Deogarh: The mere mention that these fruits belong to Prasanna Babu’s orange orchard from Khilabereni village under Riamal block in this district is enough for a customer to buy those eyes closed. Meet 42-year-old Prasanna Pradhan, a resident of the same village on one side of the Tikira river.
Yes, there were instances of oranges being grown in the same village. However they tasted ‘sour’ and earned the reputation of ‘bad fruits’. However all that has changed with Prasanna’s entrance into orange farming.
Prasanna after completing his graduation wanted to do a job. But lack of employment prompted him to go into the family occupation of farming.
Prasanna’s father had an orange orchard. However, Prasanna wanted to cultivate the fruit in a scientific manner and his father readily agreed.
Prasanna got rid of the old trees and planted new ones. He had the soil tested and used fertilizers as advised by the district agriculture office and also used deterrents to keep away insects that can harm the fruit. Today his orchard is spread over three acres with trees laden with sweet and pulpy oranges.
Prasanna said self-belief helped him prosper. Today the sour oranges are a thing of the past. Customers and whole sellers of oranges make a beeline for the oranges of his orchard.
The use of proper fertilizers has also helped. While other farmers get about 75-80kg of produce from a single tree, Prasanna’s yield is nothing less than two quintals on an average. He makes close to Rs 2,00,000 investing just Rs 50,000 from one acre.
Today Prasanna credits proper scientific methods for getting such a large yield. He is also trying to send the fruit to other states of India. His efforts have been appreciated by all and sundry and he has been felicitated on a number of occasions by the district administration officials.
“I am happy with my occupation. The pleasure that I am getting now probably wouldn’t have been possible if I was employed somewhere else,” said Prasanna who is leading a comfortable life with his parents, wife, a son and daughter. He wishes his children to be well-educated and earn names as good citizens in society.
PNN
