HATALAGERI (GADAG) : Three youth from Hatalageri in Gadag district have turned an abandoned stone quarry in their village into an exotic pearl farm. Prince Veer, Krishna Jalammanavar and Veeresh Hiremath, MBA graduates, who were working in Bengaluru, had to return home when Covid swept the country in 2020. But they never imagined this was a blessing in disguise for them.
The jobless trio, who thought of starting a small business, bounce off different ideas among themselves, sitting at an abandoned quarry. At the very same quarry that was filled with water, they hit upon the idea of pearl farming.
Despite opposition from their families and friends, they ventured into the business. In 2021, they invested Rs 6 lakh and earned Rs 15 lakh. Last year, they invested Rs 40 lakh and earned Rs 70 lakh. Seeing their success, 23 more youth from Gadag and surrounding places joined them. Stone quarrying was stopped 18 years ago when the quarry got filled with rainwater. The 55-foot deep quarry has been brimming with water since then. Rich minerals in the quarry water help oyster mussels grow fast.
Veer, who was an actor and anchor, went to Bengaluru after his graduation and got small roles in 15 Kannada films. He also tried his luck in television. But the pandemic dashed all his hopes and dreams of pursuing a career in acting. When back-to-back lockdowns were announced, he returned home. His friends Krishna and Veeresh were already back in the village by then.
“Pearl farming is new to South India. It is popular in West Bengal for natural reasons. After learning that the abandoned quarry in our village is ideal for pearl farming, we launched our venture. We rented the quarry land for Rs 1 lakh per year from its owner,” Veer said.
The trio contacted a pearl farming company in West Bengal, which promised them to supply mussels and buy pearls later. In 2021, they invested Rs 6 lakh (each Rs 2 lakh) and brought 18,000 mussels. Experts from the company came to Hatalageri and taught them the nuances of pearl farming, including implanting techniques. After two years of struggle, they earned Rs 15 lakh.
With their venture becoming popular, some locals invested Rs 40 lakh. The trio earned Rs 70 lakh from the second harvest. Twenty-three more investors joined them a few months ago. This year, they released 1.30 lakh oyster mussels worth Rs 75 lakh into their “quarry lake” and are expecting Rs 1.50 crore.
Krishna Jalammanavar said, “We spend Rs 60 on a mussel and the company buys it back for Rs 230. However, we can’t always count on profits. There is a risk of making losses if diseases affect the mussels.”
