When you hear the word apples, do you instantly wander to Kinnaur’s picturesque apple orchards in the cool climate of Himachal Pradesh, picturing farmers carefully plucking crispy and juicy fruits into baskets on their backs?

Remarkably, those very apples are now thriving in Maharashtra’s warm climate.

Growing apples in Maharashtra might seem like a paradox but Vikrant Kale is changing that narrative by successfully cultivating apples in his village Wakadi, near Shirdi amidst scorching summers where temperature shoots as high as 44 degrees.

What started as an unlikely dream has become a thriving example of innovative agriculture in a region known more for heat than horticulture.

The engineer-turned-farmer was determined to expand apple cultivation in the state to make fresh, locally grown apples available. “Apples are a crunchy and juicy fruit. Water content and flavours of apples diminish by the time they reach consumers if grown elsewhere,” he notes.

Vikrant saw great potential in expanding the apple-growing regions beyond the traditionally cold climates of Himachal. Currently, he is cultivating apples on two acres of land, with a total annual apple production of up to 16,000 kilograms that earns him Rs four to five lakh per acre from apple farming alone. With this, he has successfully established a market in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

Life beyond 10 by 10 cubicle

But Vikrant’s story doesn’t begin in the fields. It begins behind a desk which he would eventually leave in pursuit of purpose.

Having pursued an engineering degree in Information Technology from the prestigious Walchand Institute of Technology in Solapur, Vikrant initially ventured into the corporate world.

He worked as a project manager with esteemed organisations such as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the........

© The Better India