Dated, 13.07.2022:  Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, visited the Kamalam (Dragon Fruit) Farm of Sh. Narayanaswamy, Village Maralakunte, District Chikkaballapur, Karnataka and interacted with farmers.

            In India, the cultivation of Kamalam Fruit is limited and farmers of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Mizoram and Nagaland have taken up its cultivation. Presently, the total area under cultivation of Dragon Fruit in India is approx. 3,000 ha.

            Under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), area expansion on Kamalam have been taken up in 2021-22 and the area targeted in various States is 4133 Hectares.  Approved target area lies in the State of Mizoram, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Assam, Andhara Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur.

            Considering the importance of Kamalam the 5 Year Plan, have been approved for the area expansion under MIDH to increase the area of  4,000 hectare to 50,000 hectare in next 5 years to achieve import substitution under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Campaign.

Since the fruits have bracts/scales on the fruits just like lotus, it is proposed to popularize the fruit as Kamalam. The produce of Kamalam from India will get recognition as a brand of crop produced in India

            This plant survives in wide range of soils from sandy loam to clay loam and temperature variations. Tropical climatic condition is best suitable for its cultivation. Though the Andaman and Nicobar Islands receives high rainfall, dragon fruit could be successfully cultivated in a porous media with good organic matter and drainage.

The three common types of dragon fruit that are widely marketed are (i) Red skin with red flesh (Hylocereuscostaricensis) (ii) Red skin with white flesh (Hylocereusundatus) and (iii) Yellow skin with white flesh (Hylocereusmegalanthus). Apart from these, there are several hybrids with different skin and flesh colour combinations from yellow to deep magenta or dark red in different parts of the world.

The most common method of propagation of dragon fruit is by cuttings. Rooted cuttings of 20 to 30 cm height are used for planting in the field.

Trellising is one of the important operation in dragon fruit cultivation. To get the proper upright growth and development of the plants, these should be supported by concrete or wooden columns. The rooted cuttings are planted in structures like unused tyres or concrete square structures which may help to prevent erosion of soil and also internal drainage in the media composition.   In the centre of the media structures concrete or wooden pillars are erected for climbing of the dragon fruit plants. Once the planted cuttings start growing, the stems are tied with these columns. Usually four cuttings are planted per pillar. The branching of the main stem is allowed after it reaches a height of 90 cm in the pillar. The spacing from one structure to other structures and between row to row is 3m. It is recommended to have round/circular metal frame or concrete square structure at the top of the pillar to maintain the balanced dragon shrub in drooping form.

Organic matter plays key role in dragon fruit cultivation. Each plant should be applied with 10 to 15 kg of organic compost/organic fertilizers. Thereafter, increase the organic fertilizer amount by 2kg per year.

Dragon fruit require less water as it belongs to the cacti family. However at the time of planting, flowering, fruit development stage and hot dry climatic conditions, frequent irrigations are required. Drip irrigations can be used for effective water usage.

Anthracnose and fungal spot are the two major fungal diseases observed in the crop.

Dragon fruits become ready for harvesting in 25-35 days after flowering. The harvesting stage of the fruit can be identified as the colour changes from bright green colour to red colour. Exact time of harvesting is after 3 to 4 days after colour change for local market. But in case of long distance transport/export, the fruits are to be harvested when the colour break is noticed. The fruits are harvested using a knife or sickle.

The initial establishment cost is little high in the dragon fruit especially for the construction of trellis but once the plants are established, the fruits can be harvested continuously upto 20 years. Dragon fruit yield could be obtained from the second year onwards. The average yield is about 10000-12000 Kg/ha at the end of third year.

The ICAR- central Island Agricultural Research Institute at Andamans has developed enormous potential for providing livelihood options and can play a significant role in supporting agro-tourism based economy.

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