Naveen Perla, a graduate from Indian Institute of Management-Kolkata, and Sudheer Vajrapu, an engineering graduate from BITS Pilani (Hyderabad), who have made this possible.
Following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent work-from-home method adopted by their companies headquartered in Mumbai, Naveen and Sudheer had to stay put in Vizianagaram.
Although they did not know each other previously, they met in a conference and exchanged views on various issues, including agriculture. As they discovered a shared vision in agriculture, they decided to go for it.With little knowledge in farming, the task was certainly challenging for them.
But help came from Sudheer’s family members, who were into food processing business. With their guidance and moral support, Naveen and Sudheer took 25 acres of land on lease near Korukonda on the outskirts of Vizianagaram.
With suggestions from agriculture experts and retired horticulture officers, they adopted best practices in plots bifurcation, fertigation, drip irrigation, and mulching, and developed a food forest by growing several varieties of vegetables, fruits, and commercial crops, which included turmeric that is normally cultivated in the hilly areas.
As a majority of the crops came to yield in 45 to 60 days, they could taste their initial success in no time. The yield of watermelon, muskmelon, guava, papaya, and banana was so good.
The duo could achieve a turnover of about ₹40 lakh, besides providing direct and indirect employment to 1,200 people from the nearby villages.
Source- The Hindu
