SOURCE: Times of India
Dragon fruit is cultivated on over 2,000 acres across Karnataka and avocado on at least 1,000 acres, according to Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) scientists.
The revelation was made at a three-day seminar organised by Indian Council of Agricultural Research-IIHR on its Bengaluru campus to popularise and promote exotic and underutilised horticultural crops like avocado and dragon fruit.
Dr G Karunakaran, principal scientist, said farmers are now looking at dragon fruit, avocado and other exotic crops. Karnataka is the top producer of dragon fruit in India, and this seminar will help promote such horticultural crops.
Another principal scientist, Dr R Senthil Kumar, said IIHR is innovating to come up with new varieties of exotic fruits. Earlier, people ignored avocado, but post-pandemic, it is preferred by the health conscious, he added. The crop can fetch Rs 4 lakh income per acre.