DAMAULI: Kalpana Gauli, a farmer of Byas municipality-5 in Tanahun district, earned Rs 1.6 million selling dragon fruit last year.
Gauli made a good income selling dragon fruits produced by 2,100 plants cultivated in nine ropanis of land. She said her family is busy with works of picking and selling dragon fruits from Asar (mid-June to mid-July) to Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December).
Registering a firm named 'Ma Ambe Alaukik Agriculture Farm,' they started commercial dragon fruit farming by bringing saplings from Hyderabad, India two years ago. The samplings were planted on nine ropanis of land taken on lease for 20 years, she explained.
Gauli shared that they pay Rs 20,000 per month as rent, adding they are hopeful of selling dragon fruits worth Rs 2 million this year. The tropical fruit can be harvested for six months starting from mid-June. Gauli picked 35 kg of dragon fruits in the first lot, while 1,000 kg each in the second lot and third lot last year.
Most of the fruits are sold from the farm, she mentioned, adding they sell the remaining dragon fruits to the fruits and vegetable vendors of Damauli. The fruit rich in fibres and antioxidants is consumed mostly in the district.
It is sold at Rs 500 to Rs 700 per kg, according to her. Students from schools and colleges, teachers, locals as well as government employees, and representatives of different organisations visit the farm to gather information about the farming of dragon fruit, which is relatively new in this district.
The fruit with its origin in southern Mexico has spread across many countries in the world, including Nepal. In Mexico, it is called 'pitaya', and some have even given it a name- 'strawberry pear'.  -- RSS