SHG member becomes self-dependent by farming dragon fruit

GOLAGHAT: A Self-Help Group member Manju Saikia of Kachamari village of the Golaghat district has become dependent by farming Dragon fruit. Dragon fruit cultivation was successfully done by Manju Saikia, a member of Malay SHG of Kachamari GP under BMMU Gomariguri. She and her husband had planted almost 150 saplings in 38 concrete poles in the year 2022. The saplings were provided by the District Agricultural Office, Golaghat through an initiative by DMMU Golaghat and Project Director DRDA.

The first production started in the month of May 2023. The harvesting season is from May to December in a year. The initial investment was Rs 30,000 only. About 70 per cent of the investment was for construction of the poles. They had used only cow dung and compost as fertilizers. They have collected approximately 60 kg of fruits till now and sold them in nearby places at an average retail price of Rs 300 per kg.

A single plant can produce up to 15 kg in the first year of harvest. They are expecting to get approximately 1,500 kg of fruits in this harvesting year if everything goes well. According to them, Dragon fruit farming can be a good livelihood option for the rural people.

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