Udaipur – The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR), Bengaluru has prepared a project aimed at empowering tribal farmers in Rajasthan through custard apple cultivation. The project focuses on improving the quality and increasing the yield of custard apples, with a total financial outlay of ₹225.0 lakh.
In response to an unstarred question by MP Dr. Mannalal Rawat in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary informed that the initiative has been proposed under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The project has four key objectives—demonstrating improved varieties of custard apples, rejuvenating old orchards, enhancing processing capabilities, and studying the socio-economic impact of interventions.
Earlier, MP Rawat had written to the Union Agriculture Minister and the Director General of ICAR suggesting quality improvement of custard apple trees in the Aravalli range through tissue culture methods and developing the fruit as a commercial crop. He highlighted that nearly 25,000 Bhil and Garasia tribal families earn supplementary income from custard apple produce and that the project could become a major source of livelihood for the local population.