Palakkad: Pattanchery native P G Joshy, a building contractor, decided to help his father with paddy farming five years ago. But now he is a successful farmer with different varieties of farming ventures in 6-acre land.
Joshy started working as a contractor after completing draughtsman course. He continued in the industry in Kerala and Tamil Nadu for about 20 years. Later, he returned to Kerala as his father could not manage their 4-acre paddy field due to age related ailments.
Thus he quit contractor work to concentrate on paddy farming. But he could not make profit and started growing other crops. He opened the first dairy farm with 18 cows. However, he could not continue it due to shortage of workers. He learnt about farming methods from internet and launched other ventures.
Manila Tennis cherry from Bolivia, Jabuticaba from Brazil and other different varieties of foreign fruits are grown on Joshy’s orchard. Even the plants he grew on trial basis started bearing fruits. He has displayed the names of the plants on boards to identify them.
Apart from this, Joshy also manages biofloc fish farming, chicken, duck and mushroom farming. He said that Rs 2.5 lakh can be earned annually from biofloc fish farm in 2-cent plot. He is growing tilapia fish in 2 units. Joshy rears 300 black chicken, country chicken and 40 ducks in open space. One black chicken is sold for Rs 850. He also produces hatchlings using incubator.
A special shed has been arranged for mushroom farming. About 60 kilograms of mushroom is produced a month. He sells mushroom directly and in powder form and pickled mushroom, and earns upto Rs 10,000 once in 2 months.
Besides, Joshy cultivates assola for feeding chicken and fish and two vermicompost units to produce organic fertilizer for farms. The remaining fertilizer is sold for Rs 20 per kilogram. Joshy’s father P K Gopalan, mother Jayalakshmi, wife Shubha and son Abhijith also support him in the farming venture.
