Three acres, one decision: how a Jharkhand farmer’s mango orchard grew into lakhs in seasonal income

A three-acre plot in Kolhu village, Hazaribag district, has been transformed into a thriving mango orchard by 50-year-old Vasudev Prasad, who quit his job as a cook at a senior official’s residence in Uttar Pradesh to return to farming in 2021.

Prasad chose horticulture over conventional agriculture, buying high-quality grafted mango saplings from private nurseries with his own savings, while the orchard’s development also drew support under the MGNREGA horticulture scheme. He credits consistent upkeep for the results: ‘The orchard has reached this stage because of continuous care, timely irrigation, proper pruning, application of organic manure and regular monitoring of the plants.’

This season he has sold around 50 quintals of mangoes at Rs 40 to Rs 50 per kg, earning several lakhs of rupees, a sharp rise from about 30 quintals last year, with more fruit still on the trees ahead of harvest’s end.

To keep income flowing between mango seasons, Prasad also grows pigeon pea, tomatoes and brinjals in the spaces between trees. Local farmers say the mixed-farming approach has become a model worth studying, and many now visit his orchard directly to see his methods in practice.