Chandranath Pandey, a 51-year-old man from Baldirai village of Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, was an electrical engineer. He was initially dissatisfied with his job due to the low salary. He wanted to boost his earnings to give his children a better life and a better future.
Early Life
He has done a diploma in 1988 in electrical engineering from the government Polytechnic Faizabad. After completing his degree, he started working as an electrical engineer in a government office in Sultanpur, where his monthly salary was Rs 4,500. However, he was unhappy with his job so he began working as a contractor in his village. In the meantime, he also began farming his land to transform his life.
As a contractor, he did not notice any financial and professional growth. He wanted to use his farmland not just to grow crops but to develop a profitable business.
Entering the Agriculture
By growing sugarcane, Chandranath was able to make a profit of less than 1 lakh, which was not enough. So, he decided to try something new, which is more profitable.
In 2018, he quit his sugarcane farming. Chandranath heard about Ram Saran Verma, who grows bananas and won more than 20 awards at all levels, including the Jagjivan Ram Kisan Puruskar. Inspired by Mr. Verma’s success, he went to meet him to learn about how to grow bananas successfully and make more profit.
After noting down all the tips and tricks given by Mr. Verma he began cultivating bananas in his quarter-acre of land.
Within 1 year and 2 months, the bananas were ready for harvesting. By selling them, he made a profit of around 4 lakh rupees. Since then, he has been devoting a quarter acre of land to growing bananas.
Share Tips and Tricks
Chandranath shares some important tips with fellow farmers who are interested in harvesting bananas.
- He reveals banana farming is a good choice for harvesting as it is low-risk and suitable for every season, even on rainy days.
- Working on bananas instead of sugarcane because he finds it easy to care for the bananas crop in comparison to sugarcane.
- He advised farmers to be cautious while purchasing compost fertilizer and seek advice from experts rather than believing any fertilizer seller or medicine.
- Further, he also suggests crop rotation, where a particular piece of land is used for growing bananas; other crops can also be grown in one place in the following year. This technique can be beneficial to improve crop yield.
Farming: A Lucrative and Profitable Venture
Chandranath considers farming a profitable business and advice farmers to opt for farmer’s loan and venture into farming. Farming has the potential to provide significant returns. Now, Chandranath has other farm laborers to help him on his farm. Besides bananas, now he also starts growing tomatoes, sponge gourd, taro, and other veggies. He makes around 2 lakh rupees profit from farming tomatoes. He also grows watermelon on a quarter-acre of land. Presently, he is earning more than Rs 12 lakh.
Chandranath finds harvesting watermelon additionally profitable. The crop is ready for harvesting within 3 months giving more than Rs 2 lakh in his quarter-acre of farmland.
Conclusion
Earlier, Chandranath aimed to get a well-paying job in a big city but he is gaining more in his homeland. With the profits from his farming, he bought three acres of farmland. Chandranath succeeded in providing a good education to his children. Today, both of his sons are successful in their lives. His sons are financially independent now and his dream of seeing his children happy is finally fulfilled.
Today, Chandranath helps many other farmers in the Sultanpur district with his tips and tricks to grow different types of crops.
Chandranath aims to make his Sultanpur district a hub for all the crops including bananas, cauliflower, green peas, pumpkin, and tomatoes. He wants his fellow farmers to supply the harvest across India.
Chandranath’s journey is inspiring for many who want to make their dreams come true. Despite numerous obstacles, he never gave up on his dreams.
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