Twelve years ago, 53-year-old Regina Joseph’s life took an unexpected turn when her husband, George Francis, a hardworking pineapple farmer of Idukki in Kerala, fell severely ill due to nerve damage in his spinal cord. George, once the sole breadwinner for their family, became bedridden overnight, leaving Regina and their five daughters in a precarious financial situation.
Regina of Pullikkal House, Velliyamattom in Idukki, faced the daunting task of keeping the family afloat and was clueless about how to handle the situation. The farm, their primary source of income, was in danger of being abandoned. But Regina, driven by sheer determination to support her family and provide for her children’s future, decided to take matters into her own hands.
Armed with little more than her willpower and the knowledge she had gathered from observing her husband over the years, Regina began managing the farm herself. The initial days were tough. With no formal training in agriculture, she faced several challenges—pests, fluctuating market prices, and the physical demands of farm work.
However, Regina was undeterred. She sought advice from her husband, watched YouTube videos on farming, and gradually mastered the intricacies of pineapple farming.
Twelve years have gone by, and now Regina feels that her bold decision to take matters into her own hands saved her family from collapsing. “We will face a lot of hurdles while doing farming. But don’t give up. Through proper planning, we can make farming more profitable,” she said.
George told “Open Digest” that his wife not only kept the farm alive but turned it into a thriving business. She introduced modern farming techniques, diversified the crops, and explored new markets to sell the produce. “Under her leadership, the farm started yielding better results than ever before,” he said. Though George is bed-ridden, he helps Regina preparing the farming chart and providing the necessary inputs.
Within a few years, Regina had not only managed to stabilise the family’s finances but also expanded the operations of the farm. Apart from doing pineapple farming on 6.5 acres of land, Regina had expanded the farming activities by taking an additional 22 acres on lease.
George adds that they could become successful in farming because of proper planning. “We developed a calendar for farming. Though we primarily cultivate pineapples, we also cultivate other crops like banana, tapioca, pepper, and coffee to ensure that we can sell our products in the market round the year. We use machines wherever possible to reduce labour costs. We mandatorily insure our crops,” he added.
