A humble attempt bears fruit  

KOCHI: Thiruvananthapuram native Binukumar K is a familiar face to many who live near the Sreekanteswaram temple. He is usually seen in the vicinity during mornings selling fresh vegetables from his farm. Binukumar left carpentry four years ago and took up agriculture to make a better living. Now, he supplies fresh vegetables to many families in the city and is determined to provide chemical-free produce to all.

A typical day for Binukumar starts early at 5.30am when he reaches the temple vicinity with his wares in his autorickshaw. He wraps up the day’s sale by 9.30am or 10am everyday. “Carpentry didn’t give me enough satisfaction. Now, I’m doing what I love and I am happy to be able to serve people. The vegetables I sell are procured from my farm and from other farmers living nearby,” says Binukumar.

After his morning business, he is back at his farm by noon. All the veggies are plucked and packed for the next sale by the end of the day. Binukumar cultivates in 38 cents of land he has taken on lease to grow spinach, bitter gourd, beans and ivy gourd, to name a few. 

During the lockdown, Binukumar came to the aid of the needy. “A lot of people weren’t able to get out of their homes to buy vegetables and other essentials. So I went around many residential areas to sell veggies at the doorstep. Also, there were many who contacted me and placed orders. I made sure to deliver them immediately. I am happy I could help people during the crisis,” he adds. 

It was his regular customers at Sreekanteswaram who helped Binukumar turn his humble attempt into a successful business. “Customers increased due to word of mouth publicity. I interact with them to get their feedback on the quality of vegetables. Earlier I used a scooter to transport the produce to the market. However, eight months back, I ungraded to an autorickshaw to transport  larger quantity of vegetables for sale,” says Binukumar.