Business1 min read

Odisha farmer's Rs 100 lemon saplings grow into son's Rs 1 crore business

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Kartika Sahu originally planted Kagzi lemon saplings to protect his conventional harvests from elephants and monkeys, relying on the plants' sharp thorns and scent. After taking over the land, his son Santosh expanded operations by creating a large-scale procurement and distribution network across multiple states. Santosh purchases harvest yields from over 200 nearby farmers, paying between Rs 220 and Rs 280 per 100 lemons. This thriving commercial network now redistributes approximately 60 percent of its total turnover back to the local growers.

Key points

  • The Kagzi lemon trees initially served as a successful protective deterrent against destr…: The Kagzi lemon trees initially served as a successful protective deterrent against destructive wild elephants and monkeys.
  • Local farmers secure an average annual income ranging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 acr…: Local farmers secure an average annual income ranging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 across two main harvest cycles.
  • Santosh Sahu redirects approximately 60 percent of his business's total turnover directly…: Santosh Sahu redirects approximately 60 percent of his business's total turnover directly back to local village growers.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Repeated attacks by elephants and monkeys had made it difficult for Kartika Sahu to grow paddy and groundnuts on his farmland in Ogi village of Odisha's Angul district. Instead of continuing with crops that wildlife kept destroying, he decided to try something different. Around 15 years ago, he bought 50 indigenous lemon saplings from the horticulture department at Rs 2 each, investing just Rs 100.

What began as an attempt to protect his crops gradually became a source of income for other farmers in the village. Today, his son Santosh Sahu has expanded that small experiment into a business with an annual turnover of more than Rs 1 crore. He cultivates lemons on his own farm, buys produce from more than 200 farmers and supplies it to markets across Odisha and neighbouring Jharkhand. The village's Kagzi lemons have also reached international markets, including the US and the UK.

As reported by 30Stades, Santosh's business combines lemon cultivation with procurement and trading. In a separate report published on November 10, Odisha TV also covered the family's journey, highlighting how the initial…

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