Government is Offering 50% Subsidy to Farmers for Dragon Fruit Cultivation

Dragon fruit, also called Pitaya, Strawberry pear & Kamalam (in Gujarat) is a beautiful tropical fruit that is crunchy and sweet in taste. Dragon fruit is native to Southeast Asia and Latin America and is now grown & eaten all over the world. Its pinkish-red skin, dark red rind, and light green scales make its appearance bold.  

In India, dragon fruit is mostly grown in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and West Bengal. 

Subsidy under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture 

Under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, a target has been set to cultivate dragon fruit in 2 hectares in the Bulandshahar district of Uttar Pradesh. For this, a subsidy of 50% of the total cost, i.e., 2.5 lakh rupees will be provided to the farmers.  

For this, farmers will have to register online, for the details you can visit the official website. As per the information from district horticulture departments, farmers will get the benefit on a first-come-first-serve basis, and the subsidy amount will directly be transferred to the bank accounts of selected farmers.  

Here is a complete guide for Dragon Fruit Cultivation.  

How much You Can Earn with Dragon Fruit Farming? 

Dragon fruit is considered an immunity booster fruit and is sold at the rate of Rs. 500/kg.  

Krishi Jagran team talked to Alok Khare, Superintendent, District Garden, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He told that it is the first time ever that the state has set the target for dragon fruit cultivation. And farmers are being given subsidies on the basis of investment for dragon fruit farming and hectares of land used to cultivate it. 

He also mentioned that many farmers are cultivating dragon fruit and yielding good results. 

What is the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture? 

The mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa, and bamboo. Under this, the Government of India contributes 60% of the total outlay for developmental programmes in all the states except for the states in North East & Himalaya, and 40% share is contributed by State Governments.  

In case of the North Eastern States and the Himalayan States, the Union Government contributes 90%.  

Apart from this, MIDH also provides technical advice and administrative support to State Governments/ State Horticulture Missions for the Saffron Mission and other horticulture related activities.