The dreams of the Indian farmer’s, seems to have come true in connection with the farming of “Dragon Fruit”, presently grown in the tropical region of South America and Southern Mexico.
Two years back some of the farmers of Gorakhpur , a district of Uttar Pradesh in India had ventured to cultivate the fruit in the district and in adjoining areas.
Encouraged by the efforts of the farmers, the UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath had directed the Horticulture Department, for exploring the possibilities of farming of the fruits on commercial basis for enhancing their agricultural income.
The horticultural department under an ambitious scheme Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Growth and Rural Enterprise Ecosystem Project aided by World Bank has proposed the cultivation of the fruit in ninety Village Panchayats of selected eighteen villages of the state.
About 296 farmers who owned at least one acre or more than one acre of land in the selected villages would be given training for cultivating the fruit for commercial purposes using scientific methods of farming. The selected farmers would be given the plants of Dragon fruits free of cost.
Selected districts included Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Kaushambhi, Sant kabir Nagar, Sultanpur, Jaunpur, Pratapgarh, Bara Banki, Varanasi, Amroha, Chandauli, Saharanpur, Bareilly, Shamli, Budaun, Hardoi, Aligarh, Shahjahanhpur.
Imported Dragon fruit is sold at rupees 125 to rupees 140 per piece market. Its cultivation here would not only enhance the production of the fruit but would also reduce its price here.
Beside it has many medicinal properties like it contains significant amount of pottasium, phosphorous and all source of vitamins, particularly known for it’s rich vitamin C and antioxidant content. It minimise cardiovascular heart problem and blood pressure.
