Kasaragod: Shailesh Krishan, who started his own farm with 50 buffalo calves on two acres at Devanpodichipara here, never aspired to be like ‘Ballari Raja’, the successful buffalo trader character played by actor Mammootty in the popular Malayalam movie 'Rajamanikyam'. 

Having abandoned his dream of becoming a Chartered Accountant (CA) after graduation, Shailesh placed all his hopes on his buffalo farm. Interestingly, he has found success, generating good returns from his venture.

His farm, named Bekkal Livestock Market, is located just 1 km away from the National Highway stretch of Battathur. The farm primarily focuses on the sale of ‘Murrah’ breed of buffalo from Haryana. The sales later expanded to the Malappuram district as well.

The turning point in Shailesh's life was meeting Ihalamuddin, the owner of Aden Goat Farm, while he was preparing for his CA course at Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram. The duo decided to start a partnership business, leading Shailesh to head to Rajasthan. Later, he began a branch of Aden Goat Farm at Periya here, bringing in hybrid goat breeds like the Punjab Beetal and Jamnapari. As the business flourished during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, he planned to expand.

Shailesh learned about the 'Murrah' breed through his business connections in Rajasthan. He discovered the opportunities in bringing and selling this easy-to-handle breed in Kasaragod, which grows in size within a short period. Thus, he switched from goat farming to buffalo farming in 2022. This farm, which started with 50 calves, now brings in twice that number each month for sale.

Most orders are received via phone. People who previously had to buy calves at high prices admire the method followed by Shailesh. The sales from the farm are calculated at Rs 160 per kilogram. 

One-year-old calves weigh between 150-200 kilograms. With good care, their weight can exceed 400 kilograms within a year.

Selling them in season yields a good income. The calves do not stay long at the farm and are sold within days. 

Shailesh has another farm in Pushkar, Rajasthan, where calves from Haryana are brought and fostered for sale. The workers there are Bengalis, while the farm in Kerala is cared for by a Nepali couple, Arjun and Katrina.