India is a country where farmer suicides are rampant. Many of them resort to the extreme step after failing to obtain reasonable prices for their crops. A recent incident in which a farmer who received a mere Rs 1,064 for 750 kg of onion donated that amount to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund highlighted the plight of agriculturists here.
So when an IT engineer in the country decided to quit his lucrative job and a promising career to take up farming, several eyebrows were raised. Especially in view of the fact that he was paid around Rs 6.5 lakh per annum.
But Anup Patil from Maharashtra did exactly that two years ago and he earns around Rs 20 lakh from farming now. The 28-year-old farms on around 12 acres of land and employs 15 workers.
Anup had worked around four years in the IT sector before turning to tilling the land. He quit his IT job after realizing that the only inspiration was enjoying the weekend off days. The youth then headed to his apartment in Pune and spent three months there making preparations for launching a new life as farmer. He concealed the fact that he was unemployed during this period and went to meet people growing crops on the land in Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Alongside, he conducted research on agriculture as well as the market.
After this learning period, Anup headed to his native village of Nagrel in Maharashtra’s Sangli district to pursue his new passion as well as profession. By then, he had prepared a comprehensive plan for the purpose.
However, many people tried to dissuade Anup pointing out the travails and troubles faced by agriculturists in the country. But the youth was determined to go ahead with his dream and started with sugarcane, the traditional crop farmed in the area.
He applied for subsidy and used a portion of the money to build a poly house in his farm. In the poly house, he planted 7,000 saplings of coloured capsicum. Unfortunately, 1,000 of them wilted, but Anup did not lose heart. He bought another 1,000 saplings and planted them in place of the damaged ones.
Anup was the first farmer in that village to try such experiments, but his efforts bore fruit in the first year itself and he reaped a decent profit. Before planting capsicum, Anup had reached a deal with buyers regarding the price and quantity and when the harvest took place, he gave them the A-grade produce. The remaining crop of lower quality was sold in the local market.
After sugarcane and capsicum, the new gen farmer tried his hand at flower farming. However, the market crashed during harvest time and Anup suffered a loss. But again that did not deter the youth from trying out other experiments.
Chrysanthemum flower was the next crop Anup dabbled with and he earned a good profit this time. Alongside, he grew capsicum and sweet corn.
Meanwhile, the IT engineer-turned-farmer noticed that an area in his farm was water-logged always. Utilizing his alert mind, Anup decided to breed fish in the pond.
Anup is ably supported by his wife, a post-graduate, in all his ventures. “There is something to learn from everyone. Even a small-scale farmer can provide you with a useful tip. It is this thirst for knowledge that is the secret of my success,” says Anup. He feels that more educated youngsters need to step into the farming sector and tap its commercial aspects.
Anup can be contacted in the e-mail ID mail2patilanup@gmail.com