27-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Belarani rebuilds life, one crop at a time
JAGATSINGHPUR: When it comes to turning adversity into opportunity, villagers of Nalabehdi in Jagatsinghpur district look up to Belarani Pradhan. Twenty-six years back, circumstances forced her to take up farming as a livelihood but today, she has become an example of determination for many.
Belarani not just grows vegetables but is also into prawn and dairy farming, all by herself. Erasama was one of the worst affected in the Super Cyclone of 1999. At Nalabehdi, which comes under the block, many people were killed and several families rendered homeless. Belarani, who was 31 then, also lost her farmer husband, two sons and a daughter to the disaster. Though help poured in for those affected through NGOs and government agencies, it was temporary.
The tragedy, however, did not break Belarani's spirits and she wanted to rebuild her life for the sake of her second daughter who survived. With some basic knowledge about farming that she had gained from watching her husband work before the Super Cyclone, Belarani decided to grow vegetables organically on her 1.5 acre of ancestral land. She sold the produce in local markets at Olara and Gadabishnupur and owing to the good quality of vegetables she grew, vendors also began procuring them directly from her doorsteps.
