Vasantrao Mahajan facts for kids

Vasantrao Laxman Mahajan is a skilled farmer from Chinawal village in the Maharashtra state of India. He was born around 1942. Mr. Mahajan is famous for changing how bananas are grown in the Jalgaon district. This area now grows more bananas than almost anywhere else in the world, thanks to his ideas!

About Vasantrao Mahajan

Vasantrao Mahajan was born in Chinawal village, Maharashtra, India. He studied agriculture and earned a Master's degree in the subject. He owns about 10 acres of farmland in his village.

Mr. Mahajan has three sons: Virendra, Ajay, and Yogesh. He lives with his family in Chinawal. His son Yogesh is also a farmer. Yogesh even received a special 'Nalla Vazhai' award for his work with bananas. This award came from the National Research Centre for Banana.

Revolutionizing Banana Farming

A banana farm in Chinawal village

After finishing his studies, Vasantrao Mahajan decided to become a farmer in his home village. He did not look for other jobs. Banana farming started in the Jalgaon district around 1925. For many years, farmers used old methods. These included flood irrigation and planting banana suckers. This meant a lot of water was used. The water levels in wells dropped very low, making it hard to farm.

Mr. Mahajan found new ways to farm. He used modern agriculture methods on his land. These methods helped him save water and grow more bananas. He mainly grows two types of bananas: Grand Nain and Shrimanti.

After his new methods worked well, he shared his knowledge. He held many meetings for farmers across the Jalgaon district. He taught them about high-tech ways to grow bananas. He encouraged practices like soil testing to check the soil's health. He also promoted planting tissue culture plants. These are special plants grown in labs.

He also taught farmers about drip irrigation. This method saves water by slowly dripping it onto the plants. Another method he shared was fertigation. This is when fertilizers are mixed with the water. These new ways helped control weeds and lower the cost of labor. They also made each banana plant produce much more fruit. The yield of a banana bunch went from about 15 kilograms to nearly 30 kilograms!

In June 2004, a group of agriculture officers from Kerala visited Chinawal. They were studying farming methods in the Jalgaon district. They met Vasantrao Mahajan. In their report to the Government of Kerala, they said his work with bananas was "quite amazing."

Awards and Recognition

Vasantrao Mahajan has received many awards for his important work.

• In 2003, the Government of Maharashtra gave him the Jijamata Krishi Bhushan award. This is a high honor for farmers.
• He was the Honorary Secretary of the Banana Growers Association of India.
• He also served as a Director of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee in Raver.
• In 2000, he received the 'Banana Life-Time Achievement Award' from Jain Irrigation Systems.
• In 2004, he became a member of the Management Council at the National Banana Research Centre in Tiruchirappalli.
• In 2006, he was chosen to be a member of the Extended Education Council Committee. This was at the Mahatma Phule Agriculture University in Rahuri.
• In 2011, he was elected as the Chairman of the Krishi Utpann Baajaar Samiti (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee) in Raver.