Rajasthan , India ( CNN ) -- Rajinder Kumar has a spring in his step and a big smile on his face these days . The 35-year-old farmer from Sri Ganganagar , a district in Rajasthan , northwest India , says life has never been better . It 's all because of what he grows in his fields -- a desert crop called guar . `` It 's a miracle , '' he says . Guar gum powder , made by crushing seeds of the guar crop , is used in a number of products in the food and cosmetics industries , including ice cream , breads , pastries , lipsticks and even diapers . In just one year the price of guar has surged tenfold , from about 30 rupees ( about 50 U.S. cents ) to around 300 rupees for each kilogram of the precious seed . Behind the phenomenal price rise is a surge in demand . Oil and gas companies in the United States have developed a massive appetite for guar gum powder -- a key ingredient in a process called fracking , which is used to extract natural and shale gas from beneath the Earth 's surface . Guar gum powder has unique binding , thickening and emulsifying qualities which make it ideal for fracking , explains B.D . Agarwal , the founder and managing director of Vikas WSP , an Indian company that specializes in producing the product . So far , oil companies have not been able to find a suitable substitute , he says . Since 90 % of the world 's guar is grown in the desert belt of northwest India , local farmers in this poor area are enjoying the benefit of the guar rush . Kumar says he had debts of almost $ 12,000 . `` I thought I 'd never be able to pay it off , '' he says . `` There is a saying that in a house where there 's no food , there are fights . We used to fight all the time . '' But thanks to the high price of guar these days , Kumar has been able to pay off his debt . He 's building a house for his family , has bought mobile phones , an air cooler and a satellite dish . He can afford to send his children to school . `` We are all happy now , '' he adds . Agarwal , meanwhile , is confident the guar rush will grow . He says shale gas reserves have been identified in 32 countries and 48 basins around the world , including India . Only the U.S. and Canada , and very recently Argentina , have attempted to extract it . China is expected to start fracking by the end of the year . As demand grows , Agarwal predicts the value of the guar industry will jump , suggesting it could go from a $ 2 billion business today , to $ 200 billion by 2020 . So he 's encouraging farmers like Rajinder to keep growing it . In May this year , Vikas gave 15 kilograms of guar seeds to 200,000 farmers and guaranteed them returns . `` Everyone in the village is now growing guar , '' Kumar 's wife , Dayawanti , says . `` No one talks of anything else . It 's changed the village . If you came here two years ago , you would n't see joy on anyone 's face . '' Her neighbors ' house is bursting with joy . Musicians beat traditional drums to welcome guests as the community gets together to celebrate a marriage . The bridegroom -- also a guar farmer -- says he would never have been able to afford this pomp if it was n't for guar . Locals call the little green bean `` black gold '' and in Sri Ganganagar , it 's easy to understand why .
Guar beans bringing relative prosperity to Sri Ganganagar in northwest India . Price has increased tenfold in the past year delivering big returns for farmers . Guar gum power is used by oil companies in the oil industry . Rajinder Kumar says his guar beans has allowed him to pay off large debts .