Belagavi
A farmer couple, who are selling their fields and joining towns and cities for not making any profit in agriculture, have seen a video on social media and have set an example for the rest of the farmers by growing dragon fruit in barren land.
Ravasab Appasaba Aigali of Ajoor village in Athani taluk of the district grows dragon fruit on his four-acre land and earns Rs 24 lakh a year to grow a remunerative crop in agriculture. In the first year, he grew one acre and gradually expanded it to three acres, planted 6,000 saplings on four acres and earned a handsome income.
The crop is supplied to Sangli, Kolhapur and Hyderabad, Vijayapura, Bengaluru, Mangalore, cities in the state of Maharashtra. It is sold at Rs 70 to Rs 200 per kg. At present, we grow five varieties of fruits in our garden. Many crops that are suitable for our fields can be grown using technology. Latha advised the rest of the farmers to shift from traditional farming to other crops.
The couple has been generous by distributing dragon fruit saplings free of cost for the benefit of neighbouring farmers. They have set an example in the fireld of agriculture by growing a gold crop in barren land even with little water with their perseverance.
