He took up paddy cultivation on 20 acres on an experimental basis in 2019 to learn farming and get a feel for the life of a farmer. Four years have gone by, and now this IT professional from Mannar, Alappuzha in Kerala is a full-time paddy farmer successfully growing rice on 680 acres of paddy fields.
Yes, Sameer P, 36, a techie who owns a software company, is now totally into paddy farming in Alappuzha and Ernakulam. The fruits of success from experimental farming in 2019 gave him the confidence to evolve as a full-time paddy cultivator and make a living from it.
Sameer says that the life of a farmer is more fulfilling than the life of a software engineer. “I started my career as a software engineer in an IT firm in Saudi Arabia after completing diploma and CISCO certification. Later, I relocated to Chennai and started my own software and construction company. It’s purely accidental that I got into paddy cultivation in 2019 after taking 20 acres of paddy field on lease. It gave me a big opportunity to learn about paddy farming and realise its potential,” Sameer told “Open Digest.”
However, Sameer realised that to make paddy cultivation more sustainable and profitable, one needs to adapt more technology. “Labour and crop management are the two major aspects that consume money in paddy farming. My experience taught me that input cost involved in paddy farming can be brought down only by using technology,” he said.
Soon, Sameer started using drones for crop management, mainly for manuring the crops and pest control. He also uses machines for tilling, sowing, reaping, and threshing. “Traditional paddy cultivation is highly labour-intensive. We can make paddy cultivation profitable only if we use technology and machines,” Sameer said.
Sameer, who cultivates Pokkali and Uma rice varieties, also exports his rice brand and rice powder to the United Arab Emirates. “I really enjoy life as a farmer. The IT company is managed by a cousin as we have a long-term commitment to provide support to a few clients who are using our software. I am now planning to expand my farming venture,” Sameer said.
