Techie Quits City Job, Earns $24K Yearly From Dragon Fruit

Anshul Mishra had an unusual dream for an engineering student: ditch the tech career and become a farmer. In 2018, the 28-year-old computer science graduate returned to his village of Chilaua in Uttar Pradesh with nothing but two acres of dusty land where kids played cricket.

He started from scratch, plowing the neglected soil and enriching it with cow dung and nitrogen-fixing crops. While the land recovered, Anshul stumbled upon a YouTube video about dragon fruit farming that changed everything.

Unlike wheat and paddy that need replanting every six months, dragon fruit plants produce fruit for up to 35 years after a single planting. The plants yield harvests seven times yearly, requiring far less water than traditional crops.

Anshul ordered 1,600 saplings of the Red Moroccan variety from Maharashtra and planted them on his one-acre plot. After 18 months of patience, the first bright pink fruits appeared in 2020.

Six years later, his farm has grown to five acres. He maximized space by adapting Israeli vertical farming techniques, creating what he calls the "Chilaua Model" that plants dragon fruit on walls, overhangs, and even terraces.

The farm now harvests 25 to 30 quintals per acre, selling fresh fruit at 250 rupees per kilogram. Anshul built a loyal customer base across four districts, generating up to 10 lakh rupees annually from fruit sales alone.

But the real innovation came from adding a nursery business, selling dragon fruit saplings to other farmers interested in trying the exotic crop. The nursery adds another 18 lakh rupees to his yearly income, bringing total annual profits to about 2 million rupees (roughly $24,000).

The Ripple Effect

Anshul's success is inspiring other farmers in Uttar Pradesh to break from traditional crops and explore alternatives with better returns. His father, a teacher, says he has zero regrets about his son staying in the village instead of pursuing city jobs.

The farm requires minimal intervention during monsoons and can handle temperatures between 10 and 40 degrees Celsius. Anshul waters the plants just once every 20 to 30 days in winter and three times weekly during hot months.

His journey proves that combining traditional farming values with modern research and innovation can create sustainable businesses in rural India. What started as barren cricket ground now flourishes with exotic fruit that feeds families and inspires communities.

One engineer's unconventional choice is showing fellow graduates there's more than one path to success.