Udayakumar K.P. at his farm at Mahadevikadu in Alappuzha.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Fifteen years ago, carpenter Udayakumar K.P.’s life took a drastic turn when a freak workplace accident robbed him of sight in his right eye. Undeterred by the setback, Mr. Udayakumar from Mahadevikadu, near Haripad, in Alappuzha shifted his focus to agriculture, where he found solace and immense success.
Today, he is a thriving organic farmer, growing a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and flowers on 2.5 acres. He also operates an aquaculture farm spread across two acres and runs an eco-shop. His farming venture earns him an average income of over ₹1 lakh per month, proving that determination and resilience can turn setbacks into success stories.
“My career as a woodworker came to an abrupt end when a piece of wood struck my right eye while working on a wood planer. It left me visually impaired and changed my life forever. I decided to follow in the footsteps of my father and ventured into agriculture. After tough initial years, I started tasting success. Agriculture has helped me overcome setbacks in life,” says Mr. Udayakumar, 58.
His farm produces chemical-free veggies and fruits, including spinach, brinjal, green chilly, tomato, bitter gourd, snake gourd, cucumber, peanut and so on. As the farmland is surrounded by water, he makes better use of the space by planting snake gourd and bitter gourd plants on the shore and growing them on a trellis over the waterlogged area. Peanuts are grown in grow bags placed on a footbridge constructed over the fish farm, which is stocked with pearl spots.
Nowadays, on average, his farm produces over 50 kg of vegetables daily during peak periods. In addition, he produces around 30,000 seedlings of eight different vegetables per month and sells them through his eco-shop. The farmer also produces organic fertiliser under the brand name ‘Katturumbu’, which he sells at ₹10 per kg.
Organic farming
Mr. Udayakumar says he turned to fully organic farming after his son was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy a few years ago. “I want to provide chemical-free food to my son and as many people as possible in the region,” he says.
He has won numerous accolades over the years, including a prize instituted by the Agriculture department for vegetable farmers a couple of years ago.
Published – October 24, 2024 06:22 pm IST