Keonjhar, April 25: Mangoes grown at Jharbeda village under Ghatagoan block of Kenjhar district are in huge demand in Mumbai and Delhi markets.
The mango growers have got advance orders from Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai and Delhi traders for truckloads of the summer fruit.
Some farmers of the non-descript village of the tribal district planted mango saplings in 2010 with the help of NABARD and social outfits. Then sarpanch of the panchayat Jadumani Senapati first tried his luck in mango farming developing the shallow land. Later, other villagers showed interest and started growing Dasheri, Amrapali, Langra, Kshirsagar and Himsagar mango saplings provided by NABARD.
The government helped them by providing wage for developing the shallow land for farming. The social organisation took care of mango saplings for three years and then handed over to villagers.
Now, around 200 families have become financial stable by growing mangoes in 180 acres of land. Last year, the villagers started exporting their produces to metro cities. With large production, the growers have got orders from traders of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi this season.
The Odisha government is helping them in marketing and selling the produces at right price. The state government is training the growers regarding plucking and packaging of mangoes.
This year, around 200 growers are going to sell mangoes of over Rs 10 lakh, said Jadumani Senapati.
