It was not passion or love for farming that made 63-year-old businessman Mamukkutti from Mayanad in Kozhikode district a full-time farmer. An unexpected surgery performed on him to control his cholesterol level forced him to limit his schedules within his house. “When doctors asked me to lead a stress-free life, I found farming to be the best option,” says Mamukkutti with a wide grin. Gradually my dedication to farming gave me surprising results," he says.
Mamukutti experiences joy and contentment in his new career. He believes that farming is one of the best occupations for middle-aged men who wish to be engaged in life. He is all praise for farming as business was full of tension. “I hardly got time to be with my family. I did not even get time to refresh my body and mind. But, fortunately now everything has changed. With the commencement of farming I am close to my family," he says.
He cultivates varieties of fruits and vegetables like banana, jackfruit, beans, bittergourd, bell pepper, brinjal, tomatoes, etc. “I mainly plant beans as it is more profitable. It can be planted and cultivated at any time of the year and requires less work”, says Mamukutty, who himself does the work in his field with the support of wife Amina. A daily stride out at his farm, which covers about 75 cents of area, rejuvenates his mind and body. “I visit my farm every morning and evenings to water them. At the same time I check the progress of every plant. I select hybrid seeds for planting as it gives a better yield,” he says. In his words the best time to plant seeds is the morning hours.The newly-turned farmer who took up farming just one year ago aspires to expand his farm and experiment more with various techniques of farming which are now easily available and accessible.
“People are now more obsessed with modern techniques of farming as less physical effort is needed,” says Mamukutti.
“Though we sell our products in the market, we don't use chemical fertilisers,” says Amina. There is nothing better than natural manure like decomposed weeds and other waste materials which are easily available in our house”, she adds.
“We sell our vegetables in the nearby markets and sometimes people come to buy directly from our farm”, smiles Mamukutti. Mamukutti is also the general secretary of the C H Muhammed Koya Relief Centre and the vice-president of Muslim League North constituency.