With Govt Help and Good Prices, Dragon Fruit Turns into a Profitable Crop

Once considered an exotic fruit found only in high-end supermarkets, dragon fruit is gaining popularity among Indian farmers. Success stories of dragon fruit farmers are appearing all over the media.
Dragon fruit is native to Central America, and thrives in dry, arid conditions.Dragon fruit is now grown in many Indian states. It is widely cultivated in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, and Karnataka. In addition, farmers in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have also begun growing the fruit, though on a smaller scale.

Reports in various Indian publications have carried the success stories of dragon fruit farmers. Sumanth Reddy from Telangana who quit his corporate career and took to farming is now cultivating dragon fruit on five acres of land, earning an annual income of over Rs 15 lakh.

Karthik, a farmer from Salem, Tamil Nadu, has found the crop to be both profitable and required lower maintenance needs. In Odisha’s Malkangiri district, tribal farmers have adopted dragon fruit farming alongside millets.

Similarly, Sunita Yadav, a small-scale grower in Uttar Pradesh, started with a plantation in her backyard, but has grown today and is supplying the fruit to local markets with encouraging returns.

Dragon fruit farming has grown quickly in India in recent years. Until a few years ago, it was grown on only a few hundred hectares, but according to an estimate in 2023, it was being cultivated on more than 4,000 hectares of land.

Farmers are choosing this fruit for many reasons. It needs very little water, grows well even in poor soil, and sells at a good price. The plant starts giving fruit within 18 to 24 months. It keeps producing fruit for almost 20 years. With prices ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 400 per kg, dragon fruit is earning more profit than many regular crops.


Recognising its potential, the Central Government has extended support through the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), providing subsidies for planting material, drip irrigation systems, and trellis infrastructure. State governments have also stepped in with their own incentives.

Gujarat offers subsidies of up to Rs 3 lakh per hectare, while Odisha provides free saplings and technical training to tribal farmers. Andhra Pradesh has introduced training programmes and assistance for water management to encourage farmers to take up the crop.

While many farmers have succeeded in earning a good income through dragon fruit farming, there are still some challenges in growing this fruit.


Starting a dragon fruit farm can be costly. It needs an investment of about Rs 4 to 6 lakh per acre. Farmers need to be trained in in pollination and pruning techniques.

In some regions, the absence of cold storage facilities, and access to markets are posing major challenges to farmers to take up dragon fruit farming.

In spite of the challenges, the fruit is becoming a good option for many farmers. It is especially helpful in areas where water is scarce or where other crops do not give good returns. With more help from the government and a rising demand in the market, dragon fruit could play an important role in the future of Indian farming. - TWL Bureau