The Sitafal Farmer of Madalmohi: Farming a Future in Beed

A young farmer’s orchards bring to light the sweet promise of the GI certified Custard apple farming in Maharashtra.

By Uttara Unnikrishnan

The small, quiet village of Madalmohi in Maharashtra’s Beed district is dry, the soil cracked and thirsty where monsoons are short and the droughts, unyielding. Few trees dot the fields, waiting for the rain patiently which comes, often late. But the rain carries a quiet promise of sweet fruit, the Beed custard apple, locally called Sitafal or Sarifa. 

At 32, Yogesh Bhagwat Bhople is a young farmer, far younger than what we would envision a farmer to be in a world where the younger generation is consciously moving away from farming as a profession choice. Yogesh carries an old steady rhythm in his work. Madalmohi village, a part of the Goerai tehsil has known him since he was a boy and now knows him as one of the few who decided to stay. Yogesh grows custard apples from the month of June to December on a land where water is scarce and farming is tough. But these conditions don't stop Yogesh’s orchards from being lush with promises. 

Sitafal thrives where others fail. The trees are pruned carefully to allow light to filter in. Custard apple farming in this region is a craft as much as it is cultivation, farmers managing pruning, pollination, pest controlling and harvesting while also dealing with unpredictable weather. Flowering begins around the month of July and by September, the bumpy green fruits start to swell. Its thick skin hides pulp so sweet that the fruit got Beed a Geographical Indication (GI) tag granted to it by the Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai making it the first Custard Apple variety from India to earn the GI tag. 

But recognition doesn’t always come with rewards. Farming families like that of Yogesh’s continue to struggle: fluctuations in price, a shortage of proper cold storage spaces and low access to direct markets. But he remains optimistic and purposeful about the future. "I will not push my children to become farmers," he says. "But I'd like them to experience it, enjoy it, and perhaps want to do it themselves." This desire to pass on the orchard stands out in India where nearly 40% of farmers don’t want their children in agriculture according to a survey by NSSO citing low income, debt and uncertainty. 

In Madalmohi, Yogesh Bhopale still farms custard apples with determination. His work shows a sense that farming can still be a worthy and reliable profession. Something that’s worth passing on.