Truly a trailblazer

January 19, 2015 12:00 am | Updated June 27, 2015 04:26 pm IST - ARMOOR (NIZAMABAD DT.):

Bantu Atreya in his gerbera farm at Govindpet of Armoor mandal.– Photo: K.V. Ramana

Bantu Atreya in his gerbera farm at Govindpet of Armoor mandal.– Photo: K.V. Ramana

Born in a middle class agricultural family in Govindpet village of Armoor mandal, this 26-year-old software engineer, Bantu Atreya, could not continue in his profession in Melbourne, Australia though it was fetching him a six-digit salary per month. He had set his heart on coming back to his native village to pursue agriculture using modern methods.

“Agriculture is dearest to my heart. I want to show that it’s a profitable and noble profession. There is no rule that an educated person should not do farming. I am comfortable with my occupation and have no regrets,” says Mr. Atreya, who did his MS in Computer Science Engineering in Melbourne in 2011 after completing B.Tech in Raja Rajendra College of Engineering, Hyderabad. Thereupon, he settled as a software and computer science engineer in Australia and continued for two years. However, he was not too happy as he felt that there was something missing. Having decided to take up agriculture on his 19 acres of land owned by his family, he came back lock, stock and barrel in 2013.

When he shared his idea with his parents – Rajanna and Anjavva – and his two elder brothers, who are also software engineers, he got an affirmative ‘no’ to his plan. In spite of initial non-cooperation in the family, he wanted to go ahead with his plan and began working towards the same. His friends, peer group and youth in the village were taken aback when he started going to his farm. .

Being educated, he found it easy to learn modern methods in farming and got closer access to the firms providing farm technology and various supporting schemes available through the government. He experimentally began gerbera (a cut flower used in decoration) cultivation on a half-acre plot of land in a poly house also known as greenhouse, besides sowing maize, soyabean, sorghum and paddy in the rest of the land.

His parents slowly relented and now are extending support to his idea. “I am happy with the crop as I have cut the flowers twice. Eight varieties of flower saplings were transplanted and they have grown well. I want to do integrated farming with poultry, dairy and vegetable cultivation in future,” he says.

Software engineer Bantu Atreya left his high-paying job in Australia to take up farming in his native village

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