For many years Veera Arasu thought the 800 avocado trees growing on his coffee plantation merely served a functional purpose. They were there to provide shade to his precious coffee shrubs. He had planted the avocado trees after drought struck his village, Thandikudi, in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, in 2002.
He grew oranges, too, which he sold to a wholesale merchant for a small profit. In 2014, he recalls, the merchant made him a surprising offer. He asked Arasu if he could buy his avocado fruit on a per tree basis like he did his oranges. Arasu figured Rs. . .
