Telangana: MBA graduate becomes torchbearer for dragon fruit farming

Basvanthpur Ramesh Reddy, 30, who chose farming over corporate jobs, had begun cultivation of dragon fruit on two acres of land in 2018-19.

Sangareddy: An MBA graduate from New Zealand, who hails from Ranzole of Zaheerabad in Sangareddy, has become a guiding force for dragon fruit cultivation in Telangana.

Basvanthpur Ramesh Reddy, 30, who chose farming over corporate jobs, had begun cultivation of dragon fruit on two acres of land in 2018-19. Ramesh Reddy, who was earning more than Rs.1 lakh per month from the two acres, expanded the dragon fruit crop into five acres by getting new varieties.

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During the last three years, he has supplied dragon fruit saplings, each priced at Rs.60, to farmers cultivating it on 200 acres across Telangana and to farmers from neighbouring States. To bring dragon fruit farmers under a single umbrella to find collective ways to market their produce, he also founded the Telangana State Dragon Fruit Famers Association.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Ramesh said he had left for New Zealand to pursue MBA after completing B-Pharmacy in 2012. On his return, he had joined a corporate firm company which was paying a handsome salary back then.

However, since he was fond of farming after seeing saw his parents Narasimha Reddy and Manjula cultivating different crops, he decided to become a dragon fruit farmer. He had initially planted a dozen saplings in 2016 to check whether the soil suited the crop.

When they began to grow well, he bought saplings from Maharastra and planted them on two acres with an investment of Rs 5 lakh on each acre. He got two tonnes per acre of harvest in 2019, eight tonnes in 2020, 12 tonnes in 2021 and 14 tonnes in 2022. Since the fruits were being sold anywhere from Rs.100 to Rs.150 per kg, he earned good profits.

His father, Narasimha Reddy, said they were earning better profits by supplying saplings than the fruit. As they were pruning the plants regularly to grow them in the nursery, Narasimha Reddy said they were getting less harvest comparatively but earning more income from the nursery.

Ramesh Reddy now has plans to turn his seven acres farm into a place for many exotic fruit-bearing plants, which were being imported from different nations. He has become a motivating force for dragon fruit farmers, and many other youngsters who were willing to pursue farming as their career.

Meanwhile, the Horticulture Departments of Telangana and Odisha have approached Ramesh Reddy seeking supply of saplings.