Taiwan Pink guava
Latur farmer Chandrakant Parihar with Taiwan Pink guava plants Taiwan Pink guava Latur farmer Chandrakant Parihar with Taiwan Pink guava plants Taiwan Pink guava Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : A Latur farmer has turned a drought year into a Rs12 lakh fortune by adopting drip irrigation and organic farming to cultivate Taiwan pink guavas. Hailing from Banegaon village in Latur district’s Ausa taluka, Chandrakant Parihar cultivated the premium variety on just two-and-a-half acres of land. His remarkable feat caught the attention of Maharashtra governor Jishnu Dev Varma , who telephoned him from Raj Bhavan on Tuesday to congratulate him.
Despite the drought, the family harvested 24 tonnes of guava, selling them at an average price of Rs55 per kg.
“I planted nearly 2,200 saplings about 18 months ago, sourcing them from a nursery in Pandharpur, Solapur district,” Parihar said. His son, Amol, said careful water and nutrition management saved the crop during a deficient monsoon. This minimised wastage and kept the plants stress-free even during severe dry spells,” he said. However, given the drought conditions and the struggles of fellow farmers, we are deeply content with these earnings,” Amol said.
“Known for its pink flesh, sweetness, soft seeds, and high market demand, this variety fetched a premium price compared to local options. “Instead of depending on rain, we adopted drip irrigation to deliver water directly to the root zone. The Parihar family combined judicious water use with organic farming practices. “Focusing on soil health and reducing our dependence on chemicals led to a high-quality yield. We harvested uniform, flavourful guavas that found ready buyers right here in Latur,” Amol added. “Had it been a normal monsoon, our income would have been much higher. A box of the Taiwan pink guavas, sent by Parihar, was presented to the governor by Nishikant Deshpande, comptroller of the governor’s household.
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“The governor told us that he would personally visit our farm during his next tour of Latur to see our work firsthand,” a proud Parihar said. Download the TOI App.