Mosambi cultivation profit per acre cost 

By planting 300 good variety healthy plants one can achieve 18000 kg yield per acre by 6th year. A net profit of around Rs 4,31,000 can be achieved in this cultivation. A detail project report calculating profit and cost is given here.

Mosambi cultivation introduction

Citrus limetta is considered a cultivar of citrus limon or C limon Limetta. It is a greenish roundish fruit that tastes sweet and sour and the flavour is a bit flatter due to lack of its acidity. The citrus tree likes growing in tropical and subtropical climate conditions and is propagated by nursery-raised rootstocks and seeds. It is a small tree that usually grows up to 8 meters in height. It is propagated by seeds and begins producing fruits from 5 to 7 years and touches peak production at 10 to 20 years.

This sweet lime is served as juice and its juice looks a little faddy brownish colour. The tree starts bearing fruits after 4th year and one tree is capable of producing 60 kg of fruits. If 300 trees are successfully established for 4-5 years then the farmer can achieve 18000 kg of mosambi yield per acre. The market price of this fruit varies from Rs 40 to Rs 150 or more accordingly. By assuming the minimum price of Rs 40 a net profit of Rs 431000 can be achieved. 

Common names – Mousami, musami, mosambi, sweet lime, sweet lemon and sweet limetta.

Uses – Served as juice on the roadside and in malls as well. It is good as a mixer for vodka and rum. It is one of the most commonly available citrus juice in India and can be found anywhere throughout India. Mosambi is rich in vitamin C and its consumption including juice is often recommended by doctors for various disease treatments. Hence it has good demand in the pharmaceutical and medicinal sectors. In Iran it is popularly used as a house remedy and Iranian people use this fruit to treat influenza and the common cold.

Mosambi plant information

• Height – Up to 8mt (26 ft).
• Branches – Irregular. 
• Bark – Smooth brownish grey. 
• Thorns – 15 to 75 cm (0.59 – 2.95 inc long).
• Petioles – 8 to 29 mm. 
• Leaves – 50 to 170 mm long and 28 to 89 mm wide. 
• Flowers – White, 20 to 30 mm wide. 
• Fruits – Oval and green, when ripe turn yellow with green pulp. 
• Pith – White, 5 mm thick. 
• Appearance – Looks like a greenish orange. 
• Flavour – Sweet and mild and retains the essence of lime. 

Plant Science

• Binomial name – Citrus limetta.
• Family – Rutaceae. 
• Genus – Citrus. 

Fact – Taste changes quickly in contact with air, within a minute from sweet it turns into bitter. While drinking soon after juiced it will taste sweet.

Growing zone

Gross best in tropical and subtropical climates. 

The top mosambi-growing states in India are Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Asam, Mizoram and Uttarakhand.

Project Report

Cost per acre 1 mosambi plant price = Rs 25 to Rs 225. Let’s take an average price of Rs 50 per plant. Let’s take 500 plants in 1 acre.  Plant material cost = Rs 50 x 500 plants = Rs 25,000. Land preparation cost = Rs 10,000. Manure + Fertilizer cost = Rs 15000 Plant safety cost = Rs 5000. Irrigation cost = Rs 9000. Miscellaneous cost = Rs 5000. Total cost = Rs 69000.  Cost for 5 years =  Due to 1 time investment just reduce plant material cost from the above given total cost.  Rs 69000 – Rs 25000 = Rs 44000. To get 5 year cost now multiply Rs 44k by 5 years. 5 year cost = Rs 44000 x 5 = Rs 220000. Now add it again to get the cost for 5 years. Total cost = Rs 220000 + Rs 69000.  Total Cost 5 years = Rs 289000. Profit for 1 acre Mosambi yields per tree = 60 kg initially and 100 kg in the 6th year. Let’s take a yield of 60 kg per tree. If 300 trees are in good condition out of 500 trees. Then calculate the total yield for 300 trees.  Yield = 300 trees x 60 kg = 18000 kg fruits.  Mosambi yield per acre = 18000 kg.  Profit = Multiply the price by the total yield.  Mosambi price per kg 40 to Rs 150. Let’s take the minimum price of Rs 40. Profit = Rs 40 x 18000 kg = Rs 720000. Net profit = Rs 720000 – Rs 289000. Net Profit = Rs 4,31,000.  Note – According to the assumption of the project report this profit is achievable after 5 years and profit may increase if you will get a nearby 100 kg yield per tree.

Mosambi cultivation practices

Varieties 

Rangpur or Rangapuri, Sathgudi and Jemberi. 

