Taking agriculture to a whole new level, Abdul Razak Kallarakkal, a man very much passionate about farming, has set up a first complete automatic hi-tech farm at his native place Kappad. His ardent love for agriculture made him import automatic machines from Israel to set up the farm. Checking the condition of the machines, Abdul Razak shares his carefully-designed steps to set up the farm . “For me nothing happened all of a sudden. Luckily I have a circle of friends abroad who share the same dream and excitement of being a farmer. I did research with them on the scope of setting up an automatic hi-tech farm.” Razak set up the farm on a 12 cent plot adjacent to his home. “I believe farming transformed me a lot. I spent 22 years as a businessman in the UAE, but gradually I realised that nothing but farming can give me satisfaction and pleasure,” he says. He is hopeful and confident about farming, says his friend Sasidharan Kuniyil. “Initially , I doubted the scope of such a farm in a place like Kappad, but the possibilities he describes are more than enough for any farmer to try out the system,” he says. “At a time when labour shortage is acute in the farm sector, the system will be helpful to farmers,” says Deputy Director of State Horticulture Mission, K Mohan. Four crops can be cultivated simultaneously with the machines. Abdul Razak explains the benefits of the new system, “While we face extreme weather and soil conditions, poly house farming provides an ambience to grow vegetables in a controlled atmosphere. Ultraviolet film roofing, nets and belt keep pests away from the farm. The machine with timer will help provide water-soluble fertilisers and pesticides at the appropriate time.” Razak ensures a yield 50 times more than conventional cultivation. He shelled out Rs 8 lakh to buy machines, while 3.75 lakh was spent on setting up the structure. “The potential of such a farm is high. The technique will help save around 60 per cent of labour charge, compared to open field cultivation and the yield can be five to eight times more than in conventional cultivation,” he says.Thanking the agriculture officers who helped him, he says, “The fervent support of the officers here helped me to materialise my ambition of setting up an automatic farm.” For the venture, Razak received a subsidy of Rs 2.8 lakh from the State Horticulture Mission. “Using advanced technology in cultivation, we can bring agriculture revolution in our state,” says Razak.