§1What this business is
Mandarin orange grows in frost-free tropical and sub-tropical areas up to 1,500 m, on well-drained light or medium loam with pH 6.0–8.0. Nagpur santra comes mainly from the Vidarbha region; Darjeeling, Coorg and the north-eastern hills are the other belts. Budded plants are set in pits 6 m apart, usually in July–August. Trees start bearing from the fourth year, but a good crop comes only from the sixth year, and the productive life after that is 15–20 years. Pea, cowpea and gram are grown between the rows. Fruit is clipped, washed, waxed and packed in wooden boxes for distant markets or bamboo baskets for local sale.
Capacity: One acre with 120 plants at 6 m x 6 m. Yield is 40 quintals in the first bearing year, rising to 50 quintals.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A farmer in a known mandarin belt with assured water and the patience to nurse trees for five years.
Who it is not for
Farmers with poorly drained or frost-prone land, or no dependable irrigation.
Advantages
- Nagpur mandarin has a strong name in Indian markets
- Fruit also goes to juice and squash makers
- Fruit keeps about three weeks in a cool chamber after treatment
- Inter-crops give income while the trees grow
Drawbacks
- A good crop comes only from the sixth year
- Productive life is only 15–20 years after the first five years
- The report shows a slim benefit-cost ratio of 1.2
- Fruit drop needs regular sprays to control
Skills you need
- Buying disease-free budded plants
- Water and nutrient management on drip
- Sprays against fruit drop and citrus diseases
- Clipping, washing, waxing and packing fruit
Why difficulty 3/5: Five years of waiting and a disease-prone crop with thin margins in the model.
§3Market
Who buys
- Pre-harvest contractors
- Wholesalers and commission agents
- Juice, squash and jam processing units
How it sells
- Grower – pre-harvest contractor – commission agent – retailer
- Grower – wholesaler – commission agent – retailer
- Grower – retailer – consumer
- Grower – producer representative – exporter
Good to know
- The model values the fruit at ₹1,200 a quintal.
- Wooden boxes are used for distant markets and split-bamboo baskets for local sale.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Tube well with submersible pump | — | ₹45,000 |
| Drip irrigation system with fertigation equipment | for 1 acre | ₹26,500 |
| Store and pump house | — | ₹30,000 |
| Labour shed | — | ₹5,000 |
| Farm implements | — | ₹5,000 |
| Fencing | — | ₹29,500 |
From: National Horticulture Board model bankable project — Orange
- Planting material — budded mandarin plants120 plants an acre at 6 m x 6 m
- Manures and fertilisersfirst-year provision in the model
- Insecticides and pesticidesfirst-year provision in the model
From: National Horticulture Board model bankable project — Orange
§5Licences & registration
- No licence is needed to grow fruit on your own or leased farm land
- Land ownership or registered lease papers (banks and subsidy offices ask for them)
- Permission for a new borewell where the state groundwater authority requires it
- For export: Import Export Code, APEDA registration and a phytosanitary certificate
Start it in your state
Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.
§6Schemes & subsidies
The model assumes the farmer puts in ₹87,500, a capital subsidy of ₹35,000 and a bank term loan of ₹52,500 at 12% interest on the ₹1,75,000 cost. Today NHB's open-field scheme is for orchards above 2 hectares, leaves out land cost and needs a bank term loan; for a one-acre orchard ask the district horticulture office about state schemes.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: One-acre model; the cost of land is not included. Cultivation expenses ₹30,000 (planting material ₹3,000, manures and fertilisers ₹6,900, insecticides and pesticides ₹4,000, labour ₹12,500, power ₹3,600) + irrigation ₹45,000 (tube well with submersible pump ₹45,000) + drip irrigation system ₹26,500 + infrastructure ₹40,000 (store and pump house ₹30,000, labour shed ₹5,000, farm implements ₹5,000) + land development ₹33,500 (land levelling ₹4,000, fencing ₹29,500) = ₹1,75,000.
Working capital: First-year cultivation expenses of ₹30,000 are inside the project cost. The development period before fruiting is five years, carried by inter-crops.
Year not printed on the report. It costs labour at ₹70 a man-day, so these are old prices — planting material, labour, borewell and drip costs are much higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: APEDA
- The report says the Mrig crop, which matures in February–March, has great export potential because few mandarins reach the world market then.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Citrus diseases shortening the life of the orchard
- Fruit drop in the early stage of fruit growth
- Frost or poor drainage
- Pre-harvest contractors and agents setting the price
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working orange (mandarin) orchard unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (No licence is needed to grow fruit on your own or leased farm land, Land ownership or registered lease papers (banks and subsidy offices ask for them)), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Orange (Mandarin) Orchard?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.