The rise of the fruit that tastes like custard

Custard fruit trees can survive months without watering Ashoka Shivareddy comes from a family of farmers, but it was hard to make a living in their drought-prone district of Kolar in southern India. "The area receives rainfall of only 60 to 70 centimetres, and farmers dig borewells of up to 1,300 feet - most of their money goes into chasing water," he says. Amid mounting losses the family gave up farming and in 2005 moved to the city - to Bengaluru - and started a vegetable shop.

Shivareddy became an AI software engineer, but he never lost the farming bug. In 2018 he decided to revive the family farm, but with a more scientific approach. "I was looking for a crop that could survive with very little water, grow with rainfall, and not depend heavily on pesticides," he explains. Custard apple seemed to be a good fit. A knobbly fruit the size of a large avocado, its creamy, sweet flesh tastes a bit like custard - hence the name. Custard apple trees grow wild in Shivareddy's area and locals would harvest the fruit and sell it at the market. That seemed promising to Shivareddy. Looking to maximise his yield, he planted trees closer together than on typical farms. Shivareddy also carefully selected three varieties, each with different benefits. The approach appears to be working. "Last year I produced around 20 tonnes. This year, it's about 25 tonnes.

Key points

• Shivareddy became an AI software engineer, but he never lost the farming bug.
• In 2018 he decided to revive the family farm, but with a more scientific approach.
• "I was looking for a crop that could survive with very little water, grow with rainfall, and not depend heavily on pesticides," he explains.
• Custard apple seemed to be a good fit.
• A knobbly fruit the size of a large avocado, its creamy, sweet flesh tastes a bit like custard - hence the name.