(July 28, 2022) In 2020 the total trade value of avocados, fresh or dried was $6.69 billion with the United States, Netherland, France, Spain, and Germany as top importers. The idea of cultivating the fruit had first come to Harshit during his time in the UK, where he was doing a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Bath University. All the avocados that he purchased there were imported from Israel.
The student of business management was drawn to adopting what he saw as a rare venture in India. If people in Israel could grow and export avocado despite the hot weather, so could he in India, he thought. However, before taking the idea forward and investing money, the Bhopal youngster thought a ‘hundred times a day’ because he was about to embark upon a less-trodden path. Farming as a profession is as it is not very popular amongst youngsters of India.
Harshit Godha
He did not know anybody in Bhopal or for that matter in the entire Madhya Pradesh who was doing avocado farming. The cultivation of this fitness fruit is very limited in India. “It is produced in South India’s coffee estates and in some parts of Sikkim but the quality is not at par with what is in demand in the export market, the ones I used to get in the UK,” remarks Harshit in a conversation with Global Indian. Harshit is cultivating export quality avocados, which also come with a longer shelf like and include types that aren’t often seen in India.
Tryst with Israel
The budding agriculturalist started approaching farmers and exporters in Israel because he wanted to learn all about premiere-quality avocado farming before dabbling in it himself. At last, one farmer, Benny Weiss responded and agreed to teach him the tricks of the trade, inviting him to his kibbutz (village) named Maagan. Harshit calls him, his mentor. “He was very helpful right from the beginning and even came to pick me up from the airport.”
Harshit could not work there as he was on a tourist visa but stayed in Israel for a month to learn all about avocado cultivation. Starting his day early in the morning, making notes in the orchards, asking numerous questions in between, the youngster used to head to meet the experts – nursery owners, irrigation experts, exporters, and farmers with his mentor to get hands-on training.
Harshit with his mentor, Benny Weiss
Later, Weiss also travelled to India to do soil testing, water testing, and to study the climatic conditions to guide Harshit on the varieties that would be suitable to grow in his city.
“I am nurturing plants of five varieties. Black-skinned avocados – Hass and Lambhass, and green-skinned avocados – Pinkerton, Ettinger, and Reed,” says Harshit who is farming under the brand name, Indo-Israel Avocado. “I imported 1800 avocado plants from Israel as there is no commercial avocado nursery in India,” he informs. “The plants will take three years to bear fruit and thereafter the orchard would become a valuable asset, bearing fruits for the next 50 years,” says the 26-year-old agriculturalist.
Family support
Harshit’s grandfather, father, and brother are lawyers but the youngster always had an interest in business with his uncle in real estate development and consultancy. The alumnus of DPS Bhopal was therefore mentally prepared to enter the real estate space. “My sudden inclination for farming was a surprise to my family, and to myself, too,” he says. However, he got their support in terms of funds and land for farming. They did not attempt to stop him but encouraged him to remain involved with the real estate business, apart from the avocados he was cultivating on five acres of family land.
Documenting the journey
Harshit has been devoting time not only to the two business ventures but also to a third passion – documenting his journey of cultivating a scarcely-grown foreign fruit in India on his YouTube channel. It has another segment – an interview with experts in which he invites stalwarts in avocado farming from different parts of the world to share their expertise on growing the Mexican fruit.
The channel and his social media posts have garnered a huge interest in growing the fruit. People across India from Arunachal Pradesh to Punjab have ordered avocado seedlings which Harshit has imported from Israel. The 4,000 seedlings that he is nurturing in his nursery are all sold out. He would get it delivered after a year when they are old enough to be transferred to new soils.
Lessons on the way
Being a trailblazer has its own pros and cons. A vital piece of information that he gathered in the trade is that the Indian Government allows the import of avocados and avocado plants but not avocado seeds. Had that been the case, it would have made Harshit’s journey far simpler, cheaper, and hassle-free. Instead, he had to order plants, which came at an exorbitant cost. “Added to that there are multiple challenges in getting licenses, permits, and being in sync with the custom process of importing. For me the entire process was very stressful as there was no step-by-step guide that I could have followed,” he says. He has applied for including the seeds in the import list but the authorities have not taken the decision yet.
Efforts will bear fruit
Harshit is very optimistic about his choice of the venture. “Avocados are the fastest growing category in the fruit industry. The demand is driven by the health and diet community. People following vegan and keto diets swear by the superfruit due to its health benefits,” he remarks. Listing the positives he says – “It regulates hormones, contains good fats just like olive oil, and is good for the heart. “All the cafes in big cities and tourist places have some of the other specialty with avocado on the menu these days.”
Just as there is a huge demand for alphonso even when numerous cheaper varieties of mangoes flood the market, Harshit believes that his premium product will claim its share of the market both in India and abroad. He has also forayed into farming of dragon fruit, another favourite of the health conscious.
