[VoxSpace Life] Rohan Prakash : Engineer Turned Solo Organic Mango Producer From UP

The Civil Engineer Who Became The Sole Certified Organic Mango Producer In UP

Education in India is a serious business. Literally every middle class Indian is fed with the same mantra while growing up – study well, get a good job and settle well in life. This mantra may seem to be too stringent and backdated but to middle-class youths, there is no way to success than good education. However, whether one uses this education for simple personal gain or for driving a social change is entirely up to the individual. Case in point is this guy – Rohan Prakash from Meerut – whose degree in engineering from a reputed school did not stop him from pursuing a career in agriculture.

Yes, you heard it right. At a time, when most of our hobbies revolve around machines and technology, this guy’s hobbies revolved around crops and plants. You would be surprised to know that both his father and grandfather nurtured the same hobby despite being civil engineers themselves. And it is perhaps this undying love for agriculture that saw Rohan being certified as the sole organic mango farmer in Uttar Pradesh.

How Did The Idea Of Organic Farming Cross His Mind?

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Although Rohan was born and brought up in a family of engineers, he had grown up to see farming and agricultural being taken up as important hobbies in his family. So, naturally, he was inclined to pick up farming seriously after completing his studies.

However, with every passing day, the concern of a green revolution and a greener planet made a mark in his mind. He discussed the same with his father, his greatest aide, and decided to replace the chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizer. He was in the second year at that time – and that one step paved the way to a massive change in the entire economy of Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking to the Better India, Rohan said, “Having grown up seeing both my grandfather and father taking up farming alongside their professions, I was definitely inclined towards taking up agriculture. After observing farmland and produce quality for a while, I began to think about organic farming seriously. The idea sprouted in my head somewhere during my second year in college, and together with my father, we decided to replace all chemical fertilisers and pesticides with an extract of Neem oil.”

Sceptical of this major change at first, within a short span of time, Rohan noticed a visible change in the output. The fruits were bigger and tastier from the first year itself. Hence, there was no turning back. His entire family backed the decision of going completely organic, and within a short span of three years, Rohan went on to become the sole organic mango producer in the entire northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

“The interesting part here is that although the organic farm produce, which we have branded as Sure Organics, was indeed ranking in revenue 3-4 times higher than before, what truly opened up our eyes to the massive scope and prospects of organic farming was the period after we received the certification. In a matter of two months, not only has our returns shot up multi-fold, even our overall productivity has increased by 40 per cent after converting to organic farming!” says a happy Rohan.

You would be surprised to know the variety of mangoes he produces. From chaunsa and langra, his farm produces a myriad array of mangoes, including the famous dussheri, safeda and gulab jamun.

Not Just Mangoes, Rohan Prakash’s Farm Produces A Variety Of Fruits

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Freshly Harvested Lychees

Rohan might be upheld as the sole organic mango producer in Uttar Pradesh, but his farm produces a variety of other organic fruits as well. The range includes lychee and turmeric. And since these fruits are predominantly seasonal goodies, Rohan has ventured into the terrain of paddy farming alongside growing guavas and peaches in order to have a round-the-year crop cycle.

A chirpy Rohan was seen adding, “We had planted the peach and guava plants some time back. These are already gearing up for fruition, and we hope by December, these fruits too shall find as much popularity as our mangoes and lychees have so far!”

Sure Organics: The Father-Son Duo Has Ventured Into Manufacturing Organic Fertilizers

Rohan With His Father

While organic farming is definitely a credible way to give back to the society, Rohan and his father knew this was not enough to usher in a credible change. They had to put another step forward, and this came by employing 15-20 people in their own farm. These people were from the downtrodden families of their own village – and they are trained and given jobs in various sectors of farming – from harvesting and processing to directly indulging in farm work, packaging and also transportation of the products.

Another commendable step that they have taken to spread the goodwill of organic fertilizers is to manufacture organic pesticides and bio-fertilizers at their own farm. Their venture – Sure Organics – sells these manufactured products mostly to the local farmers at reasonable prices.

At present, their venture caters to various organic circles across the Indian capital, and such is the goodwill that sometimes – during the season – they cannot fulfil the demands from their clients. Undoubtedly, Rohan wishes to change this scenario and take their farming practice and Sure Organics to an international level. Rohan also wishes to increase the output and better the quality of the output of his own farm and start exporting fruits to other countries.

This youngster’s zeal to better the agricultural scenario of the country comes as a vivacious change indeed. After all, in this age of commercialization and industrialization, young Indians tend to side with the technology bit, forgetting about agriculture, which still attributes to a major portion of the Indian economy. Even those youths, who do wish to bring about a change in the society, seldom think or care about the agricultural aspect of our nation. Hope this story motivates many youths, who have been thinking about following their desires to bring about a change in the Indian society and economy.