Balangir: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister and Maharaja of Patna-Balangir Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo is now in limelight for his dragon fruit cultivation. He has successfully cultivated it and exported it abroad. And his efforts have inspired other farmers. The people are paying a lot of attention to the minister's dragon fruit cultivation.
Minister Singh Deo has won as an MLA for six consecutive terms. Now he has earned identity as a successful farmer. Even though he has a royal estate, he is successful in farming differently and setting an example for others. He has been very successful in cultivating dragon fruit or palm fruit which is called exotic fruit in his bill. However, he has cultivated dragon fruit for less than three years on five acres of land and exported the harvested fruit abroad. He has achieved this success by using traditional organic fertilizers and modern farming methods without using chemical fertilizers for his farming. And for this he has already got the organic certificate.
However, this fruit is in high demand due to its medicinal properties, rich in vitamins and minerals and anti-cancer properties. Similarly, its price abroad ranges from Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,200 per kg. Apart from this, it is harvested for 9 months of the year as less water is required for this crop. So once it is planted, it bears fruit for the next 20 years. Similarly, this crop or fruit is not attacked by insects or eaten by any animal. And once planted, the tree usually bears fruit for 9 months. That means you don't have to spend a lot of time on it. So in terms of all this, it seems that while this is profitable, there is also no possibility of crop loss. And it is succeeding in districts like Balangir.
Minister Singh Deo has cultivated dragon fruit in his 5 acres of land. Talking about this, he said, "During Corona period, no one came to me nor I could go out to meet anyone. At that time I searched and read about palm fruit cultivation on Google. Then he wanted to cultivate. Some other farmers in Balangir did this cultivation. I went there and understood the farming system. Later, I started organically cultivating palm fruits which have medicinal properties in my land."
The Minister further said, "I have been farming for last 3 years. After getting the organic farming certificate this year, I will apply for export lines. Then I can export the fruit directly. This year whatever fruit has gone to Dubai has been sent through another expert who has a license."
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