From kitchen to orchard: Hazaribag man’s mango farm becomes a model for local growers

A mango orchard built by 50-year-old Vasudev Prasad in Kolhu village, Hazaribag district, has become something of a local model, with neighbouring farmers now visiting to learn his methods for growing and maintaining the trees.

Prasad worked as a cook at a senior official’s residence in Uttar Pradesh before returning to his native village in 2021, choosing to plant mango saplings across three acres of family land rather than continue with conventional farming. He used his own savings to buy high-quality grafted saplings from private nurseries, while the orchard’s development also received support under the MGNREGA horticulture scheme.

This season, Prasad sold around 50 quintals of mangoes at Rs 40 to Rs 50 per kg, earning several lakhs of rupees — up from roughly 30 quintals last year — with additional fruit still on the trees ahead of the season’s end.

He has diversified income further by growing pigeon pea, tomatoes and brinjals between the mango trees, ensuring cash flow even as the orchard matures. ‘Earlier I used to prepare food for others. Today, farming has given me both dignity and financial independence,’ Prasad said, crediting his family’s support throughout the process.