ALAPPUZHA: The pandemic helped reignite the passion for farming, especially among youngsters. Many have adopted it as their main source of income and are generating large quantities of various vegetables. But the marketing of the produce has proved challenging. S P Sujith, a 35-year-old from Kanjikuzhi, Cherthala, is taking the help of technology to sell his agriculture products.
He has been branding and selling his output with a QR code to inform users about the methods used and conditions in which the vegetable was grown. Kanjikuzhi panchayat is a laboratory for organic cultivation in Kerala.
I took up farming in 2014 after abandoning private-sector jobs, says Sujith. “Early on, I grew peas, spinach and other local varieties of vegetables. I then moved to carrots, potato, cabbage, red onion, watermelon, and other items. Identifying the market is a big challenge for farmers.
I have experimented with multiple methods and QR codes are something new I have adopted. If the user scans the code, they can understand everything about the product. The seed used, method of farming, manure and pesticides used for cultivation, videos of the farm, almost everything can be viewed on their mobiles. I only produce organic vegetables on my farms,” Sujith said.
He has been cultivating more than 15 acres of leased land in the Kanjikuzhi, Thanneermukkom and Cherthala South panchayats. Kanjikuzhi panchayat vice-president M Santhosh Kumar said Sujith is a model for youngsters.
“He has been experimenting with various farming methods and crops and has been very successful,” Santhosh said. Sujith was named the best youth farmer in 2014 by the state government.