Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Farmer swaps pomegranates for drumsticks, earns ₹80 lakh yearly
A farmer named Sagar used to grow pomegranates in his fields.
The pomegranate plants were getting sick and needed expensive chemicals.
He also had to wait six months before earning any money from them.
So Sagar decided to try a different crop: drumsticks.
He tested drumsticks on just one acre of land at first.
The plants grew well and gave him a good harvest in only five months.
Now he grows drumsticks on 18 acres of land.
He sells most of his drumsticks to a big city called Hyderabad.
He also sells seeds to other farmers, which brings in extra money.
Sagar's farm now earns a lot of money every year.
Sagar, a farmer near Sangola, swapped pomegranates for drumsticks after diseases, rising chemical costs and delayed income made pomegranate farming expensive.
He began with a one-acre trial in January 2017, harvesting nearly 10 tonnes worth over ₹3 lakh within five months.
His farm has since expanded to 18 acres with around 12,000 ODC-3 and ODC-4 drumstick plants, producing 180-200 tonnes a year.
Almost the entire harvest is sold in Hyderabad, about 400 km away, with prices averaging around ₹50 per kg and ranging from ₹25 in summer to ₹200 in winter.
He also sells drumstick seeds at about ₹10,000 per kg, earning nearly ₹15 lakh a year and bringing the farm's annual turnover to around ₹1.15 crore.
- Who
- Sagar, a farmer from a village near Sangola who previously grew pomegranates.
- What
- He switched to commercial drumstick cultivation, growing from a one-acre trial in 2017 to 18 acres with about 12,000 plants and annual production of 180-200 tonnes.
- When
- He sowed his first drumstick crop in January 2017 and harvested it in June 2017, with expansion continuing over later years.
- Where
- His farm is located near Sangola, and almost the entire produce is sold in Hyderabad, about 400 km away.
- Why
- Pomegranate farming had become costly — nearly ₹1.5 lakh of every ₹3 lakh earned per acre went to cultivation — with disease risks and delayed income, while drumsticks offered lower investment, faster returns and weather resilience.
- Farmer
- Sagar, from a village near Sangola
- Crop switch
- From pomegranates to drumsticks (ODC-3 and ODC-4 varieties)
- Farm size
- 18 acres, up from a one-acre trial
- Annual production
- 180-200 tonnes from about 12,000 plants
- Main market
- Hyderabad, nearly 400 km away
- Selling price
- About ₹50/kg average; ₹200/kg in winter, ~₹25/kg in summer
- Seed sales
- About ₹10,000/kg, earning nearly ₹15 lakh a year
- Annual turnover
- Around ₹1.15 crore (headline cites ₹80 lakh a year in earnings)