Young Farmer Achieves Financial Success Through Commercial Agriculture in Mahottari

Janakpurdham. While the attraction towards foreign employment is increasing among the youth of Mahottari district, a young farmer has presented an example that it is possible to earn a good income by working hard in his own country.

Ramdhyan Mandal, a resident of Gadha, Samsi Rural Municipality-5, Mahottari, has succeeded in transforming his economic condition through commercial farming.

Mandal, who has been in the commercial farming profession for some years, has cultivated watermelons on land that has been barren for years in Laxmipur, Ramgopalpur Municipality, Mahottari. Currently, he is busy with everything from caring for the watermelons to bringing the ripe watermelons to the market.

He started farming by leasing 22 bighas of land of the secondary school, Baspitti, located in Ramgopalpur Municipality, for an annual rent of 650,000 rupees. Out of this, he has cultivated watermelons on about 7 bighas of land. He stated that he has spent 1.4 million rupees so far on watermelon cultivation.

Mandal said that he has already sold watermelons worth 350,000 rupees in the first phase. He aims to earn up to 2.5 million rupees from watermelons this season.

For the past 6 years, Mandal has been cultivating fruits, vegetables, fish, and poultry on 54 bighas of land in Samsi Rural Municipality and Ramgopalpur Municipality through Vaishnodevi Agro Farm. Currently, 16 to 17 people are employed in his agricultural business.

Mandal said that farming is not only an opportunity but also challenging. He mentioned problems like theft of watermelons planted in the fields, damage by wild animals, and lack of security. He is always worried about the fear that animals like nilgai might destroy the crops when they bear fruit.

Mandal also stated that the lack of easy access to electricity and water required for farming causes further problems. He has been using a fire engine to solve the irrigation problem in the fields.

According to Mandal, many farmers are not attracted to farming because the local government has not been able to manage electricity and drinking water properly. He said that if the government provides timely arrangements for fertilizer, seeds, water, and electricity, good income can be earned from the agricultural sector.

According to Mandal, the suitable time for watermelon cultivation is from Poush to Magh. This year, he planted seedlings in the month of Magh. Fruits start to grow about 70 days after planting the seedlings, and they can be fully ripened and sent to the market within 90 days. He said that watermelon cultivation yields good income because of the high demand during the summer season.

Mandal brought watermelon seedlings from Madras, India, this year. He believes that watermelons produced by Nepali farmers can be an alternative to watermelons imported from India in the market. He said that fruits produced in the country are healthier as fruits coming from India are often treated with pesticides.

The watermelons produced by Mandal are currently being sold in markets such as Janakpur, Dhalkebar, and Bardibas. He said there is no shortage of market and good demand from consumers.

Mandal had gone abroad for foreign employment in 2015 and returned to the country within 13 months. After experiencing the hardships, labor, and separation from family abroad, he decided to do something in his own country. He then started investing in the agricultural sector and has become a successful farmer today.

Many youths are inspired by his success. Rakesh Yadav of Ekadara Rural Municipality-4 said that he is inspired by Ramdhyan Mandal's work. Yadav said that he has now concluded that he will also engage in farming.

Rabindra Thakur of Samsi Rural Municipality-5 has also been inspired by Ramdhyan Mandal and has been doing fish farming and vegetable farming for the past two years.

Binindra Mukhiya of Parsa Rural Municipality, Sarlahi, is also preparing to start cultivating bananas, watermelons, and fish in consultation with Ramdhyan Mandal. He plans to cultivate on about 7 bighas of land.

Ramjatan Sah of Samsi Rural Municipality-3 said that he was inspired after seeing Ramdhyan's agricultural work after returning from abroad. He informed that he has been in the farming profession for the last 6 months after consulting with Ramdhyan and is currently earning a satisfactory income.

Vivek Karna of Jaleshwor Municipality-10 has also been cultivating bananas and vegetables on 3 bighas of land. He also stated that he dedicated himself to farming due to Ramdhyan Mandal's success.

Ramdhyan Mandal said that if the government provides farmers with the necessary fertilizer, seeds, irrigation, and electricity, the situation where thousands of youths have to go abroad can be ended. He clarified that instead of shedding sweat abroad, working hard in one's own country allows one to live a life with self-respect while staying with family.