A joint Pakistani-Chinese agricultural venture has grown dragon fruit on formerly barren coastal land near Karachi and is bringing the produce to Pakistani markets.
The business began four years ago when Tiantian Farm, a Chinese company, partnered with another Chinese company and three local Pakistani collaborators. Their goal was to convert 48 hectares of saline and alkaline land, just three kilometers from the sea, into productive agricultural land using Chinese land reclamation techniques. What was once deemed unsuitable for agriculture is now supporting the cultivation of high-quality dragon fruit.
Today, the farm actively cultivates 20 hectares, with a plan to increase the area by an additional five hectares every three to five months. During peak season, almost 50 local workers are employed, contributing to rural livelihoods and strengthening community engagement.
The harvested fruit is supplied by local supermarkets and specialist outlets and transported across Pakistan via domestic airlines. Additionally, the fruit finds a niche in the Pakistani beverage industry, especially in bubble tea rooms.
Tiantian Farm has been operating dragon fruit initiatives in Pakistan since 2018 and maintains an eight-hectare cultivation base in Lahore. Beyond production, the company distributed seedlings, facilitated seedling propagation, and provided training to farmers and scientific researchers.
Students from the University of Punjab’s Center of Excellence in Molecular Biology visited the Karachi farm to observe the cultivation methods first-hand.
Cultivated varieties include Hongxine (red flesh), Bairou (white flesh), Huanglong (yellow dragon), Jindu and Dahong 3, all recognized commercial cultivars in China. The project leadership also markets samples of Pakistani grown dragon fruits overseas, targeting buyers in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Central Asia. The first comments were favorable.
The management sees additional potential in processed products such as juices and dried fruit snacks, which they believe could significantly increase export value and open up new revenue streams for Pakistan’s agricultural sector.
This initiative shows how modern agricultural techniques and cross-border cooperation can transform marginal lands and introduce new high-value crops. It also highlights opportunities for Pakistan to diversify its horticultural production and integrate into regional and global fruit markets.
Read: Farmers push for dragon fruit cultivation
After successfully harvesting dragon fruits for the first time in Sindh, progressive farmers believe that exporting dragon fruit varieties could potentially transform the national economy if carried out on a large scale.
The Express PK Press Club interviewed progressive farmers and researchers regarding dragon fruit cultivation, exploring aspects such as varieties, scope, trends, prices and farming techniques.
“I have grown about 7,000 plants in one acre, with plans to increase to 18,000 plants next year on almost three acres of land. I am expanding this startup business while often offering consulting and services to other enthusiastic farmers. Common farmers and large landowners hesitate to me, but I took this initiative to operate the first commercial drive, which made me part of the pioneer and third of the third. in Pakistan.
However, I am the only practitioner of high-density dragon farming in the country. I presented this technique, which is already being adopted in India. I harvested dragon fruit in June 2023, marking my first harvest as a litmus test for assessing size, taste and quality. The plants are now gradually multiplying through natural pollination.
Currently, the retail price in Pakistan ranges between Rs3,000/kg to Rs2,000/kg in bulk. I made a trial sale to a supermarket Karachi at the rate of Rs1,700/kg,” mentioned Captain Rizwan Rehman, the progressive grower and owner of the delicious Dragon Fruit Farm and Nursery Karachi.
He pointed out that three fruiting cycles in a year start from June to November in Pakistan. As for yield, the third year fruiting of an average plant weighs 7 kg. A farmer can generate revenue of around Rs 2 billion per year from one acre by increasing 8,000 plants at high density.
Rizwan pointed out that there are currently no exports in the country due to high demand in Pakistan, and it is not easily available. Although exports take time to grow, he believes they could have a significant impact on the national economy due to high demand and rates. He also pointed out that unlike India, the Pakistani government does not provide any support or subsidies to this industry.
“I advocate for awareness and promotion of dragon fruit farming in Pakistan. I have grown fruits in my farm and nursery in Gadap, Karachi, with 80 varieties, including Dark Star, Philippine Purple and others.
Muhammad Rehan, a progressive small farmer from Tando Allahyar, shared that he grew this fruit with 11 varieties in 2019 on a small piece of land and harvested good fruits weighing 320-330 grams in October.
Learn more: Farmers start sowing “grain of gold”
He plans to cultivate dragon fruits at a commercial level and is in touch with farmers in Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Sanghar, Matiari and others due to the promising yields.
“The trend in fruit growing is moving towards exotic fruits. Dragon Fruit provides significant income yields to growers. We grew this elite fruit crop at Latif de la Sau farm in March 2022 and harvested fruit in October 2023. We installed 50 poles, with each pole carrying four plants. Noorun Nisa Memon, Principal Researcher of Model Fruit Nursery at Sindh Agriculture University (SAU).
Agricultural researchers said there are more than 250 varieties of dragon fruit, each with its own taste resembling strawberry, kiwi, pineapple and others. They mentioned that dragon fruit varieties usually take around 18 months to produce fruits after planting, but they can ripen earlier in the coastal areas of Karachi and Thitta due to suitable weather conditions.
The growth of dragon fruits has the potential to significantly boost horticulture exports in Pakistan. The scope of dragon fruit cultivation is vast, and it proves to be very profitable due to the global demand. Researchers predict a bright future for dragon breeding in the coastal belt of Karachi and Thitta, where weather conditions are ideal, requiring temperatures between 10 and 40 degrees Celsius.
They pointed out that Vietnam, the largest exporter of dragon fruit, exports $1.1 billion annually. In contrast, a Chinese couple and a local farmer named Ameen established commercial dragon fruit farms in Lahore and Kasur four years ago. Another local farmer, Sohail Ahmed Khan, is expanding his farm commercially in Sargodha and is expected to be ranked fourth soon in the local agriculture industry.
