Working in cities, Raebareli-based Anand Mishra deeply missed his hometown. Whenever he visited his village, he was keen to venture into farming.
In 2016, he quit his job to focus on farming. However, in contrast to what his family had been cultivating traditionally like wheat, peas, and pigeon peas, he took a risk by opting to grow lemons.
In traditional crops, farmers usually get profit within five months post-harvest. And they require cash to sow crops for the next season.
Anand says that because of this financial dependence, farmers cannot afford to venture into horticulture as it takes years to bear fruits.
“Lemon farming is new for farmers in Uttar Pradesh. In my district, nobody was growing lemons. So I decided to take the risk, thinking either I’ll learn to swim or I’ll drown,” he says.
He went on to plant 900 saplings of Thai lemon that cost Rs 200 each. “This variety gives juicy, bigger fruits, and weighs double compared to regular lemons,” he shares.
Highlighting factors to be mindful of in lemon farming, Anand says, “The rows in which saplings are to be planted must be in the direction from east to west, per the wind in the region, so that saplings do not get uprooted in storms.”
He also adopted the low-cost and high-profitability approach to growing lemons and placed 50 plants of sweet lime among 400 lemon trees.
It took about four years to bear fruits in lemon farms. Last year, he harvested 100 tonnes of lemons, earning him up to Rs 7 lakh on his two acres of land.
“I am earning at least five times profits from lemons compared to traditional crops that would have earned me just Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 annually,” says Anand.
Owing to his huge success, today, Anand is dubbed the ‘Lemon Man of Raebareli’. “Earlier, I was a servant to a company, now I am a proud owner of a farm. I feel composure in the village,” he shares.