One Lakh Rupee – How?
If you have even a single fishtail palm tree in your garden, you can earn one lakh rupees by producing its seedlings. Let me explain how. Listen carefully.
How to produce seedlings? At what price are fishtail palm seedlings sold?
Let’s take a quick look at how the seedlings of this ornamental tree are produced and sold.
Fishtail palm is also known as Kittul Palm, Toddy Palm, Wine Palm, Sago Palm, Jaggery Palm, and many other names. Among ornamental trees, fishtail palm is considered one of the most important. Its leaves resemble the tail of a fish, hence the name fishtail palm.
The lifespan of this tree is 10–15 years. Once it flowers and bears fruit, the tree beginsto wither and dies. It never flowers and fruits a second time. After flowering once, its life cycle ends.
The seedlings of fishtail palm are sold anywhere between ₹100 and ₹5,000 depending on size and age.
Uses of fishtail palm:
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Ropes can be made from its leaves.
It can be used in construction works.
The starch from the inner pith is processed to make sago.
The fruit, once boiled after peeling, can be eaten.
Alcoholic drinks can be prepared from the fruits.
Baskets can be woven from the leaves.
Brooms are made from the leaf veins.
Apart from this, medicines can be made from the roots, stem, fruits, and seeds.
How to collect and grow seedlings from seeds?
From fishtail palms, you must first collect the ripe fruits, which look somewhat like jamun fruits but bigger and black, resembling marbles.
In one kilogram of fruits, there can be 660–1200 seeds.
Each bunch of fishtail palm fruits contains thousands of seeds.
Safety note: These fruits should not be collected with bare hands because touching them can cause skin irritation. This is due to the chemical oxalate present in the fruit. Always wear gloves.
Although they can’t be eaten raw, they can be boiled and eaten safely. They are not poisonous.
Steps for seed germination:
1. Collect ripe fruits and remove the outer skin.
2. Soak the seeds in water for 24–48 hours.
3. After soaking, sow the seeds in polybags filled with soil.
4. Water them regularly.
5. Seedlings take 6 months to 1 year to grow to a height of 1–2 feet.
6. With the application of compost or vermicompost, they grow faster.
7. A one-year-old seedling can be sold for a minimum of ₹100.
8. A 5-foot-tall plant is being sold on Amazon for ₹5,900.
Growth details:
Fishtail palms grow up to 20–60 feet tall.
In good conditions, they reach 60 feet; in harsher conditions, only 20–30 feet.
Botanical names:
The species commonly seen in our area: Caryota urens.
Another variety (Caryota mitis) produces multiple seedlings (up to 4) from a single seed.
Seed availability:
Seeds are sold in Kerala, especially in the Nilambur region.
The price is about ₹1,000 per kg.
They can also be purchased online via IndiaMART.
Income potential:
If you collect 1,000 seeds from a single tree and grow seedlings, even if you sell each plant for just ₹100, you can earn ₹1,00,000.
If you grow them taller, you can sell at higher prices and earn even more.
🌱 So, if you have one fishtail palm tree in your garden, this is a profitable opportunity you can definitely try.
– By Bhumii Gnanasoorian
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