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    Sonal Shridhar Shinde in News

    23-Sep-2022 06:56 AM


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    Computer science graduate prefers agriculture in UP state; benefit from growing dragon fruit

    Free land has become a business and an incentive for many farmers and its dragon fruit earns money. An engineering graduate from Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh decided to take a different path.

    Hailing from Chilahua Village under Allahganj Police Station, Atul Mishra did his BTech in Computer Science in Chennai. Speaking to PTI, he said that he did not choose a high-paying job after graduation because he wanted to do something for his fellow citizens and add to the glory of his region.

    After surfing the internet, he decided to try the young dragon fruit. Mishra said he brought some saplings of the dragon fruit, called Pitahaya, from Sholapur in Maharashtra in 2018 and planted them in his family's dry land.

    Seeing success, he has expanded the cultivation of the fruit over five acres of his land. "There are still acres of dry land in our family where dragon seeds will be planted next season," he said.

    Mishra said he has employed three men and one woman to help him grow dragon fruit on a large scale. At first, wheat was grown in another part of his family's land which brought even less than the input price.

    He said that cow's urine is sprinkled with medicine to protect plants from fungus. The young entrepreneur said that in addition to the fruit, he also sells dragon fruit trees to farmers from several states including Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.

    "I advise people who come to me to buy saplings to grow dragon fruit well." Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit native to Mexico and Central America. Its taste is like a combination of kiwi and pear. In India, it is cultivated in different parts of Maharashtra.

    This plant is also grown in Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. He said that the fruit comes after one year of planting.

    Mishra said the fruits start coming from his trees from May and continue till December and he sells them at handsome profit in Delhi's Azadpur mandi. The farmer said he saw many areas under development as agriculture and wanted to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to submit suggestions in this regard.

    Farmers in the district praise Mishra for his success. Kuldip Singh, a farmer from Rampur Daulatpur, said that he would prefer this product with money.
    Source: Mid-Day

    #Agriculture