1 mosambi plant price 

1 – 2 year old plant price = Rs 25, Rs 30, Rs 35, Rs 50, Rs 65, Rs 150 to Rs 225 as per the variety. 

Mosambi price per kg 

Rs 40 to Rs 150 per kg depending on the season and locality. Prices may increase because of high demand and shortage of supply.

Climate conditions

Rainfall – 60 to 70 cm of rainfall is required from June to September. 

Summer and winter – Needs good summer and winter season as well. 

Water and irrigation

For proper root establishment, immediate watering is required after planting. This plant cannot tolerate waterlogging so avoid over-watering. Farmers doing commercial mosambi cultivation refers to drip irrigation systems to fulfil the water need of each and every plant equally. A drip system is used for managing the irrigation cycle properly and the distribution of water to each plant in a balanced way. 

Land preparation 

Ploughing – A couple of ploughing is required to level the land.

Land stage – Fine tilth stage should be achieved.

Remove – Weed and rock removal is part of land preparation. 

Pits dimensions – 3 ft width x 3 ft lenght x 3 ft depth.

Plant to plant distance – 20 to 20 feet.

Row-to-row distance – 20 to 22 feet. 

Tip – A couple of weeks before planting the plants expose pits to direct sunlight.  

Propagation 

Propagation is done by budding and nursery-raised rootstock is later transplanted in the main field.

Sweet citrus trees per acre

300 to 500 plants per acre.

Planting season 

Planting depends on region and climate conditions. Purchase 2-year-old disease-free plants from the trustworthy nursery of your area.

South India – october end to January. 

Manure and fertilizer

Applying process – Always apply manure away by 75 cm from the trunk into the soil.  

March and october – Apply nitrogen in 2 doses during March and october months .

october – Apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. 

Solution – Zinc 0.5% + iron 0.25% + magnesium 0.5% + manganese 0.05% + boron 0.1% + molybdenum 0.003%. Spray this solution once in 90 days at the time of new production. 

Apply 50 gram per tree per year – Sulphate, zinc, magnesium and iron 50 gram each. 

Intercrop – Green gram, black gram, legume crops, groundnut, beans and some other vegetables.  

Care

Pest and diseases 

Pest – Some of the common pests in mosambi cultivation are citrus psylla, leaf minor, scale insects, aphids and mealy bugs.

Diseases – Some of the common diseases found in mosambi farming are gummosis, powdery mildew, black spot, zinc deficiency and iron deficiency. 

Pruning 

Unwanted leaves branches and stems are removed in the plant pruning process. Must remove the shoots growing 50 to 60 cm base of the plant near ground level. It will allow proper growth of the trunk and stems. 

Harvesting 

Flowering will start in the 3rd year of planting and the tree will start producing fruits from the 4th year of planting. Like other fruits, mousami do not fall after ripening and they may collapse on the tree as well. Therefore it is the farmers’ responsibility to keep checking whether this fruit is ripened or not. While reaching the ripening stage it will look like a tennis ball in size with a greenish yellowish sheen. The juice’s fruit feels heavy when you will lift it up from the bottom. To confirm whether it is ripened or not just scratch the surface of a sweet lime gently and if its oil gives way in your fingernails then it is ripened. 

Storage 

You can store it fresh for two weeks a room temperature. One can keep this fruit for 4 to 8 weeks in the refrigerator.

Mosambi yield per acre

Depends on various factors such as variety, soil type, plant age, fertilizer, irrigation and season etc. Mosambi tree produces crop two times a year first time from April to May and the second time from August to September. Commercial yield is expected after 4th year of planting. Before that or during that period 60 kg yield per plant is expected.

6th year – Fruit yield increases up to 100 kg in the 6th year from the plantation. 

10th year – The sweet citrus tree will reach the peak of production in the 10th year and will keep producing high yielding for some more years. You can get fruits till the 20th year after that you may see a big reduce in fruit production. 

Post harvesting 

Fruits should be clean and arranged by size and colour. If you don’t have any storage facility you should transport them immediately to the market to get good prices for fresh fruits. Sometimes buyers may reach your farm yard and can directly purchase foods in bulk from your farmgate. If you want to get regular buyers at your farm yard then don’t depend on coincidences instead start marketing which is given below.

Online marketing to acknowledge buyers

Websites are the key to attracting buyers. List all your products and fresh fun pictures with the prices on your websites so that ordinary people and buyers can directly approach you and your farm from any region of the country. With the help of websites, you may scale your business and export the fruits out of India. If you need a professional ecommerce or blog website in which you can list your products by yourself or write about the products please email us by visiting contact us or about us page. 

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