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Pimpari Dumala, a village in Maharashtra’s Shirur taluk about 60 km from Pune, was reported to have more than 100 hectares under custard apple by 2018. A VillageSquare feature published that year linked the crop’s spread to commercial farming, seasonal transport to large markets and growers’ efforts to find buyers. Its figures describe the village and 2017 harvest—not its current production or income, and not a guaranteed formula for prosperity in drought-prone areas.
How custard apple became a commercial crop in Pimpari Dumala
VillageSquare’s 26 March 2018 account described Pimpari Dumala as a village of around 250 households where custard apple, also known as sitaphal (Annona squamosa), had been introduced in the early 1980s. It attributed the start of commercial cultivation to Bajirao Jagtap. Bhanudas Pingale, then deputy conservator of forest of Yavatmal Forest Division, said: “It was one Bajirao Jagtap, a landlord who once owned almost the entire village, who began commercial cultivation of custard apple,”
The article said Jagtap reportedly took a vehicle full of fruit to Pune’s market each day during harvest. That account points to an important part of the story: planting a crop was only one step. Moving perishable produce to buyers, and selling enough of it at the right time, helped make cultivation a commercial livelihood.
What the 2018 report said about production and earnings
The figures below are historical claims reported by VillageSquare in 2018. The article did not describe an audit or explain how the village-level yield and earnings estimates were calculated. Its different income measures should not be treated as interchangeable.
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| Measure | Reported figure | What it refers to |
|---|---|---|
| Area under custard apple | More than 100 hectares | Pimpari Dumala by the 2018 feature’s publication; not a current acreage estimate. |
| Village production | Around 3,000 tons | Production attributed to the village in 2017; not a verified official production series. |
| Shipments to Delhi | Around 180 tons at a reported Rs 132 per kilo | Fruit flown to Delhi between late September and November 2017; neither the quantity nor price should be read as typical or current. |
| Yield and grower earnings | Around 12 tons per acre; Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh per acre | Village-level figures in the article; it does not establish the calculation method or whether earnings are gross or net. |
| Seasonal profit estimate | Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per farmer | Ramesh Khaladkar’s estimate as quoted in the 2018 feature. This is his reported seasonal figure, not the article’s per-acre earnings range. |
These numbers show why the account attracted attention, but they do not establish what a farmer elsewhere could earn. Land, orchard age, yields, grades, costs, losses and sale prices all affect a farm’s result, and the feature does not provide enough detail to calculate net profit or a reliable return on investment.
How growers connected harvests with markets
During harvest, the 2018 report said family members picked, graded and packed fruit in corrugated boxes for Mumbai or Delhi. It described onion as an intercrop alongside custard apple and pomegranate, and said onion was grown after the custard apple harvest. Ramesh Khaladkar used a website and social media to reach new buyers, according to the article.
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The report also described seasonal sales beyond the village: around 180 tons were flown to Delhi over a period from late September to November 2017. That is a snapshot of one reported route and season, not evidence that air freight or those destinations remain available or economical for growers today. Market access can create opportunity, but transport, grading, timing and buyer relationships are part of the cost and risk of selling fruit.
Why the crop suited the setting—and what that does not prove
VillageSquare characterized custard apple as drought-tolerant and suited to rocky terrain with shallow, gravelly, well-drained soils. Farmers told the reporter that it needed relatively little water and fewer costly fertilizers and pesticides. The same account said growers used drip irrigation, so drought tolerance should not be mistaken for water independence or zero investment.
The article said Pimpari Dumala growers cultivated Balanagar. Shyam Gattani, president of the Maharashtra Sitaphal Growers Association, described that variety as preferred for aroma and taste. The feature also mentioned NMK-1, a selection introduced by Solapur farmer Navanath Malhari Kaspate and known for fruit size. These are attributed descriptions, not findings from a comparative variety trial.
A Krishi Vigyan Kendra Solapur document on Kaspate’s farmer innovations records his cultivation experience with custard apple selections, including Annona-2 and NMK-1. It records his recommendation of 10-by-15-foot spacing and his finding that hand pollination between 6 and 9 a.m. benefited fruit setting. Those are documented recommendations and observations from Kaspate’s experience, not universal instructions or advice specific to Pimpari Dumala.
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Why one village’s experience is not a guaranteed farm plan
The available account does not establish whether Pimpari Dumala’s area, production, prices, market routes, incomes or land-acquisition situation remain the same today. The village’s story is therefore best understood as a reported example from 2018, not a current investment prospectus or a promise that planting sitaphal will make a farm prosperous.
Later evidence from another village also shows why location and year matter. A Centre for Environment Education brief published in April 2023 reported field data for Parinche in 2020–21: 144.8 metric tons produced, average productivity of 6.07 metric tons per acre among 27 established orchards, and average prices of Rs 67, Rs 43 and Rs 21 per kg for grade 1, 2 and 3 fruit, respectively. The brief also reported losses associated with untimely rain, pests and lower market prices. These are Parinche figures, not an update or verification of Pimpari Dumala’s reported outcomes.
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For a household considering orchard investment, the practical lesson is to assess the farm and route to market rather than copy a headline yield or income number. Local advice on soil, water and varieties, realistic estimates of establishment and operating costs, and confirmed buyers are essential questions; the available Pimpari Dumala account does not answer them for another farm.
Quick Recap
What the village story shows
- A dryland crop can become a source of livelihood when growers pair cultivation with ways to reach buyers.
- Local planting history and reported success do not substitute for current, farm-specific figures on costs, yields, quality and sale prices.
- Custard apple’s drought tolerance may reduce exposure to some water constraints, but the reported use of drip irrigation and later loss data from Parinche underline that farming risks remain.
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