When rubber farming turned into unprofitable because of affordable imports, Biju Narayanan of Kannur, Kerala, shifted to cultivating unique culmination like rambutan, mangosteen, and pepper. Using high-density farming and multi-level cropping, he now earns as much as Rs 15 lakh in line with acre.
Kerala is the biggest rubber manufacturer within the nation. Greater than a decade again, its rubber manufacturing began falling as growers discovered it unprofitable owing to emerging manufacturing prices and falling costs amid affordable imports from Vietnam and Indonesia.
Bordering Karnataka, Ulikkal village within the Kannur district used to be a lush panorama that used to be as soon as predominantly a rubber-growing house. Amongst thousands and thousands of rubber farmers, Biju Narayanan’s circle of relatives who cultivated rubber on one-third of the farmland, additionally misplaced their primary source of revenue supply with plummeting profitability. It turned into more expensive to provide rubber than to promote it.
The common value of manufacturing used to be round Rs 160 in line with kg and the promoting worth used to be Rs 110 in line with kg. “The charges in rubber had been dwindling as farmers may just fetch most effective Rs 100 in line with kg from rubber. A labourer may just earn extra wages day by day. It used to be now not enough for farmers,” he informs.
Biju reconsidered the rural practices and made the daring resolution to switch seven acres of his circle of relatives’s rubber bushes with quite a lot of unique culmination like rambutan, mangosteen, pepper, areca nut, coconut, cashew, and different plants. “I axed lots of the rubber bushes to check out new plantations. Folks referred to as me a madman,” laughs the revolutionary farmer.
This resolution, as soon as criticised and deemed as insanity through many, together with his personal circle of relatives, has since blossomed right into a profitable agribusiness fashion. “I knew I should end up my resolution proper as a result of my circle of relatives, neighbours, and buddies idea it used to be a loopy resolution. I took it as a problem and grew to become agriculture into agri-business,” he provides.
These days, Biju earns Rs 9 to fifteen lakh in line with acre from rambutan farming by myself. We sat down with him to know how he rewrote the standard farming script.
Maximising yield with multi-crops at the similar land
Biju is a mechanical engineer through career. Skilled at Dakshina Kannada’s KVG School of Engineering, he first of all juggled his research with managing the circle of relatives farm. At 18, when he used to be in his first 12 months of school, he misplaced his father and the accountability of the farm fell on him.
“I needed to set up each the farm and my research concurrently. That used to be the one method to set up our bills. I had no selection. I’m the eldest son of my circle of relatives and I needed to take care of my more youthful sister and mom,” he says.
After commencement, he ventured into the company international and labored for 10 years prior to returning to his roots — farming. “It used to be a bit tricky to do each jobs of managing farm paintings and company paintings. Over the time, I had misplaced hobby within the redundant paintings of company so I hand over the task to concentrate on my farm,” he says.
Turning clear of monoculture, he opted for high-density plantations and multi-crops to maximize returns from land. “I apply multi-level cropping with 4 to 5 crops of various heights. As an example, I planted coconut bushes because the outermost plantation that grows as much as 45 ft in top. Then, I planted mangosteen which can be 25 ft tall, adopted through peppers of 15 ft, bananas of 10 ft, and ginger and tapioca, which can be two to 5 ft tall,” he says.
“They get sufficient daylight because the plants are other in top. This implies we will get produce from 4 to 5 plants concurrently,” he provides. This technique guarantees environment friendly use of house, and good enough daylight for every plant, and ends up in a bustling, layered inexperienced farm.
Adopting new farming ways
Considered one of Biju’s maximum a hit ventures has been into the sector of unique fruit, particularly the Rambutan. By means of adopting high-density planting, the place he puts 100 crops in line with acre as an alternative of the traditional 50 to 60, he has noticed his yields skyrocket.
“In 2010, I planted Rambutan crops. I knew that during 5 years, I might get 40 kg of rambutan from every plant and as much as 60 kg in seven years. These days, I am getting 80 kg produce from every plant,” he stocks. Final 12 months, he harvested over 6,000 kg of rambutan in line with acre. Promoting them for Rs 250 in line with kg, he earned Rs 15 lakh in line with acre thru Rambutan farming.
He additionally highlights the monetary benefits of direct promoting and the use of social media platforms to avoid middlemen. “If I had sought lend a hand from middlemen, I might have most effective were given Rs 190 to 200 for my produce. I tapped into the ability of social media, and used Fb to get consumers,” he provides.
Sustainability is every other cornerstone of Biju’s farming apply. His means blends 80 p.c natural inputs like cow dung, cow urine, and vermicompost with 20 p.c inorganic elements, akin to potash, to make stronger the expansion of crops whilst keeping up soil well being.
Curiously, fertiliser is steadily carried out the use of foliar ways. “On this approach, fertiliser is dissolved in water to be immediately sprayed on plant leaves. This on-the-spot diet accelerates crucial nutrient uptake through crops and gets rid of not unusual nutrient deficiencies,” he says.
Biju gives a beacon of hope and a fashion for sustainability and profitability. He says he unearths profound private fulfilment on this success. “Farmers should be informed new tactics of farming to make it successful. Since I began incomes extra from my land, my lifestyles has modified fully. I by no means feel sorry about quitting my task; I think like a King,” he laughs.
Edited through Pranita Bhat; All pictures: Biju Narayanan.
Supply:
‘Affordable imports threaten one million rubber farmers’ livelihood’: By means of Himadri Ghosh for Trade Usual, Revealed on 14 January 2016.