is the investment it takes for the present year for his whole farm. 

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Pomegranate
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When talking about the profit, Mr. Eshwarulu sells his harvest at rupees 1.1 lakh per ton to a Banglore dealer. For example, he got only 45 tons from his 5 acres instead of 50 tons; he gets nearly 49.5 lakh rupees for this year. If we take off the investment from his income, his net profit is nearly 42.5 lakh rupees. This is huge for any farmer. The only thing you have to do to get this type of profit from 5 acres is that you have to wait. Mr. Eshwarulu got this type of huge profit in his fourth year from planting. In the next year, he will get even more profit. 

In this way, Mr. Eshwarulu is earning huge profits from his pomegranate cultivation and is now very happy that he started this venture. He is even thinking of expanding his farm to another 5 acres. He is happy and satisfied with his income as he started pomegranate farming. He advises farmers to get into this type of fruit cultivation as it has huge potential for profits; you will only need patience, and you will have to take proper care of your farm. 

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