4-acre kinnow orchard leased out for Rs 21 lakh in Abohar

In a record agreement, a kinnow orchard spread on about four acre at Kallar Khera village in Abohar has been leased out for a whopping Rs 21 lakh, highlighting the growing commercial value of citrus farming in the region. At about Rs 5.25 lakh per acre lease price, this is almost double the price farmer Jeet Ram got last year.

The deal has brought cheer to kinnow growers as this is just the beginning of the season. The lease process goes on till the harvesting is done mid-December onwards.

Jeet Ram, who owns this orchard jointly with his brother is elated. “I got a good price as I have 470 plants in my orchard, which are expected to give good quality of fruit. Timely pruning, thorough canal water irrigation helps in high yield,” he said.

Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar, who is also a kinnow grower, termed it an exceptional case. “This farmer has higher number of plants in his orchard. The quality of fruit is also good. Thus, he has managed to get Rs 21 lakh for the fruit yield on nearly four acres,” he said.

The contractor who has taken that orchard on lease, pleading anonymity, said, “The orchard is in very good condition and the quality of fruit is also expected to give us good returns.”

Often called the “California of Punjab”, Abohar has long been a citrus fruit hub, with its kinnow finding market not only in North India, but also internationally. While kinnow production has seen some decline over the past two years, good prices have brought renewed hope to farmers. Over the past few years, waterlogging in some parts of this area and untimely canal closure caused losses to the orchardists.

Some kinnow growers said the fruit last season fetched prices between Rs 25-30 per kg. This year, the production is expected to rise by 10-15 per cent compared to last year and advance deals are already being signed at Rs 20-22 per kg.

In some villages where bumper yield is expected, orchard owners are securing lucrative contracts.

Inder Sharma, a fruit trader, said, “Prices are expected to remain high as production is down due to canal water shortage in the orchards in neighbouring Rajasthan. The farmer who struck this Rs 21-lakh deal is expected to harvest about 200 quintals of kinnow per acre.”

Kuljit Singh, Assistant Director, Horticulture, Fazilka, said, “The advance deals of kinnow start usually at this time, but the fruit picking will start in December-end and January. Even last year, some growers got nearly Rs 4 lakh per acre for their fruit. This year, the fruit is less, but the quality is so far expected to remain good.”

Kinnow is also being used by the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) to be distilled into citrus gin.

Punjab