The Sweet Reward of Hard Work
Farmer Dhaneshwar explains that he had planted lemon, chili, bamboo and several other kinds of trees and plants in and around his home, but his biggest earnings come from selling jackfruit, lemon and mango. During this summer season, his daily income reaches up to ₹1500. According to him, the greatest benefit has been that the teak-wood furniture which costs nothing less than a lakh rupees in the market was made for him completely free, straight from his own trees.
Daily Earnings from Jackfruit and Mango
Dhaneshwar says that at present he comfortably sells up to 20 kg of jackfruit every day. Its market price goes up to ₹50, which means jackfruit alone brings in ₹1000. In addition, he has mango trees from which he sells 20 kg of mangoes daily. Raw mango fetches up to ₹30 per kilo.
The mango sales add another ₹600 or so, so you can imagine that his daily earnings easily touch ₹1600. On top of this, lemon comfortably brings in around ₹100, and chili and coriander are a story of their own. The farmer says the hard work he put in 16 years ago is now bearing fruit.
Why Fruit-Bearing Trees Matter
This is why he advises his own children too — if you plant a tree, plant one that bears fruit. Today's children prefer to plant ornamental show plants, but he believes show plants serve no real purpose; one must plant fruit-bearing trees. One key reason is that fruit-bearing trees have a much greater ability to hold and conserve water underground.
As a result, there is no shortage of water even during the summer. Moreover, all these trees act as a natural canopy over his courtyard. His home never needs an AC or a cooler, because so many trees surround his courtyard from every side.
For this very reason, he comes to the courtyard in the afternoon and sleeps comfortably, and even the coolness of an AC pales before it. Dhaneshwar says he is still planting new trees continuously and makes it a point to plant 5 trees of mango, lychee and jackfruit every year. He also appeals to the coming generation to plant plenty of trees in their own homes and courtyards.
