A modest farmer in a peaceful, tranquil village named Eesanam Kuppam has established an awe-inspiring business booming with good looks and returns. Jalandhar, a horticulturist for more than four decades, has made the erstwhile forgotten Desert Rose a profitable business venture, earning almost ₹60 lakh per year.
A Blooming Dream in the Dust
It started in 1986, when Jalandhar first encountered the Desert Rose (Adenium obesum), a blooming succulent that has a bulbous trunk and multi-colored blooms. This flower, in comparison to other flowers that were cultivated throughout Tamil Nadu, was exotic and difficult to handle.
Jalandhar recognized potential.
He started with a few from Mumbai and slowly started experimenting. He learned skills for more advanced grafting and hybridisation methods while he travelled to Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Now, his 15-acre nursery has over 450 types of Desert Roses in stunning colors and shapes.
The Business of Blooms
The Desert Rose can be low-maintenance and drought-tolerant, but in the skilled hands of professionals from Jalandhar, it’s a premium product now. While ordinary plants cost ₹150 to ₹2,000 per unit, grafted exotic and bonsai-shaped ones cost ₹12 lakh per unit.
In 2015, he had shipped more than 1 lakh plants to Dubai, and now exports to Mauritius, Jamaica, and Gulf countries. The plant is not in demand merely because it’s gorgeous, but also due to the fact that it’s hardy — it needs only sunlight and water once or twice a week, without fertilizers and tedious maintenance.
Challenges and Learning the Hard Way
Jalandhar’s too wasn’t without glitches. Scams committed by online resellers made him desist from selling on online platforms. All sales now happen directly from his nursery, eliminating forgery and substandard products.
Success hadn’t gone unnoticed. The Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department took notice and awarded him a subsidy of ₹10.65 lakh under the National Agricultural Development Scheme. This enabled him to establish a proper infrastructure, such as shade nets and propagation areas.
Sowing the Seeds of Heritage
Jalandhar is now looking to receive tourists at his farm, and farm tours as well as Desert Rose training for up-and-coming horticulturists. He’s a sharing sort of guy and hopes that his tale will guide others away from traditional crops.
In a world of instant gratification, Jalandhar’s is a tale of visionary thinking, waiting patiently, and long-term entrepreneurial innovation. Who would have imagined that a desert bloom could shine so brightly in the heart of Tamil Nadu and construct an empire on the way?
