Vandithavalam: Young farmer Mahendran Ravishankar has proved that foreign crops could be grown in our soil too, as he reaps plump avocados from his farm near Raman Panai at Meenakshipuram, which shares border with Perumatti Krishibhavan. Mahendran, who is a mechanical engineer quit his job at a private company to pursue his passion of farming. In his six-acre coconut farm, Mahendran grows avocado as an intercrop. It was around three years ago that Mahendran brought arka supreme and arka Ravi varieties of avocados from IIHR, Bengaluru to his organic farm. 

Around one hundred saplings were planted between the coconut trees on an experimental basis. Now, those plants have begun bearing fruits. Mahendran chose avocado for intercropping mainly due to its incredible nutritional quality and shortage of availability. He was able to reap the first fruits within three years itself. Mahendran says that he could produce avocados on a commercial basis within five years. 

Mahendran is confident that nutrient rich avocados would soon reach our market. However, he chose avocados as an intercrop, focussing mainly on the foreign markets. He also grows coconut, palm, pepper, nutmeg, teak and lemon in the six acres land. Meanwhile, he has also installed a small unit that produces organic manure. Mahendran Ravishankar is a member of the SHM, BPKP and CHM projects by Krishibhavan.