Two youngsters from Vizianagaram prove farming is a lucrative career option

Besides growing a food forest, they have established a startup that acts as a bridge between farmers and agriculture firms

A career in agriculture is, perhaps, not on the priority list of today’s youth, more so for those hailing from the urban areas. It certainly is not the preferred option for the management and engineering graduates passing out from top institutions.

But here are two youngsters who have taken to tilling the land, and have proven that farming is indeed a lucrative career option despite many challenges such as skyrocketing prices of land, seed, and fertilizer, and rising labour charges.

Meet Naveen Perla, a graduate from Indian Institute of Management-Kolkata, and Sudheer Vajrapu, an engineering graduate from BITS Pilani (Hyderabad), who have made this possible.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent work-from-home method adopted by their companies headquartered in Mumbai, Naveen and Sudheer had to stay put in Vizianagaram.

Although they did not know each other previously, they met in a conference and exchanged views on various issues, including agriculture. As they discovered a shared vision in agriculture, they decided to go for it.

With little knowledge in farming, the task was certainly challenging for them.

But help came from Sudheer’s family members, who were into food processing business. With their guidance and moral support, Naveen and Sudheer took 25 acres of land on lease near Korukonda on the outskirts of Vizianagaram.