Commercial pineapple farming yields higher returns from small plots

By Hari Prasad Koirala

Urlabari, July 21: Fifty-one-year-old farmer Ganesh Poudel of Jahada, Kanepokhari Rural Municipality-5 in Morang began commercial pineapple farming for the first time in March 2025.

He planted 12,000 pineapple saplings on eight katthas of land that had previously been used to grow three crops a year—paddy, maize and mustard.

At the beginning, Poudel admits, the venture felt like a gamble. Paddy depended entirely on rainfall, monkeys frequently damaged the maize crop, and mustard barely covered production costs.

Determined to find a more profitable alternative, he decided to invest in a cash crop despite the risks.

Previously, after a full year of labour and investment in paddy, maize and mustard cultivation, he earned only around Rs. 40,000 in profit, according to Poudel.

Now, in less than two years, he has already earned nearly Rs. 500,000 from pineapple farming.

"Pineapple cultivation has opened up a new source of income for me," he said.

Having previously engaged in commercial banana and papaya farming, Poudel believes the local soil is highly suitable for pineapple cultivation.

"Our soil is suitable for growing pineapples. If quality saplings, skilled agricultural workers and an adequate supply of chemical fertilisers were readily available, Nepali farmers could easily replace Indian imports. But at present, apart from suitable soil, we lack skilled labour and a timely supply of fertilisers," he said.

According to him, the lack of skilled local workers has forced him to hire labourers from Galgalia in Kishanganj district of India every three months for weeding and field maintenance.

He said he has to pay each worker Rs. 1,400 per day, including transportation, food and accommodation.

He added that the field requires weeding four times a year, and annual expenses for weeding and fertilisers amount to around Rs. 200,000 for 12 katthas of land.

Although demand for pineapples is high in the Nepali market, Poudel said it becomes difficult for domestic farmers to compete in price once Indian pineapples begin entering the market in large quantities from late July.

He expressed confidence that farmers can earn good returns if they manage to harvest and market their produce before the first week of Saun.

Poudel initially purchased saplings from the Bhadrapur area of Jhapa. However, he said poor-quality planting materials resulted in lower-than-expected yields.

"As commercial pineapple farming is still limited in Nepal, farmers continue to face shortages of quality saplings, herbicides and skilled agricultural workers," he said.

He planted 12,000 saplings at a cost of Rs. 15 each. At present, around 10,000 plants have started bearing fruit, and he plans to expand by another 10,000 plants.

"My initial investment in saplings alone was Rs. 180,000. Once all the plants begin producing, I expect to earn around Rs. 400,000 annually from just 12 katthas of land," he said.

Poudel's farmland lies along the Chisang River, where paddy cultivation was not very productive due to poor irrigation facilities and an irregular supply of fertilisers. He had earlier switched to commercial banana farming, but repeated damage caused by monkeys forced him to search for an alternative crop.

"That is when I chose pineapple. Monkeys do not eat pineapples," he said.

Inspired by his success, farmers in the neighbourhood have also begun cultivating pineapples.

Hemanta Bista has planted 35,000 saplings on one and a half bighas of land, while Bam Bahadur Rai has planted 12,000 saplings on eight katthas.

However, all three farmers face similar challenges—shortage of quality saplings, unavailability of fertilisers, and a lack of skilled agricultural workers.

They believe that if these basic requirements are addressed, large areas of land along the Chisang River could be leased and developed for commercial pineapple farming.