Jharkhand cook quits city job, builds mango orchard earning lakhs each season

Vasudev Prasad, 50, worked as a cook at a senior official’s residence in Uttar Pradesh before returning to his native Kolhu village in Hazaribag district’s Tatijharia block, drawn back by his emotional bond with home and farming. Rather than take up conventional agriculture, he chose horticulture, planting mango saplings across three acres in 2021.

Prasad invested his own savings to buy high-quality grafted mango saplings from private nurseries to improve productivity and fruit quality, while support under the MGNREGA horticulture scheme helped develop the orchard. ‘The orchard has reached this stage because of continuous care, timely irrigation, proper pruning, application of organic manure and regular monitoring of the plants,’ he said.

This season, Prasad sold around 50 quintals of mangoes at Rs 40 to Rs 50 per kg, earning several lakhs of rupees, up sharply from roughly 30 quintals last year. Many trees are still bearing fruit, and he expects both production and income to rise further before the harvest season ends.

Between the mango trees, Prasad grows pigeon pea, tomatoes, brinjals and other vegetables, ensuring year-round cash flow while the orchard matures. Neighbouring farmers now visit his plantation to learn his methods, and it has become something of a demonstration site for horticulture in the area. ‘Earlier I used to prepare food for others. Today, farming has given me both dignity and financial independence,’ Prasad said.