New Delhi, Oct. 21 -- One farming idea helped Mahesh Asabe's family achieve an annual turnover of Rs.2 crore. Their journey started with dragon fruit on three acres in Maharashtra's Solapur. Today, Rukmini Farms and Nursery covers 60 acres and grows several fruits. Dragon fruit alone brings around Rs.1.25 crore annually, according to Startup Pedia.

Mahesh comes from a farming family in Akola village, Solapur. His family earlier grew traditional crops. In 2013-14, his father decided to try dragon fruit after reading about it. The crop's relatively-low water needs made it attractive for farming in dry regions.

The family brought around 9,000 saplings from Bangladesh to start cultivation. Mahesh told Startup Pedia that these saplings cost ...