Dharan, 6 Nov: After serving about 28 years in the Indian Army, retired ex-serviceman Kirpashwar Ghale Gurung has been commercially farming Dragon Fruit in Ranipokhari, Ramdhuni Municipality-7 here.
He claims that his ‘Tarjuma Dragon Fruit Agricultural Farm’, established in 2017 AD (BS 2074), currently generates an annual income of between Rs. 55 to 60 Lakhs.
Ghale has been farming on an area of one Bigha of land. According to Gurung, the cultivation started from a single red-pulp variety plant brought from Malaysia about 22 years ago.
He informed that although there was no clear information about the market price and health uses of the fruit initially, the farming was expanded as the demand and price increased, and it has now become his main source of income.
Entrepreneur Gurung said, “I have planted about 250 dragon fruit plants on the farm. While other fruits bear fruit only once a year, dragon fruit can yield produce up to nine times a year. That’s why the income is stable.”
Along with the fruit, income has also been coming from the sale of saplings. Gurung mentioned that saplings worth more than Rs. 4 Lakhs are sold annually.
He says that previously, saplings used to sell for Rs. 200 to Rs. 400 per plant, but now, depending on demand, they sell for Rs. 50 to Rs. 70. Dragon fruit itself is sold at a retail price of Rs. 400 per kg and at Rs. 350 per kg wholesale.
Two permanent employees work at the farm with a monthly salary of Rs. 15,000, and more than a dozen workers get work at a daily wage of Rs. 700.
The number of workers increases even more during the fruit picking and fertilizing seasons. Gurung said, “The annual operating cost for farm management, fertilizers, tools, and labor is about Rs. 8 Lakhs. Last year, the dragon fruit production was 22 metric tons, and this year it has exceeded 27 metric tons. The produced fruit is sent for sale to Dharan, Itahari, Inaruwa, Biratnagar, and mostly to Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Hetauda.”
As the income is good, the interest of other youth in this farming has been increasing lately. According to Ghale, who started an agricultural enterprise after retirement, there is potential to create good income as well as generate local employment through agribusiness while staying within the country.
Currently, only more than 10 households in Ramdhuni Municipality-7, Sunsari are involved in dragon fruit cultivation. Youth returning from abroad are also getting involved in dragon fruit farming.
