Kagzi Lime – Acid Lime Farming

India is the 4th largest producer of lime and lemon in the world but the most popular citrus fruit consumed widely in india is the kagzi lime or the Acid lime. The lime which is used in cuisine and also consumed as juices is not lemon, though most people refer to it as Lemon. Kagzi lime or Acid lime is a bit more acidic and has a slightly more tangy taste than lemon which has a sweet tinge to it. Nevertheless, acid lime is one of the most sought after fruit in india for its wide range of usses. From pickles to Garnishing food and also to wash hands in restaurants, the Lime is a common ingredient which is a must have in homes and restaurants.

Lemon cultivation is best done in tropical and sub tropical weather conditions. Parts of india suitable for Lime cultivation includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhrapradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. Other states are suitable in certain pockets but these are the major states which produce the maximum amount of Lime in india. 

Lime is  a crop which comes with a range of problems and pests. Apart from the diseases which are very common in lime plants and commonly in citrus varieties, the range of pests are also quite high. Controlling pests is crucial for farmers and determine their success. High rainfall, High humidity and flood prone areas are not suitable for lime farming. Also , lime requires that the temperature be high during the fruiting season. Water is required at least fortnightly dring the fruiting season which falls during the summer. 

Marketing, Profits, Yield and Cost of cultivation in Lime

While production is key for farmers, sales is important too. Certain key factors should be noted when cultivating lime. 

  1. The fruits are seasonal and the best prices are received during peak summer. In most states, the prices go up to 10,000 rs per quintal during April. Normal prices could be anywhere between 20 Rs per kilo to 40 Rs per kilo. But there is a small span of time when the prices peak. Farmers should anticipate this period for better profit.
  2. Irrigation of plants during peak summer is key for better profit. Investing in a good drip irrigation system with sufficient water ensure that there is yield throughout the season. 
  3. The right market makes the difference. Some markets may tend to lowball when it comes to price but others tend to pay nearly 30% more. Picking the right market and knowing the price is key to earning a good income. Transportation costs may just be a fraction if the total product is in high quantity.

For current mandi price and market information visit https://www.commodityonline.com/mandiprices/lime

Yield.

In Agriculture, Yield is directly proportional to profit (at least most of the time). The more the yield, the better the chance of making a profit. But like most crops, variety is the key to making better yield. The right variety of the crop with the market acceptability will ensure the farmers profit almost always. If you choose a variety that has less acceptability in the market you are selling to, chances are you are going to find people not purchasing the product. For instance, in south india, Bullet variety of chillies are more preferred than the longer ones. We once cultivated long chillies and the yield was extremely good because the variety which we cultivated was of high yield. Unfortunately, we couldnt sell most of it because there was no market for it. Lime too has varieties and the right variety is key for sales. Selling assam Lemon in most parts of south india is not really an option because the acceptability is low. 

While consumers may find it welcom, its the traders and the mandi’s which do not accept things which are new and we as farmers will need to depend on markets and mandis for large-scale production and sales. With that said, these are some of the key varieties, yield, and the markets they have good acceptability.

VarietyYield/TreeYield/Acre
Vikram275.4 Tonnes
Sai Sharbati336.6 Tonnes
Pramalini285.6 Tonnes
PDKV387.6 Tonnes
Chakradar122.4 Tonnes
Tenali255 Tonnes
Mangali Pattu224.4 Tonnes
Kagzi Lime326.4 Tonnes

The PDKV Variety and especially the clone 2 in the DPKV variety is known to be one of the best yielding varieties of acid lime. The yield is 30% higher than the nearest in competition , the sai sharbati. The Chakradar variety is the seedless variety and though is not much in demand, has a good potential in the future. 

Yield per acre of acid lime cultivation :  with a good variety of plants, you can expect an average yield of 7 Tonnes of Acid lime per acre

Reference : http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/mod/page/view.php?id=12308

https://www.ijcmas.com/special/6/Dinesh.%20H.%20Paithankar,%20et%20al.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305317790_Performance_of_acid_lime_cultivars_for_hasth_bahar_under_semi_arid_condition_of_Vidarbha
https://www.pdkv.ac.in/Circulars/researchaccomplish-13-18.pdf