Kothagudem: Techie turns farmer to fulfill father's dream

Kothagudem: A question by his father inspired a techie to cultivate rare and exotic dragon fruit. What started as a part time work last year, has become his main interest. Techie, Mohammad Abdul Maqbool, a postgraduate in M Sc (IT), is working as project manager in Jakarta of Indonesia since 2011. He returned India in December 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic and is working from home at his native village Sarapaka of Burgampahad mandal in Kothagudem district.

While working from home, Maqbool thought of doing something worthwhile in agriculture field as his father, a retired ITC employee Mohammed Mazeed owned 13 acres at Sanjeeva Reddy Palem village in the mandal.

Instead of taking up conventional crops, the techie decided to raise an organic dragon fruit orchard in two acres of land. There is a reason for his decision to cultivate dragon fruit.

In Maqbool's words, 'Once my parents visited Indonesia and tasted dragon fruit at a restaurant. They loved it's taste. My father asked why farmers didn't cultivate these types of fruits in our district, which is very health to people.' 'That is the reason I took up dragon fruit cultivation,' he said.

Maqbool searched for the details of dragon fruit cultivation online and almost researched on this. He enquired with the farmers of different States about the process of the cultivation and other details. Then he decided to take up the cultivation first in two acres of his land and started in December 2020.

Maqbool said that after returning to his native village, thought of doing something useful during free time. Then he observed various cultivations in India and met number of farmers and researched on various crops. Remembering his father's like on dragon fruit, he took up this fruit cultivation in two acres in Sarapaka.

The techie said first they tested the soil in the field and the test report was positive. Around 3,500 saplings, procured from Andhra Pradesh and Kutch in Gujarat, were planted in two acres employing a modern Wire Trellis system, he explained. He set up solar power system in the land by investing Rs 2 lakh and set up water source. So far, about Rs 14 lakh has been invested on this project, he informed.

Maqbool said that Wire Trellis system will ensure proper oxygen supply to the crop and he may get a high yield of 10 to 15 tonnes from third year onwards. The crop gives yield for 20 years, he added.

Despite being a techie with good salary and luxuries, Maqbool turned farmer and became a model farmer of Dragon fruit cultivation in Burgumpahad.