Haryana farmer Ram Pratap Sharma is revolutionizing watermelon farming with exotic, multi-colored varieties. Sourcing premium seeds from Asia, his farm now boasts red, orange, yellow, and even blue-fleshed watermelons, sold at ₹50 per kg. Sharma’s innovative approach and dedication have earned him accolades and significant profits, inspiring other farmers.
Summer is the season of fruits that people wait to relish with a baited breath for a year, be it mangoes or watermelons.One huge slice of these fruits seems to be no less than a soothing moment that takes all your day’s stress away!One farmer in Haryana is changing the script by bringing in unusual and unbelievable colours of watermelons through his relentless farming.
Ram Pratap Sharma is a hardworking farmer and has numerous accolades to his name.
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Meet Ram Pratap Sharma who grows rainbow watermelons
Ram Pratap Sharma, a 63-year-old from Siwah village in Panipat, Haryana, has transformed his fields into a bounty of exotic produce, earning the prestigious Krishi Rattan Award in 2019.According to an Indian Express report, after studying upto second year of college and helping with family farming, he shifted to full-time fruits and veggies in 2011, embracing polyhouses, nets, and drip irrigation as they caught on locally.
Now supplying Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, and Ludhiana, even to industrialists and online firms, he packs 10-15 kg bundles ready for quick pickup.His farm’s spot near National Highway-44 helps deliver fresh goods to Panipat mandi in just four minutes, keeping customers happy.Sharma employs seven laborers and grows 20+ veggies per season, intercropping kakri with tori and karela, plus fruits such as guava and dragon fruit.
This year, he dedicated 1.5 acres to watermelons and the rest to spinach, fenugreek, guava, peach, and pomegranate.
What are Rainbow watermelons?
Sharma’s claim to fame is five stunning watermelon varieties. While watermelons are generally green on the outside and red on the inside, his special varieties come in 5 special colours including red, orange, dark yellow, light yellow, and blue flesh colours. According to reports from Etv Bharat, he sources premium seeds from Thailand and Taiwan at Rs 1 lakh per kg, needing just 300 grams per acre for 6,000 plants.
What is the cost of these watermelons?
These colorful watermelons sell for ₹50 per kilogram. Sharma also has three new varieties named as Low Munch, Orange Munch, and 24 Carat Gold. Orange Munch has a green rind and bright orange flesh inside, while Yellow Munch has a green exterior with yellow flesh. 24 Carat Gold stands out with its yellow rind and yellow flesh throughout. All are now available in markets at ₹50 per
How did he grow these unique coloured watermelons?
Ram Pratap shared that he first trialed Taiwanese seeds on his farm back in 2019, and the results were a big success.
Growing one acre of watermelon costs him around ₹2 lakh, but it brings in roughly ₹6 lakh in revenue. After covering expenses, he nets about ₹4 lakh in profit per acre, reports Etv Bharat.
Praise from experts
According to an Indian Express report, Haryana’s Director General of Horticulture, Ranbir Singh, calls Sharma “hardworking, innovative and progressive,” noting his high income from small land via tech and patterns; he’s visited the farm multiple times. Rakesh Kumar, Deputy Director at Gharaunda’s Vegetable Centre of Excellence, highlights Panipat’s ideal sandy loam soils and subsidies up to 85% for tools like drip systems.
“If a farmer puts in honest effort, he can easily earn Rs 2 lakh per acre annually from vegetables, coupled with fruit farming from the same fields,” Sharma advises. Haryana’s ex CM had also honoured him previously.
