It is rightly said that farming brings joy to those who cultivate the land with dedication. In Balasore district's Charigaria Sahi area of Sajanpur Panchayat, this dedication has turned into unending joy in the form of sustainable livelihood for two friends who dared to experiment and grow something different.
Kalandi Charan Lenka and Sadhab Roul began strawberry cultivation four years ago, learning about success stories from Koraput and Kandhamal. Inspired, they took up strawberry cultivation on their one-acre farmland and today, not only they earn in lakhs but also provide employment to local villagers.
Kalandi, a former mechanical maintenance worker at a plastic manufacturing company retired from his job and decided to return to agriculture. Though his native place is Khordha, he had been living in Balasore for work. Farming had always been close to his heart. Even during his working years, he experimented with growing fruit plants in spaces available to him.
So in 2023, Kalandi planted just 25 strawberry saplings brought from Himachal Pradesh in plastic grow bags and to his surprise, within three months, he harvested over 18 kilograms of the fruit. He was so encouraged by the results that he expanded rapidly.
Read more at ETV Bharat
