Rajesh K.G. and his neighbour Renjith Das from Kadakkarappally in Alappuzha quit their cushy jobs as production manager in an IT company at Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, and marketing manager in an international building material manufacturing company around the same time in 2017 to return to their farming roots.
They switched their financially rewarding jobs to pursue vegetable farming after nine people in their locality died of cancer within a short period. In less than a year, the duo expanded veggie cultivation from 50 cents to four acres and started selling 18 pesticide-free vegetable varieties under the ‘Eat It Safe’ brand name after testing the samples at the Pesticide Residue Research and Analytical Laboratory, Thiruvananthapuram.
Half a decade later, they continue their silent revolution to increase the production of “safe-to-eat” foods while ensuring good returns to farmers through new experiments and collaborations. “Back in July 2017, vegetable farming was launched in 100 houses in our neighbourhood following the cancer deaths. While many people quit midway or failed to pursue further, we delved deeper into agriculture by visiting the farms of successful vegetable growers and expanded the area under cultivation while giving thrust to sustainability and producing vegetables without the use of chemicals, especially pesticides,” says Mr. Das, 36.
