MALAPPURAM: 62-year-old Paramban Ummerkutty, owner of Greenvalley farm in Makkarapparamba earns around Rs 30 lakh a year by harvesting dragon fruit from his abandoned quarry.

He was in charge of Engineering Technical at the Indian Embassy School in Saudi Arabia for 27 years. During his busy work, he used to dream about returning to Kerala and doing something without tension. When he saw cucumbers growing well in polyhouses in Saudi Arabia, even in adverse weather conditions, he thought about trying it at home.

He owned three and a half acres of quarry in Makkarapparamba. In 2012, he built two polyhouses on 5,500 square feet and cultivated cucumbers for three years. However, the scarcity of water became a huge problem. Later, he decided to cultivate dragon fruit as it was not much common in the state. He traveled to many countries for eight months to study dragon fruit farming. He first cultivated dragon fruits in a grow bag in the polyhouse. Upon realising that dragon fruits can be cultivated from one feet soil on any rock, he expanded the cultivation outside the polyhouse. Seven varieties that give a good yield and are suitable to climate were cultivated.

Dragon fruits are being harvested from two and a half acres out of three and a half acres. During the season from April to November, an average of 6,000 kg of dragon fruit is obtained from one acre. One fruit can weigh up to 500-800 grams. He sells it for Rs 200 per kg. When cultivated commercially, 1,700 saplings can be planted per acre. It will cost Rs 5 lakh. It starts to bear fruit in a year and a half. More fruits can be obtained from the second harvest. It is a perennial plant. Proper fertilization and weeding are required.

Dragon fruit has several antioxidant properties, including increasing blood count. It helps to reduce fat in the waist region and lose weight.