Arunkumar R., a medical practitioner, is a strong advocate of organic farming and safe food. And, he practices what he preaches.
Although he took an oath to treat the ill, nowadays he also dons the hat of a farmer. The proud owner of a thriving high-tech farm at Puthanangadi in Muhamma gramapanchayat, Dr. Arunkumar, 40, raises cattle, rabbit, poultry, aquaculture, and cultivates a wide variety of fruits and vegetables all in 1.5 acres.
“Agriculture is my passion,” says Dr. Arunkumar who practices medicine at Government Ayurveda Panchakarma Hospital, Alappuzha. He ventured into the world of farming five years ago with the idea of setting up an integrated farm “producing safe to eat food”. “The realisation that what we consume contains harmful pesticides and chemicals led me to agriculture. It has helped my children become acquainted with agriculture. The State government’s Subhiksha Keralam project further strengthened my resolve,” says the doctor.
Dr. Arunkumar started with five Vechur cows and a few rabbits. His farm is now home to 2,000 quails, 850 chickens, 100 rabbits, organic vegetables, 650 plantains, and a pond full of fish. Besides, he along with his brother-in-law carries out paddy farming on 40 acres of leased land in Thanneermukkom. He sells on average 1,600 quail eggs, 500 chicken eggs, and 15 kgms of veggies per day. While vegetables are sold locally, the eggs are being procured by a big retail chain.
Help of technology
The doctor-cum-farmer largely manages to run the farm single-handedly by putting technology to good use. While he attends patients between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the hospital, the progressive farmer tends to animals and plants in the mornings and evenings. He says the integrated farming system reduces recurring expenditures. Animal wastes are being used both for biogas production and applied as organic manure for plants.
Although the farm brings him good fortunes, Dr. Arunkumar says he continues to make a living as a doctor. “Farming in an organic way and producing safe-to-at food far outweighs the economic benefits,” says Dr. Arunkumar who is supported by his wife and two children.