Gyanchand Sharma, a farmer residing in Padri village under the Seear block of Belthra Road in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh, has set a remarkable example by adopting innovative farming practices. Moving away from traditional crops, he decided to cultivate apple Ber varieties, specifically the Bal Sundari and Miss India Ber. He procured these rare saplings specially from Bengal to plant them in his fields. This unique fruit cultivation enjoys robust demand in the market and yields impressive production. Gyanchand Sharma shared that he began this agricultural venture about two years ago by planting 200 saplings of the Bal Sundari variety and 200 of the Miss India variety, bringing the total count to 400 plants. These trees have already yielded a bumper harvest once, and currently, every single plant is laden with abundant blossoms, pointing toward another stellar harvest.
Long-Term Yield and Simple Maintenance
According to Gyanchand Sharma, the biggest advantage of these Ber plants is that once they are planted, they continue to bear fruit for 5 to 7 years. The management requires minimal effort, needing only a zero-cutting process performed every year. Furthermore, these plants start bearing fruit within the very first year of cultivation. Since they grow as shrub-like bushes, looking after them is exceptionally straightforward. The previous harvest yielded more fruits than anticipated, and observing the heavy flowering this season, an even greater yield is strongly projected.
Lucrative Returns and High Market Demand
These specialized apple Ber varieties undoubtedly deliver exceptional financial returns to growers. A single plant typically costs around 45 rupees, and under normal circumstances, each plant yields at least 40 to 50 kilograms of fruit. The farmer claims that with extra care and diligent maintenance, the output from a single plant can even scale up from one to one-and-a-quarter quintals. The pulp of these Ber fruits is extremely juicy, remarkably sweet, and possesses a crunchy texture in every bite. Calculating conservatively, if a single plant produces 50 kilograms of fruit and sells at 60 rupees per kilo, it generates 3000 rupees per plant, adding up to a massive annual turnover of 12 lakh rupees across all 400 plants.
