Experiments with avocado: How 2 farmers are going exotic with ‘not so Punjab’ fruits

After completing his Bachelor of Science, he left India in 2010 to explore farming opportunities in Ethiopia, and later in Kenya and Rwanda. “In Africa, I soon became involved in avocado farming and saw the potential and began farming on leased land there,” he says adding that over time, he expanded his avocado farming efforts across other African nations.

“I sent a few seeds from my African farms to my brother in Punjab, who planted them in our nursery. Those two trees, now over 10 years old, produce around 80 kg of fruit each annually. When I returned to Punjab before the pandemic, I couldn’t go back to Africa for some time, so I decided to focus on our family nursery here. I knew avocados could be grown here, especially in Punjab,” he says, adding that his faith in the crop’s adaptability was reinforced by his first successful experiment with avocados, with his two trees serving as proof of the fruit’s ability to survive here.

He says the crop requires cool weather and thrive best in places such as Himachal Pradesh, but with the right care, they can be grown here as well.

By 2019, he expanded his nursery to include 4-5 varieties of avocado, which he later increased to 10 varieties, with several of them performing exceptionally well. He now produces nearly 10,000 avocado plants annually. Majority of these are sold to farmers in Himachal, while the rest are sold in Punjab. The plants range between Rs 500 and Rs 1,500. “I also use hybrid plants through grafting. We use seeds from our own trees as well as seeds from Africa. The hybrid plants we create through grafting can start producing fruit in 3-4 years, unlike the local varieties,” he says.

He adds that one acre can accommodate about 150 plants, and each tree, once mature, yields about 80 kg fruit annually. “The price per kilogram varies between Rs 500 to Rs. 1,200, so a single tree can generate between Rs 40,000 to Rs 96,000 in revenue,” he says, adding that he also grows 60 different varieties of mangoes, blueberries, apples, flowers, and various vegetables in his nurseries.

Like Jhand, Gursimran Singh has conducted trials with avocados and other exotic fruits on half an acre for nearly a decade. He now grows avacado, logan and pecan at his Dhanoa Natural Farm and Nursery.

His journey into exotic fruit farming began in 2014 when he first experimented with avocado cultivation after getting the idea from his cousins, who were settled in the US and were visiting Punjab. “They asked me for avacado fruit but it was not available in our village. So I started growing it here. The initial years were full of challenges. In the beginning, my plants would often get destroyed, especially when I procured them from South India. The varieties weren’t ideal for our environment,” he says.

In 2019, he planted 50 avocado trees of which 35 survived. Over the next few years, the trees began to bear fruit, with each tree now producing 10-12 kg fruits annually. “I plan to increase my avocado farm from half an acre to four acres in the upcoming plantation season in July as plants are being prepared at my own nursery,” he says, adding that they own 12 acres, but he kept 4 acres for his experiments, and the remaining 8 acres are leased to other farmers.

He also runs a company called Naturepath Plantation Pvt Limited, which helps other farmers set up their own orchards. “I have helped set up avocado orchards in places such as Patiala, Amritsar, and Nawanshahr. My goal is to empower other farmers to grow exotic fruits, which require much less water than traditional crops and are increasingly popular among health-conscious consumers, while providing good returns for the farmers,” he says, adding that his firm charges Rs 2.50 lakh to set up an avocado orchard on one acre, which includes plants and all the necessary technical know-how.

Gursimran believes that exotic fruits have enormous potential in all over world including Punjab, especially since they require 75% to 80% less water compared to traditional crops. “Fruits are an ideal choice for a state facing water scarcity,” he says.

He also grows local crops such as Sona Moti wheat, which he sells at Rs 9,000 per quintal, against the MSP of Rs 2,425 per quintal, as well as mustard and vegetables. Through his nursery, he grows and sells around 40-50 varieties of both local and exotic fruits, catering to local farmers who want to experiment with new crops.