Kolar: Hailing from Gollahalli village, Mulabagilu Taluk, H. Naresh has become a shining example of success in agriculture after leaving his career as a lecturer in schools and colleges in Bangalore. Realizing the challenges of making a living with low lecturer salaries, Naresh decided to pursue his passion for farming and has since become an inspiration for youth looking to find success in this field.
Naresh’s approach involves growing multiple crops simultaneously on his four-acre farm rather than relying on a single crop. By diversifying his crops, he can mitigate the risk of losing out on one crop while still making profits from others. Currently, he cultivates tomatoes on one acre and chickpeas, chillies, beans, alasande (cowpeas), coriander, sevanti flowers, and other crops on the remaining three acres. This year alone, Naresh has earned approximately ₹15 lakh from his agricultural endeavors.
One factor contributing to Naresh’s success is the favorable market prices he has received for various crops over the past year. Chillies, coriander, beans, and alasande have fetched good prices consistently during this period resulting in profits of ₹8 lakh. Additionally, the harvest season for sevanti flowers is underway, and with expectations of high market demand, this crop is also expected to bring a good profit.
Furthermore, tomatoes have been another lucrative venture for Naresh this year. He planted eight thousand tomato seedlings which have yielded bumper production. A 15 kg box of tomatoes is currently being sold at ₹700 to ₹900 in the market. Naresh anticipates earning ₹10 lakh from this particular crop.
In addition to agriculture, Naresh has diversified his income by engaging in dairy farming. He currently milks 30 liters of milk per day, selling it to local dairies. Through this initiative and growing greens and vegetables for his home consumption in a small space, Naresh earns a good income that supports his livelihood.
Naresh believes that diversification is crucial for farmers’ financial stability. While many farmers incur heavy debts due to losses associated with monocropping, a diversified approach ensures that they can benefit from at least one of their cultivated crops. His story serves as motivation for other farmers looking to reach new heights in agriculture and encourages youth to consider it as a viable career option.
H. Gollahalli farmer, H. Naresh, enthused, “I believe that through diversified agriculture, farmers can prosper and overcome financial challenges. They just need to be open-minded towards new approaches.