Kerala Farmer Showcases Record-Breaking Tubers at Mangaluru Exhibition

Reji Joseph, a Guinness World Record-holding farmer and cable operator from Ranny, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, wowed attendees at the ‘Kanda Moola’ interstate exhibition held at Sanghaniketan, Mangaluru. The two-day event, which began on Friday, featured an impressive array of tubers, leafy vegetables, and unique agricultural marvels.

Joseph, renowned for his exceptional farming feats, holds a Guinness World Record for cultivating a taro leaf measuring 114.2 cm in length and 96 cm in width. He also features in the Limca Book of Records for remarkable achievements, including a 95-inch-tall Gajendra variety elephant foot yam, a 2.1-meter-tall taro, and a 72.4 cm-long okra pod. Among his other milestones are a 5 kg Dioscorea esculenta and an 18.4 kg turmeric harvest from a single plant.

For Joseph, cultivating tubers began as a stress-relieving hobby 24 years ago alongside his cable operation business. Today, his four-acre organic farm dedicates 1.5 acres to tuber cultivation, nurturing around 250 meticulously tagged and documented varieties, including 100 Dioscorea types. His collection, some sourced from Kerala’s ‘Tuber Man’ Shaji NM and ICAR institutes, supports biodiversity and inspires conservation.

Highlights of his farm include purple-hued Dioscorea varieties, recently tested for use as a natural bakery coloring agent. Joseph has also distributed 3,000 stem cuttings of a local tuber variety that can be stored for a year when sun-dried.

The organic farmer relies on cow dung, neem cake, and groundnut cake as manure and grows a short-duration turmeric variety released by the government. His planting season spans March-April, with harvesting from December to January.

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