In 2018, Anshul Mishra returned to his ancestral village of Chilaua in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, determined to turn his family’s barren land into a prosperous farm.

Despite having an engineering background, Anshul pursued his unconventional dream of farming, setting out on a journey of dragon fruit farming — one that would redefine his land’s potential.

Using techniques like enriching the soil with cow dung and planting nitrogen-fixing crops, he breathed new life into his one-acre barren plot, transforming it into fertile land.

His breakthrough came when he stumbled upon a YouTube video on dragon fruit farming. Recognizing its high yield and long-term profitability, he saw it as a better alternative to traditional crops like wheat and paddy.

“Unlike wheat and paddy crops that require re-sowing every six months, dragon fruit plants yield fruit for 30 to 35 years,” Anshul explains.

Anshul maximised his farming space by creatively using vertical layers, inspired by Israeli wall farming He named the method ‘Chilaua Model’ after his village.

Anshul also established a nursery. Over the past six years, he has expanded his dragon fruit farm from one to five acres, combining fresh fruit sales with nursery operations. This significantly boosted his profits.

With an average yield of 25 to 30 quintals per acre, Anshul’s farm generates earnings of around Rs 4-5 lakh from fruit sales alone. Overall, he earns up to Rs 20 lakh annually by selling fruits and saplings.

He encourages fellow farmers to embrace risk in agriculture for substantial rewards.

“If you sell one sack (50 kg) of wheat, you earn the same amount by selling just two kg of dragon fruits. So, you can reap substantial rewards now, especially in a changing climate that poses challenges to traditional crops,” Anshul shares.