This ‘yellow watermelon’ gamble made an Odisha village rich in just 90 days - here’s how

Farmers often stick to the same crops year after year - but sometimes, breaking away from the usual can change everything. By experimenting with something different, like exotic watermelons, spices, or niche vegetables, they can move beyond low, predictable incomes and tap into more profitable markets.

One such outstanding story is about a village from Odisha that earns lakhs in the season by growing exotic yellow watermelons.

The game changing farmer who helped grow yellow watermelons

Kundhei village is located in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, where most farmers traditionally grow rice, maize, and a few vegetables. The income from these crops was limited, and fruits were cultivated only rarely.


In October 2021, a farmer, Bhaktosh Kumar Mahanta, introduced the idea of Taiwanese watermelons to his fellow villagers. According to a report by Vidhaatha, he told the farmers that these watermelons could yield high profits in a short period compared to their usual crops.

Attracted by the promise, three farmers agreed to experiment. Each of them cultivated one acre with an investment of about ₹50,000, using the money to buy seeds, fertilisers, vermicompost, and neem flour as part of an improved soil‑management and pest‑control package. They planted three different Taiwanese varieties—Aarohi (yellow‑pulp), Vishala, and Jannat (both red-pulp)—which are known for their bright colour and sweeter taste.

High returns in just 90 days

In that first season, a farmer named Sudhir Mahanta’s trial became a benchmark. Vidhaata reports state that the watermelons started ripening in roughly 30–35 days after sowing, with the full harvest ready by mid‑March.

At that time, Taiwanese melons sold for about ₹40–₹50 per kg, nearly double the price of ordinary local watermelons, which fetched around ₹20 per kg.


This pricing allowed Sudhir to earn approximately ₹2 lakh per acre from the watermelon sale. After deducting expenses, he recorded a net income of about ₹1.5 lakh per acre in just three months.


What made the model even more attractive is that after the watermelon crop, the land can be reused for rice again in the same year, enabling farmers to stack multiple incomes on one plot.



Taiwanese yellow watermelons are sweet, colourful fruits with bright yellow flesh instead of red. They grow quickly, yield highly, and sell for almost double the price of ordinary watermelons. Farmers love them because they earn good returns every season.