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This Man Left Secure Job in Plastic Company to Become UP’s ‘Lemon Man’
- Anand Mishra left a secure high-paying job in plastics industry to go back to his farming background and cultivated lemon in his hometown Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.
- After traveling across parts of the country, he realized that staple crops such as wheat and paddy gave an annual profit of only ₹52,000 per hectare.
- Upon meeting with officials at the District Agriculture Office, he tried cultivating lemons even though no one before him had tried it because there was no support or insurance for lemon cultivation in the area.
- Starting with a single hectare of land and no assistance, he has created a profitable lemon business with an annual turnover of fifteen lakhs, and is now known throughout Uttar Pradesh as the 'Lemon Man.'
- Lemon farming is a profitable business. A farmer can earn 2 - 5 lakhs from 1 acre of land from the 4th year, whereas for traditional staple crops the profit would only be 30-35K annually.
- Anand Mishra is confident that anyone can cultivate lemons, and suggests setting aside even a small portion of one's land for horticulture to generate extra income while doing a full-time job.
- The biggest challenge for lemon farmers is the unavailability of insurance. Horticulture has no insurance, even though cultivators face huge risks.
- Mishra has become not only a farmer but also a horticulture expert, trainer, and corporate consultant. He often advises Ministers and Government officials.
- Mishra's goal is to travel to a Gulf country and cultivate lemons, given that they import all their citrus fruits. He would like to teach others what he learns from there.
- Mishra suggests cultivating lemons or other crops on lands traditionally used for staple crops in order to generate extra income and ensure a secure future.
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