Doing cultivation in his own land and selling the self-cultivated produce to the residents of Keezhal in Vadakara taluk through a shop run by himself is not merely a lucrative affair for Meethale Madathyl Kuttikrishnan, but also a service to his fellow beings.
Driven by the philosophy 'If wealth is lost, nothing is lost; if health is lost, everything is lost,' this 45-year-old man from the lineage of an agrarian family becomes an exemplary model for others by adopting organic farming methods to grow crops on his two-and-a-half-acre land and providing the buyers with good quality produces for nearly 10 years.
"People must lay much emphasis on matters regarding their health. Health security can be ensured only through quality food habits.
Nowadays we are forced to buy adulterated items from the market. Most of us are left with no choice but to ‘purchase' diseases also along with the food products bought from the market," says the farmer.
With plenty of mangoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, bananas and other crops, the entire land premises grab the attention of passers-by.
‘This land was full of uneven rocks before I started cultivation here. People used to call it a barren land where nothing much could be grown, but with much painstaking efforts, I made this land suitable for cultivation. Now this land seems to be one of the most fertile lands in Keezhal village," says Kuttikrishnan.
A small pond situated in the remote corner of his land plays a pivotal role in Kuttikrishnan's farming with its perennial source of water. "Even in summer, there is abundant water in this pond. The nearby residents too depend on the water in this pond for agricultural purposes as their wells and ponds seem to dry up with the onset of summer," he says.
In 2003, Villyapalli panchayat honoured him by conferring him with an award for the best agriculturist.
Apart from being an agriculturist, Kuttikrishnan holds various positions such as the administrative committee member of the Keezhal Milk Production Co-operative Unit and the unit secretary of Keezhal Farmers Association.