Berhampur: Tribal farmers in Bedhaketa, a remote village in Kandhamal district’s Phiringia block, have seen substantial income growth through dragon fruit cultivation, which offers high yield with lower production costs.Belar Kanhar, 45, who cultivated dragon fruit with the support of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) since 2022, reported an impressive production rate on his one acre of land. While two tonnes were yielded in the first year of production in 2023, he produced around eight quintals last year. This year, he has already yielded around 10 quintals so far, which is expected to increase to 15 quintals by the end of the season in November.The exotic fruit fetches an average of Rs 200 to Rs 250 per kg in the local market, making it a profitable crop for the tribal farmers. The plant will continue to harvest for the next three decades if it is well-maintained.A patch of around five acres of land belonging to five farmers in the village was lying barren due to the lack of irrigation facilities. The farmers took up dragon fruit cultivation after ITDA Phulbani extended all technical support by installing three sets of micro river lift projects (MRLP), high-yield saplings, cement poles to support the plants, fertilizers and fencing the area.The dragon fruit cultivation project was accomplished by the Special Central Assistance (SCA), Mission Jeevika of the ITDA, Phulbani and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in convergence mode, said an officer. The ITDA spent around Rs 40 lakh on the project, sources said.The project was undertaken under the direction of Kandhamal collector Amrit Ruturaj with the objective of improving the livelihood of tribals, diverting the villagers from illegal cannabis cultivation and eradicating the activities of the Left-wing extremists. “We hope more and more tribal farmers will come forward to cultivate dragon fruit after seeing the profits of the farmers of Bedhaketa,” said the collector.Gadadhar Patra, project administrator, ITDA, said they initially took up dragon fruit cultivation on eight acres of land. This year, they have planned to add one more acre at Pokari panchayat in Phiringia block.“To provide market facilities to the farmers, we have already spoken to traders in Bhubaneswar, Berhampur and in Visakhapatnam to procure the dragon fruits from Kandhamal,” said P Murali Mohan, project manager, ITDA Phulbani. He said the quality of the fruit in Kandhamal was good, as it could keep for a fortnight after yielding.
