MARGAO: Having realised the importance of sustainable living during Lockdown 1.0, two young entrepreneurs from Salcete have taken to agriculture, and scripted success stories within a short time.
Significantly, both these agripreneurs were remotely connected with agriculture before the lockdown.
Nitin Naik from Seraulim, who was working in Kuwait for the preceding 10 years, returned to Goa in February 2020 on his annual vacation.
The extended nation-wide lockdown that followed cost him his job.
Loss of livelihood forced him to explore other options and ultimately, he decided to make his living from the agricultural land he had inherited that was lying barren for the last 30 years.
Naik is thankful to the agriculture department for providing him with the right guidance and technical inputs that has turned him into a successful first-generation organic farmer.
“There were many hurdles, but with the help and support of my family and the zonal agriculture office, Margao, I took up organic farming.
The first challenge I faced was choosing the right type of farming.
I opted for cultivation of vegetables and pulses.
The next challenge was to grow the veggies organically.
With no usage of chemical fertilisers, the yield gets comparatively less, which I learnt from hands-on experience, but I persevered and succeeded,” Naik told TOI.
Naik grows lady’s fingers, brinjals, watermelons, green chillies, moong, cow peas, etc.
Though he is yet to break even, he says the pleasure he derives from “sustainable farming” is immense.
“It’s a great feeling to know that my efforts go into providing a healthy product to the society.” Orlim resident Keith Gracias took to organic farming after he suddenly found himself jobless after the multinational firm he was employed with closed down the branch in mid-2020.
“I had a piece of ancestral agricultural land, and I started with paddy farming in July 2020, but soon decided to try out other agro avenues.
I happened to read about Cassava, a tuber, did some research and spoke to an exporter who was into exporting this product to the Netherlands,” Gracias said.
In October 2020, Gracias, with technical guidance from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), began Cassava cultivation.
The 6,000 plants of Cassava he cultivated yielded a harvest of 2-3 tonnes, which was processed for export.
The next harvest will be ready by June-end, he said.
Gracias has also grown nutmeg and areca plants in his farm, and plans to go in for integrated farming, a piggery being his next project.
“I may not have started earning as much as I would in my previous job, but it definitely is a great feeling to be your own boss.
Long-term profitability is guaranteed here,” he said, his voice brimming with optimism.