Dragon fruit also known as ‘kamalam’ and ‘Pitaya’ in India

Dragon fruit also known as ‘kamalam’ and ‘Pitaya’ is imported from #thailand , #vietnam , #srilanka and #malaysia .  The fruit is rich in nutrients, has properties that reduces #cholesterol , boosts immunity and digestion, capable of regulating #bloodsugar and anti-inflammatory. 

Now, efforts are on in a big way to encourage cultivation of this fruit in India so that imports can be reduced.  Imports have gone up from 327 tones in 2017 to 1549 tons in 2021 resulting in outflow of Rs.100 Crores. Soil conditions required for the cultivation of this fruit are sandy loam soil and require little water.  Any plant requiring little water is good for water starved country like #india . At the moment, the cultivation is in full swing in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nico Bhar Islands, Mizoram and Nagaland.

What is Vertical Farming

The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, #bangalore is working on the best practices for cultivation, post-harvest and methods to yield more #harvest .  The plant begins to yield within 3 to 4 years. The plan is to increase the acreage under #cultivation from the present 3000 hectares to 50000 hectares in the next 5 years.

In Tamilnadu, Coimbatore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Namakkal and Tirunelveli.  #Krishnagiri has the distinction of being named as ‘Dragon fruit capital of Tamilnadu’ for its adoption of this plant cultivation.

While the present plan is to stem the imports of this fruit, in the future, definitely, the fruit would find its place in places like #dubai , #usa and #europe .

The retail price in the US is about 4 to 8 dollar per pound whereas in India, the price varies between Rs.120 to 300 per kg depending upon the location

Vanilla Production/ Vanilla Farming / Vanilla Health Benefits