Having worked close to a decade for several Pune-based automobile majors, and now running a plant nursery that fetches him up to Rs 50 lakhs annually, Kakasaheb Sawant has come a long way.

“When I planted mangoes a decade ago, people laughed at me because they thought mangoes could only be grown in the Konkan, famous for its Hapus (Alphonso),” informs Sawant (43), dressed in a full-sleeved white shirt and dark trousers.

Sawant’s family, which includes his two primary school teacher brothers, own 20 acres of land in Antral village in Jat Taluka of Sangli district, Maharashtra. This is also a drought-prone region.

The village is home to over 280 families and is 15 km from the Jat town. Gifted with fertile black soil, the taluka comprises 125 villages and receives close to 570mm of rainfall. Their farming activities are at the mercy of nature’s vagaries, which locals term ‘hangami sheti’.

Farmers here either grow grapes or pomegranates and consider mangoes a ‘novelty’ and ‘exotic’. The preferred crops are bajra (pearl millet), maize, jowar (sorghum), wheat and pulses.

“Earlier, I worked as a faculty member for a technical institute at Sangli. When I was transferred, I decided to return to my village and take care of the family’s farmlands,” says Sawant, an automobile mechanic holding an Industrial Training Institute diploma.

He adds, “I have not regretted my decision as I earn much more today. I........

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