KOCHI: While most farmers in the state endure a life of debt, penury and exploitation, here is a farmer who says he has earned everything in life through agriculture. P A Varghese, a resident of Alangad panchayat, owns only one and a half acres but cultivates a variety of crops on leased land.
A dazzling purple canopy covers the driveway leading to Varghese’s house. He has planted Petrea volubilis, commonly known as purple wreath, a vine with striking clusters of vibrant flowers that bloom all year round on either side of the driveway.
“It was a friend in Bengaluru who gifted me this plant. It grows to a height of nine metres and the stunning flowers attract visitors to my house every day. After a YouTube video went viral, people thronged my house, asking for saplings. Initially, I sold saplings at a rate of Rs 400 but the rate has now come down. I have made more than Rs 5 lakh selling the saplings of this plant.”
Born into a farmer’s family, Varghese started cultivating pottu vellari or blonde cucumber around 28 years ago. “At the time, the retail price of pottu vellari was Rs 8 per kg. There was demand for the vegetable as only two farmers cultivated it in our panchayat. Now, there are 200 farmers cultivating pottu vellari in Alangad panchayat and the vegetable costs Rs 45 per kg,” he says.
Over the years, Varghese has cultivated paddy and vegetables on leased land. “I built a two-storied house and met the educational expenses of my two children with the income from farming. My son now works as a chef in Dubai and daughter is an assistant professor with the Sree Sankara College, Kalady,” he said.
Varghese also started cultivating sugarcane last year. “The crop is ready for harvest and the Alangad Cooperative Society has quoted Rs 8 per kg. Alangad was known for sugarcane farming in my childhood but people migrated to paddy cultivation around 40 years ago. Now, we are returning to sugarcane cultivation as most of the farmers here have suffered huge losses with paddy farming,” he said.