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Santosh Khedar, a farmer in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert, grows over 6,000 kg of apples annually using the HRMN-99 variety. Her organic apples sell at a premium price.
Santosh Khedar’s organic apples sell at a premium price of Rs 150/kg.
In an extraordinary feat of agricultural innovation, a farmer in Rajasthan’s arid Thar Desert has defied the odds by cultivating apples – traditionally a crop for cool weather – in temperatures soaring as high as 50 degrees Celsius. What began as a small experiment in 2015 has now turned into a thriving apple orchard, producing thousands of kilograms of fruit and proving that determination can rewrite the rules of nature.
Rajasthan’s Thar Desert, known for its blistering heat and dry terrain, is an unlikely setting for apple cultivation. However, Santosh Khedar, a farmer from Bari village in Sikar district, has achieved what may seem impossible. A single sapling, given to her by the National Innovation Foundation in Gujarat, blossomed into an orchard yielding over 6,000 kg of apples each season.
The journey was not easy. When Santosh first planted the sapling, her neighbours ridiculed the idea, convinced that apples could never thrive in the desert’s harsh climate. However, the tree defied expectations, bearing fruit in its second year. Encouraged by this unexpected success, Santosh and his family expanded their plantation to 100 trees using grafting techniques. “The apple trees now require very little water,” Santosh explained, adding that after five years, they need irrigation only once every two weeks.
The key to this success lies in the HRMN-99 apple variety, specifically developed to withstand extreme temperatures. “This variety can survive in arid regions where summer temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius,” said Madanlal Jat, Deputy Director of Horticulture. He believes this trend will only expand. “Ten years ago, Barmer farmers started cultivating dates and pomegranates. Now, farmers in Chittorgarh and Bhilwara are growing strawberries,” Jat noted. “In five years, apple farming could spread across Rajasthan.”
Unlike apples from Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir, which sell for around Rs 100 per kilogram, Santosh’s organically certified apples command a premium price of Rs 150 per kilogram. “We have an organic farming certification from the Rajasthan Organic Certification Agency, and people are willing to pay more for high-quality, chemical-free produce,” said Rahul Khedar, Santosh’s son, who has studied agriculture and helps manage the farm.
Before venturing into apple farming, the Khedar family primarily grew lemons, guavas, and citrus fruits on their 1.25-acre farm. The success of apples, however, has opened new possibilities for desert farming.
What was once dismissed as a pipe dream is now inspiring farmers across the region. Those who once mocked her were now asking for apple saplings, Santosh said with a chuckle. One such farmer, Mohit Chaudhary from nearby Katrathal village, has already planted 50 apple trees.
- Location :
Rajasthan, India, India