Mahesh Asabe’s family began growing dragon fruit on three acres in Solapur in 2013-14. With agricultural training, drip irrigation and farm ponds, Rukmini Farms has since expanded to 60 acres.
One farming idea helped Mahesh Asabe’s family achieve an annual turnover of ₹2 crore. Their journey started with dragon fruit on three acres in Maharashtra’s Solapur. Today, Rukmini Farms and Nursery covers 60 acres and grows several fruits. Dragon fruit alone brings around ₹1.25 crore annually, according to Startup Pedia.
Mahesh comes from a farming family in Akola village, Solapur. His family earlier grew traditional crops. In 2013-14, his father decided to try dragon fruit after reading about it. The crop’s relatively-low water needs made it attractive for farming in dry regions.
The family brought around 9,000 saplings from Bangladesh to start cultivation. Mahesh told Startup Pedia that these saplings cost around ₹9.9 lakh. He said his family was among Maharashtra’s earliest dragon fruit growers. Their decision introduced a different crop to the family’s farming work.
The first harvest arrived in 2015-16, yielding around five tonnes per acre. Across three acres, that meant roughly 15 tonnes of dragon fruit.
Selling this produce brought the family ₹5 lakh. The selling price worked out to nearly ₹33 per kilogram. By 2017, they were selling dragon fruit for ₹150 to ₹250 per kilogram.
Mahesh supported the venture with his education and training. He completed a B.Tech in Agricultural Engineering before pursuing an M.Tech.
His postgraduate studies covered Agricultural Engineering and Food Processing. During his undergraduate studies, he attended a 45-day training programme in Israel.
In Israel, Mahesh learned about water management and modern farming methods. He also studied how technology could help increase crop production.
In 2018, he travelled to Vietnam to learn more about dragon fruit cultivation. Back home, he created demonstration plots, each covering one acre, to show different techniques.
Water management became an important part of improving the farm. Mahesh introduced drip irrigation and farm ponds to strengthen water facilities. He also used machines for routine tasks such as weeding. These changes brought his training and technical knowledge into everyday farming activities.
More than dragon fruits
Mahesh now manages Rukmini Farms, which has expanded well beyond its original three acres. Alongside dragon fruit, the farm grows pomegranates, custard apples and guavas.
Its annual dragon fruit production stands at around 200 tonnes. Revenue from other fruits takes the farm’s total annual turnover to ₹2 crore.
“I had decided early on that I wanted to build my career in farming. I wanted to understand agriculture scientifically and learn how to improve farming practices, which is why I chose to study Agricultural Engineering,” Mahesh told Startup Pedia.
The family’s story shows how one crop choice can reshape a farming business. Their growth combined investment, learning, water management and changes in daily work. The reported figures describe annual earnings and turnover, rather than confirmed net profit.
About the Author
Sounak Mukhopadhyay
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