Harishchandra Desai is a unique farmer, who grows jackfruit in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, home to the famous Hapus mango.

Desai is responsible for introducing phanas (jackfruit) in his Zapade village in Ratnagiri, where he cultivates it on 13 acres of land.

Like most villages in Ratnagiri, the major crops grown here are mango, coconut, cashew, nutmeg, jackfruit, betel nut, rice and ragi.

The 64-year-old has over 86 varieties in his orchard, which he has collected from across the country and other countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Vietnam.

A former employee of Ratnagiri’s District Hospital, he has over 1,250 plants that yield fruit at different times of the year.

He has also developed a variety called Desai Kappa, which he says is the sweetest, and is popular in Kerala.

His passion for the fruit has earned him the title, ‘Phanasachi Raja (King of Jackfruit)’ in Maharashtra.

His son, Mithilesh, supports him in his ‘jackfruit mission’. Desai has formed a Farmer Producers Company called Jackfruitking Agro Producer Company, with over 900 jackfruit growers.

They produce various value added products like chips, vegan meat, premixes, and soups, achieving a yearly turnover of Rs 92 lakhs, according to Mithilesh. Their products are exported worldwide.

He says that a mature tree can produce 200 fruits per year, while older trees have a capacity of over 500!

Desai advises farmers to limit the vertical growth of the tree while encouraging its horizontal spread. His mantra is, “Don’t let it grow beyond 12 to 15 ft. That will make it easy to pluck the fruit.”

Jackfruits are grown without chemical fertilisers and pesticides, he says, and can beget a farmer lakhs.

In the future, he wants the phanas to receive its dues for being a harbinger of prosperity for farmers.