C.R. Radhakrishna of Kuratahalli in Chintamani taluk went against the trend of joining the government service back in 1978, and instead chose to be a farmer by completing his graduation in agriculture.
Today, his college-mates may be joint directors in the government, but Mr. Radhakrishina does not regret his move. Because, what they may earn in a month, he makes in a day.
Mr. Radhakrishna earns Rs. 60,000 a day from poultry farming alone. This is in addition to the income from various crops being grown on his 50-acre integrated farm, which he jointly owns with three brothers.
ADVERTISEMENT
This innovative farmer, who was honoured with the best district-level farmer award by the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore on the final day of its Krishi Mela on Friday, goes by the thumb rule of not putting all his eggs in one basket. He knows it is too risky if he sticks to mono-cropping method in a parched district like Chickballapur. So he grows a variety of crops and has also set up a modern poultry unit at his farm.
He has entered into a contract with a hatchery for producing eggs, with the hens and feed provided by it. In return, he gets Rs. 2 an egg; and he supplies an average of 30,000 eggs a day to the hatchery.
He is also into dairy farming, with 25 cows which produce 200 litres of milk a day; and rears 400 sheep. He also grows fruits including mango, sapota, guava, gooseberry, Indian blackberry and tamarind.
ADVERTISEMENT
For the best utilisation of rainwater, he has dug several percolation pits. He is also deeply concerned with farm youth migrating to cities in search of menial jobs, leaving behind their aged parents to fend for themselves. “You can hardly see any youth in my village. If the government does not take measures to bring back the farm youth to villages, agriculture will face a serious crisis,” he warns.
ParticipationThe Krishi Mela organised by the UAS-B came to an end on Friday. Several farmers were seen demanding that it should be extended to five days. This year, the event was cut down as the number of districts coming under its fold reduced from 17 to 10.