A Desert Plant Transforms Farming in India
Masapalli Venkatesh's life changed due to a desert plant. On his 10-acre farm in Kandukur, located on the Deccan Plateau spanning much of southern and central India, he cultivates tomatoes, peanuts, and corn. However, in 2010, traders approached him seeking a very different crop: the cactus agave americana.
For Venkatesh and other farmers, the agave cactus was previously considered a "stubborn, valueless weed," primarily used as fencing to protect crops from wild animals. Yet, this plant belongs to the agave family that supports the $15 billion global market for tequila and mezcal.
In Mexico, blue agave is cultivated in Jalisco state to supply the tequila industry, with only plants from select areas authorized for tequila production. Unlike Mexico's vast plantations, India currently has no commercial agave cultivation; instead, farmers and entrepreneurs harvest wild agave plants.
For some, including Venkatesh, this wild agave has become a valuable source of additional income, earning the nickname "blue gold." Today, Venkatesh coordinates farmers and villagers across a 100 km (60 miles) area.
"By combining the yields of multiple farms, I ensure a steady, high-volume supply that distilleries are willing to pay a premium for," he explains.
Harvesting and Processing Challenges
Harvesting agave requires skill, focusing on the plant's heart, called the piña due to its resemblance to a giant pineapple. Workers carefully remove the spiky leaves to reveal the piña, but timing is critical.
Once the agave begins to bloom, it rapidly channels its stored sugars into the flower stalk within days. If the flower blooms, the sugar content is depleted, rendering the piña unsuitable for alcohol production.
"Gatherers must accurately identify the exact pre-blooming window to harvest the plant at its absolute peak sugar capacity, making the timing of the harvest incredibly narrow," says Rakshay Dhariwal, founder of the distillery Maya Pistola Agavepura.
After harvesting, the piñas must be transported to a pressure cooker within 24 hours to extract sugars. Delays risk fermentation and spoilage, which can ruin the delicate flavor profile needed for premium spirits.
"Any transport delay can risk ruining the batch. If it takes longer than 24 hours, the internal sugars begin to rot and ferment unpredictably, destroying the delicate flavour profile needed for premium spirits," Dhariwal adds.
Transportation is complicated as agave suppliers are dispersed across large areas in states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh.
"Brands like us cannot simply order from a centralized farming cooperative. We rely on networks of local aggregators to scout, negotiate for, and harvest individual patches of semi-wild agave growing on marginal lands or rural property boundaries," Dhariwal explains.
Growing Demand for Agave Spirits in India
The demand for agave spirits in India is rising rapidly. According to Dhariwal, the market is growing at a rate of 31%.
"It's only been a few years now, that India's finally caught the tequila bug," says Vikram Achanta, co-founder of 30 Best Bars India.
"Producers are beginning to experiment with it seriously, and there's a consumer base today that is far more open to exploring new spirits than before," he adds.
Though agave drinks are unlikely to replace whisky, India's most popular spirit, they may establish a niche market.
"New brands are interesting examples of early experimentation, especially in how they're working with wild agave from the Deccan Plateau and beginning to shape what an Indian agave identity could look like. It's still early days, but they're helping move the category from curiosity to something more credible," Achanta states.
Early Pioneers and Scientific Approaches
Desmond Nazareth is a pioneer in India's agave spirit industry. His company, Agave India, launched the country's first homegrown agave spirit in 2011.
"What started as kitchen experiments eventually became India's first craft agave distillery after nearly 12 years of research and experimentation," Nazareth says.
"We were making Indian agave spirit long before the market was ready for it. It was a craft business way ahead of its time."
Now, Nazareth employs a scientific method to develop the industry. Using satellite imagery, his team identifies regions where agave grows well and matches environmental patterns to find additional suitable land. This is vital because agave takes 9–13 years to mature, and planting in unsuitable areas risks losing a decade of growth.
"We have taken satellite images of areas where agave already grows successfully, then matched those environmental patterns with nearby regions to identify more suitable land. That's important because agave grows for 9–13 years. If you plant in the wrong area, you lose a decade," he explains.
Wild Agave Sustainability and Propagation
Concerns about depletion of India's wild agave supplies are premature. Agricultural expert Miguel Braganza states that the domestic industry remains small, with only one processing plant owned by Agave India.
Moreover, the wild agave plant propagates efficiently.
"When you look at a wild agave, you aren't just looking at a single plant. Beneath the soil, the mother agave is incredibly busy. Throughout her 10-to-20-year life, she secretly sends out long root-runners into the earth," Braganza says.
These root runners produce new plants, forming colonies over time.
"Every few feet, a mini-clone of herself pops out. Those baby plants grow their own roots and become independent plants, slowly forming large agave colonies over time. So one plant can naturally turn into dozens of plants across an area without any human help," he adds.
Challenges of Wild Agave and Industry Development
Indian entrepreneur Sree Harsha Vadlamudi highlights the drawbacks of relying on wild agave plants, which are genetically inconsistent compared to farmed varieties.
"That means sugar yields fluctuate... and that means alcohol output changes. So standardizing production becomes difficult. Mexico solved this over decades through selective breeding. India hasn't yet," Vadlamudi explains.
Vadlamudi co-founded the tequila brand Loca Loka, which uses Mexican blue agave from Jalisco.
"We wanted to leverage the rich, iron-heavy red soil left behind by ancient volcanic eruptions in Jalisco, Mexico. This unique terroir imparts a distinct flavour profile to the agave that cannot be replicated by growing the same seeds in Indian soil," he says.
Mexico's large, organized agave farms contrast sharply with India's informal system. These farms invest in advanced farming techniques, including drones and artificial intelligence.
"Drones scan thousands of hectares to accurately count individual crops, assess plant health, spot early signs of disease, and monitor the growth of the piña to predict the absolute perfect window for harvesting," Vadlamudi notes.
Such technological investments remain distant prospects for Indian producers.
Future Prospects for India's Agave Industry
Nazareth acknowledges that building a substantial agave spirit industry in India will require time but remains optimistic.
"India could absolutely become a major agave economy. The Deccan Plateau alone has millions of acres suitable for cultivation. We could theoretically rival Mexico if there's long-term vision and patience," he asserts.
