Dhenkanal: It is said that no work is impossible if your spirit is indomitable and you are willing to work hard. This has been proved in letter and spirit by an educated youth, who left his 14-year-old job and instead decided to soil his hands in the farms. Now he has set an example by successfully growing exotic fruits in his homeland and empowering locals financially.
Ajit Kumar Mahanta of Goppur village in Kerajoli panchayat of Dhenkanal district left his lucrative job in the healthcare sector and, inspired by his father, retired headmaster Ananat Mahanta, took up farming as his profession as well as vocation.
Now he has farms spanning acres in different villages, where large-scale production of exotic fruits like Thailand Berry, Dragon fruit, Israeli bananas and drumsticks is being done. The use of advanced technology and scientific methods of farming have borne fruit, literally! Luckily, the climatic conditions of the region have proved suitable for the production of these fruits.
Ajit is a lifeline for hundreds of people of the region who had lost their livelihood due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is now providing means of sustenance to all those people through his venture. In just five-seven months, Ajit has been able to change the whole economic scenario.
“I am hoping to find a big market for these fruits and raise the income of the people here,” he said.
Expressing happiness at this novel initiative, Assistant Garden Director (Kamkhyanagar) Kush Agrawal said, “We will provide all assistance related to farming as and when sought by Ajit.”
