Dragon fruit cultivation is bringing financial benefits to the farmers due to the increase in demand in the local and foreign markets.
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Farmers of Bardia have started getting attracted towards the cultivation of dragon fruit. Farmers were excited when businessmen started coming to the farm to buy dragon fruit.
Farmers have started investing in dragon fruit farming as once the plant is planted, it gives income for twenty-five years. Him Bahadur of Gulria Municipality-8 Surajpur has been cultivating dragon fruit for two years.
Dragon fruit is sold at around 500 rupees per kg. He said that by cutting the expenses from the dragon fruit planted in 2 katthas, up to 500,000 will be saved annually. "Wholesalers come to the farm and buy it," he said, "retailers also come to the farm." Farmers are also excited about this because the fruit ripens within a month after flowering and can be bought in the market.
Farmers say that the production is less in the first year and gives more fruits in the second year. Lata Malla, a farmer of Madhuvan Municipality-8, said that dragon fruit grows more on high ground where water does not freeze.
She said that because of the high demand, she has now planted dragon fruit in 18 Kattha fields. "A plant planted once has been bearing fruit for 25 years," she said. Farmers' investment in dragon fruit cultivation has increased due to getting good prices recently.
But he says that he is confused to invest heavily in long-term farming due to lack of market certainty. Sagar Dhakal, head of the Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Development Office, Bardia, said that more than 500 bighas of dragon are cultivated in Bardia. Apart from Bardia, dragon fruit is now cultivated in date palms of Banke.
