Growing interest in kinnow cultivation among farmers in Punjab and adjoining areas of Rajasthan and Haryana states led to the prices skyrocketing of planting material, with two-year-old kinnow plants now selling for Rs 300-350 each, against around Rs 100 last year.Farmers and nursery owners said most nurseries were out of stock this season amid rising demand. Kinnow plants are generally planted between July and December and again during February-March. About 100 plants are required per acre, with trees beginning to bear fruit after four to five years and remaining productive for 25-30 years.Farmers attributed the surge in demand to social media reports about remunerative kinnow prices, besides the growing availability of drip irrigation and solar-powered tubewell connections.Vijay Pal Singh Aulakh, sarpanch of Usman Khera village in Fazilka district, said he was setting up a kinnow orchard on nearly six acres. He had initially booked plants at Rs 110 each but paid Rs 150 when he purchased them. “When I needed additional plants later, the price had risen to Rs 300 per plant,” he said.Orchardist Mohit Setia of Sappanwali village said a large area under kinnow cultivation in the Abohar belt had been destroyed last year due to waterlogging. Many farmers were now looking to re-establish orchards, further increasing demand for plants.Balwinder Singh Tikka, a state awardee kinnow grower and registered nursery owner from Abul Khurana village in Muktsar district, attributed the increase to rising demand and expectations of better returns. He said social media reports, including about a 17-acre kinnow orchard in Sirsa being leased for Rs 85 lakh, had attracted farmers.State nodal officer for kinnow Balwinder Singh acknowledged the price rise but said the government and registered nurseries were required to sell plants at the fixed rate of Rs 100 each. He attributed higher prices to unregistered nurseries.