An Organic farm has the false reputation to be costly and high-maintenance. There are many crops that yield high profits and offset the costs incurred by a healthy margin. Read on to know more!
While the fad around organic farms seems to be picking up pace across foods, and there is a growing market for all sorts of organic fruits and vegetables, it has been observed that there are certain food crops that have medicinal, therapeutic or aromatic attributes enjoy an increased demand in the organic foods market.
In India, the regions of Kerala and Sikkim seem to be leading in number of organic farms and the organic farming trend with coffee and mandarin oranges forming the major share of their organic crops respectively. Let’s see the five most sought-after foods that have the capacity to render high returns to the farmers given their high demand in the organic foods market, both domestically and abroad.
Coffee
Predominantly a feature of the Eastern, North-eastern and Southern parts of India, coffee has been one of the traditionally grown beverages in India alongside tea. It has made a significant change in the lives of many tribal people in addition to categorical farmers in terms of diversifying their sources of income.
Coffee not only sees a robust domestic demand, but is one of the most profitable exported agricultural products and enjoys massive demand abroad. While a smaller portion of the Indian population pays a premium for organic foods, the portion of spenders willing to assign a hefty wallet share to organically grown coffee is relatively huge in India’s export destinations.
Therefore, if you are looking to enter into an organic agribusiness and start an organic farm with a stronger international trade bias, you should definitely look into coffee and it’s processing. Coffee is a classic example of crops that have a higher cost in terms of organic production when compared to the traditional, but in terms of net returns, outshine the traditionally grown coffee given the willingness of patrons to pay a premium, making it a true organic cash crop.
Cardamom
While green cardamom is a more frequently seen variety the world across, the producers of large cardamom (or black cardamom) are scarce and popular in the international arena. Nonetheless, both the varieties see an immense value, especially when grown organically. Sikkim in particular has been leveraging the huge economic potential of growing cardamom.
To put things in perspective, it grows over 90% of the Indian black cardamom and what used to sell at a meagre price point of Rs. 250 a kg back in 2010, saw a huge spike around 2016-17, where it crossed Rs. 1600 per kg. Talking about organic black cardamom in the present date and time, it is estimated to yield an estimated Rs. 2000 per kg!
Mandarin Orange (Indian Kinnow/hybrid)
Mandarin orange is one of the most commonly grown fruits in all of India, but more specifically in Sikkim where it is grown on organic farms, much like all the other fruits and vegetables in the region. Kinnow is a close relative of the mandarin orange (a mandarin orange hybrid created by the University of California) and is popular all over India and even abroad.
Punjab is leading the organic Kinnow production and the profit margins are much better than those in non-organic varieties. To put things in perspective, while a traditionally planted Kinnow would be sold at around Rs.10-15 per kg in the market, certified organic Kinnow can go anywhere between Rs.40 to Rs.50, guiding a major improvement in both top-line and bottom-line. These fruits are also popular in the export and processed foods market.
Ginger
Did you know that the US is a popular destination for export of root vegetables like ginger and turmeric? With growing awareness towards the heath benefits of ginger and tastebuds around the world accepting Asian vegetables and spices, the international demand for such unique root vegetables has been seeing a constant improvement and so are their organic farms.
Additionally, organic ginger is known to have immense health benefits – from anti-inflammatory to anti-bacterial properties, ginger is a truly unique and sought-after food product in the organic market. Ginger also makes an excellent dried food item and retails anywhere between Rs.200-400 in it’s dried form per kg, depending on whether it is conventionally grown or organically grown.
Turmeric
Another popular organic farm root vegetable is turmeric, which is more commonly known and recognized in its dried and powdered form. Increasingly becoming popular as an ingredient in herbal teas and medicinal potions in addition to hot meals around the world, organic turmeric is highly prized for its curing and healing capacity for wounds and ailments of sorts. With immense export potential and the adaptability of this root vegetable in both fresh and dried forms, turmeric can go from anywhere between Rs.100 a kg to Rs.500 a kg! There are many takers for certified organic turmeric for health and beauty purposes.
Some other worthy contenders for high profit organic farming are baby corn, green vegetables and lentils or legumes in general. India is a nascent market I n terms of organic food consumption, but with one of the highest growth rates in terms of organic food consumption. With growing middle class and emergence of new consumer classes, India provides great internal consumption opportunity as well as export potential. Given how diverse the topography of India is, we can practically produce any kind of food and vegetable and exploit its export potential.
To learn how to start your own organic farming business, with minimum budget and maximum earning potential, join us at Rocket Skills. Our courses are perfectly tailored to meet the needs of first-time agripreneurs and our hybrid pedagogy model allows you to have sufficient flexibility in choosing your schedule and face-time with the experts. Join us on our upcoming webinar to learn more!
