Alappuzha: When a group of employment guarantee workers were asked to clear bushes from a barren land at Venmony Panchayat in Alappuzha, they went a step ahead and thought of cultivating carrots. It didn't sound like a plausible idea to grow a cool season crop usually grown in high ranges in a place like Alappuzha. On October 8, Subhadramma, secretary of the group, led the harvest of 20 kg of carrots, much to the surprise and amazement of naysayers. This was the first time anyone had successfully undertaken carrot farming in the panchayat.

“There are 15 members in our group. We were tasked by the panchayat to clear out the bushes from this particular area of the panchayat. When we did it, I had this notion - why not do some farming? So, five of us got together and started with common vegetables like eggplants, spinach and green chillies. When they became successful, I thought, why not try our hand at carrot farming,” says Subhadramma.

On June 15, the first batch of saplings brought from Kottayam with the help of members of the Community Development Society (CDS) was planted on 0.5 acres of the 10-acre land. It was a huge success, generating for the team three times their initial investment in profits.

“Our farming methods are 100 per cent organic. We do not use any chemical fertilizers. The biggest threat to our farm products is the wild boars which can destroy whole produce, but we had taken adequate precautions by erecting a strong fence. We also received great support from the panchayat and the agriculture office,” Subhadramma says.

This is not the first time Subhadramma and her team have tasted success in farming. Already their eggplant and spinach farming have turned out to be a huge success. The harvesting of the green chillies is still going on. The team has also farmed peanuts which gave them an excellent harvest this season. In addition to vegetables, Subhadramma and the team had tried flower farming during the Onam time which handed them a net profit of Rs 15,000.

This success has inspired Subhadramma to take up the next challenge - beetroot. “Next, we aim to do beetroot farming. Just like carrots, beetroots are also not farmed here usually and yet are very popular among the people. Hopefully, it will bring us bigger success and profits than the carrots,” says Subhadramma.