Family uses Covid lockdown as boon, grows ‘organic’ mangoes

Gorakhpur: A look at the mango trees in an orchard in Gorakhpur leaves one puzzled whether the ripening fruits are also in fear of coronavirus pandemic. On getting closer, however, it turns out that the mangoes are covered with biodegradable bags to save them from birds and not using insecticides to ensure the fruits are ‘organic’.
The orchard owners Anita Mertia and her son Utsav have started organic farming apart from their other businesses.
“We had ample time when mango flowers started blooming during lockdown and thought of ways of saving them without spraying insecticides. So, we came up with the idea of covering the fruits when they were very small with biodegradable bags. The mangoes have been growing and we didn’t lose any to insects or birds and saved the money on insecticides,” Utsav told TOI.
“Besides saving our mangoes from squirrels, monkeys and insects in this way, we also planted Tulsi and marigold plants in the orchard to save them from harmful insects and attract good insects for pollination,” he added.
25 years ago, Anita planted around 200 mango and litchi trees in her colony New Chandragupt Nagar at Betiahata area of Gorakhpur.
“My family was in agriculture. When I came to live in this colony after marriage, there were hardly any trees here. I planted 200 saplings of mango and litchi in front of all houses in the colony as I wanted a good environment in my neighbourhood. Now, almost 50 trees are giving fruits,” said Anita, who lost her husband in the year 2000, but didn’t lose hope and carried forward his business besides starting many others like organic farming.